IrelandXO - Connecting the Irish Diaspora

Hello Michael,

The civil registration birth record from the free irishgenealogy.ie website shows that your grandfather Michael Mathews was born in the townland of Annagassan, County Louth, on 29 April 1897. His father is Michael Mathews, a labourer residing in Annagassan. His mother is Anne Mathews, formerly Cassidy. Anne reported the birth to the district registrar, M. Keelan, who recorded Michael’s birth in the Ardee, Louth, Registration District on 20 May 1897. Michael’s birth is Number 460 in the register which you can access at: https://is.gd/p5eNaZ

A Google Map shows that Annagassan is only 1 mile north of Dillonstown. Both townlands are near the coast of Dundalk Bay on the Irish Sea: https://is.gd/wgPni0

For a Google Street View of Annagassan, go to: https://is.gd/1sZPsT

For a Google Street View of a narrow road just outside Dillonstown, go to: https://is.gd/LrggLO

Annagassan is the English spelling of the town. In Irish it is, “Áth na gCasán,” which means the “Ford of the Paths.”

I next wanted at access the Mathews family in the 1901 census, to see how many children Michael and Anne Mathews had, and to see if they were living in Annagassan. I located the Mathews household in the 1901 census at the National Archives of Ireland. The search page for both the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations can be accessed at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

I located the Mathews family in the 1901 census, which shows the family’s residence is “house 31 in Dillonstown (Drumcar, Louth).” In this case house 31 may actually refer to the number of the census form, rather than the house address of the Mathews family. This is the address you have for them, as noted in your message to the Ireland XO message board. I suspect you already have the census, but for quick access go to the following link to view it now: https://is.gd/7Kqxhs

A copy of the original census for Annie Mathews and her children can be accessed at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001048642/

The census shows that 50 year old Annie Mathews is a widow and that her religious affiliation is R.C., or Roman Catholic. She was born in Armagh, which today is in Northern Ireland. Her occupation is House Keeper. The census also shows she could read and write.

As you can see your grandfather Michael is the youngest child in the household at 3 years old. His sister Annie is 12, sister Alice 10, and brother Thomas 6. All the children were born in County Louth.

Annie senior’s husband Michael must have died between the birth of son Michael in 1897, and the date of the 1901 census, which was enumerated on 31 March of that year.

I now looked for the death record for Michael Mathews, not only in County Louth, but other counties as well, but did not find it. He may have died at home, though it’s possible no one had reported his death to the district registrar. If people were discovered not reporting a birth or a death to the registrar, they could be fined. Marriages at this time in Ireland were usually reported to the registrar by the priest or minister who performed the marriage ceremony.

Seeing that Annie was 50 years old in 1901 made me suspect that she and Michael were married several years before their daughter Annie, who is shown to be 12 years old in the 1901 census, was born. If this is correct, Michael and Annie would have perhaps had several children before their daughter Annie was born circa 1889.

As you mentioned in your message, and as is shown in the 1901 census, the elder Annie Cassidy was born in County Armagh. Marriages traditionally take place in the bride’s parish and so I looked for their marriage in County Armagh from the mid 1870s, into well into the 1880s but did not find it. This search took place once again at the irishgenealogy.ie website. I then expanded the search for their marriage in other counties near Armagh, such as Antrim, Down, and Tyrone, and found it.

Michael Mathews and Anne Cassidy were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Newry, County Down, on September 7, 1879. At the time of marriage Michael was of “full age,” meaning 21 years of age or older. Anne was 19. You can view a copy of the original marriage at: https://is.gd/YSaB2x

The marriage record further shows that at the time of marriage, Michael was a “widower.” His occupation was “Sailor.” His residence at the time of marriage was Annagassan, Co. Louth. His father is Michael Mathews, also a sailor. In the marriage record there is a capital L following the name of the father. The L means “Living.”

Anne Cassidy is shown to be a spinster, which means she had not been married before. No occupation is recorded for her. Her address at the time of the marriage was King Street, Belfast. Her father is Thos. (Thomas) Cassidy, L. His occupation is Labourer.

