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Searching for Bernard Cadden born in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh 1857-1863

I have been trying to find a birth record for my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden, born in Enniskillen sometime between 1857 and 1863.  The six year range is the records I have for him state different about years born.

What I do know from the records I have:

- He married Margaret Reilly on October 28, 1885 in Maguiresbridge.  Margaret lived at Killycloghy and her father was Francis Reilly.  I now have a copy of Margaret's baptism and I know she was born in February 1859 in Lisbellaw to parent's Francis O'Reilly and Margaret Hurst.  Bernard lived in Enniskillen and worked as a Railway Guard.  On the October 28, 1885 marriage record, Bernard's father's is listed also as Bernard Cadden, DEAD.

Bernard and Margaret lived on Mill Street, Enniskillen when my grandmother, Mary Anne (known as "Annie") Cadden was born on August 27, 1887.  Bernard was still working as a Railway Guard.

The family then moved to Lismagonway, Dawsongrove, Coothill, Co, Monaghan sometime around 1888 as their son, John Cadden was born there in 1889, followed by their daughter, Margaret, son Bernard, and son Francis in 1894.  Bernard was noted as a Train Master on each of his children who were born in Dawsongrove's birth records.

Then the family moved to Corvally, Tullycorbet, Co. Monaghan where Bernard & Margaret's next son, James was born in July 1897.  On James birth record, it noted that Francis was now a farmer.  

The next record I found was the 1901 Census where Margaret and the children are still living at Corvally, Tullycorbet, Co Monaghan and Bernard was absent from the Census.  I know from oral history told to me by my grandmother, that her father got a job at the docks in Liverpool and once, settled the family joined him there.

Bernard & Margaret's son Michael Joseph (known as Joseph) was born in April 1902 followed by their last child, Charles Leo born in May 1904; born in Wallasey just outside of Liverpool, England.

The 1911 Census the family is still living on Poulton Street, Wallasey and in this Census it states Bernard was 54 years old so that would mean he was born in either 1857 or 1858.  This 1911 Census states Bernard is a Dock worker and was born in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.  

Bernard Cadden died on June 12, 1935 in Wallasey and is buried at the Wallasey Cemetary and his age was noted as being 73 so that would make his year of birth either 1862 or 1863 depending on the month he was born.

I've attached the information on the records I have found related to my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden.  Please have a look at the attached.  Thanks!  Shirley

srhodes@telus.net

14 replies

They have recently announced that the 1921 English census will be released in January 2022. Note that there was no census in Ireland that year (due to civil disorder). 

I assume Bernard was RC. There are 2 RC churches around Enniskillen. Enniskillen itself has baptisms from 1838 onwards and Tempo has baptisms from 1845 onwards. If Bernard was born RC in Enniskillen, I would expect to find his baptism in one of those two sets of records. Both are on the nli site:

http://www.nli.ie

Information on death certificates, including ages, is often unreliable. No documentation was required and the information was simply the informant’s best guess. So it’s common to find ages are out by anything up to 10 years. So all the ages you have found need to be evaluated with that sort of error factor in mind.

Bernard’s birth certificate gives his father’s occupation as “station master” (not train master). The station master was the senior person in charge of a railway station. 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1892/02324/1870278.pdf

He was living in Lismangonway then. That’s the townland around Monaghan Rd railway station so it’s reasonable to assume that’s where he was stationmaster.  That was on the line between Clones & Dundalk. His employer will have been the Great Northern Railway. (That station, and the whole railway line, closed in 1957).  Though the railway has gone the station building survives as a furniture store. It is of architectural interest and is listed. Photo here:

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/41401804/monaghan-road-railway-station-monaghan

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks Elwyn,  

Yes, that was a typo mis-take on my part, I know my great-grandfather was a Station Master in Co. Monaghan and prior to that he was a Train Guard in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh at the time he married 1885 and still a Train Guard in Enniskillen when my grandmother, Mary Anne Cadden was born on August 27, 1887.  I do have a copy of the birth registration for each of Bernard Cadden's nine children and on each they do list where the family lived and what job Bernard held.   Oh and yes, my Cadden family were devote Catholics.  

I was in touch with the Irish Railway Historical Society a few months ago and they didn't have any employment records prior to 1900 as apparently the records were transferred onto index cards and the earliest surviving index cards that still exist start from 1905... my great-grandfather left the railway around 1897 so that was a deadend. However, the Activist, Rev. Norman Gamble at the society wrote that he was also very surprised to learn that my great-grandfather was Roman Catholic because he said normally the railway did not promote Irish Catholics as, and I quote from his email to me "GRI was noted for promoting only members of the Church of Ireland or the Presbyterian Churches to senior positons.  This type of thing was quite common across the board back then and not only in the north".  He felt the only reason my great-grandfather would have been promoted sometime around late 1887 to early 1888 was due to the fact, that the Monaghan station was small stop back then, plus probably someone have liked or trusted my great-grandfather and there was no protestants to fill the position.  So checking old Railway records was another deadend to my research.

