Hello Rhonda,
This reply, in part, and for the sake of continuity, will duplicate some of the information that Roger McDonnell has generously sent to you, as well as add to some of the information that I think you are looking for.
As an example I found a very faded Kiltoghart (also spelled Kiltoghert) Catholic Parish marriage transcription, as well as a copy of the original church marriage record for Farrell Ward and Mary “Kilbanne.” The church marriage transcription was discovered at the Find My Past (FMP) website. The church marriage, like the civil registration marriage, took place on 20 February 1873. The FMP transcription however, does not give Farrell’s first name, and also transcribes Mary’s maiden name as “Kelly,” rather than Gilbane. You can view the FMP transcription at the following link: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/MAR/0125622/1
Attached to the FMP marriage transcription is a link to a copy of the original Kiltoghart Catholic Church marriage register entry for the couple held by the National Library of Ireland located in Kildare Street, Dublin.
The marriage register entry can be found at the following National Library of Ireland link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632389#page/83/mode/1up
There are two facing pages to the marriage register. The marriage for Farrell and Mary is located on the left-hand register page, and is the 3rd entry up from the bottom. As mentioned earlier, the marriage record is very faded and extremely difficult to read.
You can enlarge the page by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.
You can make out in the marriage record Farrell’s first name, but not Mary’s maiden name. Also, below their names are the names of the witnesses to the marriage. If I hadn’t first located their civil marriage record, (the same one that Roger sent to you), I would not have known that the last name of John, who was one of the witnesses, was Rutledge. I also would not have known that Margaret’s last name was Moran. Some church marriage records give the residence of the groom and bride, but not in this case.
You will probably have to enlarge the page to its maximum to view the marriage record.
In addition, attached to the bottom of this reply is Farrell and Mary’s civil marriage record for quick access. The civil marriage record shows that Farrell’s father is John Ward, a farmer who is still alive. The marriage record also shows that Mary’s father is Patt Kilbanne, a farmer who is also living. Farrell and Mary were married by a priest named Joseph Dawson. Right below the priest’s name are the aforementioned witnesses, John Rutledge and Margaret Moran.
The civil marriage record also shows that Farrell and Mary were married in the Carrick on Shannon Catholic Chapel. The Catholic Church in Carrick on Shannon is called St. Mary’s, and is located in Main Street. You can view a Google Map of Carrick on Shannon and St. Mary’s Church at the following link: https://is.gd/gxKVaD
For a Google Street View of the church, see: https://is.gd/c6SkU6
The present day church is not the same one that Farrell and Mary were married in. According to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, construction of the present day church building was started in 1879 by William Hague and completed by a student of his named T.F. McNamara, 50 years later. For a description of the architectural details and a photo of the church, go to the Buildings of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/8SQsaS
You can see the location of St. Mary’s Church (the new building) on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1888 to 1913 time period by going to the GeoHive website link at: http://bit.ly/2HAjf0e
Now, compare the 1888-1913 map to the Ordnance Survey Map of Carrick on Shannon and the “R.C. Chapel,” on an older Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period, and you’ll see this older church structure is much smaller. To access the map go to the GeoHive link at: http://bit.ly/2HBuyoG
The civil marriage record provided by Roger, and which is also attached to this reply, shows that Farrell was living in Shandra, while Mary resided in Kildaragh. I could not find a “Shandra,” in County Leitrim on a Google Map or the old Ordnance Survey Maps for County Leitrim. I did eventually locate what I believe Farrell’s residence at the time of marriage, which I’ll come to in a while.
I next looked for a place called “Kildaragh” in County Leitrim, but didn’t find it by this spelling. This place, I believe however, actually refers to the townland of Kildorragh, near the County Cavan border, and which is 18.1 miles northeast of Carrick on Shannon, according to the Google Map at: https://is.gd/5VNi4M
A Google Street View does not seem to be available for the center of Kildorragh, but there is a Street View of the R199 road just outside the town at: https://is.gd/P62ZZa
I’ll have more information about Mary’s father Patrick in Kildorragh a little later.
