The McCarthy Story

The McCarthy family motto, forti et fideli nihil difficile (To the Brave and Faithful Nothing is Difficult), is not decorative. It describes a people who crossed oceans, buried children in foreign ground, and kept showing up. What follows is the short version of how we got here.

The McCarthys of Ireland

The McCarthy family descends from Milesius, King of Spain, through the line of his son Heber. The founder of the family was Cormac, King of Munster, A.D. 483. The ancient name was Carthann, which signifies "kindness." The chief of the sept was McCarthy More, Prince of Muskerry, King and Prince of Desmond, King of Cashel and Munster. Their ancestral lands stretched across the present-day counties of Cork, Limerick, and Clare. The family took its name from Carthach, King of Desmond, in A.D. 1100, and under the Irish kings maintained their princely prominence long after the arrival of the Anglo-Norman invader.

The celebrated Blarney Castle was built by Cormac McCarthy Laidir, the Strong Lord of Muskerry, in 1449. Its walls were eighteen feet thick and its fortifications covered eight acres. The castle was the scene of many battles during the wars between the Irish and the English, resisting siege and assault under McCarthy stewardship for generations. With the fall of King James II, the Earl of Clancartyl lost his estates and Blarney Castle passed to English hands. But the name endured. As one early chronicler put it: the McCarthys have brought religion, learning, and science to all parts of the world. It is a proud and honored name.

Paddy & Mame

One particular McCarthy descendant worthy of note is Patrick Francis McCarthy, known as Paddy. He was a first-generation American, born September 29, 1866, in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the state's hard coal region. His parents, Timothy and Mary (White) McCarthy, were both born in Ireland. After the murder of Timothy's brother Daniel by opponents of the pro-worker Molly Maguires, the family relocated to Houtzdale, Pennsylvania, and the family moved from hard coal to soft coal.

Mary Ann Cecelia Buggy, called Mame, was born September 5, 1877, less than ten miles from Mt. Carmel in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. Like Paddy, both of her parents, William and Margaret (Bradley) Buggy, were born in Ireland. Her family also resettled in the soft coal region, in a town neighboring Houtzdale called Hawk Run. On February 22, 1896, Paddy and Mame married, beginning a family steeped in faith, country, and Irish heritage. This Green Book is their legacy.

The Old Guard

The children of Patrick and Mary Ann who went on to have families were known collectively as the Old Guard. Their extended families were identified by assigned chart numbers: James' family became the Fours, Margaret's the Fives, Charles' the Sevens, Thomas' the Nines, Daniel's the Tens, Timothy's the Elevens, Sarah Elizabeth's the Twelves, and Rita's the Thirteens. Two children, William and Abigail, died in infancy. Patrick Jr. and Mary Ellen "Marion" had no direct descendants of their own but were never forgotten. As one earlier Green Book author wrote: "Uncle Pat for his wisdom and generosity, and Aunt Marion who made each of us feel as though we were her favorite niece or nephew and never failed to send us birthday wishes regardless of our age."

• 1866
  Patrick Francis McCarthy born
  Born September 29 in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania, to Timothy and Mary (White) McCarthy, both of Ireland.
• 1877
  Mary Ann Cecelia Buggy born
  Born September 5 in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, to William and Margaret (Bradley) Buggy, both of Ireland.
• 1896
  Paddy & Mame marry
  Patrick Francis McCarthy and Mary Ann Cecelia Buggy wed on February 22nd, the union from which all of us descend.
• 1897
  James Daniel McCarthy born
  The first of twelve children. His descendants became "The Fours," the largest branch of the family.
• 1903
  Charles Terrance McCarthy born
  Patriarch of "The Sevens," the branch hosting the 2027 reunion in Ellicott City.
• 1919
  Rita Kathryn McCarthy born
  The youngest of the Old Guard. Her descendants became "The Thirteens," completing the eight branches of the family.
• 1975
  First edition of the Green Book
  The family begins keeping an official record. The tradition of the Green Book and the reunion is established.

The Green Book

The extended family of Patrick Francis and Mary Ann have been keeping track of their growing numbers since the first edition of the Green Book in 1975. In its nearly five decades, the basic layout has changed very little. The 2022 edition encompasses six generations of descendants and lists 830 individuals and 279 spouses. The tradition is that the hosting family keeps the Green Book for the five years between reunions, updating it with births, deaths, marriages, and address changes, and presenting the updated edition at the banquet.

Family ID numbers are a handy way to trace generations. Each additional numeral corresponds with a generation removed from Patrick and Mary Ann: "4" is a child of Paddy and Mame; "4.1" is a grandchild; "4.1.1" is a great-grandchild, and so on. The Green Book's information is wholly group-sourced and voluntary, a living document maintained by and for a living family.