Katherine Cecilia Banahan (abt. 1847-1908)
Grace, Richard Burke and Francis Burke were the children of
Mary Ellen Burke, the daughter of
Katherine Cecilia Banahan, the daughter of
Mary Theresa Kilduff, the daughter of
Margaret Mulvey and Patrick Kilduff
and
Grace, Richard Burke and Francis Burke were the children of
Mary Ellen Burke, the daughter of
Katherine Cecilia Banahan, the daughter of
George Banahan
Katherine Cecilia Banahan--commonly known as Katie Burke or Kitty Burke, was the wife of Patrick Burke and mother of Mary Ellen, George, Grace, Bartholomew and Theresa Burke. Katie was born in County Roscommon, Irleand, possibly at Athleague, and immigrated with her family to the United States in the 1850's. Her mother was Mary Cecilia Kilduff, and her father was George Banahan. Mary and George had two known children, Katie and her younger sister Margaret. Her father died at age 29, supposedly in Ireland, and Mary married a younger man, Michael Mellynn. It isn't known if Mary and Michael married in Ireland and came together to the US, or if they met after arriving.
According to a cousin, George Nolan, the Banahan / Mellynn family came to California in 1865, to Sawmill Flat, a tiny community between Sonora and Columbia in Tuolumne, California. Nolan tradition says that they may have lived in Tennessee at some point prior to this, but our family tradition makes no mention of this. How they lived at this time is unknown.
What is known about Katie Banahan begins with her marriage to Patrick Burke in 1870, at Sonora. A facsimile of their wedding license is shown here:
Marriage License of Patrick Burke and Katie Banahan
According to family tradition, Katie Burke was an exceptional cook and seamstress. Her cookbooks--one that appears to date from the 1870's, are available to see at this link: