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Note: han in his family history work of the early 1960's. As he understood it, Mary Alice and daughter Catherine immigrated in 1829 from Belfast and, therefore, may have been from the north of Ireland. However, Belfast was a port city and may only have been the city from which they sailed. He provided no other family names.
Catherine's death certificate, obtained from Pittsburgh, contained parent's names Mary Alice Dougherty and "John" McFarren. St. Mary's Cemetery, Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, provided information regarding the McFarren plot there. In it are buried "Mary A." and "James" McFarren, both reinterred there 19 Feb 1874, removed from St. Paul's Cemetery (there are 2 in Pittsburgh; one in Troy Hill and one south of the river). Both were born in Ireland; no dates of birth or death are shown, although someone has written "died 13 July 1846?" on the priest burial permit for Mary Alice.
I was then able to locate James "McFarran" in the 1840 census in Pittsburgh. He was between 40 & 50 years of age, as was his wife. With them were living 2 boys, one 5 years <10, the other 15 years <20. There were also 4 girls, one 5<10, one 10<15, and 2 15<20. At the 1850 census, James "McPheron" was living in Pittsburgh, age 60, with his married daughter Catherine and her husband James Pender and 1 year old child, James, Jr. Also living in the house were Patrick Pender, assumed by his age to be brother to James, and his wife Ellen. All were born in Ireland except for James Pender, Jr. At age 23 in 1850, Catherine was the girl 10-15 yrs of age in the 1840 census; she had 2 older sisters and one younger in addition to 2 brothers. (Other children may have already left the family home by 1840, however.) At the time of the 1850 census, James's occupation was "laborer." Since he was living with his daughter, I think it's safe to conclude that wife Mary Alice was deceased at this time, lending additional credence to the 1846 date shown in cemetery records.
At the 1860 census, James was 70 years of age and retired, living with William & Margaret Nesbit & their 2 children, possibly his youngest daughter. Margaret's birthplace is shown as Scotland, however, so this needs additional checking. However, her only son was named James David, making the assumption that Margaret was Margaret (McFarren) Nesbit somewhat more likely.
James McFarren died of asthma sometime between the 1860 census and February, 1874 when he was reburied at St. Mary's cemetery, Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh having been initially buried at St. Paul's. He is buried in Section B, lot 30 with his wife, son and other family members. On 18 April 1998 I visited St. Mary's Cemetery, Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh and, with a Section map, was able to locate the plot where the McFarren's are buried, but there is no tablet or tombstone marking any of the gravesites.
I obtained the naturalization papers of a James McFarren of Pittsburgh and was able to learn little else. James was naturalized 16 April 1838, swearing that he had lived in the United States for at least 5 years and within the state of PA for at least one year. This would put the year of his immigration as early as 1833, or earlier.
There is no record of a will in the name of James McFerrran in the Pittsburgh Estate Index files.
The Pittsburgh "Dispatch" reported the death 6 May 1860 of a Mary McConnell, wife of Hugh McConnell and daughter of James McFarren, at age 36, in San Francisco, CA. It's not yet known for certain if this Mary was any relation to our James and Mary Alice.
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J.J. Houlihan gave the spelling of the last name as "McFerron" which is not common, although there are many variations, including McFerran, McFerren, McPherrin, McFearon. St. Mary's cemetery records are consistent in spelling the name "McFarren" for this family.
"The Surnames of Ireland" list several possibilities: MacFerran - Wolfe gives Mac Mhearain which he derives from mear, swift. This is conjectural...In the 16th century this was a Co. Roscommon name, but it is now fairly numerous in Antrim and Down. (Note: Antrim & Down are northern counties.) Feran, Feron, Fern - variants of Fearon, a sept of Oriel and Farren of Donegal.
In Griffith's Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864, "McFarren" & "McFarran" appeared virtually exclusively in counties Antrim, Down and Armagh.
Note: As I began work on this family history, the only clues I had to the parentage of Catherine ("McFerron") (Pender) Kinlen was the alleged name of her mother, Mary Alice "McFerron" provided by J.J. Houli
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