The priest who married Michael and Anne was P. McCartan C.C. The initials C.C. stand for “Catholic Curate.” The witnesses to the marriage were Patrick Byrne and Rose Anne Hollywood. Rose signed the marriage register with her mark in the form of an X, meaning she was illiterate. The priest, Father McCartan, then signed her name for her as a witness to her mark.

Michael Mathews also signed the register with his mark X, witnessed by Father McCartan. Anne Cassidy signed the marriage register without assistance.

The marriage record, as noted earlier, shows that Anne Cassidy’s residence at the time of marriage was King Street Belfast.

I am not sure why the marriage of Michael Mathews and Anne Cassidy took place in Newry, County Down. As mentioned earlier marriages traditionally take place in the bride’s parish, but the 1901 census shows that Annie Cassidy was from County Armagh. She and her family may have moved to Newry, Down where the Catholic Church there became the family’s parish church, though I’m not sure why she was living in Belfast at the time of marriage, as the marriage record shows that she did not have an occupation.

A Google Map shows that Newry, Down, by the shortest modern day route, is 38.4 miles south of Belfast. Belfast itself is actually located in both County Antrim and County Down. North of the River Lagan, Belfast is located in Antrim. South of the River Lagan it is situated in County Down.

The “Catholic Chapel” where Michael and Anne were married may be a reference to the Newry Cathedral. I went to the National Library of Ireland website to see if the Newry Catholic registers were available for the year 1879, and found they were. I located the marriage of Michael Mathews and Anne Cassidy in the Newry marriage register, which you can access at: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633290#page/153/mode/1up

There are two facing pages of the marriage register. The marriage for Michael and Anne is on the right-hand page, 4th entry below the September 1879 subheading. 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.

The marriage entry agrees with the civil marriage record, showing that Patrick Byrne and Rose Anne Hollywood were the witnesses to the marriage. Just to the right of Rose Anne Hollywood’s name, you’ll see “1 0 0.” This indicates that Michael and Anne donated a Pound Sterling to the church for the marriage ceremony.

A Google Map at the following link shows the location of the Newry Cathedral: https://is.gd/R0tYj1

For a Google Street View of the Cathedral, see: https://is.gd/lg7G7f

According to a Wikipedia article the Newry Cathedral is called the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Coleman. Construction on the church began in 1825. See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newry_Cathedral

An even older Catholic Church in Newry is St. Mary’s, and so there is also the possibility Michael and Anne were married in this church on Chapel Street in the Newry Parish. See: https://is.gd/iX5KO8

There is also a St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Newry, but this church didn’t open until 1970: https://www.facebook.com/newrycathedral/posts/2595010963945589/

After finding the 7 September 1879 civil marriage record for Michael Mathews and Anne Cassidy, I had two goals in mind. One is to find the birth records of all their children, and the other was to uncover the first marriage for Michael Mathews.

In addition to the 1897 birth record for Michael, I uncovered the birth records for 7 more children of Michael Mathews and Anne Cassidy at the irishgenealogy.ie website. Their names and years of birth are below. I’ve included Michael in the list below so that you can see the full chronology of the births over a span of 16 years:

Jane Mathews, 1881.
Margaret Mathews, 1884
Anne Mathews, 1885
Elizabeth Mathews, 1887
Anne Mathews, 1889
Alice Mathews, 1892
Thomas Mathews, 1894
Michael Mathews, 1897
____

You’ll notice there are two birth records for Anne Mathews. This means the first-born Anne, who was born in 1885, had died. Her parents named another child Anne in 1889. This is the 12 year old Annie Mathews in the 1901 census in Dillonstown.

JANE MATHEWS’ BIRTH RECORD

Jane was born in Dillonstown on 29 March 1881. Her father is Michael Mathews, a fisherman residing in Dillonstown. Her mother is Anne Mathews, formerly Cassidy. A person named Anne Connolly of Dillonstown was present at the birth, signed the register with her mark, and reported Jane’s birth to the registrar, P. Keelan, who recorded the birth in the Ardee, County Louth Registration District on 19 April 1881. Jane’s birth is Number 170 in the register at: https://is.gd/DNVdNH

Anne Connolly may have been the midwife who delivered Jane.

