Alice Tinneny was the sixth child and second daughter of Francis Tinneny and Catherine McConnell.  She was born at Goladuff and baptized at Saint Mary's Church in Newtownbutler on October 21, 1890.  Her godparents were James Tinneny and Mary Tinneny. They were her father's brother and his wife Mary Ann McEntyre who also lived on Goladuff. 

When she was 20 years old Alice left Ireland along with her brother Hugh who was 23 years old at the time and the pair went to America.  They traveled aboard the ship Mobile, which arrived in New York on September 28, 1920.  The ship had sailed from Liverpool, England and Alice was listed as an associated passenger with Hugh.  It was also noted that she was a housekeeper by trade and that her destination was New York. She listed as her nearest relative her brother “Mr. Patrick Tinneny, Goladuff, Newtownbutler, Ireland.”

Image from the cover of an 1896 Passenger List from S.S. Mobile  

By 1922 she was living in New Jersey.  She worked as a domestic.  She wrote letters back to her niece Annie who was still living at Goladuff.  In one of her letters Alice told about how much she liked American ham and bacon but couldn't get any in the house where she lived because the people that she worked for were Jewish.  She did say, however, that a friend was able to bring some bacon and ham to her. 

June 17^th 1930 Alice married Matthew J. Cooney who was from County Clare, Ireland.  They were married in Manhattan, New York.  There marriage certificate number was 14504. Matt and Alice had no children and through at least the mid 1950s lived at 230 5^th Street, Jersey City, New Jersey.  

 Photo: Alice and Matthew’s wedding photo

On learning of the death of her brother Hughie’s son Frankie in July of 1943 Alice wrote the following letter to Hughie’s wife: 

230 5th Street

Jersey City, NJ

7 Nov. 1943

Dear Cathleen: 

I received your very sorryful letter.  Little did I think that was the news I was to hear.  Words cannot express my grief.  I felt that I would hear something from home as I have been thinking of you all summer and was going to write to you for Christmas Please God. 

Matt feels bad as I do.  We heard so much about little Frankie.  We both know also the little boy and girl and thank God they are well and healthy.

Matt and I are both working and doing swell thanks God.  How are the boys at home?  They must feel awful bad I must write to Francis later on.  I have not seen Molly McConnell in about six months.  Cathleen we hope you will get this little gift. If we had known about this Matt and I would have sent it long ago.  Your letter was just one month coming as we got it on 4 November.  We are sending this airmail as you will get it quicker.  Cathleen dear I don’t want you and Hugh to worry.  I know it is hard to say ….

Note: The rest of the letter was missing.

Although Alice never returned home to Ireland Matt did.  I located the following records associated with his visits home.  

 May 3, 1954 Matthew arrived in the Port of New York aboard the ship M. V. Georgic according to the above manifest extract.  He boarded the vessel at the port of Cobh Ireland on April 25, 1954.  He and Alice were still living at 230 5^th Street, Jersey City, New Jersey. 

 

Photo: M.V. Georgic from the Internet

On March 26, 1953 Matt was listed as being aboard Pan American aircraft no. 06280, flight No.061/26, which departed Shannon Airport, Ireland and landed in New York on March 27th.  He was described as a US citizen, passport number 1064.

I located a Matthew Cooney in the Social Security Death Index, social security number 139-16-4276 who may have been Alice’s husband Matt.  That record showed he was born on April 21, 1893, that he died in June 1964 and that his social security number was issued in New Jersey prior to 1951.  Alice died on May 14, 1988 and was buried someplace in New Jersey.