IrelandXO - Connecting the Irish Diaspora

Hi Mike, oddly I was pondering on our previous mails as I came across them only the evening prior to your posting. Appears the break may have been on my side so apologies for that.

As best I can make out the church parish is Togher as that is what the area is known as now and it can be seen on the church register site in general, that is here, https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0236 the civil area of Clonmore can be seen here, https://www.townlands.ie/louth/ you can also see the Griffiths townland mentioned for Andrew but this is 1854, possibly done in 1853, as your Andrew it would appear the Andrew mentioned is his father as your man left in 1852, using the plot number and the map icons with some difficulty you should be able to see the plot on a modern map on the ask about Ireland website, the area is still fairly rural and the only changes should be in the quality of the houses and an increase also. There is an absolutly lovely old church in Martinstown I think if you are in the area and a gravey.ard. There are a number of Harlin inscriptions in Clonmore graveyard and this appears to be the most relevant.

HARLIN Erected by Andrew Harlin, of Clonmore to the memory of his father Andrew who died the 11th December 1781. Also of his mother Mary, who died the 10th February 1837. Also the above named Andrew Harlin who died 1st December 1860 aged 79 years. Also Andrew grandson of the said Andrew Harlin who died on the 19th day of April 1881 aged 5 years and 5 months. And of his grand mother Mary who died on the 10th day of April 1879 aged 70 yrs. May they rest in peace.

There are more but I assume copyright applies, there are only 13 Harlans listed on this subscripton site with limited free searching, of which only one is in Louth. https://www.johngrenham.com/surnames/

A lot of people left that area in around 1852, there is a list of a census from then for the Foster Estates, no Harlan's but it was mentioned one family went to Dayton. I ahve answered a number of queries for the area, two stick out are Carroll and Markey, the big land owner in the area was Lord Bellew, (your landlord was Robinson) and Barmeath Castle is still occupied but the family, it is open on a small number of days each year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmeath_Castle Oddly when I searched it came up on Air B&B, leave that to you though.

There is not a huge amount of actual tourist stuff in the area, Annagassen is where the Vikings first landed in Ireland at the end of the 9th century, currently being excavated so no visiting, there is a restaurant in Annagasen also in nearby Termonfeckin who have a history site with two early Harlin mentions http://www.termonfeckinhistory.ie/

There is a Dunleer history page on Facebook, not very active but some nice old photos. Also there is a private Louth Genealogy Facebook page. Near Dunleer there is a a very old site, over a thousand years which I love, leave about an hour to see it, it is free but a small donation is appreciated. http://www.megalithicireland.com/High%20Cross%20Monasterboice.htm Also if you are eating locally there is https://monasterboice-inn.ie/ this is close to the HIgh Crosses place and also Dunleer on the Drogheda side. Drogheda itself is a historic town with a lot of things to see, however the main attraction is close enough to these places maybe 12 miles from Togher, allow at least half a day, https://www.newgrange.com/

There was another Harlin / Harlan query on this site recently, think it was from the Meath side of Drogheda though, mind you I better revisit as I could find no Harlin in Meath but have turned up that spelling in your search.

The area is about 40 miles from Dublin and there is a motorway down (freeway) also trains to Drogheda and buses but stil a way to go and a car would be required.

Come back with any follow up, I can access the other Harlin grave inscriptions also.

Regards

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

7 years ago

Hello Mike,

Before looking at Irish records I did some preliminary research about Andrew Harlan and Mary Darby after they left Ireland for America and settled in Pennsylvania. This research took place primarily at Ancestry.com.

The earliest record I found that recorded Andrew and Mary is the 1860 census for Richland, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. The census was taken on August 11 of 1860. The census shows that Andrew is a 34 year old farmer born in Ireland. The value of his real estate is $850, while his personal estate value is $350.

His wife Mary is 23 years old and also born in Ireland. The census also shows that Andrew had attended school during the year, but that he and Mary could not read and write. The census further shows that they had been married within the year 1860. The census is almost impossible to read because of fading, and so I have not included it as an attachment to this reply. But it had been transcribed by Ancestry.com. You can view the individual 1860 census transcriptions for Andrew and Mary below:

1860 United States Federal Census

Name: Andrew Harland
Age: 34
Birth Year: abt 1826
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Ireland
Home in 1860: Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania
Post Office: Johnstown
Dwelling Number: 2685
Family Number: 2722
Occupation: Farmer

