Hughes (possibly Taghmon, Co Wexford)

Hello Sinead and Roger,

Sinead, I’d like to add one more baptism for your Mary Hughes to the possible baptisms that Roger kindly provided.

Before getting to this baptism however, I want to go over the marriage for Mary Hughes and John Cloney, as I don’t know if you have an index of the marriage, a transcription of the marriage, or a copy of the original marriage record itself.

Based on your information that John and Mary were married in 1853, I looked for their marriage transcription at the Find My Past (FMP) website. I didn’t find their marriage in the Taghmon, Wexford Catholic Parish, but did uncover it in the bordering Rathangan, County Wexford Catholic Parish.

The marriage transcription spells John’s surname as “Cluney,” and Mary’s maiden name as Hughs, as you mentioned it might be spelled.

The transcription shows the marriage took place in 1853, but doesn’t give a month for the marriage, only a day, the 29th.

You can access the transcription for free at the FMP website after establishing a free account. Go to:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FMAR%2F0964798%2F1

Attached to the FMP transcription is a link that takes you to a copy of the original Rathangan register where the marriage of John Cluney and Mary Hughs can be found. Irish Catholic registers are held by the National Library of Ireland in Kildare Street, Dublin.

To access the register, go to: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634054#page/32/mode/1up

There are two facing pages of the register. The marriage for John and Mary is on the right-hand page, second entry down from the top.

You can enlarge the register by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

It looks like the marriage for John and Mary took place on 29 January, 1853. The witnesses to the marriage were John Connors and Margaret Rossiter. To the right of the names of the witnesses is the name of the town where John and Mary were living at the time of the marriage. The town is Waddingtown.

The IreAtlas Townland Data Base shows that Waddingtown, Wexford, was located in the Civil Parish of Ballyconnick. See: https://tinyurl.com/58s6vs3e

The Catholic Parish within the Civil Parish of Ballyconnick was Rathangan.

Irish Catholic marriages traditionally took place, and still take place, in the bride’s parish. This means there is a good possibility that Mary Hughes was also baptized in the Rathangan Catholic Parish.

I looked for Mary’s baptism transcription at the FMP website and found only one baptism that is a good candidate for your Mary Hughes, showing she was baptized in the Rathangan Catholic Parish on 22 May 1831. Her parents are Henry and Jean. Jean’s maiden name is not recorded in the transcription. The first name Jean may have been the way the priest had spelled Jane:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6792097

A copy of Mary’s original baptism is on the right-hand register page, 9th entry down from the top. See:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634053#page/47/mode/1up

The original baptism record does not give the maiden name of Mary’s mother Jean either. But, the baptism record shows that the godparents are John Codd, or Codde, and Catherine Furlong.

If this Mary Hughes is your relative, she would have actually been 22 years old when she married in 1853, rather than 16.

Mary’s baptism and the marriage of her parents likely took place in the Church of St. Mannon and Assumption, in Cleristown. This church was,and is in the Catholic Parish of Rathangan.

The Diocese of Ferns website spells this town, “Cleariestown.” See: https://ferns.ie/cleariestown-rathangan/

A Google Map shows that St. Mannons Church in Claristown is 2.7 miles east of Waddingtown by the shortest route: https://tinyurl.com/yc847dxp

Here is a Google Street View of the church and graveyard in Cleristown: https://tinyurl.com/yuspuh52

An Ordnance Survey Map from the 1829 to 1841 time period shows the R.C. Chapel and Grave Yd in the same location. This map, which I’ve enlarged, also shows that the national school is by the church. The national school is abbreviated as “School Ho.: https://tinyurl.com/2c5j5sn3

Here is the same Ordnance Survey Map showing that the R.C. Chapel, Grave Yd, and School Ho. were actually located in Cleristown North: https://tinyurl.com/bdue3jmz

The Parish Church of Rathangan, in Rathangan, is called Our Lady of The Assumption & St Laurence O’Toole. Google Maps show this church is 6.7 miles south of Waddington, traveling through Cleariestown: https://tinyurl.com/4e25dt5e

I was curious to see how far back in time the Rathangan Catholic Parish Registers had recorded baptisms and marriages. To do this I went to the National Library of Ireland link, which shows that baptisms are available beginning on 27 January 1803, to 24 August 1880. Marriages are available from 25 June 1803 to 29 July 1854. But there are gaps in these registers.

