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Thomas Jordan (born between 1873 and 1879)

Liscannor (Clare)

Hello,

I am researching my great-great-grandfather, Thomas Jordan, and I am hoping someone with local knowledge of County Clare might be able to advise.

Person details

  • Estimated birth: c. 1873–1876
  • Likely birthplace: Clare (listed as Liscannor on 1911 census of England and Wales)
  • Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents (from marriage record)

  • Father: Thomas Jordan, farmer, deceased by 1903
  • Mother: unknown (not named on marriage record)

Marriage

  • Married 6 June 1903
  • Place: St Patrick’s RC Church, Bolton, Lancashire, England
  • Spouse: Catherine Maroney (RC)
  • Witnesses: Thomas O’Loughlin and Rose Murphy (the bride’s sister)

Emigration

  • Had emigrated to England by 1901 and was living at 15 Milo Street alongside a local family and another Irishman named James O'Brian
  • Lived in Bolton, Lancashire
  • Occupation in England: quarryman until at least 1911 but then worked as a collier/dataller in coal mine before his death in 1921.

Children 

  • Had five children with Catherine Maroney, including my great grandmother Kathleen Mary (b.1906), Thomas Joseph (1904), Annie (1905), James (1908), and Michael Joseph (1913).

Additional context

  • The family were Roman Catholic.
  • The father being described as a farmer suggests to me a rural Clare origin rather than an urban one.
  • The witness Thomas O’Loughlin could possibly indicate a Clare social or neighbour connection, but I have not yet established a link.

What I am hoping for help with

  1. Are there records that may match with Thomas Jordan's birth and give clues to further details about his father and his mother? For reference I have searched civil records but can't find anything 
  2. Are there known Jordan farming families in the Liscannor area in the mid-to-late 19th century that might fit?
  3. Would you recommend checking any lesser-known sources for this area?

I am very happy to provide images of the census entries or the marriage record if helpful.

Thank you very much for any guidance.

tomolloy

8 replies

A Thomas Jordan, son of Thomas Jordan and Bridget Higgins, was born 29 Aug 1867 in BaIIy??? See:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1867/03471/2274961.pdf

This is the onIy Thomas Jordan, son of Thomas, born in CIare I couId find searching 1865 to1885 at the free site irishgeneaIogy.ie. He was born earIier than you beIieve your Thomas was born, but the discrepancy is not so great as to ruIe this one out. If someone can determine the townIand speIIing, you couId check to see if it was in Iiscannor.

glanvil3@aol.com

From Ancestry, here is baptism of above Thomas. Baptized in Liscannor.

Name Thomas Jourdan

Event Type Baptism

Birth Date 29 Aug 1867

Baptism Date 31 Jul [sic; register says Aug] 1867

Baptism Place Liscannor, Clare, Ireland

Parish Variants Kilcreehy, Killaspuglonane, Kilmacrehy, Touheran

Diocese Galway

Father

Thos Jourdan

Mother

Bridget Higgins

glanvil3@aol.com

There were three heads of househoId in CIare named Thomas Jordan in Griffith's VaIuation c1853.

GriffithJordanThomasMunniaAbbeyCo. Clare
GriffithJordanThomasLane Off Old Church Hill StreetKilmanaheenCo. Clare
GriffithJordanThomasBallyinsheen BegKilmoonCo. Clare

Source: rootsireIand.ie

glanvil3@aol.com

This is a record for a Thomas Jordan born 1873, father is Michael and mother Bridget. nee Neville. The townland of Ballyteigue is between Liscannor and Ballyvaughan.

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/view/?record_id=ac592530e4-5747672

kellyeileen20@…

Tom,

Check out the five children of Thomas Jordan & Bridget Higgins at the clarelibrary.ie site under the genealogy section...look up Liscannor baptisms. I have tried three times to enter the information, but his site keeps refreshing itself and goes blank! There are five children, and your Thomas is one of them. The family first lived in Ballyvorda, but the last two daughter's births were in Seamount. The baptism sponsors are given too.

Regards,

Carolyn

Thanks for all your help. 

The only question I had about the above Thomas Jordan (husband of Bridget Higgins) is that on civil records he's listed as a labourer rather than a farmer (as is the case on Thomas Jordan Jr's marriage certificate). 

Do we still think he's the most likely match? 

Does all the other info (him being a quarryman once he moved to England etc) check out with him being from Liscannor? I know people were sometimes mistaken on census records etc but I don't know Clare at all.

tomolloy

Tom,

I would not be too concerned what was listed on Thomas Jr.'s marriage record regarding his father's occupation. From Thomas and sister Anne's civil birth records, it shows he was a labourer....quite possibly he labored on someone's farm, but did not hold a tenancy himself as other "farmers" might have. Also, when a parent is deceased in a marriage record of a child, that information is not that significant, and no one would contest it. Thomas Jr. working in a quarry is not unusual as when folks emigrated, they probably accepted whatever employment they could find....he did not necessarily have to have done that job in Clare.

Regards,

Carolyn

Tom,

I just found Thomas' death record in 1885 that shows he was a labourer.

Regards,

Carolyn

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