Catherine Adams
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Catherine Adams, daughter of William Adams and Elizabeth O'Keefe was born 1878 in County Cork, Ireland. She married James Nyhan about 1902 in County Cork, Ireland. He was a farmer and a cattle jobber. For a time after their marriage, they may have lived with the Adams’ as their daughter Catherine was born in the Adams house. Sometime around 1904 they bought a house and farm of their own in Knockbrack, Burnfort. Here the rest of their children were born and raised.Catherine and James lived at the Knockbrack house during some troubled times in Ireland, for Ireland was in a struggle to gain independence from Great Britain. In order to police Ireland, England took prisoners from English jails and put them in uniform to patrol (or terrorize) the Irish countryside. |
These "patrolmen" were known as the Black and Tan’s, named from the color of their uniform. Catherine and James’ daughters would often relate the story that their father would hang metal plates in the windows to prevent stray bullets from entering the house. A few times the window’s were even broken!
Catherine and James lived at the Knockbrack Farm together for about twenty years. In in 1923 he caught pneumonia. He died from the pneumonia and had his wake was held in the house.
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Children of Catherine
Adams and James Nyhan are:
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Of James and Catherine's children, Catherine, Christena, William, Mary and Helena came to America and settled in New York. Their daughter Elizabeth came to America and settled in the Mass. James and Julane stayed in Ireland.
Catherine ran the farm after her husband’s death and the farm eventually passed to her son James. He ran the farm very successfully and added to it more than tripling it's size. She lived at the house at Knockbrack until her death in May of 1960.