To see the availability of the Rathangan Catholic Parish registers, and view a Catholic Parish map of Rathangan Parish, and nearby Catholic parishes, including Taghmon, go to: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0592

The Catholic Parish map shows that the Rathangan Catholic Parish is just south of the Taghmon Catholic Parish.

I looked for the Rathangan marriage record for Henry Hughes and Jean, but didn’t find it for any year prior to Mary’s baptism in May of 1831.

But, I did find the baptism records for three more children of Henry Hughes, but none of the baptism records even gives the first name of the mother, let alone her maiden name.

The names of these three Hughes children and their years of birth are:

James, 1823
John, 1824
Henery, 1828
----

The following link will take you directly to the 1823 baptism record for James Hughes, showing he was the son “of Henry & Wife.” The godparents are Peter Hayes and Loany Doyle: https://tinyurl.com/bkem9tba

As you saw earlier, at the time of marriage in 1853, John Cluney and Mary Hughs were living in Waddingtown. The IreAtlas shows that Waddingtown was in the Civil Parish of Ballyconnick.

The baptism record for Mary Hughes shows that her father was Henry.

With this information I wanted to see if Henry Hughes was recorded in an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation. I specifically wanted to see if Griffiths Valuation shows that Henry Hughes was leasing property in Waddingtown, Civil Parish of Ballyconnick.

Griffiths Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for Waddingtown and surrounding townlands in the Civil Parish of Ballyconnick, was completed by the year 1853.

Unlike a census, Griffiths Valuation did not enumerate individual members of a family, such as husband, wife, and children in a household residence. Those named in the valuation were individuals who paid to lease property, such as land, houses, and outbuildings. Each person who paid to lease the property was called an “Occupier.” The other person listed in Griffiths Valuation was the person who owned the property, or who worked as the middleman collecting the rent on Gale Day for the owner. This middleman was called the “Immediate Lessor.”

You can search Griffiths Valuation for free at the Ask About Ireland website link at:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

This link will take you to Griffiths Valuation for Waddingtown, and shows that Henry Hughes is the first person recorded in the townland. To the left of his name is map reference 5. This refers to the location of Henry’s lease on a Griffiths Valuation map for Waddintown:
https://tinyurl.com/357xkb5m

Griffiths Valuation shows that Henry Hughes leased a house, office, and over 2 acres of land from an Immediate Lessor named Walter Hore. The land was valued at 1 Pound and 10 Shillings. The house and office were valued at 15 Shillings. The total valuation for Henry’s lease was 2 Pounds and 5 Shillings. He would not have been required to pay a tax in this case, as those properties valued under 5 Pounds were not subject to the tax. In this case, the person who owned the property would have been responsible for paying the tax.

At map references 11AB and 17, you’ll see leases for Nicholas Clooney and Robert Clooney. They may have been related to Mary’s husband John.

Griffiths Valuation also records the surnames Connor, Rossiter, and Hayes in Waddingtown. John Connors and Margaret Rossiter were the witnesses at the 1853 marriage of John Cluney and Mary Hughs.

Catherine Furlong was Mary’s godmother in Mary’s 22 May 1831 baptism, and Peter Hayes was the godfather in the 1823 baptism record for Henry’s son James.

There is a record that predates Griffiths Valuation. This is an agricultural land record called the Tithe Applotment Books. Under the tithe applotments, farmers in the 32 counties of Ireland with holdings of land had to pay a portion of their income toward the upkeep of the Church of England, which was the established church in Ireland until 1 January 1871.

The Tithe Applotment Books span the years 1833 to 1837. Most of the farmers in Ireland were Roman Catholic and were not happy that a portion of their hard-earned income went toward a religious denomination they didn’t belong to, and which had persecuted them in the past because of their religion.

The Tithe Applotment Books can be searched for free at the National Archives of Ireland website:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

The year of the tithe applotments for Waddingtown, Wexford, was 1833, and recorded a James and Edward “Cloney,” as well as Henry Hughes.

Jas. (James) Cloney is the first “Occupier” recorded in the Tithe Applotment Books for Waddingtown. See:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004587403/00…

There are two facing pages of the tithe book for Waddingtown. James Cloney had leased 4 Acres, 3 Roods, and 14 Perches of land. The land was of 1st quality, which means it was the best land for growing crops, such as wheat and oats.

For an explanation of acres, roods, and perches, go to the Lochista website link at: https://lochista.com/understanding-acres-perches/

The value for each of his acres was 1 Pound and 10 Shillings. He also held land that was “Untitheable.” Untitheable land cold refer to road frontage, as an example. The total amount of tithes James Cloney had to pay was 11 Shillings and 11 Pence.