Real Estate Value: 850
Personal Estate Value: 350

Married Within Year: Yes
Attended School: Yes
Cannot Read, Write: Y

AND

Name: Mary Harland
Age: 23
Birth Year: abt 1837
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Ireland
Home in 1860: Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania
Post Office: Johnstown
Dwelling Number: 2685
Family Number: 2722
Married Within Year: Yes
Cannot Read, Write: Y

Source Citation
Year: 1860; Census Place: Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1088; Page: 411; Family History Library Film: 805088

Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
____

I next found the birth indexes for six children of Andrew and Mary Harlan submitted to Ancestry.com by a person named Collen Mitchem in her Pozniak-Vogel Family Tree:

Birth of Daughter Jennie Harlan(1867–1937)
1-27-1867 • Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania

Birth of Daughter Margaret "Maggie" Harlan(1869–1912)
2-20-1869 • Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania

Birth of Son Andrew Harlan(1871–1946)
1-3-1871 • Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania

Birth of Son Christopher Regis Harlan(1875–1917)
16 Apr 1875 • Pennsylvania

Birth of Son John Patrick Harlan(1877–1940)
6-29-1877 • Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania

Birth of Daughter Mary May "Mollie" Harlan(0–1917)
2-0-1880 • Richland, Cambria, Pennsylvania

Source Citation: Colleen Mitchem, Pozniak-Vogel Family Tree: Ancestry.com
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/2613974/family/familyview?fpi…
____

It’s possible that Andrew and Mary had children before the birth of Jennie Harlan in 1867. According to the 1860 census they were married in 1860. But, Andrew may have been away from home after June 1863 as there is a list of men from the Pennsylvania counties of Huntington, Blair, Cambria, and Mifflin, Pennsylvania who are recorded on a draft registration list. This record was also found at Ancestry.com and is attached to this reply. Andrew is recorded the 4th man from the bottom of the list for Richland County. This record shows that Andrew was a 40 year old “Farmer,” from “Ireland.” Just below him in the list is 44 year old John Harlan, who may have been his brother.

At the National Park Services free online “Soldiers and Sailors Database,” I found an Andrew Harlan had belonged to Company E, 10th Regiment, of the New Jersey Infantry. See the record below:

NAME: Harlan, Andrew
BATTLE UNIT NAME: 10th Regiment, New Jersey Infantry
SIDE: Union
COMPANY: E
SOLDIER'S RANK IN: Private
SOLDIER'S RANK OUT:
ALTERNATE NAME:
FILM NUMBER: M550 ROLL 10
PLAQUE NUMBER:
NOTES: none

Source Citation: National Park Service: Soldiers and Sailors Database:
https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm
____

According to additional information found at the Soldiers and Sailors Database, the 10tgh Regiment, New Jersey Regiment was station in both Philadelphia and Pottsville, Pennsylvania in 1863. Andrew may have joined this regiment when it was in Philadelphia or Pottsville.

Go to the following Soldiers and Sailors database to read about the Battle Unit Details of the 10th New Jersey Volunteers: https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitC…

Mike, do you know if the above Civil War information about Andrew Harlan pertains to your ancestor?

IRISH RECORDS

I found a possible baptism record for your Andrew “Harlin.” Your information shows he was born in 1819, though you have to consider that ages and years of birth recorded in U.S. records, such as census records, marriage records and death records, are not always accurate.

I can’t say with certainty that this baptism record pertains to your Andrew Harlan as it is not known what the names of his parents were.

The record for Andrew Harlin shows he was baptized in the Togher Catholic Parish on 1 November 1817. This is the parish recorded on his application for U.S. citizenship. The baptism can be accessed at the free National Library of Ireland website link at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632630#page/100/mode/1up

There are two facing pages to the baptism register. Andrew’s baptism is the last entry on the left-hand page.

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.

The baptism entry shows that Andrew’s father was Andw. (Andrew) Harlin. His mother was Cathn (Catherine) Leonard. Below the names of the parents are the names of the sponsors, or godparents. They are James Cully and Bridget Lawless. Bridget’s last name looks like “Lawlefs, but this is how the double (ss) was written in many 18th and early 19th century records. Below Bridget Lawless’s name is the location where the Harlins were living when Andrew was born. This location is Blackhill, though I could not find Blackhill on modern day maps of the Clonmore/Togher areas of County Louth, or on old Ordnance Survey Maps of the area from the 19th century.

Below is a transcription of Andrew’s Togher Catholic Parish Baptism record.

Nov 1817

1st B. Andw. Of Andw. Harlin & Cath Leonard

S.S. James Cully and Bridget Lawlefs

Blackhill
____

In the baptism record the 1st means November 1. The B means Baptism. The letters S.S before the names of the godparents is the Latin abbreviation for Sponsoribus, which means Sponsors or godparents.

