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Helllo All,
We’re trying to locate information about my great-grandmother Elizabeth Agnes Hurley born 1866 in North River, Conception Bay, NL. She emigrated to Lake Forest Il in 1893 marrying Bernard Joseph McGovern in 1896. They had at least eight children before her death in Lake Forest in 1949.
She was catholic and we’re hoping to locate a record of her baptism in NL, but so far not having any luck.
Any connections, suggestions or information greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
James A
Hello James,
The Town of North River has published a combination history/genealogy book which can be accessed online – I will track down the link for you. “Memories of Halls Town and North River”.
In the meantime, the author/editor is Joanne Morrissey and she has a wealth of information.
joannemorrissey08@gmail.comJames, if you google the title, it will come up via heritageNL’s website as a PDF download document! Good Luck!
Dale, thank you very much for your reply and the lead.
I haven’t found a certain connection in the document, but there seems to be some breadcrumbs there to follow.
I reached out to Ms. Morrissey with some information and questions as well as the archivist for the Archdiocese of St. John’s.
Along the way I stumbled upon information about the great fire in 1892 and am currently wondering if this event may have played a role in her emigration.
Using an information doc we have about her and comparing it to the memories document with Claude there seems to be the possiblity that she is a daughter of Joh Hurley. See below.
**From Claude.ai*
Birth-year gap fits exactly. John Hurley’s documented children were born ca. 1857 (Martin), 1860 (Mary), 1864 (Bridget), 1870 (Patrick), 1874 (Anastasia), 1882 (John Francis). Elizabeth’s July 31, 1866 birth slots precisely into the otherwise unexplained six-year gap between Bridget and Patrick — consistent with the family’s ~3–4 year child spacing.
Place matches. Her gravestone and family records say she was born in North River, Conception Bay — and the book documents exactly one Hurley family in North River, John Hurley’s, present there from the 1869 List of Voters onward.
“Survived by 2 brothers” is an exact hit. Her October 1949 obituary says two brothers survived her. In October 1949, exactly two of John Hurley’s sons were still living: John Francis (d. 1960) and Patrick J (d. 1956). Martin had died in 1935.
Brother John in Philadelphia matches. Her records place brother John in Philadelphia as of October 1949; John Francis Hurley moved to Philadelphia in 1905, raised his family there, and died there in 1960.
Brother Patrick in Newfoundland matches. Her records place brother Patrick in Newfoundland as of October 1949; Patrick J Hurley lived on Bell Island, NL until his death in April 1956.
Siblings Martin and Mary match by name. Her sibling list includes Martin and Mary; John Hurley had a son Martin (~1857–1935) and a daughter Mary (~1860–1938, m. William Sinclair), both predeceasing her — consistent with them not being listed as survivors.Circumstantial support
Her absence from the book is explainable. She left Newfoundland by 1893 (settled in Lake Forest, IL) — before marrying, before the 1906 parish reorganization, and decades before living local memory. The book was compiled from local records and community recollection, which naturally lost track of a daughter who emigrated young and never returned.
Emigration pattern fits the family. The book notes nineteenth-century North River families moved to Philadelphia and Boston; her own siblings and nieces/nephews followed exactly that pattern (John Francis, Patrick’s widow, Kay Hurley Sidor — all Philadelphia).
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