Scrolling down the page you’ll come to Edwd Cloney. He had 1 acre of first quality land, valued at 2 Pounds per acre. He did not have any “Untitheable” land. The tithes that Edward had to pay amounted to 2 Shillings and 6 Pence.

Henry Hughes is the 6th Occupier up from the bottom of the tithe page. He held 2 Acres, 1 Rood, and 30 Perches of first quality land, of which 10 Perches were Untitheable. The total amount of tithes Henry had to pay were 6 Shillings and 1 Pence.

The next search involved looking for the baptism record for Henry Hughes at the FMP website, but I didn’t find it. One of the reasons for this is that he may have been born and baptized before 1803, when the Rathangan baptism registers commence, or he was born during the time period where there are gaps in the Rathangan baptism registers. For example there is a gap of almost 8 years in the Rathangan baptism registers, from 29 August 1805 to 18 January 1813.

BAPTISMS AND BIRTHS OF THE CLONEY CHILDREN

Toward the beginning of this reply you saw that John Cluney and Mary Hughs were married in the Rathangan Catholic Parish on 29 January 1853.

I now wanted to see if I could find the baptism and birth records for any children they may have had over the course of the next 20 to 25 years.

There will not be civil registration birth records for any children born from 1853 to 1863. The Irish government began to record births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations in 1864, though some Catholic parishes recorded a child’s birth date along with the date of baptism, before and after 1864.

I found the baptism records for eight of John and Mary Cloney’s children spanning the years 1853 to 1873. Many of the baptism records also provide a date of birth for the child, and show the family were living in Waddingtown at the time of the baptisms.

In addition I located four civil registration birth records for Cloney children. The birth records show the children were born in Waddingtown and that their father John’s occupation was “Smith.”

I can send all the baptism and birth records to you (a total of 12 records), in a follow-up reply if you do not already have them.

Sinead, the records throughout this reply provide circumstantial evidence that the parents of Mary Hughes Cloney, were Henry Hughes and Jean, but also show that Mary had lived in Waddingtown, and also indicate she was likely born in Waddingtown, Civil Parish of Ballyconnick, County Wexford.

Her father Henry leased property in Waddingtown in 1833, when Mary would have been 2 years old.

Waddingtown appears to be the ancestral hometown of both the Hughes and Cloney families.

Please don’t hesitate to write with any questions.

With Best Wishes,

Dave Boylan

SOURCES

Find My Past
National Library of Ireland
IreAtlas Townland Data Base
Diocese of Ferns: https://ferns.ie/cleariestown-rathangan/
Google Maps
Google Street Views
GeoHive: Ordnance Survey Maps
Ask About Ireland: Griffiths Valuatioin
National Archives of Ireland: Tithe Applotment Books
Lochista: https://lochista.com/understanding-acres-perches/

Many thanks Roger.

Dave

Hi Roger and Dave,

Thank you so much for your hard work in researching Cloney/Hughes families.

I’d be grateful if you could send me the birth records of the Cloney children, i do have Janes record, she is my great grandmother. This links with Jean which was probably Jane.

My email is Sinead.obcoll@gmail.com

i appreciate your help.

Kind regards,

Sinead

Hello Sinead,

I actually found two birth records for a Jane Clooney. One is for your great grandmother Jane, who was born in Waddintown on 13 December 1866. This is the birth record I believe you already have.

Jane had an older sister, also named Jane, who was born in Waddingtown on 4 April 1864. Her father John’s occupation was “Smith.” He was living in Waddingtown at the time of the baptism. Jane’s mother is Mary Clooney, formerly Hughes. The father, John Clooney reported the birth to the registrar, James Boyd, who recorded the birth in the Wexford Registration District on 7 April 1864. Jane’s birth is the second entry in the register at number 30. See the birth record from the irishgenealogy.ie website at: https://tinyurl.com/bdzc6ryv

Jane would have died sometime between the date of her birth on 4 April 1864, and the birth of your great grandmother on 13 December 1866. The irishgenealogy.ie website has not digitized copies of original death records from 1864 to 1870, but plans to do so in the future. However, death indexes are available at the site. I found what I believe is the death index for Jane. Her death was recorded in the Wexford Registration District in the December quarter of 1866, which is the same quarter in which your great grandmother was born. At the time of death Jane was 2 years old.

