This is a transcript of a letter written by George Ferriter’s mother (Anne Flanigan Ferriter) to her mother-in-law, at the advent of WWII. Anne was in Portugal, having travelled over to spend time with her husband, C.A. Ferriter, who had deployed with the fleet: Addressed to: Mrs. John P. Ferriter 130 Norwood Avenue Long Branch, New Jersey USA from Portugal November 3, 1939 Dear Mother and Dad-- I am sorry to hear that you haven't heard from Charles lately--but I am sure that he has written you quite recently. Regular mail is very slow these days in fact ever since war was... Read More
Five hundred years is a long time, yet across that half-millennium span, the Ferriters in Ireland seem to have played a very consistent role. Certainly there were personalities emerging from time to time, and circumstances that demanded more or less, but in general, the social, economic, and certainly geographical position of the family remained little changed across the entire span of time. At this point in the essay – right here at the beginning – I need to identify myself as a member of the family, and as a member of a part of the family that preserved a handful of tales and legends regarding... Read More
Ferriter Name Spelling Variants Encountered During Research: Ferriter Ferreter Feriter Feritor Farritor Faritor Fheirtéaraigh (special case: “aigh” – Family head) Feirtear Feiritear Feirtier Feirteir Firtear Ferrtr Le Faritor Le Fereter Le Furetur Read More
Creation of the new Ferriter Family website moved me to a review of certain items that I had in hand, for inclusion on the site. A number of these are now posted as blog entries, including the following. None of these observations, speculations, and theories have been altered by the time that has passed between having been written and now…enjoy reading, and comment, please! Having inherited the (not uncommon within the family) interest in Ferriter History, I have pursued many of the leads provided by those mentioned above, and a few of my own. I am not a historian, but as a student of history,... Read More
Creation of the new Ferriter Family website moved me to a review of certain items that I had in hand, for inclusion on the site. A number of these are now posted as blog entries, including the following. None of these observations, speculations, and theories have been altered by the time that has passed between having been written and now…enjoy reading, and comment, please! Quite a few citations involving the Ferriters of the 17th and 18th centuries exist. That said, there are no birth marriage or death documents for any of these people, nor will there ever be. Records keeping within the Catholic communities was... Read More
Padraig Feiritear was born 8 March 1856 to Maurice Ferriter and his wife, Nell Mhichil Mhainnnin at An Baile Uachtarach near Bally Ferriter. He was the fourth of nine children. His father, Maurice was a successful carter and farmer, a tenant of the Ventry family. Educated by the Nation School System of the era, he also studied Latin and Irish. Mostly self-educated in Irish, he displayed an Academic knowledge of the Language. He devised his own system of writing Irish. As a young man, Padraig began replicating (copying by hand) Irish manuscripts made available to him by local families. He also interviewed local families and... Read More