The History of 8 Families

This is a short, very brief abstract of the families of my eight great Grandparents. Four were Irish, three were German and one was French. It shows where the families came from, when they left their homelands and where they settled in America and other countries the world. The individual family histories are about 30 to 50 pages long. If you think you are connected to any of these eight families please E mail me at michael@rfi.com and I will send a copy of the history to you. Additional links to great Irish Home Pages are also included.

Four of the eight families in my ancestral line are Irish. All the Irish families come from the Connaught area of Western Ireland, noted for its stark beauty and made famous by Yates. The various McTiernan descendents ended up in America, England and Australia. While the McTernan decendents no longer live in Ireland today, the others emigrated from Ireland in the 1890's and again in the late 1940's.

My four Irish families are connected as follows: Hugh McTiernan, 1836--1909 married Mary Carney, 1845--1916. Their son, Hugh McTiernan, 1866--1944 married Anne McGreal, 1870--1958. Anne McGreal's parents were Bartley McGreal and Mary Byrne. Hugh McTiernan, 1866--1944 and Anne McGreal 1870--1958, my paternal Grandparents were married at the Chapel of Killargue, Co. Leitrim in 1895.

The family crests shown below belong to that specific family name. Each crest is from the same general geographic area as my family except as noted. While a Carney crest does exist (not shown), it is not from the area where my Carney / Kearney family originated. As yet, no valid connection has been made between my family and any of the crests.

The odd looking dots on the McTernan crest are Caltraps, a device that peasants used that looks like 2 to 3 inch spikes in a round shape very much like the jacks in the game, "pick up jacks". They would throw them over their shoulder when being chased by calvary, thus stopping the horses, the chase and getting away.

Throughout McTiernan history our name is spelled with and without the letter "i". The American's and the Australian's added the "i" while in Ireland it was left out. The Irish family names of Carney, McGreal, Byrne and the German family name of Lucash may be spelled several different ways.

McTiernan / McTernan Family Crest

My McTiernan / McTernan family is from the Townland of Sheskin, Civil Parish of Killarga, Catholic Parish of Killargue, Diocese of Kilmore, Barony of Drumahaire, Probate District of Ballina, PLU of Manorhamilton, Superintendent District of Manorhamilton, District of Drumahaire, County Leitrim, Ireland.

Sheskin is NW of Lough Allen about 5 miles from the town of Drumahaire. Since 1783, the final resting place for all McTernan's from Sheskin is at the foot of the High Altar in the Abbey of Creevelea. The Abbey was the chapel of the O'Rourkes, kings of Drumahaire. The Abbey is located on the Bonnet River across from the town of Drumahaire.

The McTernan's from Sheskin were farmers in Ireland and laborers in St. Louis, MO where they settled in 1895. The Australia immigrant, a mail carrier settled in New Farm, a suburb of Brisbane, QLD in the 1890's. The British immigrants settled in Coventry right after the Second World War.

McGreal / McGrail Family Crest

The McGreal / McGrail family that married into the McTiernan family is from the Townland of Tullycorka, Civil & Catholic Parish of Inishmagrath, Diocese of Kilmore, Barony of Drumahaire, Probate District of Ballina, PLU of Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland. Tullycorka is W by NW of Lough Allen. The family motto taken from the crest is "By Virtue Knowledge". Two sisters settled in St. Louis, MO in the 1890's. A brother stayed in Ireland and the third sister Anne McTiernan, nee McGreal, my Grandmother immigrated to St. Louis, MO in 1895 with her husband, Hugh McTiernan.

Carney / Kearney Family Crest

The Carney / Kearney family that married into the McTiernan family is most likely from the Townland of Carrigeencor, Civil & Catholic Parish of Drumlease, Diocese of Kilmore, Barony of Drumahaire, Probate District of Ballina, PLU of Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland. Carrigeencor is NW of Lough Allen. It is not known if this family emigrated.

Byrne / Bryne Family Crest

The Byrne / Bryne family that married into the McGreal family is from the Townland of Drumrewey, Civil & Catholic Parish of Inishmagrath, Diocese of Kilmore, Barony of Drumahaire, Probate District of Ballina, PLU of Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland. Drumrewey is W by NW of Lough Allen. The Latin family motto taken from the crest translates into, "I have fought and conqured". It is not known if this family emigrated.

Three of the eight families are German, one is French. These four families all emigrated between 1848 and 1856. Later, in history after emigration, Prague reverted from Bohemia, Germany to Czechoslovakia.

The four families are connected as follows: Konradius Fries, 1834--1897 married Barbara Lucash, 1840--1924. Their son, Adolph Fries, 1879--1945 married Anne Blaies, 1879--1948. Anne's parents were Jean Michael Blaies, 1822--1902 and Theresia Bender, 1833--1898. Adolph Fries, 1879--1945 and Anne Blaies, 1879--1948 my maternal Grandparents, were married in Belleville, IL in 1900.

Fries Family Crest

My Fries family first moved from Bavaria to Baden. Originally from the village of Struth, Wurtzburg, Parish of Rottingen, Bavaria, Germany, a later generation of Fries' moved to the village of Kutzbrunn, Grunsfeld, Main-Tauber District, Parish of Grunsfeld-Zimmer, County of Tauberbischfsheim (old county of Mosbach), Baden, Germany (20 miles SW of Wurtzburg, Bavaria). The 6 in the Fries family immgrated to the town of Hermann, MO then in 1853 when the parents died the 4 kids moved to Belleville, IL in 1854. They were farmers in Germany and laborers in Missouri & Illinois.

Blaies / Blaes Family Crest

The Blaies / Blaes family that married into the Fries family is from the village of Petit Tenquin, Parish of Hellimer, Mosel, Providence of Lorraine, France (50 miles E by SE of the city of Metz in NE France). While one immigrant brother settled in St. Louis, MO, my great Grandfather, Jean Michael Blaies first settled in Arnold, MO in 1856 and then moved to Mascoutah, IL in 1864 with his wife and family. They were farmers in Germany and farmers in Missouri and Illinois.

Lucash Family Crest

The Lucash family that married into the Fries family is from Prague, Bohemia, Germany (Czechoslovakia). The crest is from a Lucash family in the Ukraine which is a long stretch from Prague. Arriving in America at the port of New Orleans, the family settled in Freeburg, IL in 1854. The American immigrant was a horse trader according to verbal family history.

Bender Family Crest

The Bender family that married into the Blaies family is from the village of Rettigheim, Baden, Germany (20 miles South of Heidelberg, Baden). The family settled in the Kimswick, MO area and in Chrondelet, South St. Louis, MO in 1854. My great Grandmother, Theresia Blaies, nee Bender settled in Mascoutah, IL with her husband, Jean Michael Blaies in 1864. Other Bender's settled in O'Fallon, IL in the late 1800's.

The maps below are on the Irish areas and the German and French villages.