IRELAND to AMERICA
Matthew J. Losty & Mary Jane Losty
Matthew J. Losty, son of Mr. and Mrs. Losty of Kildare County Ireland, and his wife, Mary Jane, met in Ireland where they were both born during the late 1700's. Mary Jane was born in 1780. We do not know Mary Jane's maiden name, yet.
Matthew and Mary fell in love and had at least two children, John and Patrick. John and Patrick were born in the early 1800's. Patrick being the younger of the two was born in 1825. His mother, Mary Jane, was 45 years old at the time of his birth. By the time Patrick was 18 years old, his father, Matthew J. Losty, had passed away.
In 1843 at the peak of the potato famine in Ireland, Mary Jane Losty 63 years of age and widowed, left Halverstown, Kildare County Ireland, with her son Patrick Losty and headed for the United States. They arrived in 1843. Mary's elder son, John Losty, remained in Ireland and later married Miss. Julia Byrne of Ireland.
Mary and Patrick's destination in the United States is unknown. However, Patrick Losty was in Cannan, New York in 1850 and then later moved to West Stockbridge, Massachusetts as noted in the 1860 US Census. Patrick Losty married Miss. Mary Rohan and all of their children were born in the United States.
Sometime between 1859 and 1863, Mary's son, John, died in Ireland. When John died he was married and had four young children. His wife Julia was left widowed to raise their babies in a country from which thousands of Irish immigrants were fleeing each week. It is estimated 10,000 Irish immigrants were arriving each week in the Port of New York during 1863. Julia and her children were among those passengers.
MARY JANE LOSTY 1780 - 1869
In 1869, Patrick & John's mother died at the age of 89 and was laid to rest in the St. Joseph Cemetery, in Pittsfield Massachusetts.
James Michael Losty, Great Great Great Grandson of Mary Jane Losty, visited Mary's place of rest in February of 2004 and provided the adjacent photo of Mary Jane's headstone.
The inscription reads:
Mary Jane Losty, Native of Haverstown Parish Curragh County Kildare Ireland. Died June 21, 1869, aged 89 years. Erected by her son Patrick Losty.
Note: The head piece is missing from the top of her headstone. Jim plans to return, when the snow melts, so further investigation can be conducted to locate the Head piece and other family members at St. Josephs Cemetery in Pittsfield, MA. He will also be visiting Patrick Losty's place of rest in the Berkshire Hills.
The complete story for Patrick and his family will be written and added to our narrative as soon as possible. We do have the beginnings of his pages started you can visit but is not ready to be written in stone.
Our story picks up with Patrick's sister-in-law, Julia Bryne Losty and her four children in 1863.
Continue reading our story