Pedro Alonso O’Crouley of Cadiz

Our Spanish Cousin

By Ann Crowley, West Cork, Ireland, Crowley Clan Newsletter, Summer 2016

My name is Antonio Castro from Barcelona, Spain, and a few months ago I began to make a family tree just to know the origin of my family. I found that the grandmother of my grandmother was ADELAIDA RIQUELME O'CROWLEY, but at this time I was unable to find nothing other than that she was born in Cadiz, Spain.

I also found that Pedro Alonso O'Crowley O'Donnell from Cadiz was the son of Dermot O'Crowley Power and Mary O'Donnell Davrin who married in Limerick, Munster and then took a boat to Cadiz. Why? I don't know. But two weeks ago I was able to find that Dermot O'Crowley and Mary O'Donnell had nine children, and one of them was CATALINA O'CROWLEY O'DONNELL mother of ADELAIDA.

I really want to give the clan information about the branches of the tree that are descendants of O'Crowley.

Thanks in advance from a distant "cousin", Antonio Castro

Editor's Note: Seamus Crowley, in his booklet The O’Crowley Clan, Some Historical Notes, mentioned Pedro Alonso O’Crowley and even included a portrait of him. Nevertheless, it was a surprise to hear from one of his descendents. Antonio says that he is interested in visiting Ireland and may try to attend the 2016 gathering. Hopefully we can all meet our Spanish cousin then.

The following is from Seamus’ booklet:

Pedro Alonso O’Crouley was born in Cadiz in 1740. Both his parents had emigrated from Ireland. His father Dermetrio (Diarmuid or Jeremiah) was from Limerick claiming descent from Cormac O’Crowley born in Carbery, Co. Cork in 1550. His mother was an O’Donnell from Bally Murphy in Co. Clare.

At nine years old he was sent to France where he got a classical education from the Augustinians at Senlis. He chose to follow a career as a merchant and got a licence for Veracruz and made his first journey to Mexico at the age of 24. Over the next ten years he repeated the journey several times and built up a large fortune from his trading business.

While in Mexico, or “New Spain” as it was called, he gathered every bit of information he could about the country and its history, geology, vegetation, animals, etc. and wrote up his findings in the “Idea compendiosa” – A description of the Kingdom of New Spain” in 1774.

After returning from Mexico O’Crowley stayed on in Cadiz pursuing his interests in antiquities and history. In 1794 he published a catalogue of his private collections called “Musaei o’croulanei”. It lists over 5,000 Greek and Roman coins and 200 paintings including works by Van Dyck, Rubens, Murillo, Velaquez, Zurbaran and Ribera. He also had many geological specimens he had gathered in New Spain.

Also, a communication was received from another Spanish descendant,

December 26, 2014

Hello,

My name is José María Millán Fuentes, and I am a descendant of O'Crowley. I live in Cádiz, Spain, and I am doing work for the University of Málaga on my ancestors. I speak very badly English, but I have a lot of interest in the topic. I would like to help you, and that you also should help me. I have read in your web Antonio Castro, and also I descend from Pedro Alonso O'Crowley O'Donell and Adelaida Riquelme O'Crowley. I have a lot information about the family up to Pedro Alonso, but then everything fades away. The most distant ancestry that I have found is:
Comarc O'Crowley of Carbery
John O'Mahoney
Daniel O'Sullivan Mor
Charles O'Crowley and Mary O'Mahoney
Maurice O'Crowley O'Mahoney and Sarah O'Sullivan
Timothy O'Crowley O'Sullivan and Honor O'Reilly

Does some member of the association speak Spanish? Thank you for everything. I am happy to know of you.

And

Our Spanish Crowleys
Ann Crowley, West Cork, Ireland

Another member of the Spanish branch of the Crowley Clan is 'found'! This is a picture of Jose Maria Millan Feuntes, Niall Herriott (my partner) and me, Ann Crowley.

We met Jose Maria in Malaga on March 1st last. Jose Maria is studying in Malaga University, but is from Cadiz. He is a direct descendant of Don Pedro Alonso O'Croluey of Cadiz and is planning a book about the Crowley Clan based on his research. He also has a project to have the street in Cadiz formerly known as O'Crowley St. to be renamed from its present name back to O'Crowley St. It was O'Crowley St for forty five years and was named to honour Don Pedro in 1855. Don Pedro was an amazing character, the more I read about him the more interesting he seems. He travelled in current day Texas and California as well as Mexico as part of his work. They were in 'New Spain' in those days.

Jose Maria Millan Fuentes, Ann Crowley Niall Herriott.