Her death record can be found in Volume 19, Page 77 of the GRO register. The index is below:

SR District/Reg Area - Wexford
Death of JANE CLOONEY in 1866

Name JANE CLOONEY
Date of Death 1866
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Wexford
Deceased Age at Death 2
Returns Year 1866
Returns Quarter 4
Returns Volume No 19
Returns Page No 577
----

You can order the death record online from the General Register Office: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/images/content/www.genealogy.ie_form.pdf

The cost for the birth cert is €5.00 plus postage.

The full birth record will provide the place of death as well as the cause of death, and the name of the person who reported her death to the registrar.

The child born after your great grandmother Jane was Margaret Clooney. She was born in Waddington on 24 November 1869. Her father is John Clooney, a “Smith,” living in Waddingtown. Her mother is Mary Clooney, formerly Hughes. John Clooney reported the birth to the registrar, James Boyd, who recorded Margaret’s birth in the Wexford Registration District on December 6, 1869. Her birth record is number 144 in the register: https://tinyurl.com/2p92v39n

The birth of John Clooney took place on 8 May 1873. He was born in Waddingtown. His father is John Clooney, a “Smith,” living in Waddingtown. His mother is Mary Clooney, formerly Hughes. John Clooney reported the birth to the registrar, James Boyd, who recorded John’s birth in the Wexford Registration District on May 24 1873. John’s birth record is number 47 in the register: https://tinyurl.com/2td499zd

The April 20, 1898 death record for John “Cloney” Sr. clarifies his occupation was “Blacksmith.” He died in Waddingtown at the age of 62 years. Because of the handwriting I could only partially make out the cause of death, which was “…pneumonia 14 days.”

John’s brother Nicholas was present at the death and reported the death to the registrar whose name looks like E. Byrne. He recorded John’s death in the Wexford Registration District on April 29, 1898. The death record is number 309 in the register: https://tinyurl.com/5n96e8mz

Thank you again for writing Sinead.

Dave

Thanks so much Dave.

I have attached a photo from my ancestry family tree showing my other gt gt grandparents James Walker and Mary Grimes. I know they had 2 daughters Catherine and Bridget (my gt grandmother) but I’d like to know if there were more children. I know Bridget’s children.  I’d love to know James Walkers parents and parents of Mary Grimes. Both died Mounthoward, Monamolin, Co Wexford. I don’t know where James and Mary were born and I couldn’t find the grave in Monamolin only a Grimes grave where Bridget’s husband Patrick O’Brien is buried. Bridget is buried in the RC graveyard in Monamolin with her children. Her husband Patrick O’Brien is buried with Grimes, I presume her mothers family, all men in this grave, no women?? The headstone is in the CofI graveyard. Not sure why they’re not buried together. I think Bridget’s grime’s family may have had the land and house mounthoward, Monamolin. I know James Walker and Mary grimes were married at Litter, I think that’s Monamolin but not sure? I hope in time you can help. I’ve tried many times to look up the Grimes and Walkers but couldn’t find their origins. I wonder was James Walker related to the Walkers up in Wicklow where Graham Nortons Walkers came from, Carnew? Thank you.

sinead 
 

Hello Sinead,

I was not able to find the baptism or civil registration birth records for any more children of James Walker and Mary Grimes.

To look for the baptism records I went to the Find My Past and subscription Ancestry.com websites. I looked for their baptisms in all of County Wexford, not just for the Catholic parishes of Monanmolin and Litter.

For the civil registration birth records I went to irishgenealogy.ie as well as Ancestry.com, but again without results.

Concerning the Catholic Parish of Monamolin, there will not be baptism records for James Walker and Mary Grimes, or marriage records for their parents.

The National Library of Ireland website shows that the Monamolin baptisms begin on 23 February 1839 and are available until 30 January 1882. Marriages start on 23 November 1834 and are available until 13 August 1880.

See the National Library of Ireland link for the Monamolin parish registers availability, and a map of the parish. Just south of the parish on the map you’ll see the Catholic Parish of Litter, showing that Monamolin and Litter were two different Catholic Parishes: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0602

On the other hand, the National Library of Ireland website shows that the Litter Catholic baptisms begin on 2 October 1789, and are available until 19 December 1880. Marriages are from 25 September 1806 to 3 October 1880: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0600

You had mentioned that James Walker and Mary Grimes were married at Litter. That is correct as I found their 18 November 1855 Litter, Wexford marriage transcription at the Find My Past website.