MARGARET MATHEWS’ BIRTH RECORD

Margaret was born on 7 January 1884 in Dillonstown. Her father is Michael Mathews, a fisherman living in Dillonstown. Her mother is Anne Mathews, formerly Cassidy. The informant who reported the birth to the interim registrar waa Jane Mathews, a nurse, living in Dillonstown. She may have been Michael’s sister. The interim registrar, T. Powderly recorded Margaret’s birth in the Ardee Registration District on 16 January 1884. Margaret’s birth is the only one in the register at: https://is.gd/v0JEnl

You’ll have to scroll down the page to get to Margaret’s birth entry.

ANNE MATHEWS’ BIRTH RECORD

Anne was born in Annagassan on 6 December 1885. Her father is Michael Mathews, a labourer residing in Annagassan. Her mother is Anne Mathews, formerly Cassidy. Anne, the mother, reported the birth to the registrar, M. Keelan, who recorded the birth in the Ardee Registration District on 5 January 1886. Anne’s birth is the first one in the register at Number 25: https://is.gd/TpWi7V

BABY ANNE MATHEWS’ DEATH RECORD

Sadly, Anne died in Annagassan on 21 December 1885 at 4 weeks old. She is shown to be the daughter of a labourer. The cause of death was, “Convulsions Uncertified. No Medical attendant.” Anne Mathews, the mother, was present at the death and reported the death to the registrar, M. Keelan, who recorded the death in the Ardee Registration District on 15 January 1886. Anne’s death is Number 105 in the death register: https://is.gd/yBOBOy

ELIZABETH MATHEW’S BIRTH RECORD

The birth of Elizabeth Mathews took place in Annagassan on 1 June 1887. Her father is Michael Mathews, a labourer living in Annagassan. Her mother is Anne Mathews, formerly Cassidy. Anne, the mother, reported the birth to the registrar, M. Keelan, who recorded the birth in Ardee Registration District on 5 July 1887. Elizabeth’s birth is Number 134 in the register at: https://is.gd/lPHbEh

ANNE MATHEWS’ BIRTH RECORD

The second child whose name was Anne Mathews was born in Annagassan on 25 April 1889. This is the 12 year old daughter Annie Mathews in the 1901 census for Dillonstown.

The birth record shows that Anne’s father is Michael Mathews, a fisherman residing in Annagassan. Her mother is Anne Mathews, formerly Cassidy. Anne, the mother, reported the birth to the registrar, M. Keelan, who recorded the birth in the Ardee Registration District on 9 July 1889. Anne’s birth is Number 4 in the register at: https://is.gd/dtqVw6

ALICE MATHEWS’ BIRTH RECORD

Alice was born on 10 February 1892 in Annagassan. Her father is Michael Mathews, a labourer who also resides in Annagassan. In this birth record, the registrar, M. Keelan, transposed the mother’s name as “Alice,” rather than Anne. Her maiden name is Cassidy. The mother, “Alice” Mathews reported the birth. M. Keelan recorded the birth in the Ardee Registration District on 26 April 1892. Alice’s birth is the first one in the register at Number 184: https://is.gd/ALRcSq

THOMAS MATHEWS’ BIRTH RECORD

Thomas was born in Annagassan on 12 October 1894. His father is Michael Mathews, a labourer in Annagassan. His mother is Anne Mathews, formerly Cassidy. Anne the mother reported the birth to the registrar, M. Keelan, who recorded the birth in the Ardee Registration District on 4 January 1895. The birth is Number 348 in the register at: https://is.gd/T5a0Nh

According to the online IreAtlas, both Annagassan and Dillonstown were located in the Civil Parish of Drumcar. See: https://is.gd/udveLC

A book by Brian Mitchell called “A Guide to Irish Parish Registers” notes that the Catholic Church Parish within the Civil Parish of Drumcar, was called Togher. A Google Map shows that Togher is 3.7 miles south of Annagassan: https://is.gd/S47cWf

