A Guide to Tracing Your Westmeath Ancestors
Dedication
To
My husband Joe and our children
Patrick, Rosemarie, Theresa and Val
A Guide to Tracing Your Westmeath Ancestors
Gretta Connell
First Published in 2012
Flyleaf Press
4 Spencer Villas
Glenageary
Co. Dublin, Ireland
www.flyleaf.ie
© 2012 Flyleaf Press
British Library cataloguing in Publications Data available
ISBN 978-1-907990-03-8
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
The information in this book is subject to change without notice.
Cover Illustration:
Eoin Ryan
www.eoinryanart.com
Layout:
Brian Smith
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Chapter 1Introduction
Chapter 2Conducting Family Research
Chapter 3Administrative divisions
Chapter 4Civil Registration
Chapter 5Censuses and Census Substitutes
Chapter 6Church Records
Chapter 7Land Records
Chapter 8Wills, Administrations and Marriage Bonds
Chapter 9Newspapers
Chapter 10Directories and Occupational Sources
Chapter 11Memorial Inscriptions
Chapter 12Education
Chapter 13Family Names and Histories
Chapter 14Further Reading
Chapter 15Repositories and Useful Addresses
Index
I wish to express my gratitude for the support, advice and encouragement given to me by many people during the course of my research. This book started out as an assignment for a Diploma in Genealogy/Family History Course at the Adult Education Centre, Univeristy College Dublin. I firstly thank the course tutor, Sean Murphy, MA, for his excellent tuition and encouragement. I also thank Mary Farrell, County Librarian for her support; Gearoid O’Brien, Senior Executive Librarian Athlone Library for giving generously of his expertise and knowledge especially relating to Athlone and its environs; Martin Morris, Archivist for giving generously of his expertise and knowledge; Paula O’Dornan, Senior Executive Librarian; Cailin Gallagher, Executive Librarian and all the staff of Westmeath County Libraries who are my friends and colleagues. Thanks also to the principals and staff of the primary schools in Westmeath; Joe O’Meara, Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar; Fr. Jimmy Murray, Carmelite Presbytery, Dublin; Sr. Claire, Convent of Mercy, Moate; Sr. Maureen, Convent of Mercy, Rochfortbridge; Mrs. Rosemary Eager, Deputy Principal and Mr. Adrian Oughton, Headmaster, Wilson’s Hospital School, Multyfarnham and the staff of Westmeath V.E.C.
Others who deserve thanks include; Mícheál Ó Conláin, Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society; the late Leo Daly, Mullingar; Rev. Declan Smith, Taughmon; Rev. Peter Rutherford, Castlepollard; Rev. Alister Graham, Mullingar; Rev. Graham Doyle, Athlone; Rev. Stephen Lockington, Mullingar; Ruth Illingworth, T.C., Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society; Peter Wallace, Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society; Danny Dunne, Mullingar; Billy Standish, Drumcree; William Smyth, Drumcree; Enda Geoghegan, Mullingar; Paul Hughes, Delvin Historical Society; Helen Kelly, Professional Genealogist, Dublin; the staffs of the following institutions: UCD Library; The National Library of Ireland, especially Tom Desmond; The National Archives of Ireland; Representative Church Body Library, Dublin; the Valuation Office, Dublin; the Registry of Deeds, Dublin; the Civil Registration Office, Mullingar; Meath County Library; Longford County Library; Roscommon County Library, Offaly County Library, Fr Ignatius Fennessy, Franciscan Library, Dublin and Teresa Finnerty and staff Dun na Sí Heritage Centre Moate, Co. Westmeath.
Thanks also to Dr. Jim Ryan and Brian Smith of Flyleaf Press for their support in bringing this work to a successful conclusion, and to Mr John Feeney for his useful comments and suggestions on the final draft.
