Out of Ireland to a Better Life — Martin Furlong

B. 12 Nov 1797 in County Wexford, Ireland¹
M. (1) 15 Jun 1818 in Rathangan, Ireland²
Wife: Ellen Radford
M. (2) 27 Aug 1828 in Rathangan, Ireland³
Wife: Mary Butler
D. 28 Jul 1889 in Pine Bend, Minnesota¹

To uproot your family at a time of famine, and move them across the globe to a strange new place, took a sort of courage. And to make a successful life in your new home was perhaps a reflection on the type of person you were.

Martin Furlong was one of the thousands who left Ireland during the Great Potato Famine in order to find a better life in America. He was born in County Wexford, Ireland on November 12, 1797.¹ The Furlongs were a large clan in the area and it’s likely his family spent generations there. Nothing is known about his parents or whether or not he had siblings.

Although most records in Ireland were destroyed in a 20th century fire, a few documents survived in Wexford County that give some details of Martin’s life. On June 15, 1818, he married Ellen Radford in Rathangan Parish.² The baptisms of many of his children are also listed there, so presumably he lived on a farm nearby. Rathangan was close to the southern coastline of Ireland, so the family lived within a mile or two of the ocean.

Where Martin lived in County Wexford, Ireland.

Martin and Ellen had at least five children between 1819 and 1825, three boys and two girls. Sometime between 1825 and 1827, Ellen died, and on August 27, 1828, Martin married Mary Butler.³ They had nine daughters and one son born between 1827 and 1848.

When the potato famine struck in the late 1840s, it must have taken a toll on the Furlong family, and by 1851, the decision was made to leave Ireland. The entire family sailed together on the ship Essex,⁴ but sadly, Martin’s 13-year-old son John died on the trip.⁴ Some details of the voyage survive in the form of a memoir written by a Mormon convert named George Godard,⁵ who was on the same ship. Godard told of a day on which he tried to preach to the other passengers, but since most of them were Irish Catholics, they had a strong objection. He said that, “…some of the passengers manifested a good deal of ill-feeling towards me, and I was secretly informed of a plot the Catholics had concocted to throw me overboard.” Whether or not the plotters included Martin isn’t known, but he must have been present at Godard’s speech because everyone onboard was said to have attended.

Martin and his family arrived at the port of New Orleans on December 13th.⁴ They didn’t spend very long in New Orleans. In 1852, they boarded a steamship up the Mississippi to West St. Paul, Minnesota, an immigrant community in Dakota County.⁶ The Furlongs were among the first families in the area, and one of Martin’s daughters was noted as the first death in the town.⁷ A story was handed down that the soil was so rocky on their land, that they couldn't dig a well, and that “water had to be carried for blocks.”⁸ Martin was listed in West St. Paul as a farmer in the 1860⁹ and 1870 censuses, with a farm worth $2,000,¹⁰ but in about 1878, he moved to the town of Rosemount.¹¹

After a very long life, Martin died on July 28, 1889 at the age of 91 in Pine Bend, Minnesota.¹ A small obituary in the local newspaper stated that “he was highly esteemed,” and that he left behind many friends.¹² His funeral took place at the Catholic church in Inver Grove and he was buried at St. Patrick Cemetery.¹ Martin left behind 62 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, and his wife Mary survived him.

Martin's death was remembered in a newspaper 50 years later.

Children by Ellen Radford:
1. James Furlong — B. before 24 Apr 1819, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;¹³ D. 31 Aug 1875, Minnesota;¹⁴ M. Catherine (1835-1909)¹⁰

2. Mary Furlong — B. before 3 Aug 1820, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland¹⁵

3. Ann Furlong — B. before 17 Feb 1822, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland¹⁶

4. Anthony Furlong — B. before 13 Nov 1823, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland¹⁷

5. Patrick Furlong — B. 1 Jul 1825, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;¹⁸ D. 16 Mar 1917, Rosemount, Minnesota;¹⁸ M. Catherine Fox (1837-1902), 14 Jan 1862, Ramsey County, Minnesota¹⁹