TOGHER CATHOLIC PARISH BAPTISM RECORDS

With this information I wanted to see if baptism records were available for the Mathews children in the Togher Catholic Parish. I went to the National Library of Ireland website to find out, and learned that baptisms for the Togher Catholic Parish are available from 1 November 1791 to 24 April 1828 and from 8 August 1869 to 30 March 1881. Marriages are extent at the website from 13 July 1791 to 17 March 1828 and from 24 February 1873 to 7 May 1881. Togher death registers are available from 3 June 1791 to 8 May 1817. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0236

Jane Mathews, the oldest child of Michael and Anne Mathews, according to her birth record, was born on 29 March 1881. This means there should be a baptism record for her in the Togher baptism registers. I actually located her baptism record, but most of it is faded and unreadable. She was baptized on 31 March 1881. It is located the 2nd entry up from the bottom of the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000632631#page/38/mode/1up

You are going to have to enlarge the baptism register to its maximum resolution to make out that Jane was baptized on March 31. You can also make out her first name, and just barely the maiden name of her mother, Cassidy. The last name of the godmother appears to be Cassidy.

Togher Catholic baptism records for the children born after Jane are not available online from the National Library of Ireland website. But the Togher Catholic Parish registers of baptisms, marriages, and deaths, are available as transcriptions from the RootsIreland subscription website. For example, Togher baptisms and marriages cover the years 1791 to 1900. Togher Parish deaths are available from 1791 to 1817.

You can obtain a subscription to RootsIreland for a day, a month, 6 months, or 12 months. For more information about RootsIireland subscriptions, go to: https://rootsireland.ie/ifhf/subscribe.php

The home page for RootsIreland, where you can register, can be found at: https://www.rootsireland.ie/

The Togher Parish Church is located just north of Togher in Wyanstown. The name of the church is Saint Columkille’s/Saint Columcille’s. You can see where Wyanstown is situated in relationship to Togher, Annagassan, and Dillonstown on a Google Map: https://is.gd/n3gFj7

According to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, Saint Columkille’s Catholic Church was built in 1866. For more details and a slide show of the exterior of the church, go to: https://is.gd/K5HPc5

This church may have been constructed on or near an earlier church structure in Wyanstown. An Ordnance Survey Map compiled between 1837 and 1842 shows the location of an R.C. Chapel in Wyanstown. The map, from the GeoHive website, is attached to this reply.

A Google Map shows the close proximity of the townland of Togher and Saint Columcille’s Church in Wyanstown: https://is.gd/5mRUnQ

For a Google Street View of the church, see: https://is.gd/Cra0Wl

However, being as the Mathews family had lived in both Annagassan and Dillonstown, there the possibility that their children were baptized in the R.C. Chapel in Dillonstown, as that would have been closer to their residence than the Parish Church in Wyanstown. The chapel in Dillonstown was in the Togher R.C. Catholic Parish.

The name of this church is Saint Fintan’s, and according to the Buildings of Ireland website, it was constructed circa 1860. For more information and a slide presentation of the exterior of Saint Finton’s Church, go to the Buildings of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/KfIqH3

A Google Map shows that Saint Finton’s Church in Dillonstown is 1.4 miles south of Annagassan: https://is.gd/4cwB7E

For a Google Street View of Saint Finton’s see: https://is.gd/TH1Pwc

Saint Finton’s Catholic Church is also called St. Finian’s in some histories, records, and maps. For example, attached is a black and white Ordnance Survey Map of Dillonstown produced between 1888 and 1913, showing the location of St. Finian’s R.C. Church. The map is from the GeoHive website.

For more information about the church, including information about the Willlistown school the children of the area attended, photos of the school children, and a poem about Annagassan, go to the following link: https://stfiniansdillonstown.ie/history-of-st-finians/

THE FIRST MARRIAGE OF MICHAEL MATHEWS

Before he married Anne Cassidy in 1879, Michael Mathews married Bessie Carolan in the Togher, Louth Catholic Chapel on what appears to be 29 April, 1876. The marriage was found at the irishgenealogy.ie website.