A special word of thanks to my husband Joe and our children Patrick, Rosemarie, Theresa and Val for their patience and loving support.
| B | Birth |
| BL | British Library |
| BM | Dr. Beryl F.E. Moore, and Michael Kenny, Headstones in St. Mary’s Churchyard, Delvin, County Westmeath, 1980. |
| BP | Burgess Papers |
| CoI | Church of Ireland |
| D | Death |
| DED | District Electoral Division |
| M | Marriage |
| GO | Genealogical Office |
| GRO | General Register Office |
| HR | Hazel A. Ryan, Athlone Abbey Graveyard, Mullingar, 1987. |
| IFHF | Irish Family History Foundation |
| Ir. Anc. | Irish Ancestor |
| IAL | Irish Army List (King James’ Irish Army List) |
| JAPMDI | Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of The Dead in Ireland |
| JS | Jeremiah Sheehan, Ed. Beneath the Shadow of Uisneach: Ballymore & Boher, (Ballymore), 1996. |
| MS | Manuscript |
| MWC1 | Mícheál Ó Conláin, A Partial List of some Memorials in Westmeath Churchyards. |
| MWC2 | Mícheál Ó Conláin, Inscriptions in Westmeath Churchyards, part two. |
| NAI | National Archives of Ireland |
| NLI | National Library of Ireland |
| PRONI | Public Records Office Northern Ireland |
| PW | Peter Wallace, Multyfarnham Parish History, Multyfarnham, 1987. |
| RIA | Royal Irish Academy |
| RCBL | Representative Church Body Library |
| RIC | Royal Irish Constabulary |
| SLC | Salt Lake City |
| SOG | Society of Genealogists (London) |
| TC | Town Council |
| UCD | University College Dublin |
| VEC | Vocational Educational Committee |
| WL | Westmeath Library |
The counties and provinces of Ireland
Westmeath, formerly a part of the ancient kingdom of Meath, was constituted as a county in 1542. It is situated in the Province of Leinster and bounded on the west by County Roscommon, on the north by Longford and Cavan, on the east by Meath and on the south by Offaly (see map page 10). Westmeath is often referred to as the ‘Lake County’ and is a popular venue for anglers. The county is predominantly flat and fertile arable land and it has a strong agricultural tradition with 84 % of its 454,104 acres being used for dairy and beef cattle farming. Around 8 per cent of the county is under turf bog which was at one time the major source of fuel.
In 1841 the population of of Westmeath was 141,300, but twenty years later, the deaths and emigration of the Great Famine had reduced it to 90,879. Emigration continued and it is estimated that 46,938 left between 1851 and 1891. By 1891 the population was 65,109, or almost half of the 1841 population. The 2006 census records the population at 79,346.
Evidence of inhabitation as far back as 2000 B.C. is proven by the discovery of Bronze Age Burials in Crookedwood in 1933. Christianity came to Ireland in the fifth and sixth century and monastic sites founded in Westmeath and its environs in this period can still be seen e.g. at Fore and, just South of the Westmeath boundary, at Clonmacnoise. The population is predominantly Roman Catholic (92.2 per cent in 1861) but several other religious denominations are also represented.
The families of Westmeath are a mix of Gaelic, Norman and others. Historically, the area was ruled by the Southern O’Neills and the seat of the High King was at Uisneach Hill. The major Gaelic familiies in these early times included O’Flanagan, MacAuley, MacGeoghegan, O’Melaghlin and O’Daly
In 1169 Ireland was invaded by Norman Lords and the Kingdom of Meath, which included Westmeath, was given to Hugh de Lacy. He brought people with him with names such as: Plunkett, Nugent and Dalton. Later, in the mid-1650s the Cromwellian Plantation had a major impact on land ownership as Catholic landowners (including the Norman families) were expelled from their lands and forced to move west of the Shannon. It must be remembered however, that a large portion of the population remained as tenants on large tracts of land.
The lives and activities of the various people of Westmeath have generated a huge variety of records, many of which can be useful to the family historian. It is not possible to cover every detailed source of genealogical information relevant to Westmeath within the scope of this work. However the aim of this book is to describe the most relevant material and archives, and to provide background information which will allow you to find further sources. Most of the major records are common to that of other counties; however, some are unique to the county. This guide will introduce you to all of these records and provide guidance on how to access them (on-line or otherwise) and to use them to your best advantage.