There is no record of my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden being born to father, Bernard Cadden in Enniskillen between the probably years of 1855-1865 in Irish Genealogy website .... I spent hours searching both the Civic records and the Church records.  

I have also spent hours upon hours on the nli website searching through those old microfiche records between from the period of 1855-1865 in Enniskillen and some of the neighbouring areas searching for a baptism record for my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden born to father, Bernard Cadden and I have yet to find anything... however, those old original Church registry records are very hard to read so I keep going over and over them until my eyes hurt.   

Then I got a tip that there were Cadden's still living in Enniskillen... so I searched and found Eamon of the Cadden home and wrote to him.  He wrote back that the family historian is his brother Aiden so I wrote to him with all the details I had about my great-grandfather wondering if there might be a link to his research but after writing to him twice, I have never received a response. 

So in addition to the above, I have had a paid membership on Ancestry, 23andMe, My Heritage and Find my past and every single site comes up empty.  What I did discover is that not all RC Church records have been uploaded to the various genealogic websites.... because I had the same problem finding information for my great-grandmother, Margaret Eileen Reilly (Bernard Cadden's wife).  After coming up empty on her so I started contacting RC churches throughout Co. Fermanagh as I knew she lived at a time in Enniskillen, in Lisbellaw and in Maguiresbridge and finally the activist at St. Michael's in Enniskillen was able to find her... she was baptised at the Catholic Church in Lisbellaw but the last name was noted as O'Reilly not Reilly.  He emailed me a copy of the registry and then I paid for a copy of her Baptism record and it came in the mail last Friday.  It did cost me about $150 in Canadian dollars for him to find the record and then send me a certified copy of the baptism record so maybe I just need to go back to St. Michaels to ask for a search of my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden given that I know from the 1911 Census, Bernard was born in Enniskillen and from his marriage registration I know his father's name was also Bernard Cadden, deceased by 1885.     But before I do that, it was suggested to me to try IrelandXO as their might be someone who has some information on a Bernard Cadden born sometime between 1857-1863 in Enniskillen to father also named, Bernard Cadden.

Oh goodness... this ancestry research stuff truly is exhausting but I need to know so I continue to search!

Shirley

   

   

srhodes@telus.net

Here are some of the records I do have on my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden and as you can see, his father was Bernard Cadden and deceased at the time of his marriage to Margaret Reilly in 1885. An from the 1911 Census, Bernard was born in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh... guessimate on his year of birth being 1857 BUT the Wallasey Cemetery in Birkenhead, UK where he is buried, wrote to me that their records have Bernard being born in 1863. So if there is anyone out in Irelandxo that knows anything or can lead me to a spot that I haven't looked at ... I would be most grateful to hear from you. THANKS!

srhodes@telus.net

I also found in the Griffiths Valuation from 1864 two separate Bernard Cadden's in Co. Fermangh. Neither can be my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden because he would have only been between probable six and one year old. So I assume one of these Bernard Cadden's found in the 1964 Griffiths Valuation is my great-grandfather's father and the other maybe his grandfather? Those records I have uploaded here as well.

srhodes@telus.net

Probably not much I can add to my previous post. It’s true that not every RC parish has its records on-line but the records for Enniskillen and the nearby parish of Tempo are both on-line, so you can check them yourself without needing to pay a researcher if you wish.

None of the records are perfect, and if you can’t find Bernard’s baptism that could be because the entry is illegible or the priest forgot to record it, something that did happen. Many sets of records have gaps or “a child of” because the priest forgot to note the name. And of course there were illegitimate children under the mother’s name only, adopted children and so on.

The Bernard Cadden in Breagho lived in a labourer’s cottage. You can see how long he lived there from the Valuation Revision records on the PRONI website. He might be the farm labourer who died in Enniskillen in 1882, reportedly aged 98.

The other Bernard in Eshekerin was a farmer. He may have died in 1865 aged 75, registered in Clones. That death isn’t on-line yet, so you would need to order a research copy from GRO Roscommon. But if he is the Eshekerin man then again you can check to see when he is deleted from the revision records on the PRONI site.

Take all ages with a pinch of salt. In the 1800s, people in Ireland didn’t know when they were born and didn’t celebrate birthdays. If officialdom occasionally asked for an age or date of birth it was common just to make one up. Ages on death and burial records are just the informant’s best guess. No documentation or proof was required. They didn’t like leaving boxes blank so often just guessed. For someone in their 90s an error of 10 years either way was not unusual.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Shirley

It’s been a year since your posts, but if you’re still searching  I am writing to let you know about some information I have, just in case you don’t have it already.

