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Evans family

I am researching my great grandfather

William Evans born approx 1824 ish

He died 15th Feb 1898 age 74 in Rathbrack in the district of crosskiel in the union of oldcastle.

He married Sarah Peel march 4th 1867 in Loughcrew church .

I am very new to this and have no living family to talk to, I'd like to be able to place where he actualy lived and as a farmer was he in charge of his own plot or a farmland.

I'd love to be able to find his siblings , I know his father was a Thomas Evans and have a suspicion his mothe may have been Elizabeth.

His daughter Margaret jane Evans (my grandmother) married a Robert Evans and lived in county cavan.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated

Kiwi

5 replies

These were the heads of household named Evans in Meath in Griffith’s Valuation in 1855. Note there was a William in Betaghstown.

           Source Surname         First Name      Townland       Parish County

  • Griffith Evans  James  Rathbrack        Moylagh          Co. Meath        
  • Griffith Evans  John    Abbeyland/town Of Navan/new-Lane    Navan  Co. Meath        
  • Griffith Evans  Nicholas          Abbeyland       Duleek Co. Meath        
  • Griffith Evans  Thomas Rathbrack        Moylagh          Co. Meath        
  • Griffith Evans  William           Betaghstown    Ardbraccan      Co. Meath        

These Evans were heads of household in the Tithe Applotment Books in the 1820s and 1830s. Note there was a John in Betaghstown.

  • Evans  John    Betaghstown    Ardbraccan      Meath  1825
  • Evans  John C Clonkeen         Clongill           Meath  1834
  • Evans  John C Colmanstown   Clongill           Meath  1834
  • Evans  Wm     Lurgonboy and Rabrack Moylagh          Meath  1826
  • Evans  Jno      Lurgonboy and Rabrack Moylagh          Meath  1826

glanvil3@aol.com

William lived in "Rathbrack, Ballyfore" at the time of his 1867 marriage, and as noted, died in Rathbrack. Please note that in Griffith's above, there was a John Evans living in Rathbrack.

glanvil3@aol.com

Griffiths Valuation for Rathbrack lists 2 Evans households. James Evans had plots 3b & 4 a total of about 27 acres. Nearby on plot 6 was Thomas Evans with 6 acres. There were only 5 or 6 farms in Rathbrack and the 2 Evans, who had adjacent farms, are likely to be related, I would think. It’s still farmland today and easy enough to locate using the maps on the Griffiths website. The 2 farms were very close to Cross Key’s.

According to the 1867 marriage certificate, your William Evans, then living at Rathbrack, father was Thomas, a farmer. I think your William’s farm was plot 6. 

Thomas Evans death 1891 aged 65. Informant was his sister Jane.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1891/06062/4728208.pdf

Sister Jane and Thomas’s widow Maria in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Meath/Crosskeys/Rathbrack/1619112/

Nearby on the other Evans farm was these 2 siblings:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Meath/Crosskeys/Rathbrack/1619115/

By 1911 there was just the 1 Evans farm:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Meath/Crosskeys/Rathbrack/727817/

That looks to have been your family. Here’s Margaret Jane’s birth and her parents were William Evans and Sarah Peel. Family were living in what looks like Ballyfore then.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1883/02722/2001620.pdf

Thomas’s birth in 1868, also at Ballyfore, was registered by his grandmother Elizabeth. So that tells you Thomas senior was married to Elizabeth. It also tells you that after his marriage in 1867, William had acquired a farm at Ballyfore. He seems to have been back at Rathbrack by 1871 when daughter Elizabeth was born.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1871/03295/2207533.pdf

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1868/03439/2262722.pdf

2 Elizabeth Evans deaths in Rathbrack. Both widows. One in 1876, the other in 1888. Not immediately sure who they were married to. Probably one was to Thomas (father of William who married Sarah Peel) and the other to the James Evans in Griffiths, who may have died in 1864 aged 49.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1876/020584/7222405.pdf

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1888/06185/4768556.pdf

Maria Evans death 1908. Her nephew was the informant:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1908/05494/4538941.pdf

Maria’s maiden name was Bower and she married in 1868:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1868/11468/8215120.pdf

Her husband Thomas was son of James who I think died in 1864. So they look likely to be the family on plot 3b & 4 in Griffiths.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

I am so grateful for your help ,

As I said I am feeling my way through this journey, my folks never discussed family much on either side so very grateful for help ,I hope to be able to visit one day and connect with where they came from.

Asian extra question

How can I find where they were buried

Kiwi

Kiwi,

There’s no requirement to record where someone is buried in Ireland, so it’s a question of searching the likely graveyards. (They wouldn’t have been cremated in the 1800s). The family was Church of Ireland and lived in Moylagh parish. So you could start with the Moylagh Church of Ireland graveyard. I think the contact details nowadays are:

Saint Bride's Church of Ireland, The Square, Oldcastle, Co. Meath, Ireland.

You could also try findagrave and other similar websites in case someone has recorded the gravestones in that area.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

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