Re: Fitzgibbons of the Glin, Co. Limerick, Antrim, and Canada
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In reply to:
Fitzgibbons of the Glin, Co. Limerick, Antrim, and Canada
paul robinson 5/29/04
Dear Paul:
I believe we may have a connection through your Thomas Fitzgibbon.According to family lore and a few precious tidbits of recorded history, I believe your Thomas might have changed his name to Thomas Fitzgibbon Moore. A stretch, I know. I also know that name changes often cannot be proven, but he fits timewise, there is a military connection in both families, and they both have a connection to Canada, so I think there is a chance that we can eventually prove this connection.
Anyway, please take a look at the most relevant snippets below.Additional details and sources are on my website at http://www.nfld.com/~jbishop/genealogy/pafg76.htm#1587http://www.nfld.com/~jbishop/genealogy/pafg76.htm#1587.
If nothing else you should find it entertaining, because Thomas was certainly a colourful character, his history includes: a duel with one of Nfld's famous families (Newhook - also my ancestors), law suits, marriage to another prominent Nfld. family (George family), a colourful political career, rum running, charges of treason, and riots.
Found the following on a Moore family website in the UK, but have not been able to verify all the details: From Gloria Moore Healey: "Thomas Fitzgibbons came by ship out of Belfast, I'm not sure of the date. He jumped ship in St. John's Newfoundland & to hide from the authorities he took his mother's maiden name of Moore. He settled in the Trinity Bay area of Newfoundland. Some of his decendants are still in the area. Some have become far flung! "
According to the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador (ENL):"Moore, Thomas Fitzgibbon - (fl.1822-1843). Constable; politician. According to family tradition, Moore was originally known as Thomas Fitzgibbon and came to the New Harbour, Trinity Bay area from Ireland or France in the early 1800s. By 1822 he was a constable at Dildo, having married a Miss George of that place.
Moore was apparently something of a free spirit and frequently clashed with the Newhook family, prominent shipbuilders and merchants of New Harbour. Perhaps as a result of this feud, he also had some standing as an advocate of political reform among the residents of Trinity Bay. In 1836 he was elected MHA for Trinity Bay as reformer/Liberal, a circumstance which elicited much comment by conservative interests about the ``very inferior set'' of members returned. The election was later annulled, but not before the ``celebrated Tom Fitz-Gibbon Moore'' entered local political lore. Prowse further described him as ``a wild, eccentric individual'' who would ``walk from his home to the Assembly every session, carrying his `nunny' bag on his back.''
Per D.W. Prowse's "History of Newfoundland" (http://enl.cuff.com/) page 438: "The first House of Asembly by statute, ended in 1836. The elections of this year were very hotly contested; there were riots at Harbour Grace and all around Conception Bay, and great disturbances in St. John's. The Attorney-General indicted a number of persons for riot and assault; six of these were members of the House of Assembly. There was not a tittle of evidence to sustain the charges against the members, and they were acquitted. In the other cases, the sentences passed by Chief Justice Boulton were considered so unnecessarily severe that they were remitted by the Home Government. The most preposterous proceeding of all was the disannulling of the 1836 elections, on the ground that one returned writ was unsealed.(2) Both Boulton and Attorney-General Simms declared the elections invalid. New writs were ordered; at the second contest the Conservatives or Protestants made no fight, and a very inferior set of members were returned, one of them being the celebrated Tom Fitz-Gibbon Moore, of Dildo. (Note #3: Tom Fitz-Gibbon Moore used to walk from his home to the Assembly every session, carrying his "nunny" bag on his back; a wild, eccentric individual, he was as excited as an Indian bravo over the arrest of Judge Lilly. Only one of his many speeches has come down to us. His father was a soldier, and Tom had been a drummer in the Navy; in one of his famous orations he described himself "As born in the Glorious British Army, reared in the Navy, and Musician under our most gracious Sailor King." A rival of Moore's--Dwyer--was the Hon. Member for Lion' Den, Fogo.)"
Hope to hear from you.
Cheers,
Jennifer Bishop
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Re: Fitzgibbons of the Glin, Co. Limerick, Antrim, and Canada
paul robinson 6/28/04