BIRTH RECORDS OF THE 7 WARD CHILDREN
I found the civil registration birth records for 7 children of Farrell Ward and Mary Gilbane at the free irishgenealogy.ie website. After locating the births of these children I had accessed the 1911 census, which Roger also sent to you. I’ve included the transcription of the 1911 census below, as I’ll have some comments about it after you view it:
1911 Census of Ireland
Residents of a house 1 in Shanraw (Gurtnagullion, Leitrim)
Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion Birthplace Occupation Literacy Irish Language Marital Status Specified Illnesses Years Married Children Born Children Living
Ward Farrell 71 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Co Leitrim Farmer Cannot read Married
Ward Mary 69 Female Wife Roman Catholic Co Leitrim Read and write Married 38 7 7
Ward Owen 32 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Leitrim Farmers Son Read and write Single
Ward Michael 26 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Leitrim Farmers Son Read and write Single
Ward Anne 22 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Leitrim Read and write Single
____
The 1911 census shows the Ward family living in Shanraw, County Leitrim. It would appear that the residence of Shandra in the Ward/Kilbanne marriage record cited above, is actually Shanraw. The person who recorded the marriage must of heard Farrell’s residence as Shandra, and recorded it as such. The word Shanraw is the English spelling of the Irish word, “Seanráth,” which means “Old Ring Fort.”
At the end of the census line for 69 year old Mary Ward, you’ll see the numbers 38, 7, and 7. These numbers mean that Farrell and Mary, as of 1911, were married for 38 years, and in that time period, had 7 children, with all 7 children still living. Three of those children, 32 year old Owen, 26 year old Michael, and 22 year old Anne, are in the household with their parents at house 1, Shanraw. House 1 does not refer to the street number of the house, but the number on the census form, which you can see in the top right corner of a copy of the original 1911 census from the National Archives of Ireland at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002690860/
If you go to the bottom left and bottom right of the census form, you’ll see that Constable John Considine had witnessed Farrell writing “his mark,” which is a + sign, in place of his signature, as Farrell could not read. John Considine would have collected the census from the Ward family.
The 7 children of Farrell Ward and Mary Gilbane were born in Shanraw, as you’ll see in the six birth register attachments in this reply. I’ve included the births of the twins, Farrell and Anne Ward that Roger had sent to you as a link, so that you’ll have all the birth register entries in one place for quick and easy access.
The birth record for Mary Ward shows she was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 17 March 1874. Her birth is on Line 167 of the register.
John Ward was born in Shanraw on 26 June 1875. His birth is recorded on Line 426 of the register.
Patrick Ward was born on 29 June 1877. You’ll find his birth on Line 353 of the register.
The birth of Owen Ward took place on 15 December 1879. His birth is recorded on Line 333 of the register.
Michael Ward was born on 8 October 1884. His birth is on Line 344 of the register.
The twins Farrell and Anne Ward, as you have already seen from Roger’s link, were born on 27 April 1887. If you enlarge the birth register sufficiently, you’ll see that Farrell was born at 4 O’Clock am, and that Anne was born at 4 1/2 O’Clock (4:30) am.
Their births are on Lines 189 and 190 respectively. In going through the birth records for Farrell and Anne you’ll see their mother Mary’s maiden name as “Kilbane,” while the birth records of the other children give Mary’s maiden name as “Gilbane.”
A Google Map shows that Shanraw, by the shortest modern day route, is 8.5 miles northeast of Carrick on Shannon. See the map at: https://is.gd/roAOwF
For a Google Street View of a narrow road in Shanraw, go to: https://is.gd/QfMr6y
My Tipperary cousins call a narrow dirt roads with grass in the middle a, “Boreen.” In Irish the word is “bóithrín.”
