Some genealogical puzzles take years to solve. Others require crossing oceans, both literally and through DNA connections. My current investigation into my great-great-grandmother Ellen McAuliffe’s parentage falls into both categories. I cannot yet prove who her parents were. However, the evidence I’ve gathered with my Australian DNA cousin points toward the McAuliffe Healy family of Listowel, Ireland as her likely parents. (for more about my Australian connection, see “When Genealogy Stops Being Solitary: The Ellen McAuliffe Story“).
The Woman We Know
Ellen McAuliffe lived a brief but consequential life. Born around 1844, presumably in Listowel, Ireland, she arrived in New York on August 7, 1857, aboard the ship American Union from London. The passenger list records her as a 16-year-old Irish girl. Her actual age may have been closer to 13. She married William Dowling around 1864 and had seven children between 1864 and 1874. Five of their children’s death certificates name her as Ellen McAuliffe. The spellings vary: McAulieffe, McCullough, McAuliff, and McCaulife. Ellen died on September 21, 1875, in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, at just 33 years old. Her death record provides no information about her parents.
My father descends from Ellen through her son Thomas F. Dowling, making Ellen his great-grandmother and my great-great-grandmother.
An Ocean Away: The Australian Connection
The breakthrough in this research came through DNA and international collaboration. When B.H., my Australian fourth cousin, messaged me on Ancestry.com, we discovered we shared a fascinating genealogical puzzle. She descends from Margaret McAuliffe, born in 1845 in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland. Margaret’s great-granddaughter is P.H. She appears as a DNA match to my father.
My father and B.H.’s mother, P.H., share 26 centimorgans of DNA. This places them in the third cousin to third cousin once removed range. More significantly, they share 50 DNA matches in common. These shared matches cluster on what I’ve labeled the “McAuliffe/Healy” line in my research tracking system. All 50 matches fall within expected relationship ranges for descendants of a common ancestral couple.
The Proposed Parents
The evidence points toward the McAuliffe Healy family as Ellen’s parents. Florence McAuliffe (1796-1874) and Ellen Healy (1814-1870) lived in Listowel, Ireland. This couple appears consistently in the trees of DNA matches. They are also suggested by Ancestry’s ThruLines algorithm based on tree data and genetic connections.
The documentary evidence for the McAuliffe Healy family remains limited. I have not yet located their marriage record. I also lack primary source documentation for Florence’s 1796 birth or 1874 death, or Ellen Healy’s 1814 birth or 1870 death. What I do have is Catherine McAuliffe’s 1868 marriage record from Sydney, New South Wales. This record identifies her as born in 1842 in Listowel to Florence McAuliffe and Ellen Healy. Catherine and Margaret were sisters, both daughters of this family. The Listowel Ireland connection appears in multiple records.
Why This Theory Makes Sense
Geography supports the connection. Ellen McAuliffe was born in Listowel around 1844. The McAuliffe Healy family maintained roots in this specific town throughout the timeframe when Ellen would have been born and raised. The Listowel Ireland connection remained strong for decades. Florence McAuliffe died there in 1874.
Timing aligns as well. Florence and Ellen Healy were in their active parenting years during the 1840s when Ellen McAuliffe was born. Catherine’s birth in 1842 and Margaret’s in 1845 bracket Ellen’s approximate 1844 birth year perfectly. This suggests these three girls were likely sisters close in age.
The DNA evidence provides the strongest support. Multiple matches in the third to fourth cousin range descend from the McAuliffe Healy family. The 50 shared matches between my father and P.H. create a genetic cluster that points unmistakably toward this couple. When DNA cousins separated by continents and multiple generations share this many matches pointing to the same ancestral line, the connection becomes difficult to dismiss.
Ancestry’s ThruLines algorithm independently suggests Florence McAuliffe and Ellen Healy as Ellen’s parents. ThruLines analyzes both tree data and DNA matches. While ThruLines is not proof, it represents a computational analysis of patterns across millions of family trees and genetic connections.
What Still Needs Proving
Despite the compelling circumstantial evidence, I cannot yet claim this theory as proven fact. To meet the Genealogical Proof Standard, I need primary source documentation that directly connects Ellen McAuliffe to Florence McAuliffe and Ellen Healy.
The ideal evidence would be Ellen McAuliffe’s birth or baptismal record from a Listowel parish. It should name Florence McAuliffe and Ellen Healy as her parents. Similar records for Catherine and Margaret would strengthen the sibling connection and establish the family pattern more firmly. Florence and Ellen Healy’s marriage record would provide additional context about the couple and confirm their union.
Irish civil registration of births began in 1864, well after Ellen’s 1844 birth. This means church records offer the best hope for documentation. However, Irish parish records present their own challenges. Record survival varies by parish. Not all records from the 1840s have been digitized or are accessible online. The Great Famine of 1845-1852 disrupted record-keeping in many areas. Listowel was less severely affected than some regions.
The Research Continues
My collaboration with B.H. represents the kind of genealogical partnership that makes complex research possible. By combining our documentary research with systematic DNA analysis, we’re building a case that grows stronger with each new piece of evidence. The shared matches spreadsheet I’ve created tracks every genetic connection. This allows us to see patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.
I’ve organized these matches into groups. I note which ones have trees showing McAuliffe ancestors and which ones connect through the Healy line. Several matches show MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) notations for Healy/Linane connections. This suggests Ellen Healy’s own ancestry is coming into focus as well.
This research exemplifies the modern genealogical approach. It combines traditional documentary research with DNA evidence and international collaboration. Where our ancestors crossed oceans seeking new lives, their descendants now cross those same oceans digitally. We piece together the stories that connect us.
Moving Forward
The next steps in this investigation are clear. I need to search Listowel parish records for baptisms in the 1840s, focusing on children of the McAuliffe Healy family. The Listowel Ireland connection is key to finding these records. I’ll look for Ellen McAuliffe specifically, but also for Catherine, Margaret, and any other children this couple may have had. Each sibling’s record strengthens the overall family reconstruction.
I’ll continue analyzing DNA matches, particularly those who have documented Irish ancestry to Florence McAuliffe or Ellen Healy. Every additional genetic connection that fits the expected relationship range adds weight to the theory. I’m also reaching out to matches who have trees but haven’t yet documented their McAuliffe connections. I’m hoping to find additional documentary evidence in their research.
Florence McAuliffe and Ellen Healy’s marriage record remains a priority. It would not be direct evidence of Ellen’s birth. However, it would establish the couple’s union and provide dates that help contextualize their family formation.
This is genealogy in its most honest form. A work in progress. A theory being tested against available evidence. A puzzle with some pieces still missing. Ellen McAuliffe’s story matters because she was real, because she lived and loved and left descendants who carry her DNA into the present day. Whether or not I can prove Florence McAuliffe and Ellen Healy were her parents, the search itself honors her memory and the connections she created.
For now, I continue gathering evidence, one record and one DNA match at a time. Each piece brings Ellen McAuliffe’s Irish origins into clearer focus.
Have you worked on a genealogical theory that required international collaboration? How has DNA evidence changed the way you approach brick wall ancestors? Share your experiences in the comments below.
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