I am also researching Fermanagh Caddens. My ggg grandfather was Felix Cadden (c1790-c1860) of Derryneese near Roslea. I am aware of Bernard Cadden of Eshakerin, though I have not been able to make a link to him.

1. There is a gravestone erected by Bernard in Roslea St Tierney’s cemetery. It reads:

“By Bernard Cadin, Esaherin, m. his father----Cadin d. 12/10/1820 a. 70. His wife Catherine d. April 1828 a. 64.”

As luck would have it, Bernard’s father’s name is illegible! Given her age, I am assuming that Catherine was his mother, not his wife.  With his father born about 1750 and mother about 1764,  this Bernard’s birth year is probably 1790 +/- 10. And that birth date fits with the Bernard who died in 1865, aged 75 (registered in Clones, which was the registration district for Eshakerin). As such, he is probably too old to be your ggrandfather’s father, but could be his grandfather. If we fast-forward to the 1901/11 census returns for Eshakerin, we find that there is no Bernard Cadden there, but there is a large family headed by Michael Cadden, and a couple of households of elderly unmarried Caddens. If Bernard (died 1865) had a son Bernard, it seems he did not stay in Eshekerin and there’s no way to trace him.

2. I’ve just checked the other Bernard (died 1882, aged 98). He is also in the frame as he would have been born about 1784 (or possibly later, as the age of 98 may well be an exaggeration). We know that his son was Bernard, as he is named on the death cert as the informant. His occupation is given as a Farm Labourer, but the address given on the death cert is Fort Hill in Enniskillen. So I am presuming that old Bernard had come to live with his son, as there was not much farming to be done in Enniskillen. Guess what was situated on Forthill Road in Enniskillen? Yes, the railway station! So we have a Bernard Cadden living close to the station with his aged father, also called Bernard.  As a train Guard, it would be a convenient place to live. However, Bernard (son) is unlikely to be your ggrand father unless old Bernard fathered him in his 70s – unlikely, but who knows? Or maybe there is an intervening generation with yet another Bernard.

3. Searching for something else, I can across these Wallasey Cadden details but until your post, I didn’t know of the Fermanagh connection. It’s quite a sad story which you may already know. Three of Bernard’s sons, James (born 1897) John (born 1890) and Bernard (born 1894) died in the First World War. James died in action in 1916 Bernard and John died of injuries and pneumonia, just a day apart (5th and 6th November 1918) and just a few days before the end of the war on 11th November.

There are details and photos on

http://www.historyofwallasey.co.uk/wallasey/Remember_The_Fallen_The_Great_War/casualties/Cadden_James.pdf

I did most of my Cadden research over 20 years ago, and am now just tidying up my notes for any future researchers to take further, if they can. Like most people I haven’t managed to get back much further than 1800, and since I knew of Felix Cadden’s gravestone at the start of my research, all I have managed to do is fill in some of the details.

Good luck with your research.

Sean Boyle

sean_1

Just noticed another point of interest. There are two Mary Annes: one born on 22 August 1887 as you state, but another one born on 7 February 1890. Both have parents Bernard C and Margaret Reilly, occupation Train Guard for 1887 and Station Master at Lismagonway for 1890, so definitely the correct ones. I presumed that the first Mary Anne had died soon after birth, and the next daughter was also called Mary Anne – this happened fairly often. However I can find no death cert for any Mary Anne between  1887 and 1890.

sean_1

Hi Sean, 

The first Mary Anne Cadden born on August 27, 1887 was actually my grandmother.  I know this for a fact because August 27 is the day we celebrated her birthday AND I have her birth certificate to also prove.  The second Mary Anne born in 1890 that really stumped me when I discovered that record.  I know from the 1911 Census that my great-grandparents noted they had 10 children but only eight were still alive in 1911.  So, maybe the second Mary Anne died shortly after she was born and they named her after her sister.  OR, my other thought has been that the name was written incorrectly because, I do know that my grandmother's brother John was born in 1890 but I have not been able to find a birth registration for him. How could a daughter named Mary Anne be born on February 7, 1890... be named the same as their live daughter AND then they went on to have a son, John the same year?   I found each of my grandmother's other siblings birth registration but not John... so maybe it was just an error on whoever wrote down the child's name on the registry??  My other thought was maybe John Cadden wasn't my grandmother's brother after all but then I am a DNA cousin to one of John's descendant (his great-granddaughter) so I really do think that it was my grandmother's brother, John Cadden that was born on February 7, 1890 and not a second daughter named Mary Anne... but who knows?  

