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Early McAninch Families in Rhode Island (Oliver, Arthur, and William McAninch) |
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Most of the early McAninch families in North America (Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Canada) |
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have been known, researched, and documented for some time now. |
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Additionally, there was at least one early McAninch family in Rhode Island and New England |
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(although they came to North America considerably later than the other early McAninch families). |
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Oliver McAninch (b.ca.1792 in Ireland, d.1866 in Rhode Island) |
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Oliver was probably born 1791-1792, in (probably northern) Ireland [census records, Note 2] |
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and (Oliver’s wife) Jane was probably born 1790-1791, also in (probably northern) Ireland [2] |
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(dates 1775 and 1777 in the cemetery database do not fit with the other data available) [Note 1, 2]. |
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Oliver and Jane McAninch were probably married in Ireland, and probably lived there for many |
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years before they came to Rhode Island, since their first United States record (the 1860 census) |
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shows them living with their son William McAninch in North Providence, Rhode Island [Note 2]. |
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Their son William came to Rhode Island before 1850, and his parents Oliver and Jane came to |
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Rhode Island before 1860. The Great Famine (Irish Potato Famine) occurred 1845-1852, so, it is |
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possible that they emigrated to escape the famine, but there are no records with any ship’s names, |
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sailing dates, etc., and we do not know exactly when and where they arrived in North America |
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[and, it is possible that they came through Canada, along with so many other Irish immigrants]. |
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Oliver’s wife Jane died in 1865, and Oliver died a year later, in 1866; they are both buried in the |
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historic North Burial Ground in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island [Note 1]. |
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William McAninch (b.ca.1822 in Ireland, d.1909 in Rhode Island) |
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William McAninch, son of Oliver and Jane, was born ca.1822, (probably northern) Ireland, and |
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came to Rhode Island before 1850. In the 1850 census, William is listed in Jeremiah L. Olney’s |
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household, in North Providence, R.I.; William is 34, single, a Laborer, born in Ireland [Note 2}. |
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Ten years later, as noted above, his parents Oliver and Jane have come to Rhode Island, and the |
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1860 census record shows that the three of them were living in North Providence [Note 2]. |
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At that time, the nation was on the brink of armed rebellion; on 20 Sept. 1862, at the age of 40, |
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William McAninch enlisted in Co. H, 12th R.I. Infantry, mustered in as a Private two weeks later, |
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on 3 Oct. 1862. Organized for nine months service, the 12th R.I. Infantry participated in the 1862 |
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defense of Washington D.C. and the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, then west into Kentucky |
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(Lexington, Winchester, Boonsboro, Richmond, Somerset, and the fords of the Cumberland River). |
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They returned to Providence July 19-22, and mustered out July 29, 1863. [Notes 5, 6] |
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_________________________________________________________________________ |
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McAninch Family History NL v.XX n.4 / Oct. 2012 / Frank McAninch, Editor / page 2012-40 |