Of all the 7 Ward children I only found the 1874 baptism for Mary Ward. She was baptized in the Kiltubrid Catholic Parish on 22 March 1874. Her FMP baptism transcription gives her mother’s maiden name as “Killbaun.” See the transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/0539531
Mary’s baptism is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632444#page/121/mode/1up
The baptism may be difficult to locate as all the baptisms are squeezed together on the page. Her parents are recorded as Farrell Ward and what does appear to be Mary Killbaun. The sponsors, or godparents, are Jas. (James) Killbaun and Jane Judge.
The National Library of Ireland website shows that the Kiltubrid baptism registers are extend from 6 January 1841 to 27 April 1874, that marriages can be searched from 7 January 1841 to 22 May 1873, and deaths or burials from 15 January 1847 to 16 May 1873. See the following for confirmation and a map of the Kiltubrid Catholic Parish: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0173
The subscription site RootsIreland however, has baptism transcriptions available not only from 1841 to 1874, but also from 1880 to 1899. To view the Kiltubrid Catholic baptism transcriptions from RootsIreland, you’ll have to subscribe to one of four different packages available. See: https://rootsireland.ie/ifhf/subscribe.php
The baptism transcriptions from RootsIreland should include the baptisms of Farrell and Anne in 1887 if they were baptized in the Kiltubrid Catholic Parish.
A Google Map shows that “Kiltubbrid” is 3.6 miles northeast of Shanraw: https://is.gd/eezGel
However, as far as I could determine, there was no Catholic Church Church in Kiltubrid in the 19th century. There are two churches in the Kiltubrid Catholic Parish where Mary may have been baptized. One of these churches is St. Bridget’s Church, located between Drumcong and Roscarban. A Google Map however, specifies that the address of St. Bridget’s is in Roscarban. See the map at: https://is.gd/JPusuO
A Google Map shows that St. Bridget’s Church, by the shortest route, is 1.9 miles north of Shanraw, and just west of Lough Scur: https://is.gd/8KOJs0
A Google Street View of St. Bridget’s Church can be viewed at: https://is.gd/jladlR
The church was in existence in the 1830s and 1840s as evidenced by the Ordnance Survey Map from that time period showing the location of the “R.C. Chapel” between Drumcong and Roscarban at: http://bit.ly/2VSLgns
The Ordnance Survey Map does not show the grave yard just to the right of the church along the road.
You can see the graveyard and the church in the distance in this Google Street View: https://is.gd/vvSlxP
While the Ordnance Survey Map from 1837 to 1841 does not show the cemetery, the later Ordnance Survey Map from 1881 to 1913 does show the cemetery, and also shows additions of the transepts, converting the church from an oblong building into the more traditional and familiar cruciform structure of Catholic Churches. To view this later Ordnance Survey Map go to: http://bit.ly/2HDHU46
I wanted to know how old St. Bridget’s Church was. To see if I could find out, I went back to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website to see if the church had been surveyed. I found that it had been surveyed and that it dates back to 1781. To read about the architectural details and view a photo of the church, go to the Buildings of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/Rr28Kj
The information from Buildings of Ireland shows the nearby cemetery has grave markers from the 18th century. In addition, the Buildings of Ireland website has included a map of the church and graveyard which you can see at: http://webgis.buildingsofireland.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?REG_NO=30924003
Interior photos of the church, as well as the cast iron gate and views of the graveyard from the Buildings of Ireland site can also be viewed at: https://is.gd/DE7575
The other church in the Kiltubrid Catholic Parish is St. Joseph’s, located in Rantoge Glebe. Alternatively this town is spelled Rantogue Glebe and Rantouge Glebe. According to a Google Map, Rantoge Glebe is 5.9 miles north of Shanraw. See the map at: https://is.gd/PhJzRP
I could not find any information online about when St. Joseph’s church was constructed. There is no “R.C. Chapel” on an Ordnance Survey Map of Rantoge Glebe from the 1837 to 1841 time period, as you can see at: http://bit.ly/2VXE6yr
However, there is an R.C. Chapel (the present day St. Joseph’s Church), in Rantoge Glebe on the Ordnance Survey Map from the 1888 to 1913 time period: http://bit.ly/2W3ZthK
For a Google Street View of St. Joseph’s Church, go to: https://is.gd/l3dHcz
The question is, which church, St. Bridget’s near Drumcong and Roscarban, or St. Joseph’s in Rantoge Glebe, were the Ward children baptized in? The answer is I don’t know. St. Bridget’s is a lot closer to Shanraw than Rantoge Glebe is. But then again, Even so, Rantoge Glebe may have been the ancestral home of your Ward family. I’ll have more information about Rantoge Glebe a little later.
