The Perry Family of Liscannor, County Clare

Although I refer to our branch of the Perry family as the Liscannor branch, the Perrys were not there for very long. We now know that Edward Perry came to Liscannor from Kilboy, Tipperary. We do not know when he arrived in County Clare, but his children were born in the 1840s, 1850s and 1860s, so it is likely that it was in the early 1840s. We also do not know what made him move to this tiny fishing village on the west coast of Ireland. His wife, Eliza Coffey, was a native of Liscannor and her ancestors had lived in Clare for generations. Her father, Francis Coffey, travelled around the country as a surveyor, so this could be how Edward and Eliza met and the reason that Edward went to live in County Clare.

Edward Perry and Eliza Coffey would probably have married at Liscannor Parish Church, which was built in the 1840s. They may even have been married by her brother, Father James Coffey, who was a parish priest. Although Edward had been born into a strict Tipperary Church of Ireland family, all of his children were baptised Catholic.

When Edward's father, John, died in 1872, he only left a shilling to his eldest son, which might suggest some antagonism on his part. However, in 1862, John and his wife Susan stood as sponsors at their grandson Patrick's baptism, so it seems that some links were retained between the families, despite the long journey from Kilboy to Liscannor.

• Edward and Eliza's eldest son, John was named after his paternal grandfather, as was the tradition in Irish families. He was baptised at Liscannor parish church on 7 August 1846. He was the only one of Edward and Eliza's children to stay in the village as an adult. He married Winifred McMahon, a farmer's daughter on 11 June 1881. John became the village postmaster, but died prematurely some time before the 1901 census, when his wife is found as a widow. John and Winifred had at least 7 children, including:
  • Elizabeth, born 2 May 1882.
  • Mary, born 21 October 1883.
  • Susanna, born 27 July 1885.
  • Winifred, born 12 Nov 1889. She married Walter McLysaght.
  • Jane, born either 17 February or 17 July 1892. There are 2 birth certificates for her, but they are too close together to be two separate children.
  • Frank, born 13 June 1893. He married Margaret and died 31 January 1964.
  • John, born 1895.
• James was Edward and Eliza's second son. He was christened in Liscannor on the 17th of September 1848, his godparents being Pat Coffey and Mary Anne Floyd. After a brief spell hin the Royal Irish Constabulary he joined the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) and moved away from County Clare. He and his wife, Sarah (nee Caffrey) brought up their family in Rathmines, Dublin. [See the Dublin Perrys]
• The next child, Francis was christened on 25th August 1849. He almost certainly died as a baby as on 27 April 1851 Eliza Perry gave birth to another son called Francis. Francis was the eldest of the Perry children to emigrate to America.

• Susan, born 18th August 1853, Mary, born on 12 Oct 1857, Edward , baptised 15 June 1860 and Patrick baptised 1862 also went to America.

• The youngest child, Henry was born on 13 November 1865 and died 2 days later. His mother also died shorlty after. He was most probably named after his father's younger brother.

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