Ireland XO
Back to Message Board

Nicholas Fitzsimmons (1764-1860): Where in Downpatrick did Nicholas live? And looking for any Fitzsimmons still living around Downpatrick Co Down

Down

My 4G-Grandfather Nicholas Fitzsimmons, a weaver, (his father James Fitzsimmons) was born in Downpatrick Co Down in 1764. https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/5329504/person/140145121912/facts

He married Mary around 1805 possibly in Ireland and moved to Glasgow where my 3G-Grandmother Rose Ann was born in 1807. Six months after the birth of her fourth child Mary died in 1814. Nicholas married again that year Margaret Magraw from Co Derry and they had five children.

Rose Ann Fitzsimmons married Henry McMullen from Macknagh Co Derry in St Andrews in Glasgow in 1829. Henry drowned in the Liffey River Dublin 12 days before the birth of their fourth child. Rose Ann subsequently married James Griffin from Co Down in 1840 and they had three children including my 2G-Granmother Margaret Griffin.

At the age of 89 Nicholas Fitzsimmons migrated to Australia with three of his McMullen grandchildren and his grandson Peter Griffin. His grandson Dan McMullen had already migrated to Australia the previous year. Subsequently his daughter Rose Ann and her husband and their two daughters also migrated to Australia.

I have many DNA matches to Rose Ann Fitzsimmons but none to any of her siblings.

I’m wondering if there might be any evidence to pinpoint where Nicholas Fitzsimmons was born or lived in Downpatrick.

I am coming to Ireland in two weeks.

Kathryn Barrett

2 replies

Statutory birth registration didn’t start in Ireland till 1864. Prior to that we rely on baptism records, where they exist. I assume Nicholas was Roman Catholic (his daughter married in an RC church in Glasgow). Downpatrick RC baptism records only start in 1851 so there are no records for the 1760s to search.

Fitzsimmons (and variants) is a fairly common name in Co. Down, with nearly 700 of them in the 1901 census.

16 Nicholas Fitzsimmons in this Co Down site, just 1 lived in Downpatrick (which is in the parish of Down) but he died in Ireland in 1854 so he can’t be your ancestor. He might be vaguely connected:

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/SURNAMES/F/FitzsimonsLZ.htm

You’ll see many Fitzsimmons in Down parish, so it’s the old needle in a haystack.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you so much Elwyn for your detailed information.Yes, I'm sure all my Fitzsimmons were Catholic. And thank you for the link to the Co Down surnames. I've also used it now to have a look for my Griffins from Dromore. As you say Fitzsimmons is a fairly common name in Co Down. Prior to visiting next month I wanted to satisfy myself that I left no stone unturned and where better to ask the question than here with the IrelandXO experts generously on hand.

Thank you once again.

Kathryn Barrett

Kathryn Barrett

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.