Seal of Athlone, 1663
There comes a time in life when many of us get the urge to trace our family history; to find out where our ancestors came from and what type of lives they led. This often happens when a loved one passes away, or indeed when a child is born into the family. Whatever the reason, this urge usually comes late in life, when the relatives who would have known most have long since gone. The enthusiastic beginner may therefore have an initial feeling that the past generations have taken all of the information with them to their eternal reward. However, this is not entirely the case as all of our lives leave pieces of evidence from which we can build a picture of lost lives. Accessing this information is the subject of this book. The beginner will also soon discover that they are not alone in their interest, and that many other people are carrying out similar searches and are very willing to share their information.
The first step for the beginner is to prepare to receive and organize family information. When you start to collect data you will find that there is a lot of it! It is essential to create a family tree or pedigree sheet in order to keep track of the information as it grows. Otherwise, your notes will be full of possible connections and potential sources. Unless you organize yourself, you will find yourself lost in potential relations, and unable to remember where you found them. Names and dates for each ancestor in a carefully maintained pedigree sheet will allow you to re-enter a search at ease if a further opportunity for information arises. Blank pedigree sheets can be downloaded from one of the many genealogy software programmes available on the internet, or you can keep all your records within one of the many software programmes available.
You should also work from the known to the unknown, i.e. do not presume any connection you cannot prove. Therefore the best place to start is in your own family or household. Ask your elderly relatives what they know, and record what is said, by whom and the date. Elderly neighbours are also a very useful source if the area of residence is known. People in Ireland in past times seldom moved between areas, and stories about families and individuals survive and may be useful. It is important to listen and record and to verify recollection with fact as oral history can get confused with the passage of time. This is not to undermine the importance of oral history as one person’s recollection can put the researcher on a path which otherwise would have remained unknown.
If you are lucky enough to acquire primary data store it in a safe place. This may include photographs, memorial cards or remembrance cards, birth, death and marriage certificates, family correspondence, newspaper clippings or a family bible. Some of this may not make much sense initially but could very well prove useful later on.
It is also advisable to trace one line of descent at a time, starting with yourself and moving back one generation at a time. Trying to search several lines at the same time is a recipe for confusion and lost opportunities.
Before you start using public records, it is useful to understand the administrative divisions used in Ireland, and the types of records which exist. These divisions are explained in chapter 3. A successful search may depend on identifying a family’s location, and records differ greatly in regard to how ‘home’ is specified. For example a US gravestone may read ‘Here lies Patrick Kiernan of Westmeath, Ireland’ and that may be the only piece of information you have. Equally, the address provided in emigration papers may be given as the nearest town e.g. Mullingar or Athlone, whereas the actual address is located in an adjacent parish. There are many options to assist in identifying specific locations. Griffith’s Valuation (see Page 82) provides a snapshot of landholders in the mid 19th century and therefore also of the distribution of names within the county. If you have a name of a spouse, also from Westmeath, you may be able to cross-relate the two names to narrow down the search. Equally, the 1901 census will allow you to do the same search. However, many names are locally common and this will not always work.
Another option, mainly for relatives who have left within the last 100 years, is to ask the Editor of local Westmeath papers (see page 105) to publish a letter stating what information you have and requesting readers to reply. It is useful to bear in mind when beginning your search that the popular name of an ancestor may not be the name on official records. For example, several lines of a family might call their first born son James after a paternal grandfather and then one family might decide to refer to their son by their second name, e.g. Charlie in order to differentiate between the James’s. Elderly family members or neighbours may be able to help in this situation.
It is also useful to read some background information on the county in order to have a better understanding of the lives your ancestors lived and how events in history may have affected them. This will help you to understand possible local occupations, and also historical events or practices which may have generated records. Many out of print books on Westmeath history can be found at www.archive.org e.g. The Annals of Westmeath, ancient and modern, James Woods, (1907); and The History of the Diocese of Meath, John Healy (1908). See also page 145 for a list of titles that will help to provide interesting background information on Westmeath history and culture.
Visiting Ireland to conduct your own research is not always possible and you may need to hire a professional to research records which you cannot access on-line or locally. The NLI and NAI webpages list names of Professional Genealogists who will carry out research for a fee. The Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI) can be contacted c/o Hon. Secretary, 30 Harlech Crescent, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14, Ireland. Email: info@apgi.ie Website: www.apgi.ie
It is hoped that the information contained in this book will assist you in finding long lost Westmeath roots.
Three publications used to establish the administrative divisions of Ireland