GRIFFITHS VALUATION
I next wanted to see if I could locate Farrell’s father, John Farrell, and Mary’s father, Patrick Kilbanne/Gilbane, in an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation, which was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. Griffiths Valuation is not like a census, as it only enumerated those landholders, known as Occupiers, who paid to lease the property, as well as those who were the owners of the property, or representatives of the owners of the property, who were known as Immediate Lessors. The valuation did not count family members in a household the way census returns do, though Griffiths Valuation is often referred to as a “census substitute” by genealogists.
You can access Griffiths Valuation indexes as well as copies of the original records at the free askaboutireland website. The website Ancestry.com also includes Griffiths Valuation in some of its subscription packages.
The valuation for County Leitrim was completed by 1856. I found two Griffiths Valuation entries for a John Ward. One John Ward leased property in the townland of Drumbranned, Civil parish of Kiltubbrid. The other John Ward leased property in the townland of the aforementioned Rantoge Glebe. As you saw earlier in a Google Map, the townland of Rantoge Glebe is 5.9 miles north of Shanraw, where Farrell and his family had resided according the 1901 and 1911 census returns. Another Google Map shows that Drumbranned is 3.3 miles west of Shanraw: https://is.gd/hRpqoK
A Google Street View of Drumbranned can be seen at: https://is.gd/Qyt9KK
Below is the Griffiths Valuation entry for John Ward in Drumbranned:
No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 10a
Civil Parish: Kiltubbrid
Townland: Drumbranned
Occupier: John Ward
Immediate Lessor: Rev. Henry King
Description of Tenement: House, office and land
Area of Land: 13 Acres, 3 Roods, 0 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 4 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 5 Pounds
____
Griffiths Valuation shows that john Ward leased over 13 acres of land and a house and office from the Rev. Henry King, who was probably a Church of Ireland clergyman. The land was valued at 4 Pounds and 10 Shillings, while the house and office were valued at 10 Shillings. The total valuation of the property was 5 Pounds. An office in a Griffiths valuation record can refer to any type of outbuilding such as a barn, stable, blacksmith shop, piggery, etc. The map number (10a) at the beginning of the valuation refers to an Ordnance Survey Map from the time period showing the location of John Ward’s property in Drumbranned. You can access this map from the Griffiths Valuation index for John Ward at the askaboutireland website. The Grififths Valuation Maps are the same as far as topography goes when compared to the Ordnance Survey Maps from the GeoHive website, with one big difference. The Griffiths Valuation Maps have the property location numbers and letters to show the area in a townland where a particular Occupier of property leased a house and land. The Ordnance Survey Maps from GeoHive do not include these map reference numbers and letters.
Also, townlands in the Griffiths Valuation Ordnance Survey Maps from askaboutireland can be a challenge to find, and while I did locate what I believe to be the house and land that John Ward leased in Drumbranned, it took several minutes to pinpoint it. Unfortunately however, I have found no way to either link or attach the Griffiths Valuation Ordnance Survey Maps to replies such as this. But, I can show you exactly where John Ward’s house is situated on the similar map for Drumbranned from the GeoHive website.
