My Farming Ancestors

These are my great great grandparents, Daniel and Betty Frances Conry.

At age 22, Dan Conry, from County Roscommon, Ireland, came to the United States on the Ship Nestorian, departing from Liverpool on 09 March 1849. It was during the potato famine, and like many others, he was facing starvation in Ireland.

Being a stone-mason by trade, he left New York and came to Tennessee working from job to job at railroad building, especially bridges. In Tennessee he worked on the Capital, the tunnel between Cowan and Bridgeport and the coke ovens at Tracy City. He ultimately bought a farm and settled in Pelham Valley.

Dan,age 24, became a United States citizen by naturalization on 1 August 1851 in Franklin County,Tennessee

Daniel, age 28, and Betty Frances Keeling, age 18, married 02 April 1855 by Rev. Johathan Jacquet, Catholic priest, in Franklin County, Tennessee.

They had thirteen children. Eleven were raised to adulthood. Most of the children's baptismal records have been found.

Dan Conry has been described as a hard working, mild tempered man. He was independent to the degree of wanting to provide for his family without help. Even when their house burned and neighbors suggested taking up money for him, he declined saying "they would be fine and didn't need help."

He loved his children and grandchildren. It is said his wife had to correct the children, if they were corrected.

Dan would have his Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, making sure each child had all the candy he wanted. Any other Christmas plans, if any, were left to someone else.
It is said his favorite supper was mush with molasses and milk.

Frances, his wife, died in 1875 at the age of 38, giving birth to their thirteenthth child. The infant also died. He was left with eleven children, the oldest nineteen and the youngest two.

Daniel was 67 when he died in 1894. Both Frances and Daniel are buried in Warren Cemetery, Grundy County, Tennessee.