A surname of England and Ireland, with variants KEO(U)GH also of Ireland; in England "from Caieu, a lost town in the vicinity of Boulongne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais)," in Ireland for (Mac)Keogh, Mac Eochaidh, (Reaney, MacLysaght). MacLysaght traced (Mac) Keogh in Cos. Limerick, Tipperary, Roscommon, Wexford, and usually Kehoe in Wicklow. Keough is the Midland form.
| At Ferryland: | Ferryland Supreme Court: November 3, 1830 - Kough, Edward - Charged with others in erecting a stage at Stone Island shooting place which interfered with other people's nets which have been set there for 40 years. |
| At Caplin Bay: | Voter's List for Caplin Bay: 1840, 1842, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1849, 1852, 1855, 1859 - Edward Keough. |
| Lovell's 1871 Directory: Edward Keough, planter. | |
| Headstone - Ferryland RC Cemetery: KEOUGH - Edward Keough, a native of Co. Wexford, Ireland died 17 December 1876; aged 80 yrs, of which sixty years were spent in this country. Erected by his son Andrew Keough". | |
| McAlpine's 1894 Directory: John Keough, fisherman; Michael Keough, fisherman; Edward Keough, fisherman; Andrew Keough, fisherman. | |
| McAlpine's 1898 Directory: John Keough, fisherman; Michael Keough, fisherman; Edward Keough, fisherman; Andrew Keough, fisherman; Joseph Keough, fisherman. | |
| McAlpine's 1904 Directory: John Keough, fisherman; Michael Keough, fisherman; Edward Keough, fisherman; Andrew Keough, general dealer; Joseph Keough, fisherman. | |
| Family History: | Edward Keough came to Newfoundland from Ireland about 1816 and eventually settled in the area known as Stone Island, on the northeastern headland of Caplin Bay. Some of Edward's descendants have stated that he came from New Ross, Co. Wexford, although recorded proof of this assertion has not been found. It is not known if Edward came alone or if he was part of a family who settled elsewhere. There are a number of other Keough/Kehoe families with similar paternal forenames throughout Newfoundland, and while kinship with them has been suggested, it has never been proven. Edward Keough is first mentioned in the Ferryland Supreme Court records of 1830. In this case Edward, and other fishermen at Stone Island, were charged with building fishing premises that were allegedly interfering with the securing of other fishermen's nets to the shoreline at Stone Island. |
| Edward's sons and daughters were all born and raised at Stone Island. However, by the time that they married and started their own families, the trend was to settle further "up the bay". This area, although several miles farther away from the fishing grounds, was much more sheltered than the windswept headland at Stone Island. His sons built their houses and fishing premises at the head of the bay, in a small cove, southeast of the main beach. One son, Philip, eventually moved to Ferryland Head in the early 1870s to take up the position of Assistant Keeper of the newly constructed lighthouse. Edward's daughters also moved away from Stone Island when they grew up. Catherine married into the Power family of Caplin Bay and settled close to her brothers at the head of the bay. Mary and Ellen married and settled at Clear's Cove, Fermeuse, several miles south of Caplin Bay. Some members of these families eventually moved to the "Boston States", which was a regular occurrence in the late 1800s and early 1900s. | |
| All of Edward's children appear to have been received a fairly good education, much better than most of their contemporaries. This fact has led to speculation that Edward had been a school teacher or even a professor, although no documented proof has come to light to support that assumption. If his roots were in New Ross, most likely his education was gained and nurtured from within a mercantile family. There were several of that surname, usually spelled Kough, conducting business out of the inland port of New Ross on the River Barrow. Ferryland Court records show that that George and Thomas Kough & Co., of Ross, Wexford, established and ran a business at Cape Broyle for about three decades - from 1788 to at least 1816. Cape Broyle is around the headland north of Caplin Bay. | |
| Undoubtedly Edward, in educating his own children, would have also been willing to teach the children of friends and neighbors. His efforts were probably repaid in goods rather than coin and there is no evidence that he ever received any recognition or financial compensation from the government of his day. | |
| Present Status: | There are still a few Keough families at Calvert and quite a few descendants from intermarriage with other families. In addition to those at Calvert, there are descendants of Edward Keough throughout other parts of Newfoundland and Canada, the U.S.A., and in other countries. |
| Local Place Names: | Keough's Cove. This is the cove at the head of Calvert where the second generation of Keoughs settled and built their fishing premises after moving from Stone Island. |
This page was last updated: Friday 10th February, 2006