As for the sad story of my grandmother's siblings... it is actually worse that what you discovered... first my grandmother's brother-in-law, Percy Reynolds (married to her only sister Maggie) went missing in action in France on November 13, 1916, they assumed he was killed as his body was never found. Then her brother, James on December 12, 1916 was also killed in action in France, he is buried in France.  Then my grandmother's brother Bernard died on Nov 5, 1918 followed by her brother John the next day... both were in the Wallasey Military hospital convalescing from injuries obtained during active WW1 service.  According to my grandmother, they both caught the Spanish Flu while in hospital and died. Then the following August 1919, my grandmother's only sister, Maggie Reynolds (nee: Cadden), also caught the Spanish Flu and died within hours of becoming ill.  Then my grandmother's youngest brother, Charles Leo was also killed during active war service but not in WW1, it was in WW2... when his ship was bombed by the German's out at sea near Angus, Scotland on December 2, 1940 and all onboard were killed.  That left only my grandmother's two brothers, Francis and Joseph and my grandmother.  My grandmother's brother Francis died of natural causes in June 1967, brother Joseph also of natural causes died in April 1969 and then the oldest child, my grandmother, Mary Anne Cadden (aka: Annie Savery) died on May 19, 1969.  So she was the oldest of all the children and the last to be alive. No wonder my grandmother didn't like hospital or doctors for that matter... she firmly believed people only go to the hospital to die and the weird thing about it is that the only time my grandmother went to a hospital was the night she died.  

Anyhow, I did download a copy of the 1921 Census (they were still running the store at 30 Poulton St in Wallasey) and in there Bernard Cadden wrote that he was 56 years old (so born in 1855) in Co. Fermanagh, Ireland however in the 1911 Census it says he was 54 (so born in 1857) but in the 1911 it says he was born in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh.  So pretty sure he was born in Enniskillen. I am absolutely positive that the Bernard Cadden who died in 1882 on Forthill Road in Enniskillen is my great-great-grandfather, father to my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden.  I have no doubts on that but I wonder if the listed age of 98 could have been written incorrectly?  If Bernard Cadden was born in 1855 and his father in 1784... is it possible that his father could have been 69 when he was born?  I suppose so but it could have just been an error in that Bernard Cadden who died in 1882 was not 98 years old?  I think since I know the family was Catholic and Bernard Cadden was born in Enniskillen, I may contact St. Michael's to see if they can find him in the church registry born sometime between 1855 and 1863 (1863 is the year of birth Rake Lake Cemetery in Wallasey gave me as the date on their burial records).  St. Michael's was very helpful to me in finding Margaret Cadden (nee: O'Reilly)'s baptism record in the St. Mary's Lisbellaw church registry (now held at St. Michael's in Enniskillen) so maybe they can find Bernard too?  If I can confirm Bernard's mother's name... then I can hopefully find a marriage record for Bernard's parents and that might help narrow down the year of birth for my great-great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden.   

Any other information you come across on either my great-grandfather, Bernard Cadden or his father, Bernard Cadden, I would most welcome the share.  Thanks! 

Regards, Shirley

 

 

srhodes@telus.net

Hi Shirley

I'm having difficulty replying to you as the system tells me that I'm "not yet authorized" to send links and attachments. I have some info that throws light on Bernard's departure from the GNR. I could email it to you if you let me have your address.

Sean

ixo

Hi again

I've just realised that you probably don't want to or may not be allowed to display your email address here. 

You can contact me here: sean at sboyle dot eu (using @ and . obviously)

 

ixo

I am the great Grandson of John Cadden From lisnaclea he is also a direct descendant of Felix.

stephen cadden

Hi Stephen, good to hear from you.

I have records of a few John Caddens. Which one are you descended from?

I don't know of a Lisnaclea in Fermanagh. Did you mean Lisnaskea?

I am going away for a few days, so I won't be online for a week or so.

sean_1

My great grandfather John Cadden b.1882 from Lisnaclea he was 29 in 1911 he had a three year old son at the time also called John, my grandfather was born later. My Grandfather was Andrew Cadden b. 10th Feb 1914. I'm still doing research but I think they are related to this branch by Thomas who had sons Patrick and John. I have no doubt that the family in question here is one and the same. If you can go on census national archives for Ireland search by surname and area Lisnaclea ded knappagh Cavan you will see it for yourself. I am more than happy to share as much as I know.

stephen cadden

Hi Stephen

I’ve had a look at the Census returns for Lisclea, and there was quite a cluster of Caddens there – over 20 in total in six or seven households. It’s very likely that these were all related.

However, all my Cadden ancestors were from around Roslea, in County Fermanagh which about 25 miles from Lisnaclea. See attached map. The earliest of these was Felix who lived from about 1790 to about 1860. His son Thomas (1812-1896) had sons Patrick and John (among others) but I can see no links with your Lisnaclea Caddens. I have been able to trace most of Felix's descendants, and there are lots of Thomases and Johns, some of whom emigrated to Scotland and the USA. I’m sure they were connected at some earlier time, but there are no records to help us, unfortunately.

Let me know if you come across any more details that could help us to make some connections.

Regards

Sean Boyle

sean_1

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