Mathew Minogue (1831 - 14 November 1900) |
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Mathew Minogue was born about 1831 in Ireland. On his marriage certificate, he gave the name of his father as John Minogue, farmer, of Ireland. We have no further information on John or on Mathew's mother. Around 1852, Mathew joined the British Army. This was not unusual. Approximately a third of the British Army of that time consisted of regiments of Irish and Scots. The vast British Empire required troops all over the globe. Mathew’s regiment was the Royal Irish Rifles, also known as the 83rd Regiment of Foot. This unit was raised (organized) in Dublin, which leads us to assume that Mathew was possibly a native of the Dublin area. The British Army customarily placed men from the same community in the same regiment for greater harmony in the ranks. The “troubles” (rebellion against British occupation) in Ireland were at their height about this time, and it was decided to post the Irish regiments overseas for fear of rebel sympathy within these units. The 83rd was sent to India during the Indian Mutiny of the 1850’s, and Mathew would have taken part in the numerous battles they faced. The "Indian Mutiny" was the name given to the uprising of a large section of the Bengal army in 1857, which developed into a widespread movement of the agrarian and military revolt against British rule. Battles raged for nearly one and a half years before peace was restored. The 83rd actually fought in the following battles in India - 12 Aug 1857 at Neemuch, 19 Sept. 1857 at Nimbhera, 23 Oct. 1957 at Jeerum, 28 March 1858 at Koorsee, 30 March 1858 at Kotah and 14 Aug. 1858 at Bunass River (Katttara). After the mutiny came to a temporary close, the regiment returned to England. Mathew came back to the British Isles as a corporal, an indication he was considered a good soldier - no enlisted man got two “stripes” easily in those days. His records indicate that he was a military policeman at this time. Pat Balkcom found his regimental paybook record in London, and he is often recorded as absent at pay due to provost (military police) duty. Mathew met Ann Carter when he was stationed at Chichester in southeast England (East Sussex). She was an English girl living in Littlehampton. Mathew and Ann were married on March 15, 1860 at Littlehampton, Sussex, a small coastal town on the English Channel. According to the marriage registration, Ann was 23, and Mathew was 29, both previously unmarried. However, other birth information we have indicates that Ann would have been 19. Mathew and Ann had their first child, Mary Ann, when he was stationed at Chatham, Kent, a large military base also in the county of Sussex. Mathew had been transferred here from Chichester in August of 1860. Mary Ann was born October 23, 1861 in a house on King Street. From the birth registration notice, it appears the house may actually have been at the corner of King and Brook, streets that are still named this today. About 1862, Mathew was transferred to a militia regiment called the Royal Canadian Rifles. He must have been at the end of the term of his enrollment obligation (usually ten years) to the Royal Irish Rifles. He was also an experienced military policeman. His services would be of value in Canada, especially near the United States border. Desertion was a serious problem for British units in that area. We need to realize that Canada was not a country in 1862. It consisted of two adjoining British colonies, which were referred to as Canada East (later Québec) and Canada West (which became Ontario). The Royal Canadian Rifles was a British militia unit. The “Canadian” part of its name only indicated the area of its service. We now know how and why Mathew came to arrive on this continent. His regiment was ordered here to maintain order, and he had the privilege of living with his family in barracks. The Royal Canadian Rifles were an elite militia unit made up of British Army Veterans. He had to sign on as a private to get in, probably because this unit would have attracted other NCO’s. All of the regiment had to be actively serving British soldiers of line regiments. They were required to have a good service record to be eligible. The terms of enlistment in the RCR’s was ten years. Mathew served at Kingston during the Fenian Raid of 1866, and his army records indicate that he was a guard on duty there. We originally thought he would be seeing after Fenian prisoners, but in light of what we have described above, they were likely deserters from his own forces. We have transcripts of records from Kilmainham Military Hospital in Dublin, which shows that he was still in RCR until November 28, 1871. At that time, the regiment embarked on ships and sailed back to England. Relations in the United States had improved by then, and the Fenians were no longer a threat. Mathew left the military at that time and remained in Canada to start a new life.
If he had stayed with the British Royal Rifles in 1862, he would have been eligible for posting anywhere on Earth where the British government had interests. Thus we can see that this ten – year term in Canada was of great benefit to him. He and his wife had already started a family, and the prospect of being discharged in ten years in a country like Canada must have seemed very appealing. He had to give up his hard earned corporal’s stripes, but the sacrifice was relatively small in relation to gain. Harvey Mitchell, a very knowledgeable military historian, also points out that vast numbers of British veterans, especially those sent to non-European assignments, suffered from tropical diseases which killed far more of then than enemy action. Mathew’s eligibility for treatment was quite possibly due to a long term infection such as malaria. This would have made him willing to accept an “easier” posting in a Crown colony which was not in any significant war. First son Thomas Henry was born in Québec in 1869. We think the family was living in the barracks in Quebec City at the time. Military life must have been unpleasant for Ann and the children. Families in barracks were subject to military regulations, and their husbands would be disciplined for any breach of these rules. The wives were required to clean the barracks and the sanitary facilities. Mathew left the armed forces as mentioned. Canada census is taken in April or May of the census year. The family must have remained in Québec until that time, because the 1871 Canada Census Index makes no mention of them in Ontario. By 1872, Matthew had secured employment with the Great Western (later Grand Trunk) Railway, as a line laborer. He would have been part of a crew sent out for weeks at a time on a work train, and they would have broken up rocks for “ballast” (stone of appropriate size to form a track bed) and laid them in place. The family followed him, staying where he could get home while off duty. In 1872-73, they occupied a small house on Guise Street overlooking the Hamilton harbor. The building housed railroad families on a temporary basis. It must have been rough accommodations, because in 1874 the house had been demolished and the lot lay vacant.