Children by Mary Butler:
1. Margaret Furlong — B. before 26 May 1829, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;²⁰ D. 24 Nov 1889, Dakota County, Minnesota¹¹

2. Eliza Furlong — B. 18 Sep 1830, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;²¹ D. 3 Feb 1912, Maple Lake, Minnesota;²² M. Francis Labree (1828-1909), 23 Jan 1854, St. Paul, Minnesota²³

3. Frances Furlong – B. before 30 Aug 1832, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;²⁴ D. (probably) young²⁵

4. Mary Furlong – B. before 21 Sep 1834, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland²⁶

5. Ellen Furlong – B. before 14 Jul 1836, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;²⁷ D. 24 Apr 1921, St. Paul, Minnesota;²⁸ M. Michael Kennedy (~1830-1895)²⁸

6. John Furlong – B. about 18398, (probably) County Wexford, Ireland;⁴ D. before 13 Dec 1851, at sea²⁹

7. Catherine Furlong – B. 26 Jul 1841, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;³⁰ D. 21 Jun 1923, Le Sueur County, Minnesota;³¹ M. Thomas Furlong (1828-1908), 21 Jan 1869, St. Paul, Minnesota³²

8. Alice Furlong – B. before 19 Dec 1843, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland;³³ D. (probably) young³⁴

9. Bridget Furlong – B. about 1848, Ireland;³⁵ M. William Maher, 2 Jan 1873, Ramsey County, Minnesota³⁶

10. Jennie Furlong – B. 10 Jan 1849, County Wexford, Ireland;³⁷ D. 30 May 1935, Kilkenny, Minnesota³⁷

Sources:
1    Find-a-Grave listing of Martin Furlong
2    Marriage record of Martin Furlong and Ellen Radford, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
3    Marriage record of Martin Furlong and Mary Butler, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
4    Passenger list of ship Essex, Liverpool to New Orleans, December 1851
5    Review of an Active Life,” Juvenile Instructor, 17:4, George Goddard, 15 Feb 1882
6    The History of the City of Saint Paul, and the County of Ramsey, Minnesota, J. Fletcher Williams, 1876
7    History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Rev. Edward D. Neill and Fletcher Williams, 1881
8    Letter from Hazel Swenson to Laura Mitchell, 28 Sep 1977
9    1860 U.S. Census, West St. Paul, Minnesota
10  1870 U.S. Census, West St. Paul, Minnesota
11  Margaret Furlong obituary, Hastings Gazette, 30 Nov 1889
12  Obituary of Martin Furlong reprinted 50 years later in the Hastings Gazette, Hastings, Minnesota, 10 Aug 1939
13  Baptismal record of James Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
14  Find-a-Grave listing of James Furlong
15  Baptismal record of Mary Furlong (older), Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
16  Baptismal record of Ann Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
17  Baptismal record of Anthony Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
18  Find-a-Grave listing of Patrick Furlong
19  Marriage record of Patrick Furlong and Catherine Fox, Minnesota County Marriages, 1849-1950, FamilySearch.org
20  Baptismal record of Margaret Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
21  Baptismal record of Eliza Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
22  Death record of Eliza (Furlong) Labree, Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, FamilySearch.org
23  Marriage record of Francis Labree and Eliza Furlong, M.C.M.
24  Baptismal record of Frances Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
25  There are no further records of Frances Furlong
26  Baptismal record of Mary Furlong (younger), Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
27  Baptismal record of Ellen Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
28  Death record of Ellen (Furlong) Kennedy, M.D.
29  John Furlong was listed on the passenger list of the Essex, and there is no further mention of him
30  Baptismal record of Catherine Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
31  Death record of Catherine (Furlong) Furlong, M.D.
32  Marriage record of Thomas Furlong and Catherine Furlong, M.C.M.
33  Baptismal record of Alice Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
34  There are no further records of Alice Furlong
35  Marriage record of William Maher and Bridget Furlong, M.C.M.
36  Baptismal record of Alice Furlong, Rathangan Parish, County Wexford, Ireland
37  Death certificate of Jennie Furlong, 31 May 1935, Kilkenny, Minnesota