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Charles Ernest Stuart Parnell Woods

Armagh

I’ve been looking for my grandfather who we thought was called Charles Woods born around 1898 in Armagh but we have found many family trees on ancestry with the name Charles Ernest Stuart Parnell Woods in place of just Charles Woods. He was never registered so don't have a birth certificate for him.

I’ve spoken to a few family members and they say they were told he had a very long name and that it could be Charles E S P Woods.

I’ve searched for him using the long name but had no luck. I would be grateful for any help you can give me. Thanks. #s

Joon6

6 replies

Joon6,

Can you give us Charles parents names (from his marriage or death certificate perhaps). Otherwise we’d just be guessing. It's pretty rare in Ireland for there to be 3 middle names on birth certificates in the 1800s. You do see a few with 2 forenames but 4 would be very rare indeed. Your ancestor's birth certificate probably just has Charles Woods on it. Other names may have been acquired in later life.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Yes, sorry I can do that.

So, his mother was Mary Woods born in Cavan. No father’s name for Charles but could be Joseph Hare.

Marys parents were James and Jane Mulholland.

charles was not registered but he was baptised and that was just Charles.

I ask because a few family members say that he always said that his name was Charles E S P Woods. I wonder if he made it up.

You have helped me before but that was when we just had his name as Charles .

Thanks 🙏

Joon6

I vaguely remember researching this previously. The mother is from Corcreevy, is that right? If so, she also had a daughter Ernestine in August 1898:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1898/02076/1792240.pdf

Ernestine was illegitimate, and no father is named.

This is Charles in the 1901 census where he is aged 2. Given that Ernestine was born in 1898 (and wasn’t a twin) it looks as though Charles was born in 1899.

https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Richhill/Carcreevy/1018702/

I have searched the birth indexes for male Woods births in the Armagh registration area 1899-1901 (there were only 7). None were to a mother named Mary Woods. So we are back to concluding Charles’ birth was not registered. That would have made it very easy for Charles to call himself anything he wanted.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

True, he could choose whatever name he so wanted.

Mary, his mother was from Concreevy and had 5 children. Only the last boy was born after she married.

I have the 1939 England and Wales ( mini census) I guess he filled it in himself or told the person that came to the house.. he gave his date of birth as 15/08/1898.

Roll on to him joining the army ( underage ) he didn’t give the right date, he said the 1st of August and different year. Desperate to join up I guess!

Although I do think it strange that he wasn’t baptised until the September of the following year. Saying that, my brother in law is a Deacon in the Catholic Church said many children and adults get baptised it’s not just babies.

Going back to the name…all his aunts and uncles have just John, Mary, Joseph etc so why on earth would you call him that name is beyond me.

Tomorrow we have his daughters funeral and many of the cousins will attend so I will be asking so many questions what their own parents told them. 🤞

Thanks for all your help x

Joon6

15th August 1898 is his sister Ernestine’s date of birth. Looks as though he adopted it in the absence of a birth cert of his own.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Maybe! 

Today we went to his daughter’s funeral and I was able to ask the cousins what they think…They said they were told by their parents that he was a great story teller and that they just ignored him because he would talk and talk and not make sense. 

Also,  he was interested in Irish politics and there was a gentleman by the name of Charles Stewart Parnell. Did he steal the name from him? Who knows!! 

As always thanks for the help! 🙏

Joon6

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