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Updated 04.01.2007

Shea--Byrne--Packer--Massey--Cory--Main page--Photo Album

Research on the following lines is always thanks to the continuous input of my Grandmother and Great Aunt. Thank you ladies for spending so much time talking to me and prodding me on with your questions. I'm working on it!

Shea

I am fairly certain that Cornelius is the son of Patrick and Theresa Shea of Rossie, St. Lawrence, New York. I'll be adding more information abot the family soon.

Cornelius E. Shea b. 05 Jun 1863, NY, m. 05 May 1885, Manistee, MI, Ellen Cunningham (dau. of James and Mary (Byrne) Cunningham), b. Oct. 1863, Lanark Co, Ontario, Canada, d. 06 Apr 1943, Little Sisters of the Poor, Grand Rapids, MI. Corneilius d. 17 Nov 1931 in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI.

  1. *Robert James Shea
  2. Loretta Shea b. Oct 1889
  3. Earl b. June 1893
  4. George b. Nov 1895
  5. Glen Patrick b. Nov 1898
  6. Richard b. 1903
  7. Donna b. 1905
  8. Eva
Robert James Shea b. 25 Jan 1888, m. Cora Helena Packer, b. 28 Mar 1892. Robert d. 23 Apr 1933, Kalamazoo State Hospital, Kalamazoo Co., MI.
  1. *Ethel Bell Shea. See Info. on other page.
  2. June Loretta Shea
  3. Robert Arthur Shea

*Indicate my line. All dates for living relatives have been withheld.
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Byrne

While I have next to no information on the ancestors of James Cunningham I have made great progress on the family of his wife Mary Byrne from her ancestor Owen Byrne and their descendents.

Owen Byrne md. Catherine McCoy in Co. Armagh, Ireland. Catherine died whiel the family was still in Ireland. They had four children:

  1. Patrick Byrne
  2. Catherine Byrne
  3. *Owen Byrne
  4. Bernard Byrne
Owen married second Catherine Quinn. They had three additional children.
  1. Elizabeth Byrne
  2. Peter Byrne
  3. Bridgit Byrne
The family appers to have moved to Canada at least around the 1820s. It appears all of the children were born in Ireland but were married in Canada.

Owen Byrne b. abt 1810, Ireland, m. abt 1835, Lanark Co, Ontario, Canada, Ellen Dowdall (dau. of Patrick and Judith Dowdall), b. abt 1817, Ireland.

  1. Catherine Byrne
  2. *Mary Byrne
  3. Catherine Byrne
  4. John Byrne
  5. Susan Byrne
  6. Patrick Byrne
  7. Theresa Byrne
  8. Eleanor Byrne
  9. Anne Byrne
  10. Bridgit Byrne
  11. Ellen Byrne
  12. James Byrne
  13. Margaret Byrne
  14. Agnes Byrne
Mary Byrne b. 21 Jul 1838, Lanark Co, Ontario, Canada; m. abt 1863 James Cunningham in Lanark Co, Ontario, Canada, b. abt 1830 in Co. Armagh, Ireland. Mary d. 25 Jul 1919, Langlade Co, Wisconsin. Ellen lived with grandparents in Ontario until after the 1881 Canadaian Census and was enumerated with her family during the 1884 Census of Benzie Co. Michigan. The rest of the family relocated to Wisconsin probably within the next couple of years.
  1. *Ellen Cunningham. See above.
  2. Michael H. Cunningham
  3. John R. Cunningham
  4. George Cunningham
  5. James Cunningham md Lilla ?
  6. Mary Cunningham
  7. Sarah J. Cunningham
  8. Clara Cunningham md. Leonard Nixon.

