What do we know about Anastasia Kealy? Unfortunately, not enough. Like the fabled Anastasia, daughter of Russian Tsar Nicholas 2, she's a woman of mystery. What we do know is mostly based on Bob Burlington's Hibernian research on the Burlington family.
Anastasia was born in 1851, in the town of Callen, County Kilkenny, Ireland. Her father James Kealy was a farmer, and may have been a fairly prominent landowner according to census records. He was born in 1802 and died in 1858 at age 56. She was named after her mother Anastasia Kealy, who was born in 1806 and died in 1876 at age 70.
The following describes a memorial erected for their parents by her brother James:
125. Erected by James Kealy, Callan in memory of his parents. James Kealy died 1858 aged 56 yrs, and Anastasia Kealy died 1886 aged 70 yrs. His two sisters
Mary and Elizabeth, and also his son John who died 10th June 1901 aged 6 yrs.
Also his sister Catherine. The above James Kealy died Dec 1911, and his
wife Ann died 1916. Also his sons Joseph, died July 1937, Thomas died March
1942, William died Jan 1955, and Michael died March 1966. His daughter Mary
died Oct 1922. Johanna died Jan 1963. Anastasia died May 1967. Bridget died
Dec 1968. Patrick died Feb 1975. John died Oct 1985.
As can be seen from the above, the Kealys were a large family, and genealogical records show many Anastasias in the following years. Most of James' children mentioned above, named a child Anastasia. But our great-grandmother Anastasia had only one child. On June 18, 1877 John Burling, age 27, married Anastasia Kealy, age 26. Their son, Henry Joseph Burling, was born the following year in 1878.
It appears that Henry J. Burling was an only child. His father John may have died the year he was born, in 1878 (no record), or the marriage may have broken up, as there were no other children registered. The 1878 census showed John Burling as the occupier of numbers 12 and 13 South Bridge Street, Callen, but the 1881 census listed Anastasia Burling as the occupier. No entry for Burling was found in the 1901 census returns for Bridge Street.
Very little could be found of the Burling family in Callen. What we do know is as follows:
John Burling, tailor, had a son named Henry Burling, a corporal in the 43rd Regiment.
William O'Brien, bootmaker, had a daughter named Abigail O'Brien, a dressmaker.
Henry was stationed at the military barracks in Kilkenny
and Abigail lived on John Street in Kilkenny.
Henry Burling married Abigail O'Brien on Dec 7 1849 in Kilkenny.
Henry and Abigail had a son, John Joseph Burling, in 1850.
John Burling seems to have lived in County Kilkenny from his birth in 1850
to his marriage to Anastasia Kealy in 1877. The Catholic parish register of Callan has his marriage entry and the baptism entry of his son, Henry Joseph Burling.
John is said to have died in 1878 but there is no death record. It's possible that his marriage to Anastasia broke up.
In the 1878 census John Burling was the occupant of #12 and #13 South Bridge Street. Mrs. Anastasia Burling was the named occupant in the 1881 census.
Anastasia came to the United States with her teenage son Harry in 1893, to attend the Chicago World's Fair and visit relatives in Chicago, apparently members of the Kealy family who had emigrated to Chicago from Ireland. Afterwards mother and son remained in the U.S. with Anastasia settling in Monroe, NY, and Harry studying mechanical engineering at Cooper Union in New York City. Harry then moved to Jersey City, NJ where he met Ella Mauchet. Harry and Ella were married in 1902. What happened to Anastasia is not known. There is no mention of her having been at their wedding. Bob Burlington made a trip to Monroe NY, but was unable to find a death record or any information about Anastasia, or why she had moved to Monroe.
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