At the time of marriage both Michael and Bessie were of “full age.” Michael had been a bachelor and Bessie a spinster. Michael’s occupation was “Sailor.” His residence at the time of marriage was Annagassan. His father is Michael Mathews, a Fisherman.

No occupation is recorded for Bessie Carolan. Her residence at the time of marriage was Annagassan. Her father was John Carolan, a Fisherman. The name of the priest who married Michael and Bessie appears to be J.K. Markey. The first name of one of the witnesses to the marriage is Peter. His surname looks like Killigrew. The second witness is Bernard Duffy. Both Michael and Bessie signed the marriage register with their mark in the form of the letter X. The marriage is the first one in the register at Number 83: https://is.gd/kIuEJ6

I looked for but did not find a church marriage record for Michael and Bessie in the Togher marriage registers from the National Library of Ireland. One of the reasons for this I learned, is that Togher Parish marriages for the months of March, April, July, October, and December are missing.

After locating the civil marriage record for Michael Mathews and Bessie Carolan, I next wanted to see if they had any children before Bessie had died. I found that they had one child, a daughter named Mary, who was born in Annagassan on 14 February 1877. This birth record is from the irishgenealogy.ie website.

Mary’s father is Michael Mathews, a Fisherman residing in Annagassan. Her mother is Elizabeth Mathews, formerly Carolan. Anne Connolly, of Annagassan, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the registrar. P Keelan, who recorded the birth in the Ardee Registration District on 9 March 1877. Mary’s birth is Number 285 in the register at: https://is.gd/jmxkLW

Based on the birth record, I located Mary’s baptism in the Togher Catholic Parish registers from the National Library of Ireland. But, the record shows that Mary was baptized on 22 January 1877, which means she could not have been born on 14 February if the baptism record is accurate. In the baptism Mary’s mother’s first name is spelled, “Bessy.” The baptism record further shows that Mary’s godparents were Patrick Carolan and Ella Harlin or Harlan. The residence of Mary and her parents is Annagassan. Mary’s baptism is the last one recorded in the left-hand baptism register page at the following National Library of Ireland link: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000632631#page/26/mode/1up

The godfather, Patrick Carolan, may have been Bessy’s brother.

Michael, your grandfather Michael Mathews had a half sister who was 20 years older than he was, as she was born in 1877 and he in 1897 Did you ever hear any family stories about a Mary Mathews who was related to your grandfather?

THE DEATH OF ELIZABETH MATHEWS

Unfortunately, Mary would never get to know her mother or even remember her. Elizabeth Mathews died a few months after Mary was born on 7 May 1877 at the age of 25. Her place of death was Annagassan. The cause of death was “Phthisis Six months ill. Certified.” Phthisis is the old term for tuberculosis. The death record shows that Elizabeth was a “Labourers Wife.” The person who was present at her death and who reported the death to the registrar was “Bridget Carolan present at death.” Her residence was Annagassan. Bridget left her mark in the form of an X when she signed the death register. The registrar, P. Keelan, recorded the death in the Ardee Registration District on 7 July 1877. Elizabeth’s death entry is Number 327 in the register at: https://is.gd/O4RGlH

The informant Bridget Carolan may have been Elizabeth’s mother, or sister, or perhaps even a sister-in-law.

We know from the marriage of Michael Mathews and Bessie (Elizabeth) Carolan, that Bessie’s father was John Carolan. We also know from Elizabeth Mathews 1877 death record that she was 25 years old when she died. With this information I looked for her baptism record in all of County Louth, not just in the Togher Catholic Parish, but didn’t find it.

I next concentrated on seeing if I could find more information about Michael and Bessie’s daughter, Mary, born in 1877. We know Mary is not in the household with Michael’s second wife, Annie Mathews in Dillonstown. I looked for Mary in the 1901 as she may have been living in another household in Dillonstown or perhaps Annagassan. Then too, I didn’t know if she had been married by 1901, had emigrated, or had died by 1901. There was also the possibility that she was not enumerated at all in the 1901 census.

I couldn’t identify her in the 1901 census and so I next looked for her civil registration marriage record at the irishgenealogy.ie website and found it.