You’ll see however that Mary’s last name is transcribed as “Spimer,” rather than Grimes. Transcription errors usually happen when the transcriber has a difficult time deciphering the handwriting in the original marriage or baptism registers. See the FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FMAR%2F1260121%2F1

A copy of the original Litter Catholic Parish marriage for James and Mary, from the National Library of Ireland, is the 6th entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634089#page/94/mode/1up

If you enlarge the marriage register entry you can see that Mary’s maiden name is Grimes, not “Spimer.”

The name of one of the witnesses to the marriage looks like James Noctor. The name of the second witness is Eliza Fortune. The priest who married James and Mary was the Rev. J. Sinnott.

Your family tree shows that the father of Mary Grimes was Edward, and that Mary was born in 1816. I looked for Mary’s baptism for all of County Wexford for years from 1810 to 1820 but found none recorded in any Wexford Catholic parish.

I also looked for the baptism of James Walker. Your year of birth for him in the family tree is 1821. No parents are listed for James in the family tree. I looked for the baptism of a James Walker between 1810 and 1820 anywhere in County Wexford, and found one possibility at the Find My Past website, showing the baptism took place in the Litter Catholic Parish on 30 August 1811. The first name of the child in the baptism record is transcribed as, “Jadnes,” which I thought was likely James. His parents are Robert Walker Catherine “Wolsh,” which could be Walsh. See the transcription at the Find My Past website link that follows:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5320251

A copy of original baptism record shows the child's first name is “James.” His mother's maiden name does looks like Wolsh, but again may be Walsh. The baptism is the 5th entry down from the top of the left-hand page:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634089#page/30/mode/1up

The first name of James’s godfather is Laurence. I couldn’t tell with any certainty what his last name was. James’s godmother is Judy Doyle.

As you can see the baptism for this James Walker took place 10 years before the year of baptism you have for James Walker (1821) in your family tree. I don’t know if this is your James Walker or not, based on his 1811 year of baptism. But consider that ages in census records, death records, and gravestone inscriptions are not always correct.

Your family tree also shows that Bridget Walker Brien had died in 1945. With this information I found Bridget O’Brien’s civil registration death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. She died in the townland of “Cloghnamallaght,” Monamolin, Gorey, on 18 September 1945 at the age of 74.

The death record further shows that Bridget was a 74 year old “Widow of a Farmer.” Her cause of death was “Senility.” The person who was present at the death and who reported the death to the registrar was Kathleen O’Brien, of Legnalough. Access the death record after following the prompts at: https://tinyurl.com/2886j9tk

I believe Kathleen O’Brien of Legnalough would be Patrick and Bridget’s daughter.

The IreAtlas Townland Data Base shows that Cloghnamallaght was in the Civil Parish of Monamolin: https://tinyurl.com/nhcs6u5s

The IreAtlas also shows that Legnalough (Legnalough), where Kathleen O’Brien was living at the time Bridget died, was also in the in the Civil Parish of Monamolin: https://tinyurl.com/h79auruz

A Google Map shows that Cloghnamallaght, traveling north and west through Mount Howard and Mount Howard Cross, then south through Monagreena Upper, is 2.1 miles from Legnalogh: https://tinyurl.com/2stwzbfu

Going the same circular route, this Google Map shows that Cloghnamallaght is 3.2 miles north of Monamolin: https://tinyurl.com/4b7speur

There isn’t a Google Street View of Cloghnamallaght, but there is Google Street View of the boreen heading toward Cloghnamallaght: https://tinyurl.com/yvu65p8a

Here is a Google Street View of Mount Howard: https://tinyurl.com/yfb5azvj

This is a Google Street View of Legnalough… https://tinyurl.com/2v8rmann

…and a Google Street View for Saint Moling's Catholic Church in Monamolin: https://tinyurl.com/3bdnp2bu

Across the road is the Church of Ireland in Monamolin… https://tinyurl.com/3bdnp2bu

…and both the churches in the same Google Street View: https://tinyurl.com/yre554hp

I believe these two churches are the churches you referred to in your last reply.

Your family tree shows that Catherine Walker was born in 1859, but there is no death year for her. I looked for Catherine’s death record at irishgenealogy.com and believe I found it.

