Wexford based librarian Celestine Murphy has discovered a line of previously unknown relatives of President John. F. Kennedy.
Celestine is set to present her research findings as part of the History Symposium at the upcoming Kennedy Summer School in New Ross on Saturday.
The research for this presentation on Bridget Murphy took Celestine on a genealogical journey of discovery that she had not expected.
Celestine’s research suggests that Bridget Murphy had at least three unidentified sisters, Ann, Catherine and Johanna.
Bridget Murphy’s story is set to lead to a greater understanding of President Kennedy's roots and family connections in County Wexford.
According to Celestine, her research is based on the work of R. Andrew Pierce, a Boston-based professional genealogist who was a speaker at the 2013 Kennedy Summer School.
“Taking Pierce’s research as a starting point, I searched in the Massachusetts death records for anyone who also had Richard Murphy and Mary Barron listed as parents. This search produced the names of two women who were possible siblings of Bridget: Ann Murphy Kennedy and Catherine Murphy Roche, both of whom died in Massachusetts in the 1890s. I then traced both women back to Wexford and to the Roman Catholic parish of Ballycullane and also established their connection with Bridget.”
“As a consequence of this research, a third sister, Johanna, was discovered in the 1901 census, residing in Cloonagh.”