Thomas Maguire and Mary Mathews were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Togher on 25 April 1902. At the time of marriage both were of “full age.” Thomas had been a bachelor and Mary a spinster. Thomas’s occupation at the time of marriage was labourer. His residence Salterstown. His father was Peter Maguire, who had “Died.” Peter’s occupation was Labourer.

No occupation is recorded for Mary Mathews. Her residence at the time of marriage was Annagassan. Her father was Michael Mathews who had, “Died.” Michael’s occupation had been Fisherman.

James Cannon Powderly, the Togher Parish Priest married Thomas and Mary. The witnesses were Joseph Carolan and Kate Carolan who would have been related to Mary on her mother’s side of the family. Both Thomas and Mary signed the marriage register with their mark in the form of an X, as you’ll see in the marriage record, first entry, at Number 246: https://is.gd/ObA9ah

The marriage record shows that Thomas Maguire is from Salterstown and that Mary Mathews was from Annagassan. A Google Map shows that Salterstown is 1.9 miles south of Annagassan: https://is.gd/BZsQhl

Research at the irishgenealogy.ie website showed that Thomas and Mary Mathews Maguire/McGuire had six children between 1903 and 1915. All but the youngest child had been born in Annagassan. The youngest child, Annie, was born in Simonstown. All the births were recorded in the Ardee Registration District.

Below are the names, town of birth, and dates of birth of the six children:

Mary Elizabeth Maguire, Annagassan, 10 January 1903

Catherine Magurie, Annagassan, 4 February 1906

Bridget Maguire, Annagassan, 22 July 1908

Ellen Maguire, Annagassan, 27 July 1910

Joseph Maguire, Annagassan, 11 April 1914

Annie Mcguire, Simonstown, 5 December 1915
____

If the full birth records are of the Maguire children are of interest to you, you can access them at the irishgenealogy.ie website under the Ardee Registration District for the years 1903 to 1915.

A Google Map shows the locations of Annagassan and Simonstown, with Salterstown in the middle: https://is.gd/0XIDHi

If you have your DNA analyzed and it comes back with Maguires in your gene pool, you’ll now know where the name Maguire likely comes from.

I next looked for the Maguire family in the 1911 census but didn’t find them. From the birth records of their children, it would appear the Maguires would be living in Annagassan, but I didn’t find them living there in the 1911 census. In addition I couldn’t identify the family living in any other townland in the Drumcar DED, or District Electoral Division. They may not have been enumerated in the 1911 census.

Speaking of the 1911 census I also looked for Michael Mathews’ second wife Annie Cassidy Mathews and your grandfather Michael in that enumeration. In the 1901 census Annie is shown to be 50 years old, and Michael 3, but ages in both the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations are often inaccurate, sometimes by several years.

I didn’t find Annie Mathews in the 1911 census, nor could I identify any of her children in the 1911 census either.

I then looked for, but didn’t find Annie Mathews’ death record. I am wondering if she and her children had moved to Scotland between the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations.

Your grandfather was Michael Mathews, born in 1897. His father and grandfather were also named Michael, according to marriage records noted earlier in this reply. I looked for the baptisms of Michael’s father and grandfather in the Togher Catholic Parish, but didn’t find them. Their baptisms may have been recorded but may be too faded to decipher in the old church baptism registers. Or, they may have been baptized in another Catholic Parish in County Louth. Without knowing exactly where and when the father and grandfather were baptized means there is no way I could pinpoint exact baptism records for them.

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

Though I didn’t find the baptisms of your grandfather Michael’s father and grandfather, I did locate a record that I believe may pertain to his grandfather Michael. This is from an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation, which was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for the Civil Parish of Drumcar, where Annagassan and Dillonstown, County Louth were located, was completed by the year 1854.

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 access Griffiths Valuation transcriptions and original copies for free at the askaboutireland website link at:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

Griffiths Valuation shows that a Michael Mathews, as well as a Patrick, Edward, Owen, and Peter Mathews had leased property in Dillonsntown, Village of Annagassan, Civil Parish of Drumcar.