Catherine Walker died on 23 June 1946 in Legnalough, Monamolin, Gorey. At the time of death she was an 87 year old “Spinster,” meaning she had never been married. She is also recorded as the “Daughter of a Labourer.” The cause of death was “Senility.” The person who was present at Catherine’s death and reported her the death to the registrar was Kathleen O’Brien, who was present at the death of Bridget O’Brien’s death less than a year earlier, on 18 September 1945.

Catherine’s death record is number 368 in the register: https://tinyurl.com/36wsxzz3

Knowing that your O’Briens and Walkers had lived in Cloghnamallaght and Legnalough during the 1940s, I wanted to see if I could find O’Briens and Walkers in these townlands in Griffiths Valuation, along with the surname Grimes.

I also wanted to see if any O’Briens, Walkers, and Grimes were recorded in Griffiths Valuation leasing property in Mounthoward.

I didn’t find anyone named O’Brien, Walker, or Grimes in Griffiths Valuation leasing property in Legnalough. But I did find that an Edward Brien had leased a house in Mounthoward Lower, from an Immediate Lessor named Edward Redmond at map reference 1e. I don’t know if this Edward Brien was related to your Brien/O’Brien ancestors: https://tinyurl.com/5bxruteu

Edward’s house was valued at 5 Shillings.

The following link will take you to the Griffiths Valuation map for Mounthoward Lower. Map reference 1 is toward the left side of the map, under the letter M in Mount Howard: https://tinyurl.com/2p9ceark

I next found a Griffiths Valuation entry for a Patrick Grimes, who leased over 11 acres of land, a house, and offices in Cloghnamallaght, Civil Parish of Monamolin, at map reference number 9. He leased this property from an Immediate Lessor named Richard Trench: https://tinyurl.com/yck7yn59

Map reference 9 is in the center of the screen in this Griffiths Valuation Map for Cloghnamallaght: https://tinyurl.com/3dh38hek

Patrick Grimes may have been related to Mary Grimes Walker.

THE 1901 CENSUS

Also concerning Cloghnamallaght, the 1901census shows that 39 Year old Patrick Brien, his 36 year old wife Bridget, and seven of their children were the “Residents of a house 1 in Cloghnamallaght (Monamolin, Wexford).” Also in the household with the family is a 77 year old aunt, Bridget Downes, who is a widow. Relationships in the household are supposed to be to the head of the household, which means that Bridget Downes would be Patrick’s aunt. But this wasn’t always the case. She may have been Bridget’s aunt.

All in the Brien household were Roman Catholic and born in County Wexford. See the 1901 census transcription from the National Library of Ireland:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Wexford/Monamolin/Clog…

Once the 1901 census downloads, make sure you tick the box, “Show all information,” to view the full census from left to right.

For a copy of the original 1901 census go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001284114/

This link from the National Archives of Ireland shows all the residents in the 1901 census living in Cloghnamallaght: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Wexford/Monamolin/Clog…

THE 1911 CENSUS

The 1911 census shows that 48 year old Patrick and 44 year old Bridget O’Brien, and their 7 children are the “Residents of a house 1 in Cloghnamallaght (Monamolin, Wexford).”

In the 1911 census you’ll see three children who were not in the 1901 census as they were not born yet. They are 8 year old Phillip, 5 year old Peter, and 3 year old Joseph. The 1911 census transcription can be found at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Wexford/Monamolin/Clog…

After you tick the box, “Show all information,” you’ll see that as of 1911 Patrick and Bridget had been married for 21 years and in that time had 13 children, with 10 children still living.

For a copy of the original 1911 census, go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003587206/

Bridget Downes, who was in the 1901 census with the Brien family, is not in the 1911 census, which is an indication she was deceased by 1911. I looked for her death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website and found it. Bridget died in Mounthoward on January 17, 1905 at the age of 80. At the time of death she was the “Widow of James Downes a Labourer.” The cause of death was “Senile decay.” The person who was present at her death and who reported her death to the registrar was Patrick Brien of Mounthoward. Bridget’s death is number 245 in the register: https://tinyurl.com/3skm5tda

I was curious as to what Bridget’s maiden name was after learning from the 1901 census that she was an aunt to the family of Patrick Brien and his wife Bridget, and also that her death record shows that her husband was James Downes.

With this information I looked for the marriage of a James Downes and Bridget in County Wexford at the Find My Past website. I specifically wanted to see if their marriage was recorded in the Catholic Parish of Monamolin or in the Litter Catholic Parish.