Mike, in your research for your ancestors, have you ever come across the surname Leonard? Or the surname Lawless?

This Andrew Harlan is the only child by that name ( at least that I could find) who was baptized in the Togher Catholic Parish between the years 1807 and 1827.

But, the baptism record doesn’t tell you which church Andrew was baptized in. Often, there was more than one Catholic Church in a parish, and sometimes the parish church was not even located in the town after which it was named. For example, I accessed Ordnance Survey Maps, similar to the ones used in Griffiths Valuation, to see if there had been Catholic churches in Togher and Clonmore before 1850. These maps were compiled between 1837 and 1842. I didn’t find a Catholic Church in either location. Smaller Catholic churches in the Ordnance Survey Maps were labeled, “R.C. Chapel,” while many Church of Ireland structures were just called Church.

You can see the Ordnance Survey Map for Clonmore at the following GeoHive website link: http://bit.ly/38JvhPN

Once the map downloads click on “Close Menu” to view the full map of Clonmore. You can zoom in and zoom out of the map using the gage in the upper right corner of the screen. You can also pan the map left, right, up, and down to go to the four locations on the compass.

The next link will take you to an Ordnance Survey Map of nearby Togher: http://bit.ly/2vOL80S

I went over both the Clonmore and Togher Ordnance Survey Maps to see if I could locate Blackhill, but didn’t have any luck.

While on the map for Togher, pan the map downwards, to go north. You’ll come to Ardballan Hill. Pan down just a little bit more to go north and you’ll come to the label, “R.C. Chapel” to the right of the red boundary line. This chapel was located in the townland of Wyanstown. Wyanstown was in the Civil Parish of Port, but in the Catholic Parish of Togher. Andrew Harlin may have been baptized in this chapel.

Sometime in the past the R.C. Chapel was replaced by a larger church called Saint Colmcille’s. Saint Colmcille’s is east of the old R.C. Chapel. On the Google Map that follows, the old R.C. Chapel would have been located where the blue road marker takes a right-angle toward the east and Saint Colmcille’s: https://is.gd/BufH8K

On an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1888 to m1913 time period, the old R.C. Chapel is no longer present in the same area of Wyanstown. Only the Presbytery remains. The presbytery would be what in America is called the Catholic rectory. See the map from GeoHive at: http://bit.ly/2uele6z

You’ll see that this map doesn’t show Saint Colmcille’s Catholic Church, which means the church wasn’t built as of 1888, though I don’t know the exact date the map was compiled.

I looked for a location called Blackhill in Griffiths Valuation for the Civil Parish of Clonmore, County Louth, but didn’t find it. Blackhill may have been a section of either Clonmore or Togher, but too small to be recorded on the Ordnance Survey Maps.

If you think there is the possibility that the Andrew Harlin baptized in the Togher Catholic Parish in 1817 is your ancestor, submit a query to the Ireland Reaching Out XO Chronicles, to see if anyone in the Clonmore and Togher areas knows where Blackhill is, or was located. The XO Chronicles page can be accessed at: https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy

In addition, Andrew and his wife Mary named one of their sons Andrew, who was born in 1871. This child may not have only been named after his father, but also his grandfather.

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

I didn’t find an Andrew Harlan/Harlon leasing property in the civil parish of Dunleer in Griffiths Valuation. I accessed Griffiths Valuation at the free askaboutireland website and also at Ancestry.com. Dunleer was in the civil parish of Dunleer, while Clonmore was also a civil parish, as well as a town. Togher was a Catholic parish in the civil parish Clonnore. Griffiths Valuation for this area for County Meath was published by the year 1854, but the Griffiths enumerators, called “Valuers” may have actually walked the land in Clonmore and Arballan a year or two before 1854.

I found that a man or men named Andrew Harlon/Harlan leased four different properties in the civil parish of Clonmore, with three of the properties located in Clonmore Town, and one property in Arballan. Earlier you saw an Ordnance Survey Map of Ardballan Hill, which is in the townland of Ardballan.

Below is one of the Grififths Valuation entries for Andrew “Harlon” leasing property in Clonmore Town:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 14 a
Civil Parish: Clonmore
Townland: Clonmore
Occupier: Andrew Harlon
Immediate Lessor: Sir John S. Robinson, Bt.
Description of Tenement: House, offices, and land
Area of Land: 12 Acres, 2 roods, 25 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 13 Pounds, 5 Shillings, 0 Pence
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 3 Pounds, 5 Shillings, 0 Pence
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 16 Pounds, 10 Shillings
____

Griffiths Valuation shows that Andrew Harlon leased a house, offices, and land in Clonmore from an Immediate Lessor named Sir John S. Robinson, Bt. The initials Bt stand for “Baronet.”

