The Mayburys of Cork and Detroit
From County Cork Ireland to Michigan USA
Very little is known concerning the early history of a Maybury family: siblings Thomas, Henry, Catherine, Mary and William Maybury and their mother Elizabeth (Webb) Maybury (widow of William Maybury), who emigrated from County Cork, Ireland, to Detroit, Michigan, USA, in the mid1830s. Members of the family are noteworthy for the prominence they achieved in their adopted city.
Thomas Maybury (1807-1882) was reported in his obituary to have been born in Bandon, a town regarded as the gateway to West Cork. However, Bandon was possibly nominated as the closest, more recognisable locality to Thomas’ real birthplace. According to his son Henry’s family bible, Thomas was born in Dunmanway, a town in West Cork about 26 kilometres west of Bandon.
In the first half of the 19th century, there was a cluster of Mayburys living around Dunmanway, perhaps representing an extended family. William Maybury was not the only Maybury to marry a Webb; a Henry Maybury married Mary Webb. William and Henry may have been siblings, which could account for the frequency of the name Henry among William’s descendants.
It had once been considered that Mayburys in West Cork were related to Maybury families from the adjoining county of Kerry. Although there was an instance of a Maybury family relocating from Kenmare, Kerry, to West Cork in around 1850, Kerry Maybury/Mayberry movements from the 18th century seem mostly directed towards Cork city rather than rural West Cork. Cork was a major port city that almost certainly drew Mayburys from many quarters. A Y-DNA test taken by a present-day Dunmanway Maybury with a family history in West Cork reaching back to at least the 1840s has proved positive for the R-FT379334 branch of the Maybury family. In contrast, all Kerry Mayburys tested to date belong to the R-FTA43422 branch of the Mayburys suggesting that the Kerry origin theory was mistaken and that the male members of the Detroit family may have carried the mutation R-FT379334.
Most R-FT379334 Mayburys tested so far have their origins in Northern Ireland, apparently the result of immigration from Lancashire, England, in the mid1650s. A report of a Maybury arriving in Bandon in 1620 may indicate that a similar, but earlier R-FT379334 foundation event took place in West Cork. A good deal of research into the Mayburys of Bandon and West Cork needs to be done.
Thomas, Henry (c.1809-1900) and William Maybury (1823-1876) left Cork and arrived in Detroit, via New York, in 1834. Their sister Catherine Ross arrived in Detroit by 1835. It is uncertain when their mother, Elizabeth, and sister, Mary, reached in Detroit. In their early years in Detroit, Thomas, Henry and William farmed and undertook contract work, moving into draying and other carrying enterprises. They quickly invested in property. Thomas purchased 40 acres in 1834, 40 acres in 1835 and 80 acres in 1842 in Wayne County (Detroit, Michigan). Henry purchased 80 acres in 1834. William purchased 80 acres in Wayne County, Michigan in 1835. The 1850 and 1860 census shows Thomas and Henry, Catherine (Maybury) Ross and Mary (Maybury) Mahoney all living near each other on Lafayette Street in Detroit, Michigan. William was listed in 1850 and 1870 as living in Jackson Michigan. Thomas, Henry and William Maybury continued to expand their investments in real estate and to prosper.
It was common for Irish immigrants to follow in the footsteps of friends or relatives who had previously migrated. It was, for example, reported in Thomas Maybury’s obituary that he spent time in New York with old neighbours from Cork before moving on to Detroit. It was also the case for fellow immigrants from Cork: the brothers Samuel and George Ford in 1832 and their brother John, grandfather of the American industrialist Henry Ford, in 1847. The Fords had lived in Crohane townland, near the hamlet of Madame and the village of Ballinascarthy, about eighteen kilometres south-east of Dunmanway. The fact that the Fords were considered old acquaintances of the Mayburys suggests that the Mayburys may have had dealings in this area. In the years following, the Maybury and Ford relationship was close. Henry Maybury’ sale of an 80-acre property in Redford Township to John Ford gave Ford’s family their start in America. When John Ford’s son William married Mary Litogot, it was Thomas Maybury who hosted the wedding ceremony in his home at 356 Lafayette Detroit, Michigan. Thomas’ son William Cotter Maybury, while serving as Detroit’s mayor, provided crucial business contacts and financial support to William Ford’s son Henry Ford during his first steps into the car industry.
The Maybury family involved themselves in issues and activities beyond business and real estate. Thomas Maybury, for instance, was a member of the Detroit Commandry of the Knights Templar and was a Founding Member and Warden of St. Peters Episcopal Church in 1856 in Detroit, Michigan. He was a staunch Republican with abolitionist sympathies and an ardent supporter of the Union during the Civil War. Thomas contributed to the support of Union soldiers and their families and assisted African-American refugees in Detroit.
William Cotter Maybury (1848-1909), lawyer, congressman and mayor of Detroit.