Go to the following for the GeoHive Ordnance Survey Map for Drumbranned: http://bit.ly/2VUpfoB
Just below the capital letter M in Drumbranned, you’ll see a tiny capital letter A, below which is the number 145. This refers to the size of Drumbrand, showing it is 145 acres. Go straight down the map from the number 145 until you come to a tiny oblong structure running parallel with the road. Enlarging the map will help to see the house more clearly. This is the house that John Ward leased. This is Map Reference 10a as noted in Griffiths Valuation. His house is not the longer oblong structure to the immediate right of the number 145 at the Y junction of the road. The land John leased covers 10 acres and would have included the area where you see the lower case initials osi, which stand for Ordnance Survey Ireland. His leased land would have extended south, almost but not quite to the Bellatrelly Bridge at the crossroads. For an enlarged map view see: http://bit.ly/2VMnjyc
I now went back to the modern Google Maps to see if a house still existed in the same location or approximate location of the little house on the Ordnance Survey Map from GeoHive. I found there is still a house there or near to where the house was on the Ordnance Survey Map, though if it is the same house, it was probably reconstructed as it is a very nice looking home. The Google Street View shows the house and the road heading toward the Bellatrelly Bridge: https://is.gd/tv0OHz
For a Google Street View of the Bellatrelly Bridge along the road heading back to the house, see: https://is.gd/B1ALMf
Rhonda, if you want to see if there are still any Wards living in the Drumbranned area, you can contact the postmaster at the Kilclare Post Office, which is only 1.2 miles northwest of Drumbranned. See the Google Map of the Post Office at: https://is.gd/4FSdE8
The address is:
Kilclare Post Office,
Kilclarebeg, Kilclare,
County Leitrim
____
The post office is located in the shop of M. Kelleher: https://is.gd/GhlRHV
You can write and ask the postmaster if they know if there any Wards in the area, or if they know of any long time residence in their 60s, 70s, or 80s who may remember if there were Wards living in nearby, as you believe one of your Ward ancestors may have lived in Drumbranned, near the Bellatrelly Bridge.
Another thing that you can do, which is something that Roger often suggests, is to send a query to the XO Chronicles, asking if anyone knows of any Wards in the Shanraw, Drumbanned, and Rantoge Glebe area, and any Gilbanes/Kilbannes in the Kildorragh area of County Leitrim
Once again however, there is no way of knowing with complete certainty if the John Ward living in Drumbranned, as recorded in Griffiths Valuation, was the father of Farrell Ward Sr.
Next is the Griffiths Valuation entry for James Ward (Black) and for John Ward, leasing property in Rantoge Glebe, Civil Parish of Kiltubbrid at Map reference 6ab. They leased the property from the Rev. G.D. Mansfield. You’ll notice that James Ward is given the additional moniker of (Black) The color black in this instance, is what’s known in Griffiths Valuation records as an “agnomen,” Latin for “additional name,” either describing a physical characteristic, such as hair color (black, red), a geological location (hill or hollow, for example), or an occupation ( blacksmith, weaver).
In this instance for James Ward, Griffiths Valuation is telling you that he had black hair, and that there may be another man named James Ward leasing property in Rantoge Glebe who would probably have agnomen applied to him to distinguish him from James Ward (Black). In going over all the Occupiers leasing property in Rantoge Glebe, there is a James Ward (Red), signifying he had red hair, which differentiates him from James Ward (Black).
There is also a Thomas Ward leasing property in Rantoge Glebe. These Wards were likely all be related.
The Griffiths Valuation entry for James Ward (Black) and John Ward shows, that while they leased individual houses and offices, they had leased over 29 acres of land in common. The land that James leased was valued at 4 Pounds. His house and offices were valued at 5 Shillings. The land that John leased was valued at 3 Pounds, while his house and offices were valued at 5 Shillings. The total value of James’s lease for tax purposes was 4 Pounds, 5 shillings. The total value for John’s lease was 3 Pounds, 10 Shillings.
