The Greenes

AUGUSTINE GREENE 1815-1908   CATHERINE KENNY 1833-

These are the parents of Mary Greene, wife of Dr Edmund Frost.
This family is still being researched. Augustine Greene was related to the Fitzgeralds. He married Catherine Kenny from Freagh Castle, Miltown Malbay on the west coast. Catherine’s brother Michael Kenny who was a solicitor, married Bridget Frost, the daughter of William Frost of Ballymorris. Catherine’s parents were Matthias Kenny 1770-1863 and Mary Kelly. Augustine Greene was living in Liscannor in 1853 and was then described as ‘a gentleman’ when he witnessed a document for Michael Kenny his brother in law. When Mary married he was described as a farmer. Maybe he was a gentleman farmer!

Augustine Greene 1815-1908

Augustine Greene and Catherine Kenny married about 1850.
His father was William Greene of Liscannor, 1777-1849. In the registry of deeds there is a document dated 1843 noting among other things that William Greene had an uncle William Fitzgerald, whose wife was Mary. The family name of Augustine (Austin) comes from Sir Augustine Fitzgerald.

Sheila Lamb wrote:-

There is a family called Kenny who lived in my childhood at a place called Freagh near Kilkee on the west coast of Ireland. It was a weird remote house like a castle, on top of a cliff. It was very dark with stained glass windows. Mathew Kenny was a judge and a cousin of our grandmother. His wife was Aunt Lizzie. The son George, a bit of a pansy, was also a lawyer. There were two daughters. One, Gwen, was quite potty, just eccentric, and the other, Daisy, also eccentric and very Spanish looking. I think there was some Armada blood.

There was a cousin of Grandma’s called Rie (Marie), maiden name Gregory. She married a US naval officer by the name of Madison Doyle who was cashiered for something or other. She died in 1975 leaving her vast fortune to the church for prayers for her soul. She was my godmother and very fond of my father.

The Kenny’s only had cake for tea, so we had to stop before we got there so that my father could have his bread and butter. I have very happy memories of uncomfortable and boring outings to remote country churchyards in my childhood, in my father’s search for his family in the wild west of Ireland. Sadly all the results of his research are lost.

The children of Augustine and Catherine Greene were:-

1. MICHAEL PATRICK. 1852 -1889. Baptised Miltown Malbay. A vet. Married in 1878 Mary Eleanor Bourke of Dublin. Lived some time in Canada. Returned to Ennis. No known children. Mentioned on his own Marriage Settlement and also that of his sister Mary. No children.
2. MARY ANNE. 1854-1925. Married 1876 to Dr Edmond Frost. Lived with their family in Newmarket on Fergus. Large family. Probably supported by Greene money as they appear to have been the only grandchildren.
3. JOHN. 1856. Nothing known.
4. ELIZA. 1858 – Became a nun.
5. GEORGINA. 1859 – Became a nun.
6. AUGUSTINE. 1861. Baptised Ennis. Nothing known.
7. BRIDGET CATHERINE. 1864. Baptised at Quin Clooney. Nothing known.
8. HENRIETTA. 1866 - 1945. Baptised Quin. Nun – Mother Clare. See below.
9. KATHERINE (Kate) AGNES. 1871. Baptised Quin. Nun.
10. WILLIAM. Dates not known. Priest. Went blind.
11. ROBERT. Dates not known. He is in the Frost family photo. Lived in England. Worked in Inland Revenue. A big man (hammer thrower)

HENRIETTA GREENE 1866-1945
Henrietta was the second youngest daughter of Augustine Greene. She was a nun, but nevertheless led a remarkable life. The following information is obtained from the appreciation of her life which was given at her funeral.

"In the year 1888, the Bishop of Ballarat (in Victoria, Australia) led a small band of people into the cathedral to give thanks for their safe arrival from London. One of these was Henrietta Greene whose convent name was Mother Clare. She had entered the religious sisterhood of Nazareth in London before her 15th birthday in 1881. She arrived in Ballarat in 1888. Because of her outstanding ability, in 1904 she was recalled to London to undertake the important office of Mistress of Novices. Six years later, when Mother General died , Mother Clare was elected third mother General of the congregation, which office she held for 12 years. She then relinquished this post and returned to Ballarat. In 1929, at the invitation of Archbishop Mannix, she opened Nazareth House in Melbourne, which she directed for 6 years. Then she returned to her beloved Ballarat, where she died in 1945. Since her arrival in 1888, Mother Clare had witnessed and in no small degree was responsible for, the wonderful building of the second house in Ballarat, two in Christchurch (NZ), one at Wynnum (Queensland), one in Melbourne and one in Geraldton (Western Australia). Nazareth House looked after orphan children and the aged poor old.

Not only was she a devout woman, but she was generous and big-hearted. She was wise and shrewd as those who had business dealings with her could vouch for."

This woman left home very young, she travelled to Australia, on the long journey by sea, twice. Even if she sailed through the Suez Canal the journey would have taken several weeks. She achieved a great deal of useful work for her religious community. She was 79 when she died.

It is not known when Catherine Greene died, but Augustine moved into Beech Lawn with his daughter and son-in-law Dr. Edmund Frost. Augustine died in 1908 at the great age of 93.

The death certificate of Augustine Greene