Sir John was probably the owner of the property that Andrew leased. Andrew leased over 12 acres of land valued at 13 Pounds and 5 Shillings, while his house and offices were valued at 3 Pounds and 5 Shillings. The total value of Andrew’s lease was 16 Pounds and 10 Shillings. He would have paid a percentage of the value toward the tax. An office in Griffiths Valuation could refer to a barn, stable, blacksmith shop, piggery, etc. The map reference number at the top of the entry refers to a location marker showing Andrew’s leasehold on an Ordnance Survey Map that is different from, but similar to the one you saw earlier in the reply from GeoHive.

Below is another Griffiths Valuation entry for Andrew Harlon in Clonmore, at map reference 15, showing he leased over 11 acres of land from Sir John. No house or offices are with this valuation. The value of the land is 12 Pounds and 10 Shillings:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 15
Civil Parish: Clonmore
Townland: Clonmore
Occupier: Andrew Harlon
Immediate Lessor: Sir John S. Robinson, Bt.
Description of Tenement: Land
Area of Land: 11 acres, 2 Roods, 23 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 12 Pounds, 10 Shillings, 0 Pence
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: -
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 12 Pounds, 10 Shillings
____

Griffiths Valuation also shows that at Map reference 13 in Clonmore, Andrew Harlon leased over 13 acres of land from Sir John, valued at 12 Pounds and 10 Shillings:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 13
Civil Parish: Clonmore
Townland: Clonmore
Occupier: Andrew Harlon
Immediate Lessor: Sir John S. Robinson, Bt.
Description of Tenement: Land
Area of Land: 13 acres, 0 Roods, 21 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 12 Pounds, 10 Shillings, 0 Pence
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: -
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 12 Pounds, 10 Shillings
____

Next is the Griffiths Valuation entry for Andrew “Harlan” leasing offices and one parcel of land, and a second, smaller parcel of land in Ardballan, Civil Parish of Clonmore at map references 18A a, and 18 B. The land was leased from Sir John.

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 18A a, 18 B
Civil Parish: Clonmore
Townland: Ardballan
Occupier: Andrew Harlan
Immediate Lessor: Sir John S. Robinson, Bt.
Description of Tenement at Map 18A a: Offices and land
Area of Land: 24 Acres, 2 Roods, 27 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 13 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 5 Shillings
Description of Tenement at Map 18 B: Land
Area of Land: 1 Acre, 2 Roods, 0 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 1 Pound, 5 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: -
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property for both leases:15 Pounds
____

It is possible, though I can’t prove it, that one of the Occupiers named Andrew was your ancestor just prior to his immigration to America and settling in Pennsylvania. It’s also possible however that the Andrew Harlon/Harlan in Griffiths Valuation is the same person who leased property in two different but contiguous townlands, Clonmore and Ardballan. See the Google Map at: https://is.gd/0w91Jb

Also see the Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to m1842 time period showing Clonmore, Ardballan, Togher and Wyanstown at the GeoHive website link: http://bit.ly/39MMckO

In addition, Griffiths Valuation shows that at map references 15a, 15b, and 15c in Clonmore, Occupiers named Henry Staun, James Crilly, and Patrick Conlon leased property from an Immediate Lessor named Andrew Harlon. In this instance Andrew Harlon acted as the middleman for the owner of the property, Sir John Robinson, Bt. See the entries below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 15a
Civil Parish: Clonmore
Townland: Ardballan
Occupier: Henry Staun
Immediate Lessor: Andrew Harlon
Description of Tenement: House and offices
Area of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 1 Pound
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property:1Pound
____

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 15b
Civil Parish: Clonmore
Townland: Ardballan
Occupier: James Crilly
Immediate Lessor: Andrew Harlon.
Description of Tenement: House and garden
Area of Land: 10 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 2 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 18 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 1 Pound
____

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 15c
Civil Parish: Clonmore
Townland: Ardballan
Occupier: Patrick Conlon
Immediate Lessor: Andrew Harlon.
Description of Tenement: House & small garden
Area of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 10 Shillings
____

The Ordnance Survey Maps specific to Griffiths Valuation can be downloaded from the askaboutireland website, but these maps can be a challenge to navigate. This is because of so many map reference numbers on the maps when looking for specific properties recorded in Griffiths Valuation. If you are flying into Dublin and staying there a day or two before going to Louth and Meath, consider stopping by the Valuation Office and see if one of the officials there can pinpoint the properties on the Ordnance Survey Maps that Andrew Harlon/Harlan leased in Clonmore and Ardballan, County Meath.