The FMP marriage transcription shows that James “Downs” and Bridget Grimes were married in the Litter Catholic Parish on 7 October 1853: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FMAR%2F1186135%2F1

A copy of the original marriage record is on the left-hand register page. Scroll down the page until you come to the Oct 7. date in the left margin: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634089#page/93/mode/1up

The witnesses to the marriage look like Patrick Larkin and Mary Downs. The name of the priest who married James and Bridget was the Revd. J. Sinnott.

I found only one baptism transcription for a child of James Downes and Bridget Grimes. Patrick Downes was baptized in the Monamolin Catholic Parish on 20 April 1857:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5763262

A copy of Patrick’s original baptism record is the 2nd entry down from the top of the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634094#page/63/mode/1up

Patrick’s godparents were James Walker and Eliza Sweeny. The baptism record further shows that James Downes and Bridget Grimes were living in Monamolin at the time of the baptism. The baptism record also shows that Patrick was baptized on April 29, 1857, rather than April 20, 1857.

The godfather James Walker may have been the husband of Mary Grimes. This could be an indication that Bridget Grimes Downes and Mary Grimes Walker, were sisters.

James Downes would have died between the baptism of his son Patrick on 29 April 1857, and the 1901 census, which was taken on 31 March of that year, as his wife Bridget Downes is shown to be a widow in the 1901 census.

Because I didn’t find the baptisms for any more children of James Downes and Bridget Grimes, there is the possibility he died between 1857 and the end of 1863.

Birth, marriage, and death records were not recorded by the Irish government for all religious denominations until 1864. Also the irishgenealogy.ie website only has death indexes available from 1864 to 1870, and not copies of the full death records.

I didn’t find a death index or a death record for James Downes at irishgenealogy.ie. He may have died before 1864. One other possibility is that he died after 1863 but that his death wasn’t reported to the registrar by his wife, or another family member.

I next looked for the civil registration marriage record for James and Bridget’s son, Patrick Downes. Patrick’s marriage record would likely tell if his father was deceased at the time of the marriage.

I figure Patrick would have been married from about the age of 18 in 1875, to the age of 30, in 1887. I also thought his marriage would be recorded in the Gorey Registration District.

I found what I think could be Patrick’s marriage, showing that he and Rosanna Carton were married in the Ballyoughter, Wexford Catholic Chapel on October 25, 1879. At the time of marriage Patrick was a 22 year old bachelor and Rosanna a 27 year old spinster. Patrick’s occupation had been “Labourer.” His residence at the time of marriage was Knockrobin. His father was James Downes, who was “Dead.”

Rosanna Carton’s occupation was “Servant. At the time of marriage she was living in what looks like Norrismountt. Her father is James Carton, a “Labourer.” The clergyman who married Patrick and Rosanna was Robert Sinnott, P.P. The initials P.P. stand for Parish Priest. The witnesses to the marriage look like Michael Daley and Nora Toole.

Both Rosanna and Patrick signed the marriage register with their “mark,” meaning they could not write. See the marriage record at: https://tinyurl.com/58k93adc

Going to the IreAtlas Townland Data Base I found the spelling of Rosanna Carton’s town of residence when she married was Norrismount, in the Civil Parish of Toome: https://tinyurl.com/5n6n5uwp

The IreAtlas Townland Data Base also shows there are two townlands in the Civil Parish of Toome where Patrick may have been living in 1879. These are Knockrobin Lower and Knockrobin Upper: https://tinyurl.com/2v2r4uar

A Google Map shows that Knockrobin Lower, Knockrobin Upper, and Norrismount, just north of M11 dual carriageway, are 10 miles or less from Legnalough, Cloghnamallaght, and Mount Howard, County Wexford, south of the M11: https://tinyurl.com/5ehsh9yh

The marriage record for Patrick Downs and Rosanna Carton shows they were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Ballyoughter.

This Google Map shows the Ballyoughter Catholic Church is east of Knockrobin Lower, Knockrobin Upper, and Norrismount: https://tinyurl.com/2p8ctzvk

This is a Google Street View of the Ballyoughter Catholic Church and graveyard: https://tinyurl.com/bdpc2a47

THE DOWNES FAMILY IN THE 1901 CENSUS

By the 1901 census 40 year old “Agricultural Labourer” Patrick Downes, his 49 year old wife Roseanna, and their five children are the “Residents of a house 45 in Camolin Town (Kilcomb, Wexford).” See: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Wexford/Kilcomb/Camoli…

For a copy of the original 1901 census of the Downes family, go to:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001279016/

THE DOWNES FAMILY IN THE 1911 CENSUS

The 1911 census for 50 year old Patrick and 56 year old Rose Downes and four of their children, shows they are the “Residents of a house 24 in Camolin Town (Kilcomb, Wexford).” Patrick’s occupation is “Mason.”

