Teresa Clery was born in Ballygrennan, Bulgaden, Kilmallock, County Limerick, Ireland, in 1881, the daughter of Michael Daniel and Mary Clery, she was the youngest of three daughters, and her father was a farmer.
On the 3rd September 1904 she arrived in New York having departed from Queenstown on the S.S. Campania. On arrival, she described herself as a servant.
While in New York, she met Joseph Feeley, who was working for the railroad, and who came from County Longford, Ireland. The couple married in Manhattan, New York, on the 14th February 1915.
In 1910, Michael’s father had died and his mother, Anne, wrote to him, urging him to come home and manage the family farm.
In the spring of 1915, they decided to return to Longford and as a result, booked third class tickets on the Lusitania to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Liverpool. They joined the vessel with ticket 37729 before she left her berth at Pier 54 in New York for the very last time, just after mid-day on 1st May 1915. She had been scheduled to leave at 10.00 a.m., but her departure was delayed so that she could load cargo and embark passengers and crew from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship.
Six days later, both Teresa and Joseph Feeley were dead - killed after the liner was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, off the coast of southern Ireland. At that stage of her voyage the ‘greyhound of the seas’ was only about fourteen hours steaming time away from the safety of her Liverpool home port.
Although Joseph Feeley’s body was never recovered and identified, that of Teresa Feeley was. In fact, hers was the fourth body to be taken from the sea and landed at Queenstown, where it was put in a temporary mortuary in the yard of the Cunard office at Lynch's Quay and described as: -
Female, 45 years, tall, dark complexion.
Property. Cheque American Express Coy. for £164.15.7, in name Teresa Feeley, Longford, One £10 Bank of England Note, three £5 Bank of Ireland Notes, One £5 Provincial Note, Watch and chain, safety pin.
As Joseph Feeley was dead, it is likely that Teresa Feeley’s body was identified from this property.
On 10th May, it was buried in The Old Church Cemetery, Queenstown in Mass Grave A, 2nd Row, Lower Tier. It was on that day that most of the victims of the sinking were buried, following a long funeral procession which began at the Cunard office in the town. Teresa Feeley was aged 34 years.
After news of the sinking reached Longford, Teresa Feeley’s mother-in-law successfully applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund for financial help in respect of herself and Teresa’s two sisters-in-law, all three of whom had been dependent on Joseph Feeley’s income. The fund had been set up by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local dignitaries, to give aid to those survivors or relatives of the dead who were experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the sinking. The award committee made Mrs. Feeley senior a ‘once and for all’ payment of £35-0s-0d., £15-0s-0d of which was apportioned to her and £10-0s-0d each, to both of Joseph Feeley’s two dependent sisters.
A legal battle developed between Anne Feeley and her daughter-in-law’s father, Michael D. Clery, over money and securities found on the body of Teresa. In October 1915, the Lord Chief Justice ruled in favour of Michael D. Clery.
In November 1915, administration of Teresa Feeley’s estate was granted to Michael D. Clery of ‘Ballyquinnan’, Bulgaden, County Limerick, Ireland and on 19th November, the property recovered from her body was given to Mr. R. Fox, solicitor, of Kilmallock, County Limerick, on his behalf. She left an estate valued at £196-15s.-7d. (£196.78p.).
A list of dead passengers held at the Public Record Office in London, spells the family name Feely and gives Mrs. Feeley’s forename as Jessie. Similarly, a contemporary Cunard document held in the archive of The University of Liverpool entitled List of Burials, Reburials and Enquiries May - July 1915 incorrectly shows the name Desley as Teresa Feeley’s surname.
New York Extracted Marriage Index 1866 – 1937, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Probate Records, Liverpool Record Office, Irish Independent, Dublin Daily Express, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv. D92/1/8-10, UniLiv. PR13/6, UniLiv. D92/2/342, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.