The Griffiths Valuation entry below is from the askaboutireland website:
No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 6a, 6b
Civil Parish: Kiltubbrid
Townland: Rantoge Glebe
Occupiers: James Ward (Black); John Ward
Immediate Lessor: Rev. G.D. Mansfield
Description of Tenement, James Ward (Black): House office & land
Description of Tenement, John Ward: House office & land
Area of Land: 29 Acres, 0 Roods, 35 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land, James Ward (Black): 4 Pounds
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land, JohnWard: 3 Pounds
Rateable Annual Valuation of Building, James Ward (Black): 5 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Building, John Ward: 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property, James Ward (Black): 4 Pounds, 5 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property, John Ward: 3 Pounds, 10 Shillings
____
James’s lease was at Map Reference 6a, while John’s lease was at Map Reference 6b. The townland of Rantoge Glebe was difficult to locate on the map accompanying Griffiths Valuation at the askaboutireland website, but I finally managed to find it, as well as map reference number 6a and 6b. Again, I had to go to the 1837 to 1841 Ordnance Survey Map from GeoHive so that I could attach the map to this reply. You can access the map at: http://bit.ly/2HDNCmp
Once you are at the map you’ll see the label for Rantoge Glebe. Just above the capital letter R in Ratoge Glebe, and to the left you’ll see three structures, two of which run parallel with the road. The other house is across the road from them. These are the houses and outbuildings that James Ward (Black) and John Ward had leased. Most the land they leased ran north of the road.
Their holdings in Rantoge Glebe are more difficult to pinpoint on a modern Google Map, but may have been in the area of the old building with the corrugated roof along the road you see in the Google Street View at: https://is.gd/An4OUY
I couldn't find a post office in Rantoge Glebe that you could write to to see of there any Wards still living in the area. There is post office in Drumshanbo that you could write to at:
Drumshanbo Post Office
The Square
Drumshanbo
County Leitrim
____
And as noted earlier you can also submit a query to the XO Chronicles to see if anyone knows of any Wards living in or near Rantoge Glebe.
Concerning Mary Gilbane's father, I found three Griffiths Valuation entries for a Patrick “Kilbann,” in Kildorragh. If you recall, the marriage record for Farrell and Mary shows that Mary’s residence at the time of marriage was “Kildarragh.” The alternate spelling for this place is Kildorragh. The three entries, I believe, refer to the same Patrick Kilbann.
The first entry shows Patrick leasing a house, office, and over 13 acres of land from an Immediate Lessor named Pierce Simpson at Map Reference 1a.
The land was valued at 7 pounds, while the house and offices were valued at 15 shillings, for a total value of 7 Pounds, 15 Shillings. Kildorragh was located in the Civil Parish of Kiltoghert. The Griffiths Valuation transcription for Patrick Kilbann is below:
No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 1a
Civil Parish: Kiltoghert
Townland: Kildorragh
Occupier: Patrick Kilbann
Immediate Lessor: Pierce Simpson
Description of Tenement: House, office and land
Area of Land: 13 Acres, 1 Rood, 10 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 7 Pounds
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 15 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 7 Pounds, 15 Shillings
____
Next is the second entry for Patrick Kilbann in Kildorragh, at Map Reference 2a, showing he leased a herd’s house, office, and over 9 acres of land from Pierce Simpson. The land was valued at 1 Pound and 15 Shillings, while the herd’s house and office were valued at 10 Shillings. The total value of the leasehold subject to the tax came to 8 Pounds and 15 Shillings.
No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 2a
Civil Parish: Kiltoghert
Townland: Kildorragh
Occupier: Patrick Kilbann
Immediate Lessor: Pierce Simpson
Description of Tenement: Herd’s house, office and land
Area of Land: 15 Acres, 1 Rood, 30 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 8 Pounds, 5 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 8 Pounds, 15 Shillings
____
I do not think that Patrick lived in the herd’s house. This may have been the residence of someone who worked for him. That person who lived in the herd’s house would not have been named in Griffiths Valuation because they did not pay for the lease.
The third entry for Patrick Kilbann shows he and four other Occupiers in Kildorragh leased over 9 acres of land in common, but no houses at Map Reference 6. Again, the Immediate Lessor was Pierce Simpson. To save space I’ve only included the value of Patrick’s portion of the leased land in the transcription below.