The 1911 census also shows that Patrick and Rose had been married for 27 years, and in that time had 5 children, with all 5 children still living:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Wexford/Kilcomb/Camoli…

For a copy of the original 1911 census of the Downes family, go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003576670/

In the 1901 census Patrick’s occupation was Agricultural Labourer, but in the 1911 his occupation was Mason. He may have actually had a double occupation as an agricultural labourer and a mason at the same time to help bring more income into the household.

The following link will take you to a Google Map of Camolin, just north of Norrismount, County Wexford: https://tinyurl.com/4by8ru3n

Here is a Google Street View of Camolin and the Camolin Church of Ireland and graveyard: https://tinyurl.com/3vw7szzy

PATRICK DOWNES DEATH RECORD

Patrick Downes is related to the Grimes family through his mother Bridget Downes. Because of this connection I figured you’d want more information about the Downes side of the family in case you hadn’t found this relationship in your previous research...hence his October 25, 1879 marriage record, and the 1901 and 1911 census records for him, his wife Rosenanna Carton, and their children noted above.

Added to these records I also found Patrick’s death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. Patrick died in Camolin on December 15, 1956 at the age of 55. At the time of death he was married. His occupation was “Labourer.” The cause of death was “Pneumonia & Pleurisy.” Pleurisy is an inflammation of the lungs. Patrick’s daughter Nellie Downes of Camolin, reported his death to the registrar, who recorded Patrick’s death in the Gorey Registration District on 22 December 1915. Patrick’s death is the last entry in the register at number 73: https://tinyurl.com/47u2v8mz

ROSANNA DOWNES DEATH RECORD

Rosanna died in Camolin on 17 June 1933 at the age of 85 years. She was the “Widow of Labourer.” The cause of death was “Broncho-Pneumonia. Senile Decay.” Her son James Downes reported the death to the registrar, who recorded the death in the Gorey Registration District on 21 June 1933. Rosanna’s death is number 388 in the register: https://tinyurl.com/burwkttn

At this point in the research I went back to the Find My Past website to see if I could find the baptism record for Patrick Downes’s mother, Bridget Grimes. Bridget and James Downes were married in 1853. When she died in Mounthoward on January 17, 1905, she was 80 years old. If her age is accurate in the death record, she would have been born in 1825, and married when she was 28 years old in 1853.

I looked for Bridget’s baptism record in the 1820s and early 1830s, not only in the Monamolin and Litter Catholic parishes, but in all Catholic parishes in County Wexford. Unfortunately, I didn’t locate a baptism record for a Bridget Grimes anywhere in County Wexford in the 1820s and 1830s.

Sinead, I hope some of this information has been helpful.

Dave

Hello Dave,

Thank you so much. You have been more than helpful.  I thought that Bridget Downes may have been Mary Grimes sister but wasn’t sure, it’s fantastic to have details of her children as well.

I couldn’t find any birth record of Bridget or Mary Grimes either.  I’m wondering if Mary and Bridget were born outside of Co Wexford as i keep getting a hint from my Ancestry regarding Edward Grimes being Mary’s father, I think he was born in Meath? But not certain .  I can’t seem to find any burial details of James or Mary.  
We are having a family gathering in July for the descendants of Patrick O’Brien and Bridget Walker, I have all their descendants on my tree but wanted to complete the jigsaw puzzle on both their parents and grandparents. 
I have found Patrick’s parents, Patrick Brien and Margaret Kelley of Clone Co Wexford,I have their civil death records. I would love to find their birth records and where they are buried. 
I have Mary Grimes and James Walker civil death records as well. 
You are extremely thorough in your research and I thank you for it.

if you have time on revealing more of Patrick Brien senior and Margaret Kelley I’d be grateful. 
I know that Patrick senior was a tailor and he had 2 or 3 sons who were tailors. I have his children’s names, I think I have them all anyway. Of course one of them being Patrick Brien (Bridget Walkers husband).

I also know that Patrick and Bridget had a son Philip, he died when he was 8 or 9 , I tried to find his grave but couldn’t, I thought maybe either Patrick or Bridget may have buried him with either of their parents.  I will attach two photos of some of the details I have.
Thank you for all your help Dave.

Sinead