For more information and the location of the Valuation Office in Dublin, go to the following links:

https://www.valoff.ie/en/
https://www.valoff.ie/en/archive-research/genealogy/
https://www.valoff.ie/en/archive-research/certificates-and-maps/

A Google Map shows that the Valuation Office is just north of the River Liffey in Dublin:
https://is.gd/nfNvce

VALUATION OFFICE FIELD BOOKS

I next found Andrew “Harlin” recorded in the Valuation Office Field Books held by the National Archives of Ireland. For an explanation about what the Valuation Office Field Books were, go to the National Archives of Ireland link at: http://census.nationalarchives.ie/search/vob/field_books.jsp

The can search the Field Books at: http://census.nationalarchives.ie/search/vob/index.jsp

The index for Andrew Harlin shows he was living in Clonmore, civil parish of Clonmore, and that the date of the valuation was 24 March 1837: https://is.gd/AiyuVX

If you click on either Andrew’s first or last names you’ll come to a copy of the original field book entry for several Occupiers in Clonmore. The writing on the page is faded but still readable. In the left column go down to the subheading, “Houses.” The entry for Andrew Harlin is entry Number 8, and shows that he leased a “house and offices” in Clonmore.

THE TITHE APPLOTMENT BOOKS

Twenty years before Griffiths Valuation and four years before the Office Filed Book entry, Andrew “Harlen” was also recorded leasing property in both Clonmore and Ardballan in another Irish land record called the Tithe Applotment Books. To read more about what this land survey entailed, go to the following National Archives of Ireland links:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/about.jsp
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/aboutmore.jsp

To search for landholders in the Tithe Applotment Books go to the National Archives of Ireland link at:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp

The indexes for Andrew Harlen in the Tithe Applotment Books can be accessed at the following National Archives of Ireland link: https://is.gd/1eG9Jt

The indexes show the tithe survey was conducted in the year 1833. If he had been born in 1817, your Andrew Harlan would have been 16 years old, which I believe would have been too young to lease property. I suspect in this case, the Andrew Harlen in Clonmore and Ardballan are the same person, and not father and son.

If you click on either the first name of Andrew Harlen in either Clonmore or Ardballan, you’ll come to copies of the original tithe entries. In Clonmore Andrew Harlen is recorded at Line Number 8. This entry shows that he leased three different properties in Clonmore.

Next, in the Tithe Applotment Books for Ardballan, Andrew Harlen is on Line Number 44, and is leasing one parcel of property. See a copy of the original tithe page for Andrew at: https://is.gd/8X8OkX

MARY DARBY

Concerning Mary Darby Harlan, I found a baptism record for a Mary Darby recorded in the Rathkenny Catholic Parish, County Meath, on 15 May 1834. This is the year of birth you have for Mary. Her parents are Michael Darby and Bridget Bryan. But again, without knowing the names of her parents from other records in Ireland or America, you can’t be sure if this baptism pertains to your great grandmother.

Mary’s baptism record is the 10th entry down from the top of the right-hand register page at the following national Library of Ireland link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635143#page/62/mode/1up

Her godparents are Tom Delahant and Judith Dowdall.

I’ve transcribed the baptism record for Mary below:

May 1834

15 – Mary of Michl Darby & Bridgt Bryan
Sp Tom Delahant & Judith Dowdall -
____

The initials sp before Tom Delahant stand for “sponsors.” In this baptism record the address of the Darby family is not recorded.

I also found three other children named Mariam Darby who were baptized in County Meath in the 1830s. Mariam is the Latin for Mary. All three of these children were baptized in the Athboy Catholic parish. I’ve transcribed their baptisms below:

July 1832

9 Mariam Darby child of Michael (Darby) and Brid Cormick S.S. Patricio Shaughnassey and Mariam Casey.
____

February 1835

6 Mariam Darby child of Christopher (Darby) and Anna Waters
Sp (Sponsors) Mathis Byrne and Bridg Gibney
____

April 1836

27 Mariam Darby child of Jacob (Darby) and Maria Farrelly
Sp Thomas Govern and Maria Darby.
____

The Mariam Darby baptized on 6 February of 1835 could actually refer to your ancestor. Her father is Christopher. Andrew and Mary named one of their sons Christopher, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1875.

Mike, do you know which Civil Parish or Catholic Parish in Meath your Mary Darby came from?

Best Wishes,

Dave Boylan

davepat