Thomas’ son, William Cotter Maybury, is the best-known member of this family. William Cotter Maybury graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Laws and was admitted to the bar in 1871. He was elected city attorney in 1875 and served four years. He served as a congressman: elected as a representative from Michigan to the forty-eighth congress in 1882 and re-elected to the forty-ninth congress as a democrat in 1884. William served as Mayor of Detroit from 1897 until 1905. William was a member of the Masonic Temple and passed every grade of both the York and Scottish Rite bodies, including 33rd degree. He was also Senior Warden at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. William was credited with the expansion of Detroit’s public amenities, including parks and the building of the Belle Isle Aquarium. His pro-business approach saw expansion in Detroit industry, including the infant automobile industry.
William Henry Maybury (1859-1931), real estate magnate, public administrator and philanthropist.
Another prominent second-generation Detroit Maybury was William Henry Maybury, son of Henry Maybury. William Henry made a fortune in real estate and retired at age 37 years. He was named Director of Public Works by his cousin Mayor William Cotter Maybury in 1903 and his department improved under his leadership. William Henry was well-known as a philanthropist and advocate for social reform and most notably led the development of the Detroit Municipal Tuberculosis Sanatorium (later named the Maybury Sanatorium) in 1921.The Sanatorium was an extensive complex designed to remove TB patients from the city environment into more tranquil surroundings. Food for the patients was grown on the Sanatorium farm. William became sick with the same illness and died in the Sanatorium farm house in 1931. In 1969 the sanatorium closed due to a lack of patients. In 1972, the Michigan Natural Resource Commission purchased the property from the City of Detroit and Maybury State Park was opened in 1975.
The Detroit Maybury Family
1. William Maybury; d. bef.1834; m. in Ireland - Elizabeth Webb.
2.Catherine Maybury; b.1805; m. 1829 in Ireland - George Ross.
3. John Ross; b.1833 in Ireland; d. 26 Dec 1897 in Detroit, Michigan.
John Ross never married.
3. Eliza Ross; b. 27 Jun 1834 in New York; d. 10 Apr 1917 in Detroit, Michigan; m. John Smith
Eliza Ross and John Smith had 8 children.
3. George Ross; b. 1840 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 18 Dec 1866 in Detroit, Michigan.
George Ross never married.
3. Thomas Ross; b. 1844 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 21 Jan 1917 in Detroit, Michigan.
Thomas Ross never married.
3. Henry Ross; b. 1847 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 22 Oct 1886 in Detroit, Michigan.
Henry Ross never married.
3. James Ross; b. 1851 in Detroit, Michigan; d.18 Oct 1881 in Detroit, Michigan.
James Ross never married.
2. Thomas Maybury; b. 26 Dec 1807 in Bandon, Cork, Ireland; d. 25 Nov 1882 in Detroit, Michigan; m. 1832 in County Cork - Margaret Cotter; b. c.1813 in Ireland; d.1851.
Thomas Maybury is listed in the Detroit 1840 census with John Mahoney (husband of Mary Maybury), Samuel Kingston, Jonathan and William Teagan. In the 1850 census, Thomas, his wife Margaret and all 8 of their children, lived in the home that Thomas built at 356 Lafayette. After the death of Margaret Cotter Maybury, Thomas raised all of his children as a single father.
3. William Maybury; b. Sep 1833 in Ireland; bur. 26 May 1834 at Grosse Ille Quarantine Station, Quebec, Canada.
3. Eliza Maybury; b. c.1835 in Michigan; m. James Denton, b. in Denton, England.
Denton was a hatter. They moved to Flint, Michigan.
3. Henry Maybury; b. 17 May 1837 in Spring Wells (Dearborn) Michigan; d. 11 Apr 1915 in Tampa, Florida; m. 11 Oct 1865 - Charlotte E. Sullivan.
They had 3 children. Henry moved his family to Tampa Florida in 1884. He built the first house on Bayshore Drive, having the lumber rafted down the old Hillsborough River in Florida.
3. Catherine Maybury; born 12 Nov 1840 in Detroit, Michigan, d. 15 May 1911 in Detroit, Michigan; m. 25 Aug 1869 - John Guinness in Detroit, Michigan.
John Guinness emigrated from Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England, to the United States in 1857. He served 5 years in the Civil War (Union). He owned his own newspaper and tobacconist shop in Providence, Rhode Island. They had 4 children.
3. Thomas J. Maybury; b. c.1842 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 6 Dec 1889 in Red Bluff, California.
Thomas J. Maybury served 5 years in the Civil war (Union) He served with the 78th Infantry in Michigan then transferred to the 8th Artillery New York. In 1864, he survived the battle of Cold Harbor in Mechanicsville, Virginia. He was severely wounded and their unit lost 475 of the 1600 men. He never married.
3. Mary Maybury; b. 15 Dec 1845 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 10 Dec 1909 in Detroit, Michigan; m. 24 Aug 1870 in Detroit, Michigan - Joseph Weber.
Mary Maybury and Joseph Weber had 8 children. Joseph Weber owned a lumber company in Detroit. After his wife’s passing, Joseph built all of his children’s homes on Dwight Street in Detroit, Michigan.
3. Jane Maybury; b. 22 Nov 1846 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 19 Mar 1926 in Detroit, Michigan.
Jane lived with her brother William and never married.