No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 7
Civil Parish: Kiltoghert
Townland: Kildorragh
Occupiers: Patrick Kilbann, Peter Moran, Peter Cassell, Owen Lloyd, Francis Murphy
Immediate Lessor: Pierce Simpson
Description of Tenement: Land
Area of Land: 9 Acres, 1 Rood, 2 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land, Patrick Kilbann: 1 Pound, 15 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: -
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property for Patrick Kilbann: 1 Pound, 15 Shillings
____
The over 9 acres of land that Patrick and the other Occupiers leased at Map Reference 7, may not have been contiguous with the land, house, and herd’s house that Patrick leased to Map Reference 1a and 2a. I would have to look at the Ordnance Survey Map from the askaboutireland website to find out.
Once again, I think the three references to Patrick Kilbann leasing property in Kildorragh, refers to the same person, as I didn't see that a descriptive agnomen, such as black, red, Senior, Junior, applied to him to differentiate one Patrick Kilbann from another in all three valuation entries for Kildorragh..
I accessed the Ordnance Survey Map for Kildorragh and found the locations of Map References 1a, 2a, and 7. I can show you where these location are on the Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period from the GeoHive website link at: https://is.gd/XFUhp3
Map reference 1a and 2a are situated just above and below the capital letter K for the name of the townland, Kildorragh. Just below the K and above the “Quarry,” you’ll see two little houses. I believe these are the house and herd’s house that Patrick Kilbann had leased. The slightly longer house is probably the house where Patrick lived, and may be the house where his daughter Mary was born.
As far as I can determine, the area of Kildorragh where Patrick leased the house and herd’s house is on the overgrown left side of the road in the Google Street View at: https://is.gd/7hNAID
Concerning Patrick’s daughter Mary, I see that Roger has sent you two Kiltohert Catholic Parish baptism transcriptions for a Mary Kilbane from the RootsIreland website. I found copies of the original baptisms at the National Library of Ireland website. It is possible, though no means a certainty, that Patrick Kilbane, is the same father for both children, which means that the first-born Mary had died, and that Patrick and his wife Anne Foley named the next daughter Mary, in honor of the child who died. Again, this is only theory, not fact.
The baptism record for the first Mary Kilbane on 14 May 1845 is the 6th entry down from the top of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632388#page/140/mode/1up
As Roger pointed out, the name of Mary’s mother in this baptism record is not recorded. The names of the godparents are Peter Moran and Ann Kilbane. Anne Kilbane may have been Patrick’s sister or perhaps sister-in-law. The godfather Peter Moran is interesting. Griffiths Valuation, noted earlier, shows that Patrick Kilbann and Peter Moran, along with Peter Cassell, Owen Lloyd, and Francis Murphy, had leased over 9 acres of land in common in Kildorragh at Map reference 7. Patrick and Peter Moran may have been friends or related through one of Patrick’s sisters.
Also, Farrell Ward and Mary Kilbanne's marriage record shows that one of the witnesses to the marriage was a Margret Moran, who may have been related to Peter Moran in Rantoge Glebe.
Not all Catholic parishes in the Ireland in the 19th century kept burial records, but some did. To find out if the Kiltoghart Catholic Parish had burial records I went to the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0152
I found that the Burial records for the Kiltohart Parish exist for the time period 5 July 1841 to 10 April 1854. With this information I looked for the burial of Mary Kilbann/Kilbane/Gilbane between the years 1845 and 1848, and found one dated 7 May 1847. The burial entry for Mary is the 11th entry down the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632388#page/211/mode/1up
The burial reads, “Departed this life Mary Kilbane.”
As you can see the burial record does not give very much information, such as the age of Mary Kilbane when she died.
The baptism of the second Mary Kilbane on May 30, 1848, is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the right-hand baptism page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632388#page/160/mode/1up
The godparents for this baptism appear to be Jn (John) Kilroy and Anne Murray, but I could be wrong about their names as the writing is faded.
Even with the burial of Mary Kilbane in 1847, I cannot conclusively say that Patrick was the father of both children.
