William McCann, b 1787, may be the father of William McCann born 1820/1. This older William lived in Lurganboy, as that is what is inscribed on his tombstone. He probably lived on land that

was leased to Peter McCann, Peter was the only McCann landholder in Lurganboy in

the 1820's. This particular piece (or at least a part of it) of land later was recorded as

being in Fallagherin in 1855. On the 1887 map of Fallagherin Peter McCann land is

pictured with many small buildings on it, judging from this and what I believe are the

Land records for this same piece of land in the early 1800's, it appears that there were

several families living on this parcel.

William and his family are likely to have worshiped at the mass rock at the corner of

Fallagherin and Altamuskin. There was no Catholic chapel in this area until 1868. That

rock is right across the road from Marian Shield's (Family tree) home. Her barn can be seen in the framed

picture of the Mass Rock.

He is the brother of Owen McCann, however, as his tombstone attests to that. I cannot

prove that this William MCANN is William and Ann McCANN's father. I have listed

him as their (possible) father for several reasons. William McCann born 1820, was

described as an orphan in his obituary. Ann was younger than William was, so William's

father was alive when Ann was conceived. Ann's birth date has not been identified with

certainty. She was born in April various sources for her age list ages that would have her

as being born from 1825 to 1830. She was older than her husband, which sometimes

gives rise to people reporting a woman younger than she is.

This William died in September 1825, so he could have fathered a child born April 1925,

or 1926 or before. If this William lived on the land leased to Peter McCann, he was an

"Old Walls McCann".

This was an enduring nickname given to McCANNs who resided on this farm. The

nickname derived from the old walls that surrounded the farm. There were many

McCANNs in the area, many of whom had the same Given names. Nicknames were

used to discriminate between families.

George McCann b 1810, was described by Kathleen McCann Mullins as "An Old

Walls McCann". When I questioned her about it, she replies that her mother had called

him that. I believe this George is my gggf William's brother.

William MCCANN's Parents ..other evidence.

My gggf, William, born 1820, must have described himself as coming from Fallagherin

as a friend recorded this in his obituary, when he was buried in Dixon California in 1901.

(See link to biography for William)

He was also described as having been an orphan and he saved enough money to bring his

younger sister, Ann, to the USA. This suggests to me that the orphaned children were in

someone's care, probably a family member, as they remained in touch with one another.

Ann's birth date varies from 1825 to 1830, as reported variously in her obituary, on her

gravestone and in Census'.

Fallagherin is in Errigal Cieran Catholic Parish. The earliest cemetery for this parish is

known as Errigal Cross (See tombstone Photos) and it is located in the far western part of the parish near

Ballynasaggart ...about a half mile from the COI Errigal Keerogue Church, that of course

was originally Catholic. The next Catholic Cemetery in the Parish to open was

Dunmoyle in 1868.

There are two William McCANNs and an unidentified McCann buried in Errigal Cross

cemetery.

First Gravestone:

THIS STONE WAS ERECTED

BY Own McCANN in MEM___

OF HIS BROTHER WILLIAM

MC CANN LATE OF LURGAN___

WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE

THE 6TH SEPT 1825 AGED 38 YEARS

Irish World recorders saw this LURGAN___ as a reference to Lurganboy, which is in

Errigal Kieran Parish. Lurgan is in Armagh Parish, many many miles away. There was a

William McCann who owned land in Lurganboy in 1785. Part of that land later became

known as Fallagherin. It looks like in comparing Tithes to Griffiths that the land was in

Lurganboy in 1833 and in Fallagherin in 1860. It was also immediately adjacent to

Fallagherin and across the lane from the land I think my gggf William may have been

raised on (By William and Susan McCann)...hence William "coming form

Fallagherin". This William who may have raised him is the son of Owen (1780-1862).

This William's sons later came to be with William (gggf) in California and their

obituaries confirm that they are his cousins.

The wording of this stone is characteristic of the family of Owen McCann born 1780,

who is buried in Killeeshil Graveyard-1862 (See tombstone photos). His sons used this prose for him and his

grandsons in turn used it for his sons. So I assume the "OWN McCann" here is this

Owen buried in Killeeshil.

SECOND GRAVESTONE AS RECORDED BY IRISH WORLD RECORDERS (I

HAVE SEEN THIS STONE. IT IS IN THE SAME VICINITY, BUT NOT NEXT TO,

THAT OF THE WILLIAM ABOVE.

I.H.S.

ERECTED

BY MARY AND CHARLES McCann BOSTON

IN MEMORY OF THEIR FATHER AND

MOTHER WILLIAM AND BRIDGET McCann

OF TYHANY

BRIDGET DIED 2 JUNE 1826 AGED

52 YEARS

WILLIAM DIED 22 SEPTEMBER 1817 AGED

79 YEARS SON PATRICK 2 YEARS OLD

MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE

AMEN

If this stone is accurate William was born in 1738 and his wife Bridget in 1774, which

represents an age difference of 36 years, which is considerable-even by Irish standards.

If the recording of the stone is accurate this makes it impossible for this man to be my

gggf's father as he died before William was born. This stone is of interest because

William's (gggf) sister Ann has a prayer book in which she records that she had brothers

George and Charles in Ireland. There is no date on the stone indicating when it was

erected.

The townland is also a puzzle.

I could not find a Tyhany.

I found Tyhan:

Tyhan

216 acres in county Tyrone, barony of Dungannon Middle, Civil parish of Clonfeacle and

PLU of Dungannon. OS Maps 54 and 61

Or

Tycanny

615 acres in county Tyrone, barony of Clogher, Civil parish of Clogher and PLU of

Clogher. OS Maps 52 and 59

Checking and records, it appears that this family lived in what is now known as Tychany,

which is out of the parish but geographically near this cemetery.

Interestingly, in the parish records for baptisms for Errigal Kieran, a child "Joanem" is

born to Arthur McCann and Maria on 9 Mar 1834. The sponsors are Charles McCann

and Alicia McCann. A difficult to read word similar to "Timoney" is written in this

record. I thought this might be a reference to a townland, but as I stated above in EK, the

only "T" townland is Tirnaskea. Timoney and Tyhany are similar and both involve a

Charles McCann, but neither is in EK. There is a townland of Timoney in County

Tipperary. A sideline interest in this listing is that an Arthur McCann also leased land in

Lower Cloghfin ( near Lurganboy) at the same times as William and Francis McCann

and Stephen McCann and Francis Donnelley. These four McCANNs were lessees of

very large parcels ..concurrently.

I guess it is possible that this William could have been the William who leased land in

Lurganboy in 1785 and as early as 1769. Some ppl leased land away from where they

lived. I suspect that was true of Owen McCann (1780-1862) who owned land in both

Tulnavern and Fallagherin. So I suppose this William could have lived in Tyhan and

owned land in Lurganboy. Then, he could be the father of the other William (1787-1825)

buried nearby. But Bridget would be very young to be his mother, so William born 1787

could be Willaim (b 1738)'s son by a first wife. If my theory that William b 1787 is

Owen's (born 1780) brother is correct, than Bridget is too young to be Owens mother.

THIRD GRAVESTONE

--------

Here lyeth

The body of _____

McCANN.