The valuation page for the Mathews’ occupiers is attached, and shows that Michael Mathews had leased a House and garden from Patrick Mathews, who would have been the middleman for the owner of the property. Patrick Mathews is also shown to be the Immediate Lessor for Edward, Owen, and Peter Mathews. In turn, Patrick Mathews leased his property from a gentleman named William N. Thompson. William N. Thompson may have also been the middleman for the actual owner of the property. Patrick, Michael Edward, Owen, and Peter Mathews were no doubt related, but Griffiths Valuation does not say how they are related.

Michael did not lease any appreciable amount of land for farming. But, we know from the 1876 marriage record of Michael Mathews and Bessie Carolan, that Michael was a sailor, and that his father was a fisherman. It is the fisherman, Michael Mathews, that I believe is recorded in Griffiths Valuation, which shows his garden was less than an acre in size and valued at 16 Shillings. His house was valued at 8 Shillings, for a total valuation of 1 Pound, 4 shillings. He would not have been required to pay a tax on this lease, as only those leaseholds valued over 5 Pounds were subject to the tax. In this case, the owner of the property would have paid the tax on the lease.

To the left of the Mathews names in Griffiths Valuation you’ll see the number 12, followed by the letters a, c, d, e. I’m not sure why the letter b is missing, as this would be to the left of Michael Mathews’ name. The number 12 and the letters refer to map locations on an Ordnance Survey Map that accompanies Griffiths Valuation. The map can be accessed from the askaboutireland website, but I have attached it to this reply. Once you access the attached map you’ll see the number 12 in the centre of the map. Above the number 12 are the lower case letters f e d c b a. The letter e is the location of Peter Mathews’ house. The letter d is the location of Owen Mathews’ house. The letter c is the location of Edward Mathews’ house, and the letter b is, I believe where Michael’s house would have been situated. The letter a represents the location of Patrick’s house.

On a modern Google Map you can see this same area, which is the R66 Strand Road along the coast of the Dundalk Bay and the Irish Sea: https://is.gd/qXZ5ba

Also see the old map from Wikimedia.org link of Annagassan and the Louth coast: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Baronies_of_Louth.j…

The Mathew houses in Griffiths Valuation would have been located where you see the houses in a Google Street View along the Strand Road: https://is.gd/gl73Jx

THE TITHE APPLOTMENT BOOKS

Going back even further in time, I found that an Owen Mathews was recorded in an Irish land record known as the Tithe Applotment Books, compiled between 1823 and 1837. This may, or may not be, the same Owen Mathews recorded in Griffiths Valuation.

The Tithe Applotment Books are available to search for free at the National Archives of Ireland website. You can read a comprehensive explanation of the Tithe Applotment Books from the National Archives of Ireland at the following links:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/about.jsp
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/aboutmore.jsp

You can search the Tithe Applotment Books at: http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp

Owen Mathews was enumerated in the Tithe Applotment Books twice in Dillonstown. Once in 1825 and once in 1827. See the index at: https://is.gd/hUb3NO

A copy of the original 1825 Tithe record for Owen can be viewed at: https://is.gd/LdLneN

Owen is the 5th landholder down from the top of the list of names and shows his land was 1 acre and 2 roods in size, valued at 4 Shillings and 6 Pence. The “Rate per acre,” for Owen’s land is recorded as “3.” I believe this refers to the rate of tithes paid per acre. In this case, 3 Shillings per acre.

A copy of the original 1827 tithe record for Owen can be seen at: https://is.gd/uFepqO

The 1827 tithe record gives the same information about Owen’s lease in Dillonstown as the 1825 tithe record.

You have a very interesting Mathews’ family history Michael. Because your grandfather Michael was born in Ireland, you are eligible to become an Irish citizen. For more information go to Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs website link at: https://www.dfa.ie/citizenship/

There are four attachments with this reply, including:

R.C. Chapel Wyanstown
St. Finian’s R.C. Chapel
Mathews in Griffiths Valuation
Griffiths Valuation Map.

With Kind Regards,

Dave Boylan

davepat

31 Mar 2021

Michael Mathews

4 replies

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