Family Tree: Annie Sweeney's Descendants

Hannah "Annie" Sweeney was born in November 1864 in Meenaweal, County Donegal in Ireland, the daughter of a farming couple, Hugh Sweeney and Nellie Coyle. Annie left Ireland as a twenty year old in 1885 to emigrate to the United States, following in her eldest brother Daniel's footsteps. Daniel had emigrated to Granite, Montana Territory some five years earlier and Annie went there to live with him and his young wife. (The Sweeneys were pioneers: Montana only became a state in November 1889.) In Granite Annie met Dominic McElheney of Doochary Bridge, County Donegal and they were married on 25 November 1888 in Deer Lodge, Montana Territory.

This page is only about Annie Sweeney's descendants.
click here for more about Annie herself and her pioneer siblings Daniel and Nora Sweeney.

Annie Sweeney's Children

Annie had six children in all.
Children by her first husband, Dominic McElheney:

• Cornelius "Neil" McElhenny - born 7 October 1889.
• Hugh McElhenny - born 27 December 1890 (twin with May).
• Mary "May" McElhenny - born 27 December 1890 (twin with Hugh).
• Dominic McElhenny - born 29 March 1892, after the death of his father (and named after him).

Annie was widowed on 12 October 1891 as a result of a horrific mine accident. Five and a half years later she remarried (1 Mar 1897) to Bernard "Barney" McKenna and had her second set of twins:

• John Joseph McKenna - born 4 December 1897.
• Helen "Nell" McKenna - born 4 December 1897.

1: Cornelius "Neil" McElhenny

Of Annie's six children, only her eldest son Neil would give her grandchildren. Cornelius "Neil" McElhenny was born 7 October 1889 in the little mining town of Tower, Deer Lodge County, Montana Territory. He and his younger brother Dominic became mine workers like their father. On 4th October 1911, three days before his 22nd birthday, he married Anna Alice Sodja.

Neil and Anna McElhenny had seven children: Dominic Jacob Lawrence McElhenney - born 28 June 1912. Genevieve Marie McElhenny - born 5 November 1914. Genevieve married Marvin Francis Gray the day after her seventeenth birthday (6 Nov 1931). They had three daughters: Frances Marvine, Charla Jean and Judith Ann Gray. Above: Genevieve and her girls. back row: Charla, Marvine front row: Judy, Genevieve John Joseph "Jim" McElhenny - born 31 March 1921. James Eugene McElhenny - born 8 Oct 1923. Stephanie Anna Mae McElhenny - born 22 May 1927. Barbara Louise McElhenny - 25 Nov 1929. Joan Patricia McElhenny - 18 March 1934.

Neil and Anna McElhenny c. 1940.

2 & 3: Hugh & Mary "May" McElhenny

Annie's second and third children, the twins Hugh and Mary (May), both met with tragedy. Hugh died on 9 August 1896, aged five years old. May married Michael Barry in 1914 and was expecting their first child when she died in August that year of a haemmorhage (believed to be from a stomach ulcer).

4: Dominic McElhenny

Life in the mines was hard, and both Neil and Dominic became drinkers, working sporadically. Dominic never married or had children. This photograph of Dominic McElhenny (centre) was probably taken in 1943 after the funeral of his brother Neil. To the left is Neil's son Jim McElhenny (aged 19) and right is Jim's brother in law Marvin Gray (married to Neil's daughter Genevieve McElhenny).

5: John Joseph McKenna

Annie's twins from her second marriage, John Joseph and Helen "Nell" McKenna, were born 4 December 1897 in Tower. John Joseph was also a miner and was working in Philipsburg, Montana when he met his wife, Henriette "Etta" Steiber. They were married in 1935 and both lived to old age but never had children. In 1958 John McKenna was admitted to Montana State Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Galen, Montana where he remained a patient for 1,498 days. Etta, a practical nurse by profession, went to work at Galen Sanatorium and remained close to John. A heavy smoker, Etta was also sick herself with lung cancer and died in Galen on 3rd December 1960. John outlived her by just over a year, dying on 6th March 1962 of a Coronary Occlusion as a result of tuberculosis.

John and Etta McKenna about 1955.

6: Helen "Nell" McKenna

Nell McKenna c. 1920 with friend Dcm Six.

A lively red head, John's twin sister Nell McKenna was quite a character. She would read fortunes from tea leaves and cards, despite it being strictly taboo at the time. Nell also had a fearful temper which needed little provocation. Her brother Neil's granddaughter recalls "She could cuss like a sailor. She could probably even make a sailor blush." But Nell was also very family minded and generous to her nieces, nephews and grandnieces and nephews. Nell had three husbands, Tom Mundy, married 20th October 1920 Jack Baxter (see Annie Sweeney for a photo of him with Nell's mother Annie) Harry Mustard and whilst researching the family a marriage licence was found for a fourth would-be husband whom she did not marry! Nell lived to be 81, and it was she who cared for her mother Annie and her aunt Nora during their last days in August 1946 (see Nora Sweeney for details).

Footnote

The old mining towns of Tower and Granite became ghost towns after the the mines closed. Philipsburg, the nearest town to Granite Mountain where John and Nell McKenna were born, survives to this day and is surrounded by cattle ranches.

More Family Trees & Stories

• Back to main family page.

Pat's family:

• Daniel, Annie and Nora Sweeney of Butte, Montana: the original pioneers in Montana.
• Hugh Sweeney and Nellie Coyle of Meenaweal, Crolly: Daniel, Annie and Nora Sweeney's parents, and the brothers and sisters who stayed in Ireland.
• Mary Sweeney and Barney O'Donnell of Loughanure: Daniel, Annie and Nora's sister.
• "Red Annie" O'Donnell of Loughanure: Mary and Barney O'Donnell's daughter.

Annemarie's family:

• The McDonalds descended of John McDonald of Argylshire who emigrated to the USA c. 1752.
• The Bruinsma, De Vet and De Leeuw families of Friesland, The Netherlands.