I just received this marriage return for my second great-uncle, Timothy Mahoney, from the New Jersey Archives. I ordered it online on February 8th, 2017, and received it in the mail in less than three weeks. I so wish that the town in Ireland, or at least the county, was on the record, but it does give some new information. My family thinks our Mahoney clan came from County Cork, Ireland.

For the first time I have found concrete evidence as to Mary Bohan’s parents. Since she put down on census returns that she emigrated to the USA in 1889, it is possible the couple knew each other back in the old country. Timothy emigrated in 1884 or 1885, per his census returns. For the rest of his life, Timothy was always listed as a tailor in census returns and town directories.

Timothy Mahoney died in Newark, Essex County, NJ on 22 May 1921. Mary Bohan Mahoney also died in Newark, of accidental poisoning, on 6 May 1933. Her age at death was listed as 61 years, 9 months, and 9 days. From her age at her marriage, most likely she was really born about 1866 in Ireland. For the 1910 Federal USA Census she listed her birth as May 1865.

The church listed, St. James Church, is still active today in the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey in Woodbridge, Middlesex County. The parish celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2010.  It is a Roman Catholic church, and the priest, Father James F. Devine, who was the person listed officiating the marriage, helped build the second church.

“St. James was founded in the village of Woodbridge in 1860, however Mass was celebrated in households. In 1865, the a small wooden chapel was built on the south side of Main Street. St. James soon became a mission of St. Mary’s in Perth Amboy. In 1877, Woodbridge received its first resident pastor, Fr. Stephen Berteloni, who served until his death four years later.

Fr. James F. Devine was appointed the new pastor of St. James. Fr. Devine laid the cornerstone of a new wooden church in 1887. The church was consecrated in 1888, and on this occasion, the church was officially dedicated to St. James the Less. Fr. Devine also invited the Sisters of Mercy from Bordentown, New Jersey to start St. James School, which was to be housed in the old converted chapel.” ~ [Original Source: Michael Krull, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, Editions de Signe, Strasbourg, France, 2005. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James_Catholic_Church_(Woodbridge,_New_Jersey)%5D.

By the time of the birth of Timothy and Mary’s first son, John Joseph Aloysius Mahoney, on the 18th of  December 1890, the family lived in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Their son was baptized at Saint Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral-Catholic, Newark, on the 25th of December 1890 [Source:  ancestry.com, New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index, 1660-1931, Provo, Utah, 2011] .

Timothy and Mary Bohan Mahoney had at least six other children – all born in Newark, New Jersey. It has been wonderful to hear about this branch of our Mahoney clan from some newfound cousins!

For searchable New Jersey vital records databases and records request forms, use this link:  https://wwwnet1.state.nj.us/DOS/Admin/ArchivesDBPortal/index.aspx

Good luck finding new records of your family!