Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Thomas Dailey

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Descendants of Thomas Dailey

Generation No. 1

1. THOMAS¹ DAILEY was born Abt. 1806 in Ireland, and died Bef. 1850 in New York. He married BRIDGET DUFFEY Abt. 1826 in Ireland. She was born 1808 in Ireland, and died April 12, 1884 in St. Louis, MO.

Notes for THOMAS DAILEY:
Some of the hereditary Gaelic surnames took form at periods as early as the ninth and tenth centuries. These names are the earliest substantiated European records of family names. The majority however, like the surnames met in France and Italy, appear to have been adopted in the eleventh or twelfth centuries as in the case of the family name O'Dalaigh.

The earliest recording of the name was Cuchonnacht O'Dalaigh, who lived in Teffia, in what is now the County of Westmeath. Being noted for his learning, he was called "Cuchonnacht na Sgoile," meaning "Cuchonnacht of the School." He died in the year 1139.

The "O" prefixed to the name "Dalach" or "Dalaigh" signifies grandson or male descendant of Dalach in contrast to the prefix Mac or Mc which would mean son of the ancestor specified. The modern Anglicized versions of the ancient Gaelic family name Ua Dalaigh or O'Dalaigh, pronounced "O'Dhaulee," came about as a result of tyrannical laws, designed by the English rulers, which outlawed Gaelic names and customs as a means of penalizing the Irish people into a state of subjugation. Beginning with the reign of the English King Edward IV (1465), the law demanded that every Irishman living within the territory known as the "Pale" take an English name and comply with other English customs or forfeit his possessions. Most families resisted and it wasn't until the close of the Seventeenth Century, after constant persecution and ridicule that the Gaelic form nearly disappeared. In many cases the Anglicized forms were actually closely related to the basic Gaelic surnames minus the "Macs" or the "O's" as in the case of the name Daly.

The final doom of the Gaelic surnames came as a result of the widespread establishment of the English language among the Irish. This circumstance caused the English form of names to be taken for granted and considered as natural. In recent times, the Gaelic original has been re-adopted by some of the families. This trend back to the Gaelic will naturally spread as the ancient language gradually resumes its old dominant position in Ireland.

The common definition of the O'Dalaigh surname today is, "deriving from Dalach meaning 'one who is present at assemblies'; the root word is Dail, now the official title of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland". A connection is also possible to the long tradition of scholarship and poetic achievement associated with those who bear it, since the ollamh of Gaelic Ireland had a place of honor at the tribal dail as a man of learning and a poet. Other evidence points to an even older more significant meaning, based on the claim by the pagan Irish that they were offspring of their gods. This evidence is found on several Ogham stones which contain the oldest known form of Irish writing.

An example from the Gowran Stone;

DALLO MAQA MUCORI MAQI ERACIAS MAQI LI

and one from the Dunbell Stone of Kilkenny

BRANITTOS MAQI DECARI DDALLOS

These inscriptions appear to invoke either pagan gods or mythological
figures with names similar to the ancestral "Dalach". A third ogham,
Monataggert II further specifies the Dalach (Dalagni) as sons of the
eponymous ancestor (Dali). In many cases the mythological ancestor was
female.

DALAG N I MAQ I DALI

From this evidence and other data associated with times of antiquity in
Ireland, it would appear that there are reasonable grounds for assuming
the family name "O'Dalaigh" has a godly or mythological
significance.Indeed, it provides a more logical probable meaning of the
name O'Dalaigh than the more popular versions built almost entirely on
definitions given in modern dictionaries for supposed parts of the family
name.

So begins the story of this Irish Dailey family...

We do not know much about Thomas Dailey except he did exist. He and Bridget married in Ireland and had Bernard, the oldest son, there. The three of them immigrated from Ireland to New York sometime after Bernard's birth in 1828 and before Thomas' birth in 1832 since all census records show Thomas born in New York in 1832. We have possibly found BRidget in the 1850 census and it seems Thomas was not there putting his death berfore 1850. By 1850, Bernard and Thomas are living alone in a boarding house in St. Louis and by 1860 Bridget is in St. Louis also with the two younger boys. There also is evidence of a daughter. This is due to the 1880 census for Peter Dailey which shows an Ellen Breslan living with him as a niece born in Connecticut.

Notes for BRIDGET DUFFEY:
Thomas does not show in any St. Louis census so we can surmise he died before this group came to St. Louis, most likely in New York City since this is where two of the sons are shown as born in the census records. Bridget is shown as living with Thomas J. Dailey in the 1880 census records at the age of 72. She died several years later. Earlier, in the 1860 census Bridget shows up living in Bernard's house with John and Peter. Bridget also shows up in the St. Louis City directory in 1854 as a widow living on Mullanphy.

Bernard was born in Ireland in 1828 and Thomas was born in New York in 1832 so Bridget and Thomas would have arrived from Ireland into New York between 1829 and 1832 (accounting for babies and pregnancies). Also, Bridget would have arrived in St. Louis between 1851 and 1859 (Thomas was first to be married in St. Louis).

Note: There is a B. Duffey arrived from Ireland (Belfast) to New York on the "Josephine" on April 30,1928.

More About BRIDGET DUFFEY:
Burial: April 14, 1884, Calvery Cem. Sec 4, Lot 18, St. Louis

Children of THOMAS DAILEY and BRIDGET DUFFEY are:

2.	i.	BERNARD FRANCIS² DAILEY, SR., b. 1828, Ireland; d. March 11, 1882, St. Louis, MO.
3.	ii.	THOMAS J. DAILEY, b. 1832, New York; d. November 09, 1887, St. Louis, MO.
	iii.	JOHN A. DAILEY, b. 1843, New York; d. August 04, 1890, St. Louis, MO.

Notes for JOHN A. DAILEY:
John never married. John shows up in the 1860 and 1870 census' but I could not find him in the 1880 census for Missouri. He was buried in the family plot in Calvary cemetery in St. Louis in 1890. John is shown in the 1870 census as a tobacco dealer and living with his mother, Bridget. In the 1854 city directory he is shown as living on Main and is a ship carpenter. In the 1866 city directory he is listed as a salesman. His address at the time of his death in St. Louis was 2819 Thomas Ave. His death certificate lists him as single when he died.

I did find a John Daley, same age, in the 1880 census, married to a Margarette from Ireland with 4 children ages 11 to 2 (1869-1878). He is listed as a Rag Peddler. It could be a match. Childrens' names from oldest to youngest were Mary, Katie, Thomas, and Lizzie. They were living in the 12th Ward, Precinct 120, St. Louis.

More About JOHN A. DAILEY:
Burial: August 05, 1890, Calvery Cem. Sec 4, Lot 18, St. Louis

4.	iv.		PETER P. DAILEY, b. June 29, 1848, Rome, New York; d. September 06, 1913, St. Louis, Missouri.
5.	v.		BRIDGET DAILEY, b. Abt. 1851, Ireland.

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