Family story
Sergeant Peter Cooney of the Fighting 69th
Killed on 14 October 1918, two days before his twenty-eighth birthday, Peter Cooney was buried on the battlefield, reburied in 1919, and moved to his permanent grave in 1921.
A family starting point
The Fitzgerald side
Start here for Andrew’s mother’s family. Civil records trace the Fitzgeralds to Ballylanders in County Limerick and to Cullane South just across the county line in Cork, with the Condons at Castlelyons in Cork; the Farrelly line comes from County Cavan, and the Cooney–Needham family from Derrycriff in County Mayo. All of them end up in Jersey City and New York. The Santangelo family joins this side through Frank Santangelo’s marriage to Maureen Fitzgerald.
This group begins with Marie Fitzgerald. The Cooney cluster is also included because Peter Cooney’s Army file names Annie Farley as his sister, although the archive has not proved exactly which Cooney woman became Andrew Farley’s wife. The Santangelos are here because Frank Santangelo married Marie’s sister Maureen.
Privacy: Living people are shown by name and relationships only. Their dates, places, work and life stories remain private.
Direct family line
This line begins with the earliest documented ancestor currently connected in the archive and moves down one generation at a time.
- Maurice FitzgeraldDates not recorded
- John Fitzgeraldabout 1833 – 20 April 1903
- David Fitzgerald28 March 1875 – April 1939
- John Joseph Fitzgerald2 September 1913 – 14 March 1981
- Marie C. FitzgeraldLiving person — name and relationships only
- Andrew John LeaheyLiving person — name and relationships only
Main surnames
These recurring surnames are counted from the anchor people and their ancestors in the relation graph.
Key places
These places come only from records for people who are not living.
Stories and original records
Family story
Sarah Ellen McGreevy, aged eight, and the fire she lit to make tea
A contemporary newspaper reported the full circumstances of the fire that caught Sarah Ellen’s clothing and her death at Ipswich Hospital; the archive preserves the account without softening it.
Original record
Sgt. Peter Cooney Graves Registration Service card (GRS Form 13)
This old record gives information about the person or family named here.
Original record
1920 U.S. census, Jersey City ED 122, sheet 12B
A census is a government list of the people who were living in a home.
Original record
1920 U.S. census, Jersey City ED 122, sheet 6B
A census is a government list of the people who were living in a home.
Looking for someone else?
This starting page is only one way into the archive. The complete index includes every family group.