A third child, daughter Annie, was born on the 8th of October in 1872
while they were
in Hamilton.
While in London, a second son, Mathew Jr. was born. However, he only lived five months. (18 June 1876 - 5 Dec. 1876). We do not know where Mathew was buried, however, there is only one Catholic Cemetery, St. Peter's, so we assume it was there. There is a gap of eight years between the birth of Mathew and Ann's first and second children. Of course, we might not be aware of others who could have been born and not survived early childhood. Childbirth and infant survival were much more random and hazardous in the 19th century. While in London, Mathew continued to work for the Grand Trunk Railway. Eventually, he was appointed a yard foreman, and later was in charge of the supply depot. He was “getting on” in age and his family was rapidly growing up. All three children married. Mary Ann married Terence Byrne, and immigrant from Ireland. Annie married Edward Rourke, a large, robust house painter and they had six children. Thomas married Mary Ann Gibbons. In time they would also have six children and make their home in Hamilton, Ontario.
Mathew and possibly also Ann returned to Ireland in 1897.
While Mathew was in Kilmainham, a military campaign medal was sent to him from Canada, in recognition of his service at Kingston at the time of the 1866 Fenian Raid. We still have this medal, along with one for service in India during the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58.
In 1903, Ann was listed as living with daughter Annie and her husband Edward Rourke in London. Edward died suddenly a few years later. Annie and her children, now grown, moved to Hamilton in the early 1920’s. Ann senior must have accompanied them. She spent the last three years of her life in a “home for incurable” in Hamilton, which was the present day St. Peter's Hospital. She died April 5, 1924, and is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Hamilton Ontario. Her unmarked grave is in Section S, Row 4, Lot 32. Son Tom gave the required information for her death registration. The Ontario Archives has her father listed as “John Easter” and her mother’s name “unknown”. In fairness to Tom, he was born in Canada, and very likely never met any of his grandparents. Mary Ann married Terence Byrne in London, Ontario on July 7, 1881. He was born in Ireland, and gave his parents’ names as James and Bridget Byrne. We have very little information about Mary Ann and her husband. We do know that they had at least two daughters. One who married William Manion, and made her home in Detroit, Michigan, and Mary Emma, who married Michael Davern. This latter couple had children John, Veronica, William, and Loretta Davern. Loretta married Edward Bernier, and several descendents of this couple live in Hamilton. Mary Byrne Davern was born January 15, 1885 in London. She died July 25, 1958 in Hamilton, eight years after her husband. Thomas Henry Minogue, the second child of Mathew and Ann, was born in Québec, grew up in London, and became a tailor. Thomas changed the spelling of his surname to “Monogue” when he was a young man as he did not like his friends calling him "Minnie". His descendants who bear the surname use his spelling variation to this day. Tom met and married Mary Ann Gibbons in London. We will return to this couple separately, later. They were the ancestors of many children, grandchildren (including Marlene Pryor) and great-grandchildren (including Pat Balkcom).
Annie Minogue, the younger daughter of Mathew and Ann, was born in Hamilton, Ontario on October 8, 1872. Annie’s birth record is not to be found in Hamilton parish records, so she may have been reported in London after her family arrived there, if at all. Like her brother Tom, she trained as a tailor. She married Edward Rourke of London on June 27, 1893, at St. Peters Cathedral, London, Ontario. He was a house painter. They had six children. In 1909, Edward, aged 42, was applying the finishing touched to the paint on a newly completed fire station in London. He apparently suffered some sort of seizure, or perhaps a heart attack and collapsed on the floor. He died where he fell. Two months later, the youngest child, Herbert, also died. Annie returned to full-time tailoring in order to support her children, all less than fourteen years of age. They all moved to Hamilton were the children were young adults. They first lived on Barnesdale Avenue North, then settled into a house on Sherman Avenue North, two doors away from the Byrnes. Annie died in 1942, and her remains were transported to London, where she lies buried beside her husband Edward. By: Al Pryor, Burlington, Ontario, and Patricia Balkcom, Columbia, Maryland
Revised October 10, 2003
We are indebted to E.J. Harvey Mitchell, a long time friend and avid military historian. He pointed out facts which made it possible to piece the military aspects of this story together. He emphasizes that we have no official confirmation of some of Mathew’s dates of service. Of course, he is right, but we have bridged many of the gaps using family civilian events of known date. Thus, we could not make a “court case” for our information used, but it seems that we have found what we sought to know, and the story is pretty complete. |
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(This is a picture of what Queen Street looked like about 1900.)
Within a year though,
they had moved to the southwest corner of Quebec Street. the directories
state that the house was at the corner of Quebec and Lyman. However,
on a present day map of London, these two street are perpendicular and do not
intersect, so the streets must have been renamed at some time. The
directory later referred to this address as 121 Quebec St. and they lived here
from 1878 until 1886 when they made their final move to 529 Quebec which was on
the west side of the street between Lorne and Princess Streets. The last city
directory entry for this address
It was shortly after this, in 1897 that Mathew returned to Ireland.
