It is known that John's wife's first name was Mary, but there is uncertainty regarding her last name. It is a possibility that it was Looby because, buried in the same plot as Nicholas Treacy (c.1805-1848), whom we think was a brother of Mary's husband John, is a John Treacy (c.1787-1848), husband of 'Mary Treacy alias Looby'.
Given that rural people in 19th century Ireland tended to marry locals, it is likely that Mary Looby came from the parish of Soloheadbeg, and it is a possibility that she was from the townland of Newtown because the only Loobys listed in Griffith's Valuation (1850s) for the parish of Soloheadbeg occupied land in Newtown.
Among the sponsors at the baptisms of the children of John Treacy and Mary Looby were Eliza and John Looby, indicating they may have been siblings of Mary.
The children listed below marked 'Caution: not verified' are the children of John Treacy and Mary Looby, who may well NOT be the children of OUR John Treacy.
Not long before her death in February 1865, Mary made a will which was to lead to two consecutive legal disputes between her sons Thomas and Denis. According to an account of the second court case in The Nenagh Guardian of 14 June 1873, Mary's will had stipulated that her 14-acre farm was to go to her eldest son, Thomas, who was then to pay Denis £300 within two years. If Thomas did not pay the £300 within that time period then Denis was to get the farm and pay Thomas £300. The will, which was described by the judge in the 1873 case as having been "drawn up by an ignorant attorney's clerk", could not be proved, resulting in a dispute between the brothers that lasted until 1872, nearly eight years later. The Nenagh Guardian account does not give details as to the exact origins of this first dispute but it does tell us that throughout the lengthy litigation period Thomas and Denis lived together on the farm and managed it jointly. The will was finally proved in November 1872; according to The Irish Calendar of Wills and Administrations, probate was granted on 28 November 1872 to Denis “under decree 15 November 1872 Treacy v Treacy'”. At this point it appeas Thomas offered the £300 to Denis who refused it on the grounds that Thomas had forfeited the farm by not paying him the £300 within two years of their mother's death, despite the fact that the will had not been validated. Denis ended up losing the second case, the Nenagh Guardian telling us the judge ruled that Denis "was not entitled to rely on the alleged forfeiture and therefore he continued the injunction to restrain the defendant [Denis] from proceedings to obtain possession of the farm as against the plaintiff [Thomas]. The plaintiff should lodge in court £300 within a month... the brothers in the meantime remaining conjointly in possession of the farm". It appears Denis remained in Soloheadbeg following the verdict (presumably not on the farm, given the dispute) as his residence at the time of his marriage in 1894 was Soloheadbeg and his son, Sean, was born there in 1895 and he himself died there in 1899. Thomas had married in February 1873 and remained in Soloheadbeg for a year or perhaps two (presumably on the farm) after which he and his family moved to Tipperary town. Mention was made in The Nenagh Guardian article above that the farm was held under a lease which had just seven years left to run, but it is unclear if the seven years dated from the time the will was drawn up or from the time of the second court case. It is possible that Thomas's departure from Soloheadbeg was due to the expiration of the lease.
Looby (also spelled Luby) is a common surname in the Tipperary/Waterford/Limerick area. It is derived from the Irish name Ó Lúbaigh which comes from the word 'lúbach' meaning 'cunning'.