Nolans - Templemichael, Longford.

Thanks so much for all this David.

Another bit of the family added to with the baptism of Elizabeth. Who is being mentioned under her name? Is it the officiating Priest?

I had the record of William Nolan dying in 1894. I also had the possibility of Mary being the daughter of Eugini & Margarita McGinnis. Interesting to see other possibilities. What I tried to do was use Griffith's Valuations to find Carr families that lived in the same Townlands as any Nolan families. Guesswork, I know.

Lack of information about my grandfather's siblings (except for Gerard) led me to the conjecture that the family left as others ... walking together along the Royal Canal to Dublin then a ship to Liverpool. I did find a William and Mary Nolan in Liverpool but they had only three children - with matching names but totally wrong ages. What also led me to think this happened was that my grandfather's little sister left Wishaw for Canada under a scheme known as the British Home Children. The family were that poor and living conditions were that cramped she was being given a chance of a better life. She ended up in Canada. Her descendents were to prosper.

My grandfather's nephew would leave his poverty behind a few years after his Aunt. Both left by way of Liverpool. Coincidence?

My great-grandfather's family lived in great poverty as you discovered. The last time that he applied for Poor Relief from the Kirk in Scotland was 2 days before he died. They were awarded 6/- His wife Catherine was to marry a Peter McKeon 2 years later. He came from Killoe - his father also Peter was married to a Maria Dooris. He and Catherine Nolan had 3 children (one died in infancy). He drifted in and out of the family's life. My grandfather became the head of the household. Peter died on the 17th March 1937. He was living in a Model - a hostel for unemployed men. He had probably been sleeping off the celebrations in the pub across the way.

My great-grandfather;s brother Gerard married Anne Campbell in Longford and a witness indicated was a James Nolan (my great-grandfather?) Had he come back over to Longford from Wishaw?

Gerard's family too, when settled in Wishaw, lived in the utmost poverty. Two of his many children died in infancy. Some of his girls ended up in Falls River, Massachusetts. He died in a yard in the town in 1914.

His daughter Elizabeth had been baptised in Longford on the 12th February 1881. I will need to check Scotland's census for the years the family were in Scotland. Maybe she had been left in Longford with Anne's family. Her father was John Campbell and her mother was a Mary Spooner. They lived in Bog Lane, I think.

Thanks again David for taking the time to help further my research. Maybe this year i will get over there. I passed through Longford many years ago in my VW camper van. I hadn't known then of my great-grandfather. Part of my mother's side of the family came from Kildorrery in County Cork. 

Thanks again David for those extra names mentioned, in the baptismal record of Margaret Nolan; and the Marriage record of Elizabeth Nolan.

You indicate that it was not uncommon for folk from Longford Town to migrate to Scotland. Do you have any idea as to the preferred route that they took?

Elizabeth Nolan, Gerard and Anne's daughter, was their 3rd child and she had been baptised on the 12th February 1881 in Longford Town. Next after her was Anne who was baptised sometime in 1883 in Longford Town also. Sometime between then and the 7th May1886 when Thomas was born in Wishaw, they had moved to Scotland. The next Scottish Census of 1891 only mentions 4 of the first 5 children - Elizabeth is missing; she must have been left in Longford Town. Perhaps in the care of grandparents? There were 2 visitors mentioned in the same Census; a John Campbell (19) and an Elizabeth Campbell (24), both single and I presume Anne's younger brother and sister.

The Mary Carr I found had land just north of the present day city centre on what is now the R198, near the corner of Demesne Lane (I have lost a more accurate position). If I recall correctly it was just a piece of land with a byre or barn. Again, I can't remember the exact wording in the description. Interesting that you think it may have been Mary Flanigan Carr.

There is still a strong presence in Wishaw of descendants of the many Irish who settled all those years ago.  

Brilliant David. So was that the same Mary Carr I described as living near Demesne Lane? I note Martin was born in Bog Lane. This was where Gerard's first child Mary had been born on the 7th April 1878 - his father-in-law's house John Campbell. Finally David, does the local library have family research records / facilities to use? What arrangements have to be made to utilise them? Do you need to pay? Once again thank you for what you have had time to do on my behalf.

HI David. Sorry to bother you again but I have discovered Ann Nolan, the daughter of Gerard Nolan. & Annie Campbell, was married twice. The first time in 1904 to a Patrick Burns ....

.... and again in 1920 to a John Mallon - both she and John's previous spouses were deceased.

Ann's death certificate illustrates perfectly how difficult it is a times. One example is Ann's mother is noted as being Annie Gamble.

Perhaps Ann Nolan was born, or baptised, in 1884, not 1883. I can find no record of her being born in Scotland.

Thanks so much for the research links and I was wondering if there are any particular army records I can access. I am presuming that the name Campbell has military references somewhere. Was there a British Army barracks in Longford Town?

By the way, if there is any help I can give re. research here in Scotland, I would be only to happy to help.

Anne's life was terrible and so, I have come to learn, were the lives of others - in both the Nolan families from Longford Town. It is very sobering to think this.

The possibility of the registrar detailing the wrong name is probably the correct assumption David. I believe that the registrar misheard the surname and mistakenly wrote Gamble in the certificate. The same thing had happened with my great-grannie's father - James Burns. He was from Armagh and it took me a great deal of time to find his baptism record there, as he was born James Byrnes. I believe that in submitting details for the Scottish Census, he was misheard and recorded as Burns. Both cases may have been due to their Irish accents. 

Another case was the son of my great-grannie after she had married the second time. Her daughter, Mary Nolan, took her young step-brother, Patrick, to the local school on his first day. When she approached the headteacher she was greeted by, "Not another Nolan!!" He was in fact Patrick McKeon but from that day on he was 'officially' Patrick Nolan and a Nolan he was to remain. Interestingly all his children had the middle name McKeon (or variations in that spelling).

I read part of the link concerning Longford and when I get time I will read further. The part relating to the military presence in the town was interesting. It talks of the plantations in the early 17th century. Were these plantations of Scots? Or were the Scots mostly confined to the northern counties of Ireland? I was musing that perhaps the Campbell family had military roots but now it may be because they were part of the plantation. Also the Spooner family's story goes back several generations (military connections?) The name doesn't seem to be Irish. I have a possible link for Henry Francis Spooner (Spunner), baptised in Shinrone, County Offaly in 1770.

Forgive my meandering. Thanks again David.