*Indicate my line. All dates for living relatives have been withheld.
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Packer

Joseph Packer b. England c.1838 (death certificate reads 7 April 1827), d. 19 Feb 1911 in Grand Rapids, MI. He was the son of John Packer and Unknown Ross both of England (according to his death certificate--Informant son, Albert Packer). He m. Harriett Vaughan b. c.1836 in England, d. 3 Aug 1906 also in Grand Rapids, MI. The family was settled in Woodstock Ontario at the 1871 Canadian Census. The Golden Anniversary notice of Albert Packer notes that the family moved to Canada from Raynum, England around 1870/1. They had:
  1. William James Packer b c. 1850, England. He m. Elizabeth Jane Cross.
  2. Sarah Packer b. c. 1859, England, md. Henry Chesney before 1878 and early in their mg. lived in Blanford, Oxford North, Ontario. She resided in Kinde, Huron Co, MI at the time of Cornelius' death.
  3. Joseph Packer b c. 1856, England. He m. Madeline McLean in 1879. He resided in Hamilton, Ontario at the time of Cornelius' death.
  4. Thomas Packer, b. c. 1852, England. He resided in Woodstock, Ontario at the time of Cornelius' death.
  5. Charles Packer, b. c. 1863, England. He m. Mary B. Clark. He resided in Detroit at the time of Cornelius' death.
  6. *Cornelius Packer b. Jun 1864, d. 11 Jun 1929, Grand Rapids, MI
  7. Albert A. Packer b. 20 Mar 1870, d. 24 Sep 1960, m. 4 Jun 1891 Agnes Ann Bell (?) b. Chelsey, Ontario, Canada, d. 19 Aug 1954
    • Olive Mae Packer b. 1895, m. Frank J. Donahue b. 1897, d. 1990. Olive d. 1995
Cornelius Packer m. Flora Jane Massey. Dau. of Henry R. Massy and Augusta Cory.
  1. *Cora Helena Packer. See above.
  2. Eva Packer
  3. Grace Packer
  4. Ethel Packer d. 16 Sept 1900
  5. Arthur Packer b. 10 Aug 1897
  6. Pearl Packer

*Indicate my line. All dates for living relatives have been withheld.
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Cory

Gideon Cory (son of Thomas Cory?) b. some time between 1784 and 1788, RI, m. Ruth, b. abt 1784, PA, d. 27 Sep 1851, Plymouth Tp, Wayne Co, MI. Gideon d. 10 Sep 1871 in Livonia, Wayne Co, MI.
  1. *John B. Cory
  2. Fanny Cory, b. abt 1819, md. 20 Apr 1845, Horace Allan in Plymouth Tp, Wayne Co, MI. Records indicate wedding was at the home of Gideon Cory and John B. was a witness.
  3. Edward S. Cory ? md. Clasissa Gates. Served and died in the Union Army. They had two girls: Josephine who married Albert Button and ?
John B. Cory b. abt 1819, m. Nancy Jane known as Jane, b. abt 1827. Robert d. 14 May 1874, Detroit, Wayne Co, MI.
  1. Andrew J. Cory, b. abt Oct 1841 in Wayne Co, MI and died 16 May 1870 of Consumption.
  2. Elinore also called Ella, b. abt 1846
  3. *Augusta Cory.
  4. Charles Cory, b. abt 1857.
  5. Maud Cory, b. abt 1864.
Augusta Cory b. abt 1850, m. 14 Aug 1866 Henry R. Massy, in Wayne Co, MI. Much speculation has existed on the relationship. Descendents indicate that something left the family estranged and when Augusta died Flora was given over to one of her Cory aunts to be raised instead of her father. One possible reason for the estrangement may be the timing of the marriage, as it appears date-wise that Flora was conceived out of wedlock. Family story indicates that Henry was born in Ireland and worked as a policeman in Detroit in the early 1870s. He may be the same Henry R. Massy that served as a replacement soldier in the Union Army for a drafted citizen in Hartland, Livingston Co, MI.
  1. *Flora Jane Massy or Massey b. 14 Jan 1867. See details above.

*Indicate my line. All dates for living relatives have been withheld.
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Send comments, connections, or questions (about sources or otherwise),
to J. M. Trotter at trotterj@umich.edu.
Let me know if I can help!