John Sweetman from Wexford Ireland.

Comment

Comment by Sophie Sweetman McConnell on October 25, 2014 at 3:30pm

Catherine and Sally,

Fabulous that you are doing this research.  If you email me directly, I will give you some information that should help you.  I just don't want an email address I will give you posted on a public forum.

ssm218@nyu.edu

Best, Sophie

Comment by Catherine Murphy Gingras on October 23, 2014 at 10:07pm

Sophie,

Sally Jeffryes and I are researching the Sweetman's of Clohamon trying to find information about our ancestors who lived in the Clohamon and Bunclody/Newtownbarry area. We think that Thomas Byrne, and his daughter Sarah Byrne (my grandmother) worked at Clohamon House for the Sweetman family. We are hoping to confirm that Sarah Byrne and Henry Murphy went either with Walter Sweetman (the younger) as domestic servants to the Irish American Colony (Sweetman Colony) in Currie, Murray, Minnesota or applied and were accepted as colonists. Henry and Sarah Byrne Murphy eloped as very young teenagers, and emigrated in 1882-1884. If they did get to America via the IACC, they didn't stay long in Minnesota.

I have a PDF index of the Sweetman Family Papers located in the National Library of Ireland that contain lists of colonists, applications, etc. concerning IACC. However, I don't know how to get copies of the items I'd like to research. Do you have access to these papers, or know how I could request copies of some of the papers?

Thank you,
Catherine

Comment by Catherine Murphy Gingras on October 23, 2014 at 9:47pm

Comment by Sophie Sweetman McConnell on September 25, 2014 at 3:38pm

I am a direct descendant of Walter and Mary Butler Sweetman of Clohammon.  They were never a Lord and Lady. My father inherited Clohamon and eventually sold it to Lord and Lady Levigne. This is what may have confused you.  What has drawn your interest to my family?

Comment by Sally Jeffryes on April 14, 2014 at 1:56pm

John Sweetman and his colony: Starting in the spring of 1881 he brought his Irish Settlers to Minnesota; out of the first 41 families; only 18 were left after 2 years. He tried again in 1882 with roughly the same results. Most of the settlers fled to the the city as opportunity arose and took menial jobs which paid 8 shillings. Roughly 2 dollars a day, 3times as much as they might make in Ireland for the same work.

Comment by Sally Jeffryes on April 14, 2014 at 1:50pm

Walter Sweetman b. Clohamon, Ferns (County Wexford) 1830, d. Clohamon, 1905. Novelist, short story writer and poet. He was the fourth son of Michael Sweetman of Longtown (Co. Kildare). He was called to the Bar in 1852 but preferred the life of a country gentleman.

Comment by Sally Jeffryes on April 14, 2014 at 1:43pm

My family records also mention to the Sweetman Family, of Clohamon, County Wexford, Ireland. They say that Thomas Byrne also worked for the Sweetman's. This is the census for Walter and Mary Sweetman in 1901 Ireland after the sale of the Sweetman Colony in the USA which dated from 1880 to the first emigration in 1881 the second in 1882 and so on.

• Census Years
• 1901
• Wexford
• Newtownbarry
• Clohamon
• Residents of house 1 in Clohamon (Newtownbarry, Wexford)

• Surname	Forename	Age	Sex	Relation to head	Religion
  Sweetman	Walter	70	Male	Head of Family	Roman Catholic
  Sweetman	Mary	65	Female	Wife	Roman Catholic
  Sweetman	Walter	37	Male	Son	Roman Catholic
  Sweetman	Gertrude	33	Female	Daughter	Roman Catholic
  Sweetman	Walter	11	Male	Grand Son	Roman Catholic
  Roche	Catherine	28	Female	Servant	Roman Catholic
  Nolan	Catherine	19	Female	Servant	Roman Catholic
  Nolan	Margaret	64	Female	Servant	Roman Catholic
  Redmond	Moses	24	Male	Servant	Roman Catholic

Comment by Sally Jeffryes on April 14, 2014 at 1:33pm

according to Donna Pierce a descendant of Sarah J Byrne d/o Thomas Byrne and Mary Cuffe. Sarah married Henry Murphy and they emigrated to the USA as servants to Lord and Lady Sweetman.

John Sweetman established a colonization company in Eng, The Irish-American Colonization Society, and appointed English and Irish Catholics to its board. The colony was located at Currie, Murry, Minnesota and founded in 1880.

John Sweetman's cousin Walter Sweetman emigrated from Ireland to manage the colony; an organization of farming communities established in Minnesota to provide a start for Irish immigrants.

John did not marry until after the colony was sold to French and German settlers in Minnesota. Therefore it is unlikely that John is the Lord of the (Lord and Lady Sweetman) Donna referred to. It is more likely that the referance was made of Walter Sweetman and his wife Mary Butler who were married some time before 1865 when son Michael James Sweetman was born. All of Mary and Walters children were born at Newtownbarry, Wexford, Ireland. and their birth records can be found on Family Search.org records for Ireland. The last child born that I could find was in 1873.

 

Comment by Catherine Murphy Gingras on April 10, 2014 at 4:10pm

Sweetman organized the Irish American Colonization Company in 1880.  Settling Irish families in Currie, Murray, Minnesota.

Comment by Catherine Murphy Gingras on April 10, 2014 at 4:06pm

John Sweetman, Esq. (1844-1936). Also founding member of Sinn Fein and its president from 1908-1911. 

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