Michael Ryan

Emigrated to AUSTRALIA

Michael married Alice Quinn in Tipperary in about 1820. The only child who is so far known is Thomas who was born in 1824 in Tipperary.

Thomas migrated to Australia and, his father Michael, after the death of his wife, Alice, also came to Australia in about 1854. Michael spent a year in Sydney before coming to Victoria where he was reunited with Thomas at Irishtown, Vic.

Thomas was also a widower and he remarried in Australia. His second wife was Margaret Looby (nee Power), a widow with six children.

Michael died in1874 (see newspaper clippings)

In a letter to me in May 2008 Pat Haley wrote:

“Michael had a son Thomas, born about 1823 to 1826, who came to Australia.

On 2 Jul 1870 he married Margaret Power, a widow, who was the daughter of Patrick Power and Ellen O’Brien. She had married Michael Looby in 1853 in Victoria. He died in Nov 1866. They had six children, the eldest of whom was Mary who was born on 8 Aug 1854. It is this Mary Looby who married Walter Joseph Ryan.

On the marriage certificate of Thomas Ryan and Margaret Power on 2 Jul 1870 at St Patrick’s Daylesford, Victoria it is said he was a widower Dec 1857 with a daughter deceased. He was born Tipperary, Ireland, a labourer and aged 44 years. His parents were given as Michael Ryan and Alice Quinn and his father’s rank as farmer.

The certificate also records Margaret’s birth place as Tipperary, Ireland and that she was living at Glen Lyon. Thomas Ryan was living at Fryers Creek.

Thomas Ryan and Margaret nee Power had one son, Michael Patrick Ryan, born in 1873 at Holcombe via Glenlyon and who died in 1874. (Birth Reg. No. 1873/9603 and Death Reg. No. 1874/7802) So there are no living descendants of this Thomas Ryan.

Explanation of Holcombe - In 1846, Richard Babington and John Carpenter purchased a part of the Holcombe Run (stock run) (originally part of A.F. Mollisons Coliban Run) and called it Glenlyon after their Scottish home, there is a farm b&b outside Glenlyon called Holcombe country retreat.

Michael Ryan was born about 1792 or 1793 in Tipperary, Ireland. He married Alice Quinn about 1819 or 1820 in Tipperary, Ireland. We have no idea how many children this couple had but we do know of the one son, Thomas. The father Michael Ryan died 14 Jun 1874 at Irish Town aged 81 years. He was buried 16 Jun 1874 at Campbells Creek Cemetery. His death certificate says he lived one year in Sydney and 19 years in Victoria. So he came to Australia about 1854. In the column in which the names and ages of issue were to be listed is “Thomas 50 years” then “Required information of other issue is not known”. This clearly implies that there were other issue but that Thomas who was the informant had difficulty in coming up with the complete information. The registrar may have thought that no information was better than incorrect information. Even Thomas’s own age may not be accurate. When he married on 2 Jul 1870 his age is recorded as 44 years, then at his father’s death just under four years later he gives his age as 50 years.

Margaret Ryan died 26 Jan 1913 at Loddon and was buried in Kynton Cemetery on 28 Jan. Very complete information is given on the death certificate. However the information was given through a third party and it is his name as an “authorised person” whose name is recorded rather than a family member. We don’t know if Thomas was still alive at this time. It seems Thomas may have predeceased Margaret, as Margaret is on the 1903 & 1909 electoral rolls as a farmer at Holcomb but not Thomas. Margaret’s daughter Bridget Looby is also listed as living at Holcombe on both rolls.”