Honey Fitz was grand father of the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy aka JFK. He was also the Mayor of Boston, an office that no Irish Catholic had ever held before him and a congressional representative.His warmth of character earned him the nickname, "Honey Fitz". He also gained the name because of the sweetness of his singing voice. "Sweet Adeline" was his favorite song to sing.

View- Honey Fitz and Boston's 1905 Mayoral Election .


John Francis FITZGERALD was born on the 11 February 1863 in Boston Massachusetts, and died on the 2 October 1950, he was one of 12 children born to Thomas FITZGERALD and Rosanna COX.

Thomas Fitzgerald was born 4 December 1823 in Bruff, Limerick and died in Boston on 19 May 1885 his parents were Michael Fitzgerald b: 1797 (see Notes)and Ellen WILMOUTH. Ellen had been born in Bruff in 1799 and her and Michael were married in Bruff on the 19 January 1821. Ellen FITZGERALD, nee WILMOUTH died in Boston on the 17 November 1875.
Michael FITZGERALD died on the 19 January 1823 at Duganstown, Wexford, Ireland.
The widow of Michael, Mrs. Ellen Fitzgerald, came to Boston with 3 of her daughters and 1 son and went to Prince Edward Island

Rose Anna Cox Fitzgerald was born in Tonymore County Ireland in 1835. The daughter of Philip COX and Mary MCGOVERN. She emmigrated to America where she married Thomas Fitzgerald at St Stephen's Catholic Church in the North End of Boston on the 15 November 1857.

Rosanna died in childbirth having her 13th child on the 18 March 1879. They lost their first child before he was 2. and two girls died in infancy. They had 9 sons, researchers only know of 5 of the sons marrying and having children: John, Michael, James, Henry, and George. Researchers don't know if James, William, and Edward married, and Joseph was the disabled son

Rosanna Cox was a first cousin to Patrick McGovern. Patrick's sister, Bridget was the maid of honor at the wedding of Rose and Thomas Fitzgerald. His sister Susan was the Godmother to Honey Fitz.

The children of Thomas FITZGERALD 1823-1885 and Rose Anna nee COX 1835-1879 were:-

Michael Fitzgerald 1858 ? 1860
James T Fitzgerald 1860 ? 1950
Thomas J Fitzgerald 1861 ? 1893
John Francis Fitzgerald 1863 ? 1950
Michael J Fitzgerald 1864 ? 1925
William S Fitzgerald 1865 ? 1899
Edward C Fitzgerald 1867 ? 1940
Joseph A Fitzgerald 1868 ? 1920
Ellen R Fitzgerald 1870 ? 1870
George F Fitzgerald 1871 ? 1914
Henry S Fitzgerald 1875 ? 1955
Mary Ellen Fitzgerald 1879 ? 1879

Political Career/Connections of John Francis FITZGERALD 1863-1950

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Member of Boston Common Council
1893-1894: State Senator (Massachusetts)

1895-1901 U.S. House of Representatives (Mass. 9th District)

1906-1907: Mayor of Boston

1910-1913: Mayor of Boston

1912: Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts

1916: Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (lost)

1919: U.S. House of Representatives (Mass. 10th District)

1922: Democratic Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, (lost)

1932: Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts



NOTE:
1. There is division as to where Michael Fitzgerald 1797-1823 was born. Some say Bruff, Ireland and other's say it was Amelia Springs, Amelia, Virginia!

2.Tom Fitzgerald came from Bruff. These records are on the parish records in both Knockainey & Bruff. when Jean Kennedy Smith was ambassador in Ireland, she visited Bruff and with her sister they viewed the Bruff parish church records, with the FITZGERALD information on it.

3.The bible used to keep the family records and to swear in JFK as president came from the palatine road, Bruff.

There is no disputing these facts.

4. Honey Fitz married a Hannon women whose parents also emigrated from the Bruff area in county limerick, Ireland.

The Bruff church record are still intact and have all the births,death and marriages of the Fitzgerald clan before they emigrated from Ireland. Although not online.

The Bruff Heritage Group are at present embarking upon a project which they hope will help clarify and establish dates of births and dates of death and marriages recorded in our parish records, relating to various member of the Fitzgerald family.













Below is a portrait of James Francis 'Honey Fitz' Fitzgerald