1. Michael Evoy was born in Ireland. He died 1 in 1798 in Ferryland, NF.
It is not known which county in Ireland Michael came from but the surname MacEvoy, without the prefix Mac, is a form of the surname prevalent in Co. Wexford. Michael was at Ferryland probably from the late 1780s. The court records show that he and his wife were running a pub there through the mid 1790 until his death in the latter half of 1798. His wife, Elenor, continued to run the pub after his death.
Colonial Records: 1795 - Evoy, Michael: Licenced house for selling spititous liquors: Ferryland.
District Court Records: July 9, 1798 - Evoy, Michael: Held wages of this person for Thomas Welsh: Furlong, John.
Michael married Elenor "Nelly" about 1786. Elenor was born in Ireland. She died after Apr 1844 in Caplin Bay, NF.
Elenor's maiden name is not known. She was first married to Michael Evoy who died in 1798. Census records indicate that she had married again ( to James Walsh) by the end of 1799. The court records show that she ran a pub at Ferryland for at least ten years in the late 1790s and the early 1800s. It would appear that Elenor was the main proprietier of the pub and when the "going got rough", she didn't step a side and let the men handle things. Elenor's prominence in the court records leaves no question as to who was in charge of the business.
Surrogate Court Records: December 29, 1794 - Evoy, Elenor - Charged this person with assault: Rowe, Moses.
A presentation by Willeen Keough at the Family History Seminar, Newfoundland & Labrador Genealogical Society on October 16, 1999 sheds further light on the boisterous nature of Elenor's occupation. She wrote:
"We can also see from the court records that women provided hospitality to the fishing servants and travellers in public houses in the district, because we see their names on liquor licences in the records. Elenor Evoy was one such woman, and this overhead shows her name on the list of liquor licenses for 1799."
District Court Records: January 1, 1799 - Evoy, Elenor (Widow) Granted a liquor licence for Ferryland.
"Elenor's occupation actually caused her to be involved in a couple of disturbances that were taken up before the magistrates in the late 1790s and early 1800s. In 1795, she brought Michael Ryan to court, claiming he had assaulted her, abused her and defamed her character. Two witnesses for Elenor stated that they had seen some girls outside Elenor's establishment throwing rocks at Michael; he had, in turn, told them to "leave it off" and threatened to beat Elenor, accusing her of keeping a bawdy house.
Later, in court, Michael explained that he had spoken "from passion" because the girls were tormenting him, but he was fined 5 pounds nonetheless and ordered to keep the peace. Several years later, Elenor's husband, Michael Evoy, died and she married a James Walsh. The new couple continued to run the public house. As this next overhead shows, one night in late March 1803, Elenor and James, his brother Sylvester, and Elenor's son (by her first husband) Patrick Evoy broke into the house of another publican family in Ferryland - Adam and Ann Mclarthy - and assaulted and "ill-used" them."
District Court Records: April 1, 1803 McLarthy, Adam: Charged this person with assault: Welsh, James. McLarthy, Ann: Charged this person with assault: Welsh, Sylvester. McLarthy, Ann: Charged this person with abusing her: Evoy, Patrick.
"The records are not specific about the cause of the assault, but it looks to me like a "turf war" between two rival firms, and the womenfolk - Elenor and Ann - were right in the thick of the fray. (This time, Elenor and her cohorts were fined and ordered to keep the peace)."
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Elenor eventually left behind the rowdy pub environment at Ferryland for a quieter life as the wife of fisherman/farmer James Walsh at Caplin Bay. However, even later in life, she was not easily intimidated nor afraid to "stand her ground". In 1829, she was back in court after an altercation with a neighbour at Caplin Bay. By this date, Elenor (Nelly) was probably over 60 years old.District Court Records: September 28, 1829 - Walsh, Nelly. This Caplin Bay woman was charged with assaulting: Congdon, Catherine.
Michael and Elenor had the following children:
+ 2 M i Patrick Evoy 3 M ii John Evoy was born 1 about 1789 in Ferryland, NF. He died after 1838.
Surrogate Court Records - Nov. 20 1817 - John Evoy - Planter of Ferryland paid Shannon -Levingston money owed by James Walsh. Witness: Robert Wakeham.
