ROUNDING UP THE FLOCK |
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If you think you might have a connection or can
assist with any new information about this branch of
the McNamara family please any comments or contact details. The
family's history in New South Wales prior to coming
to Queensland around 1850 remains largely unknown,
except for a few hazy recollections recorded in a
Queensland country newspaper, the Dalby Herald, in
1942. This obituary for James McNamara Senior records his birth as Pitt Street Sydney, 9 August 1841. Despite having such a precise date, the best endeavours of the McNamara family researchers have not uncovered any evidence to verify that claim. |
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WHO WAS MARY ANNE BARRY? |
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John McNamara and Mary Barry could
have been convicts, free settlers or bounty immigrants.
We might never know, as any oral history, anecdotes or
personal records have not survived, making family
connections prior to 1850 impossible to trace. In an
era where large families were the norm, it is
surprising that James McNamara appears to be the only
issue of John and Mary Anne McNamara nee Barry. This web site contains complete BDM extracts for James McNamara Senior's family in the hope that other descendants might recognise a lost branch of their family tree. Someone has the key to unlock the mystery of Mary Anne Barry, her family, her origin and her fate. |
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A MYSTERY WITHIN A MYSTERY |
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The discovery of the 1929
Queensland Death Certificate
of John Barry also known as John McNamara has added
another twist to the search for Mary Anne Barry. The
matter was further compounded finding Birth
Certificates for five of his six children, Francis,
Margaret
Anne, Patrick,
William,
Mary,
but not Michael
under McNamara and Barry surnames. Could this family be related in some obscure way or is it a coincidence with common surnames. Do the descendants of John Barry and Mary Lee, married at Rolleston (Qld) in 1872 hold the answer to the mystery of Mary Anne Barry and why did John McNamara alias Barry adopt dual identities for over fifty years, even in death. |
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THE SEARCH CONTINUES |
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For over a decade John McNamara,
great great grandson of John MacNamara and Mary Anne Barry has
searched for clues to connect
the family to the period 1840 - 1850 in New South
Wales. Old James recalled being present at the turning
of the sod for Sydney's first railway line to
Parramatta which took place 3 June 1850. The oldest
living members of the extended McNamara family have no
memory of either John McNamara or Mary Anne Barry. What is the missing link that continues to keep Mary Anne Barry hidden in the family tree. Could James McNamara have been mistaken about the time and place of his birth. Finding Mary Anne Barry will help unlock the answers to many of these questions. |
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Copyright © 2009 John A McNamara.
All rights reserved.