3. William Cotter Maybury; b. 20 Nov 1848 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 6 May 1909 in Detroit, Michigan.
William Cotter Maybury was a lawyer, congressman and mayor of Detroit. He never married.
3. Margaret Maybury; b. 22 Nov 1850 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 11 Oct 1901 in Detroit, Michigan; m. 26 Feb 1886 - John B Morris.
Margaret Maybury and John B Morris had no children.
2. Henry Maybury; b. c.1809 in Ireland; d. 15 May 1900 in Detroit, Michigan; m. c.1856 - Ann Echlin; b. May 1822 in Lusk, Dublin, Ireland.
In the 1850 census of Detroit, Henry is listed as age 37 and born in Ireland. He was living with his mother Elizabeth Maybury, age 75, and Mary Ann Tegan, age 18, who was the daughter of Jonathan Tegan living next door. Ann Echlin was devout Catholic and Henry converted to Catholicism.
3. Elizabeth (Sister Imelda) Maybury; b. 1857 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 5 Feb 1926 in Monroe, Michigan.
Elizabeth was a member of the Order of the Immaculate Heart.
3. William Henry Maybury; b. 18 Aug 1859 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 4 Nov 1931 in Northville, Michigan.
William Henry Maybury was a real estate investor, public administrator and philanthropist. He never married.
3. Mary Maybury; b. 1 Oct 1863 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 4 Feb 1951, m. James Berkery.
Mary Maybury and James Berkery had two children.
3. Jane (Sister Teresa) Maybury; b. 1865 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 30 Sep 1930 in Carthage, Hamilton, Ohio.
Jane was a member of the Order of the Good Shepherd.
3. Thomas Maybury; b. 1863; died as an infant.
2. Mary Maybury; b. c.1810 in Ireland; d. Apr 1864 in Detroit, Michigan; m. John Mahoney.
Mary Maybury and John Mahoney had 4 children. Mary is listed in the 1850 and 1860 census, living next to Thomas, Catherine and Henry Maybury.
3. Eliza Mahony, bp. 14 Dec 1829 in Dunmanway parish, Cork, Ireland; d. in Ireland?
3. Daniel Mahoney; b. c.1829 in Ireland; d. 18 Apr 1875 in Detroit, Michigan; m. 24 Feb 1852 - Honora Minahan.
3. Timothy Mahoney; bp. 16 Jun 1832 in Dunmanway parish, Cork, Ireland; d. 24 Jul 1896 in Detroit, Michigan; m. Mary Sullivan.
Timothy Mahoney and Mary Sullivan had 4 children.
3. Johanah Mahony, bp. 25 Oct 1835 in Dunmanway parish, Cork, Ireland; d. in Ireland?
3. William Mahoney; b. 15 May 1849 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 5 Apr 1920 in Detroit, Michigan; m. Mary Blackwell.
William Mahoney and Mary Blackwell had 7 children.
3. Mary Mahoney; b 15 May 1849 in Detroit, Michigan; d. 21 Dec 1912 in Bay City, Michigan; m. c.1863 - John Rademacher.
Mary Mahoney and John Rademacher had 4 children.
2. William Maybury; b. 1823 in Cork, Ireland; d. 20 Oct 1876 in Jackson, Michigan; m. in 1855 in Jackson Michigan - Ann Mead.
William Maybury and Ann Mead had 1 son. The 1850 Agriculture Census shows William in Calhoon, Michigan. In the 1870 census for Jackson, Michigan, William is listed without an occupation, owning $17,000 in real-estate and $15,000 in personal real-estate. William Cotter Maybury was the administrator of his will, his brothers Thomas and Henry were the executors of that will.
3. William Andrew Maybury; b. 1860 in Jackson, Michigan; d. 2 Aug 1888 in Detroit, Michigan.
William Andrew Maybury was orphaned at 16 and inherited his fathers $60,000 estate in 1876. William Andrew Maybury bought a circus in 1880.
Nancy Humphreys/Michael Smithson
February 2004
Advertisement for Maybury, Pullman and Hamilton Grand United Mastodon Shows, 1882. William Andrew Maybury (1860-1888), son of William Maybury (1823-1876), invested in this circus in 1880.
Selected References
Austin, Dan: William Cotter Maybury Monument, <https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/william-cotter-maybury-monument>, accessed Feb 2024.
Bennett, George: The History of Bandon, Henry and Coghlan, Cork, 1862, [p.34].
Henry Ford Heritage Association, The Ford Story: A Young Henry Ford, https://hfha.org/the-ford-story/young-henry-ford/#, accessed February 2024.
Hilton, Mark (ed.): Maybury Sanatorium, The Historical Marker Database, <https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=177720>, accessed Feb 2024.
Olson, Sidney: Young Henry Ford: A Picture History of the First Forty Years, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 2015.
The Henry Ford, 1902 Map of Cork County, Ireland, Showing the Area Where Henry Ford's Ancestors Lived, <https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/19535#slide=gs-296073>, accessed February 2024.
See <https://www.nailhed.com/2020/04/the-pandemic-blues.html> for Maybury Sanatorium photographs and information (accessed February 2024).