RC Basilica - Marriage Records: 1829 - John Evoy (Caplin Bay) m. Catherine Poor (not stated). Witnesses: Richard Berrigan and James Walsh.
Goodridge Account Books - 1838: Avoy, John - Fermeuse.
Little is known of John Evoy. John appears to have been somewhat transient. He was recorded as a planter at Ferryland in 1817, however when he was married at St. John's in 1829, he gave his hometown as Caplin Bay. John appears to have been living at Fermeuse in 1838, but his name does not appear in the surviving voter's lists of Ferryland District from 1840 to 1859.
A John Evoy was the godfather of Mary Swain (b. 1858), daughter of Robert Swain Jr. and Ellen Evoy. The absence of a John Evoy from the voter's lists suggest that this John Evoy may have been from a more recent generation, possibly a son of Patrick or John Sr.John married 1 Catherine Power in 1829 in St. John's, NF. Catherine died after 1859.
It appears that Power may not have been Catherine's maiden name but the surname from a previous marriage. An entry in the 1859 voter's list shows a Joseph Power with the notation "son of widow Evoy" after his name.4 F iii Mary Evoy was born 1 about 1791 in Ferryland, NF. 5 F iv Joan Evoy was born 1 about 1793 in Ferryland, NF. 6 F v Elenor Evoy was born 1 about 1796 in Ferryland, NF. 7 F vi Catherine Evoy was born 1 about 1798 in Ferryland, NF. She died 2 after 1858 in Caplin Bay, NF.
There are no records that give the maiden name of Richard Reddigan's wife, however family lore is that the Reddigans were related to the Evoys and this is the only generation in which this was likely. This deduction is supported by the fact that (1) Richard Reddigan settled on the property adjacent to his wife's mother, Nelly, and step-father, James Walsh; and (2) in 1844, Nelly and James Walsh deeded all of their property to "Richard Reddigan, the younger". In return Richard Reddigan Jr. agreed to look after them for the rest of their lives. The implication of this deed is that Richard Reddigan Jr. had a close kinship with the Walshes; in all likelihood he was their grandson.
The only early reference that has been found for the name Catherine Redigan is one in which she is listed as the godmother of Robert Luke Condon, who was baptised at Fermeuse on October16, 1857. Although Micheal (son of Richard) Reddigan's wife was also named Catherine, it appears they were not married until the 1860s. No other records or family lore identify another Catherine in the Reddigan family. Since Richard Reddigan Sr. makes no reference to a wife in his will of 1872, it is fair to assume that she had predeceased him by that time.Catherine married Richard Reddigan about 1824. Richard was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland. He died 1 about Apr 1872 in Caplin Bay, NF. He was buried in Ferryland RC Cemetery.
We do not know how old Richard Reddigan was when he died in 1872, however there is reason to believe that he was born in County Kilkenny before the family came to Newfoundland. His sister Mary, who married John Mullaly, in 1825 was recorded as being from Co. Kilkenny.
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Royal Gazette - September 20,1829
Richard Reddigan petitioned for a grant of land in Caplin Bay.
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Court Records - Southern Circuit minutes - 1830
Thomas Flannagan vs. Richard Reddigan. Action to recover £9. 10. 8 (nine pounds, ten shillings, eight pence). Defendant admits sum is due.
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Crown Lands Records # 3216 - March 31 1871
Richard Redigan, Senior is granted parcel of land (south side of road to Stone Island bounded on the west by land claimed by Thomas Condon and on the east by land claimed by James Walsh).
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April 4, 1872 - Will of Richard Reddigan, dictated on his deathbed and witnessed by Andrew Keough and Thomas Condon.
Richard left the waterfront and fishing room to his son Richard and "cousin" Martin Reddigan. He left the land, mentioned in the grant #3216 above, to Richard and John, eldest sons of his son Michael, to be divided equally between them when they came of age. The land on the north side of the road, which had actually being granted under the name of Richard Redigan Jr., he left to his "cousin" Martin Reddigan. To his daughter Ellen Reddigan, he left his bed.