The Geratys of Rathangan, Co. Kildare and Freehold, New Jersey, ancestors of Bruce Springsteen

Image: Extract from the parish register of Kildare and Rathangan, showing the marriage of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly of Mount Prospect, on 08 February 1827. Courtesy NLI.

The marriage of Christy or Christopher Geraty and his wife Catherine Kelly of Mount Prospect, Rathangan was recorded in the Kildare and Rathangan parish registers on 08 February 1827.

They had the following children:

1. James, of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 25 February 1828. Address: Mount Prospect. Baptismal Sponsors: Andrew Flood and Ally Kelly
2. John, of Christopher Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 10 May 1830. Address: Mount Prospect. Baptismal Sponsors: John Colgan and Ann Kelly.
3. Michael, of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 13 January 1833. Address: Mount Prospect. Baptismal Sponsors: Patrick Murray and Betty Kelly.
4. Christy, born ca. 1834/35 – In October 1841 the teacher at Rathangan National School noted the enrolment of brothers, James (13), John (11) and Michael Gerrity of Mount Prospect. Their father’s occupation was given as ‘carrier’, i.e., earning a living by transporting people, goods, and livestock. The registers show that the three Gerrity boys remained in school until September 1845, leaving to enter the workplace. Between November 1846 and June 1847 Michael Gerrity re-entered the school, along with a younger brother, Christy Gerrity (11), who enrolled for the first time. The Gerrity boys were recorded as living in Mount Prospect and their father’s occupation was still ‘carrier’.  By June 1847 the schoolmaster recorded the Gerrity brothers were ‘sent to another S.[chool]’.
5. Ann, of Christopher Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 02 December 1838. Address: Kiltagham. Baptismal Sponsors: Catherine Neil
6. Catherine, born ca. 1841, d. 24 January 1922., m. Thomas Timothy Fallon (b. Galway, 1837-1916). Buried Saint Rose of Lima Cemetery, Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey.
7. Elizabeth, of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 12 January 1843. Address: Mount Prospect. Baptismal Sponsors: James Halligan and Mary Kelly
8. Thomas, of Christopher Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 25 December 1847. Address: Rathangan. Baptismal Sponsors: James Mitchel and Ann Dawson

There is no record of Christy Gerrity, his wife or his sons entering the USA. Some researchers have speculated that he and his sons went to Canada and crossed the U.S. border circa 1850, settling in Monmouth, New Jersey.  During the years of the Great Famine (1845-1852) at least a million people are estimated to have emigrated from Ireland, mainly to North America.  Families did not migrate en masse, but younger members of families did, so much so that emigration almost became a rite of passage, as evidenced by the data that shows that, unlike similar emigrations throughout world history, women emigrated just as often, just as early, and in the same numbers as men. The emigrants would send remittances (reaching a total of £1,404,000 by 1851) back to family in Ireland, which, in turn, allowed another member of their family to leave. Christy became a US citizen on 14 September 1853 in Monmouth, New Jersey, and he stated that he had immigrated in 1850. According to later census returns, where the year of arrival in the USA was recorded on the forms, Christopher Gerrity (junior) gave 1850 as his year of arrival. On 14 September 1853, Christy petitioned for naturalisation and in 1856 became an American citizen.

On 08 November 1853, Ann (14), Catherine (12) and Eliza (10) arrived on the S.S. Arctic in the port of New York and went to join their father and brothers in Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey.

According to information supplied by family, Catherine (Kelly) Garrity died circa 1855, in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey. This cannot be verified with any documentary source at this time. Christy remarried to Maria (surname unknown) circa 1858/1859 in Freehold. No marriage record has been located for Christy and Maria to date. They had the following children: Mary, 1857; Ellen, 1859; Jane, 1864; David Daniel, 1865; Thomas, 1867; Theresa, 1868; George Washington, 1872.

Christy died 25 August 1884 aged 78, in New Jersey; his marital status was recorded as single at that time.  His obituary was located by genealogist Megan Smolynak in the Red Bank Register of 03 September 1884. It stated he was from Co. Kildare, had immigrated to America about 40 years ago, had been married twice, having eight children with his first wife and seven with his second.  He was buried in St. Rose of Lima Cemetery.

Ann married (1) John Fitzgibbon, 26 July 1856 (Source: Cashion family bible); Children: Catherine (1857), Mary Elizabeth ((1861), John P. (1864), James (1865), Anne (1868), Emma C. (1870). John Fitzgibbon died 24 May 1872. Anne married (2) Patrick Farrell, 08 September 1873 (Source: Cashion family bible); Children: John, 16; James, 14; Anna, 12; Emma, 10; Jane (Jennie), 4; Amelie, 4; Joseph, 15.

Ann (Garrity) Farrell died 03 October 1923 (Buried St. Rose de Lima cemetery). Her daughter, Jane Jennie (Farrell) McNicolas was born 18 December 1875 and died 01 December 1961. She was the granddaughter of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly, the daughter of Ann Geraty and Patrick Farrell and is the maternal great grandmother of Bruce Springsteen. She married John McNicholas in 1897, and they had: Jane (Jennie) 1897-1989; Alice Helena (Lena) 1899-1965, grandmother of Bruce (b. 23 September 1949); Anna Maria (Ann) 1904-1995.

Please note that the spelling of the surname Geraty varies in the records in both Ireland and in the United States of America.  The person who recorded an event, such as the parish priest, or census enumerator decided on the surname spellings. Variations can also be due to literacy, pronunciation, or language barriers.

With thanks to Glenn Cashion, cousin of Bruce, for his assistance and for providing information from the Cashion family bible, as well as the research carried out by Megan Smolynak, genealogist and the Irish Family History Centre.