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John
Eustace and Anne Greham
of Kinnegad:
John
Eustace and Anne Greham were
married before 1842 and lived in Kinnegad Parish
on the County
Offaly (King's) border; they were the parents of at least
two children;
1.
Anne;
baptized 25 May 1842
at Kinnegad; sponsors are not recorded;
2.
Elizabeth; baptized
28 September 1843at Kinnegad; sponsors are not
recorded.
Michael Eustace & Mary
Martin of Kinnegad, Westmeath and Puyallup, Washington:
Michael Eustace was born in County Westmeath, Ireland about 1809. He married
Mary Martin in Ireland
and the family was living in the Parish of Kinnegad,
County Westmeath when a daughter Catherine
(spelled Ustace) was born on 10 August 1835. On 28 Jun 1849 Michael and
his wife Mary Martin, their son Michael, then about 20 years old and an
eleven month old infant named Thomas Eustace, arrived at Castle Garden
immigration center aboard the SS Guy Mannering.
The ship's manifest
shows the following:
* Michael Eustace, farmer, 45 M
* Mary Eustace, none, 45 F
* Michael Eustace, none, 20 M
* Thomas Eustace, infant, 11mos. M
See (http://castlegarden.org) for details.
The family remained in New York briefly
before heading to the west coast in about 1850 where they pre-empted a
claim in Pierce County,
Washington near Fort Steilacoom at Puyallup. At that time there were a very
small number of pioneer families living near Native Americans who did not
welcome the new settlers. While never taking up arms against the Indians,
the old barn on the Eustace property sometimes served as a "fort"
and haven for protection.
On October 29, 1855,
Indians attacked several white settlers near Fort Steilacoom
in response to dissatisfaction over the treaty of Medicine Creek signed the
previous year. During the "Indian War" of 1855-56, Fort Steilacoom served as headquarters
for the 9th Infantry Regiment. Settlers stampeded from around the Puget Sound to the fort for safety. A friendly Indian
by the name of Abram Salitat had tipped off local settlers to a pending
attack. The some 80 settlers fled their farms and headed toward the fort or
other safe locations in the dark of night with whatever they could carry.
The handful of log buildings and a flagpole at the fort provided more
security than their lonely farm houses that were scattered around the
prairie. The Indian War wound down in late 1856, but Fort Steilacoom
still had a role to play. Their was discontent
among the settlers. There was concern over how to handle white settlers who
cooperated with the Indians. There was also a question of what to do with
Chief Leschi, whose involvement in the uprising was unclear.
Michael Eustace was one of more than sixty signers on a document dated
22nd of January, 1858, enacted at Fort Steilacoom.
On the 26th of January, a second mass meeting of citizens of Steilacoom and
Pierce County was held at the county seat.
E. A. Light presided, and F. A. McCarty was named as secretary. On motion
of E. M. Meeker, a committee of five was appointed to express the sentiment
of the meeting relative to the occurrences which had shaken the community
and territory and express disappointment over how certain officials had handled
the case. Pierce County (History of) by W.P. Bonney,
Volume I; Pages 218-221.
Mary (Martin) Eustace died from injuries suffered when she was thrown
from a wagon at Steilacoom, Pierce
County, Washington
on May 2, 1868.
Michael Eustace was still alive in 1871, living with his son and
daughter-in-law. The 1870 census of Steilacoom (Muck District) shows age as
81 years old.
Michael Eustace, son of Michael and Mary (Martin) Eustace was born about
1830 probably in the Parish of Kinnegad in County Westmeath and died on November 29, 1915 at
Puyallup, Washington. He married Annie Rigney,
daughter of John Rigney and Elizabeth Lowry. The Rigneys
were married in Brooklyn,
New York on September 30, 1848.
Ann and her brother John Rigney were reported to be the first
"white" children born in Pierce
County, Washington.
The Old Rigney farm was within the present boundary lines of Tacoma. John Rigney
served in the militia and helped to establish Fort Steilacoom
in August 1849. John Rigney was born June 12, 1815 in King’s (Offaly) County, Ireland
and Elizabeth Lowry was originally from Queens
(Laois) County, Ireland. John Rigney died at
Steilacoom, May 15, 1892.
Michael and Ann Eustace raised their family and continued to live on the
original claim until about 1913 when they moved to Puyallup. Michael Eustace’s
obituary in The Daily Ledger; Puyallup, Washington; (30 November 1915)
states that he was survived by sons James of Puyallup, George of Stockton,
California and a daughter Mrs. Mary (William) Foy of Lacey, Washington.
James Eustace, son of Michael and Annie Rigney, was born during March 1867.
Source: Terry Diebel, Mendota
Heights, MN, Mike Rigney, Puyallup, Washington and Michael Eustace obituary
The Daily Ledger; Puyallup, Washington; (30 November 1915), Pierce County
(History of) by W.P. Bonney, Volume I.
The 1870 census of Steilacoom, (Muck District) Pierce County,
shows Patrick Eustace, age 40, living with Michael Eustace, age 35, Ann,
age 20, their son James, age 2, and daughter Mary age 4 years. Patrick
Eustace may also have been a son of Michael and Mary (Martin) Eustace or at
least a close relative. Also in the home was Michael Eustace age 81. The
children were born in Washington but both Michaels and Patrick were born in
Ireland. Patrick Eustace died September 6, 1889 age 66 years. John Eustace (connection uncertain) married Dora
H. Englander in Pierce County, Washington on 3 February 1894.
Michael Eustace, son of Michael and Mary (Martin)
Eustace was born about 1830 probably in the Parish of Kinead,
County Westmeath and died on November 29, 1915 at Puyallup, Washington.
He was survived by sons James of Puyallup, George of Stockton, California and a daughter Mrs. Mary
(William) Foy of Lacey, Washington. (The Daily Ledger; Puyallup,
Washington; 30 November 1915). Mary (Martin) Eustace died from injuries
suffered when she was thrown from a wagon at Steilacoom, Washington
on May 2, 1868.
(James Eustace was born March 1867.) Source: Terry
Diebel, Mendota
Heights, MN
Patrick Eustace may also have been a son of Michael
and Mary (Martin) Eustace. The 1870 census of Steilacoom, (Muck District)
Pierce County, shows Patrick Eustace, age 47, living with Michael Eustace,
age 35, Ann, age 20, their son James, age 2, and daughter Mary age 4. Also
in the home was Michael Eustace age 80. The children were born in Washington but all
adults were born in Ireland.
Patrick Eustace died September 6, 1889
age 66 years.
John Eustace
(connection uncertain) married Dora H. Englander in Pierce County, Washington
on 3 February 1894.
The Thomas Eustace Family of Georgia/Milton, Vermont
Thomas Eustace was born about 1798 in County Westmeath (possibly near Kinnegad but
his exact origin has not been determined). He went to
Georgia/Milton, Vermont
area as early as 1828. He may have been the first Irish immigrant to settle
in that area. He married Catherine O’Neill in 1831 and they had one
child who was also named Catherine. Thomas’ first wife died a year
later. He then married Sarah Birney of Swanton, Vermont
and they had six children: James, Helen, Mary, Francis, Esther and Edward.
Sarah (Birney) Eustace died in 1858. Thomas died in Westford in 1886 on the
farm of Peter and Esther (Eustace) King. Source: Mike King, Rose Prairie, British Columbia.
For more information go to:
http://vermontcivilwar.org/museum/people/irish.php
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