You can try the same strategy in writing to a post office near Kildorragh to see if there are any Gilbanes or Kilbanes/Kilbanns living in the area. A Google Map shows that the Ballinamore Post office is only 1.2 miles southwest of Kildorragh. See the map at: https://is.gd/k1qxSq
You can write to the Post office at:
Ballinamore Post Office
High St, Cannaboe, Ballinamore,
Co. Leitrim, Ireland
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Also as noted earlier, you may also want consider writing a query to the XO Chronicles to see if anyone knows if there are any Kilbanes or Gilbanes living in the Kildorragh area.
Concerning Mary’s husband Farrell Ward, I looked for his baptism transcription at the FMP website for all of County Leitrim, but didn’t find it.
I see that Roger has already sent you the RootsIreland links for the death records of Mary and Farrell Ward. I also found their deaths from the irishgenealogy.ie website, and would like to make a few comments about them.
The 1915 death record shows that Mary died in Rantoge, (which would be Rantoge Glebe), and that her son Michael, who was living in Rantoge at the time, was present at the death and reported the death to the local registrar named Arthur McGauran. Registrar McGauran recorded Mary’s death in the Carrick on Shannon Registration District. We know Farrell and Mary’s son Michael was not in Rantoge Glebe in 1901 and 1911, as he is in the household with them in both of those enumerations.
The death record is another indication that the Ward family had a connection to Rantoge Glebe in the past, especially when you couple that with the fact that an Occupier named John Ward, who may have been Farrell Ward’s father, was enumerated in Rantoge Glebe in Griffiths Valuation in the mid 1850s. If you recall, Rantoge Glebe is 5.9 miles north of Shanraw.
This information prompted me to see if any Wards were living in Rantoge Glebe in the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations. Both census returns show several Ward families living there. The older married male Wards could have been Farrell’s brothers.
For an index of the residents of Rantoge Glebe in the 1901 census, go to the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/GU101x
The index shows that Wards are residing in houses 1, 6, 7, 12, and 17. Click on the word, “occupants,” highlighted in blue to the right of each Ward resident, to see their full names, ages, and occupations of all the members of each household.
The index for residents of Rantoge Glebe in the 1911 census can be found at:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Leitrim/Kiltubbrid/Ran…
The index shows that Wards are residing in houses 1, 2, 7, 12, and 14.
Rantoge Glebe also figures in the lives of the Ward family as evidence by another property record known as the Tithe Applotment Books, whereby farmers with over an acre of land were required to pay money, or tithes, to the established Church of Ireland. Paying tithes to the Church of Ireland was not very popular with the farmers in Ireland, the majority of which were Roman Catholic.
The Tithe Applotment Books record a Jas (James), Connor, John, and William Ward, all living in “Rantouge” Glebe, Kiltubbrid Civil Parish. The tithe record is dated 1833 and comes from the National Archives of Ireland. To view an index of the four Ward farmers recorded in Rantouge Glebe, go to the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/gSMW8B
To access a copy of the original Tithe Applotment page for the Wards, click on any of their names highlighted in blue. Or just go to: https://is.gd/7tb1z8
I didn’t find any Wards recorded in “Shanra,” in the Tithe Applotment Books.
I did find one farmer named Michael Ward in Dumbrinet in the Tithe Applotment Books. I believe this location refers to Drumbranned, where a John Ward was listed as an Occupier in Griffiths Valuation in 1856.
And so, the Tithe Applotment Books, Grififths Valuation, and Mary’s Ward’s death cert all show a connection between the Ward family and the townland of Rantoge Glebe. It’s possible that Farrell Ward Sr. was born there.
While I was at the National Archives of Ireland search engine for the Tithe Applotment Books, I also looked for any Kilbanes, Kilbanns, Gilbanes, etc in “Kildoragh,” Civil Parish of Kiltoghert, but did not find the name there. See: https://is.gd/UECMR9
Rhonda, this reply is getting extremely long, and I’ll close for now, but before closing I’d like to mention that I found the New York ship’s passenger list for Farrell and Mary Ward’s son, Farrell. I also found Farrell’s American death record. If you do not have the ship’s passenger list or the death record, I can send them to you in a follow-up reply.
Best Wishes,
Dave Boylan
