Earliest Known Sennott Ancestor - John Sennott

On January 17, 1808 John Sennott married Mary Davis at St. Aidan's catholic church in Enniscorthy, Wexford, Ireland. The only other information on the marriage record is the witnesses, Judith Walsh and Philip Easten.

The records left behind by John and Mary are scarce. The church records at St. Aidan's begin in 1794 which is after John and Mary would have been baptized based on their ages in their burial records. If the burial records are correct, John would have been 35 when he married Mary who was 31 years old.

The couple had four children baptized at St. Aidan's.

• Mary was baptized 22 June 1808, sponsors were Fredrick Kenny and Kitty Kenny
• Ellen was baptized 30 April 1814, sponsors were Thomas Bryan and Nancy Murphy
• James was baptized 1 May 1817, sponsors were Thomas Jones and Bridget Leary
• Anna was baptized 3 April 1820, sponsors were Mick Brian and Margaret Keating

The couple were sponsors for the baptism of James Fitzgerald on 15 February 1821. This is the last record found for them in Ireland. 

Family lore says that the family emigrated to America through Canada, first to Boston and then on to Monroe County, Illinois. Very few records have survived of arrivals in Canada before 1865 and no records of the family arriving in the U.S. have been found. 

The family was in Boston by July of 1834 when Ellen married Patrick McLaughlin on July 30th. Two years later Mary married Phillip Byrns on  16 May 1836. There are no entries in the Boston City Directories during this time for the family.

The History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois written in 1883 says that a number of irish settlers arrived in New Design precinct of Monroe County shortly after 1835 and included the Sennott, Burns, and McLaughlin families. This would have been near Tipton where St. Patrick's Catholic Church was founded about 1850. Members of the Burns and McLaughlin families are buried in the churchyard at St. Patrick's. 

The first records of the family in Monroe County are in 1838. James purchased 80 acres of land in Section 33 Township 3 South Range 9 West on 25 August 1838. John purchased 40 acres adjacent to James's land on 27 August 1840 and Phillip Byrns purchased 80 acres in Section 34 on 10 October 1840.  All of these purchases were for public land from the State of Illinois for $1.25 per acre or $50 per 40 acre plot.

It is possible that the entire family moved west together or that James came first and then the rest of the family followed later. By 1 June 1840 the entire family had moved to Monroe county when they were listed on the 1840 Federal Census.  

John sold his 40 acres and James sold 40 acres to Martin Ryan for $250.00 on 7 February 1842. The deed is recorded in the Monroe County courthouse in Book F page 421-422. They made $150.00 profit on the land. 

Mary died at age 65 and her burial was recorded on 11 September 1842 at St. Augustine of Canterbury catholic church in Hecker, Illinois. John followed her two years later at the age of 71 and was buried on 1 September 1844. 

There are no tombstones remaining in the St. Augustine cemetery for John and Mary. 

Even though the records left by John and Mary are sparse, there is enough to outline their family and provide at least part of the migration path from Ireland to Monroe County, Illinois where their descendants lived for the next three generations.