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James Power and Family

Waterford

My search for my Power Ancestors begin with records in Blackburn, Lancashire, where many of the family appear to be by the1850s.

My ancestors was James Power born abt 1836, Waterford, Ireland. His father was Patrick, (deceased by 1856) was a Farmer..

By searching the English Censuses and the local Catholic Baptismal/marriage records, I have been able to determine that there were at least two other brothers - Patrick born about 1829 and John born about 1832. There may also have been a sister Ellen, who appears as a witness at James's wedding to a Margaret Butler (also from Waterrford??) in Blackburn, 1856.

Patrick married Anne Coughlin in 1859, in Blackburn and they had 3 sons of whom only one reached adulthood.

John married Catherine Conroy in 1855 in Blackburn, where they had four children, before migrating to New York State, USA. There they thrived, producing seven more children.

My James, who wa a mason/bricklayer, appears to have disappeared from Lancashire sometime between 1874 and 1877 - there is no record of his fate. His widow remarried in 1877.

I would dearly like to know where they came from in Waterford and if the whole family migrated to Lancashire in the 1840s or 1850s and, indeed, if there are any cousins descended from collateral lines.

valdajoan@gmail.com

4 replies

The surname Power was very common in County Waterford, so not an easy task to try an figure out which might be 'your' Power line.

A quick search of the available RC records (assuming your Powers were Catholic...) shows about 14 James Power baptised 1835 plus or minus 5 years in County Waterford with father Patrick - a wider search of plus or minus 10 years brings that up to nearly 30. Most people would not have known their exact age, date or year of birth so wide timeframe is required, in general people tended to underestimate their age. Another factor to bear in mind in that not all Catholic parishes have records back to the 1830s, and some registers have gaps or faded pages, so unfortunately no guarantee that your James is one of those shown in these preliminary results.

There are no records of travel between Ireland and England - we were all part of the UK back then so the only clues to family moving would probably be be births marriage etc and English census returns.

Have you found James and his probable siblings on all possible English census returns ?
Sometimes people give more detailed place of birth e.g. a town or village rather than just a county - later returns often gives more detailed locations, also note that 'Waterford' can refer to the city or the county.

 

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Hello Shane, It is a long time since I have been on this ste, hence I had not answered your reply. I do apologise. I realise that it is an almost hopeless case without any firm idea of Parishes etc, so I have taken a different tack, by looking at the Butler family (possibly almost as as impossible), instead. I have found a Thomas Butler (name of Margaret's father) who married a Mary Fitzpatrick at Ballylooby on 8 April, 1834. They had the following children:  James, 23 Feb 1835  Ardfinnan Parish; twins Michael & John, 21 Sep 1836, Ardfinnan; twins Margaret & Thomas 2 jun 1838, Ardfinnan; Joaanna, 30 Mar 1840, Ardfinnan. Of course, there is no  guarantee that this is 'my' family, but if someone else is looking for them, we may be abe to compare notes - did they temain in Ireland or, like many others, migrate to England or further afield. I noticed that Birth Records stated Tipperary as the Parish, but the Baptismal Records stated 'Waterford'. Is one a Parish record and the other a Diocese? Any help would be most appfreciated. Thank you

 

 

 

 

 

valdajoan@gmail.com

The Catholic Parish of Ardfinnan was in County Tipperary, but very right on the border with County Waterford.  Where it get a little complex is the Catholic Diocese - Ardfinnan RC is in south Tipperary and in the Diocese of Waterford, or to give it's full name the 'Diocese of Waterford & Lismore'.

So a full description of the place the children were baptised would be something like Ardfinnan RC parish, Co. Tipperary, Diocese of Waterford and Lismore.

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you Shane. It is still confusing to know where they were living. - in Tipperary or  Waterford. Although, family story (of which there is little) says they were born in Waterford. Is this a case of them living just inside the Waterford boundary, but closer to the RC Church in Ardfinnan, Tipperary, than to a Waterford church? 

 

valdajoan@gmail.com

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