Today we headed into Longford Township to meet with local Historian Martin Morris.
Using the free ancestry website www.IrishGenealogy.ie Martin was very helpful pulling up civil records. He was also able to identify the Parish and Cemetery where my great-great grandfather James was buried.
Finding the cemetery
Using a hand drawn map of the cemetery we were able to locate James Sexton (1831-1913) as plot #296.
On the sides of James’ headstone was his oldest son Bernard (1864-1950) and his grandson James (1924-1996).
Meeting Josie
This is a classic divine appointment.
After visiting St. Colmcille Catholic Church and Cemetery in Aghnacliffe, County Longford we headed up the hill toward Dunbeggan in search of locals that might give us some insights and possibly identify distant relatives still living in the area.
At the top of the hill were two pubs and a fast food place.
I asked the two women behind the counter and a customer in the restaurant if they could point us in the right direction to Aghamore Upper.
The customer, a petite woman named Patricia Boyle, immediately chimed in and asked why Aghamore Upper?
We told her of our journey and and as God would have it she knew Josephine Sexton who lives in Aghamore Upper. “In fact,” she said with her thick Gaelic brogue, “she goes to church right down the way here. Let me go to the church and point her out for ya.”
So she grabbed her food and before we knew it she was in her car and off she went. We caught up to her in front of St. Colmcille Catholic Church (were we just came from) and she scurried into the church where there with eight or ten older folks praying the Rosary.
As she search for Josephine she realized she wasn’t there yet. She suggested we wait since the Mass was starting at “half past 7.”
20 minutes later, A sweet older woman with glasses came walking up the drive to the church. Patricia described her perfectly.
Within five minutes she tells me, “Call me Josie!” Quickly followed by. “Tell me. Who are ya now?”
As it turns out, Josephine Sexton’s great-grandfather is James (born in 1831).
This makes us Second Cousins one removed. I think?
Josie shared with us that she was the only Sexton still living on the Aghamore Upper property and the original house could not be reached.
Since she was going to Mass we let her go thinking this was the end of our time together and bid our farewells.
We went up the hill toward Aghamore Upper to where we guessed the property might be. We knew we were close.
(Continue on to In Search of Michael E – Part 4
MikeSextonNC 