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Reading family

CorkDoneraile (Cork)

My Reading family ancestor was Thomas Reading, eleventh son of Mr T R Reading of Doneraile - great-great-grandfather was born there in 1811. He married Martha Grant and they moved to London before migrating to South Australia. His sister, Ann, went too. I've been to Doneraile (lovely place) and to Mallow (also lovely). I have not found very much in the records though.

All the Reading family members were baptised with the middle name of Riordan.

They were Church of Ireland but two generations earlier (I believe - according to my great aunt) there had been a "mixed marriage" - must have been back into the 1700s.

johnworc

3 replies

Hi John, records for Doneraile are only available from 1815 onwards , that is why you can not find a lot of records. I see the couple married in London on the 15th July 1836. I will check the records for Martha maybe we have more luck with her.

Kind regards

Mallow CorkIrelandXO Volunteer

It's very mysterious !  Did they "run away" to London?  I have always assumed Martha was from Doneraile as I have seen the surname Grant in the records.  In London censuses, Thomas is listed as a "news agant" and a newspaper writer; in Adelaide, South Australia, he was listed as "sanitary officer" and "pound keeper".  My great aunt when young went to Adelaide to stay with her  grandparents and she mentioned a "Martha".  Her aunt, Ann Reading, married a Winter and my great aunt's brother had Winter as a middle name.  It's so hard after such a long time to link the connections.  There's one distant cousin still living in Adelaide: he also does family research but, like me me, has not got back any further.  I wonder whether "Mr T R Reading" of Doneraile was also a "Thomas Riordan Reading" (3 x great-grandfather !).

johnworc

That was wonderful seeing the screenshot of their marriage in 1836 in London - thank you !  Amazing to see their actual signatures.

johnworc

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