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Seeking mother of Catherine Walsh, dau. of John Walsh, m. Thomas Bleane 1885 Castlebar

Castlebar (Mayo)

I'm researching my wife's Mayo line from the US and I'm stuck on one generation. Hoping someone with local knowledge can help.

What I'm looking for: the name of Catherine Walsh's mother, and anything that helps distinguish her father John Walsh from the many others in Mayo. A townland would be ideal.

What I know:

  • Catherine Walsh married Thomas Bleane on 14 March 1885 in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Castlebar, Castlebar No. 1 registrar's district, Castlebar Union. Group Registration ID 2313083.
  • On that record she is aged 20, spinster, residing at Ardvarney. Her father is given as John Walsh, landholder. Thomas Bleane was of Crimlin, full age, bachelor, landholder, son of James Bleane (deceased). Witnesses were Matthew Moran and Mary Walsh.
  • Her birth year is uncertain. The marriage record implies about 1865, but the 1901 census gives her age as 40 and the 1911 census as 51, both pointing at about 1860. So the real window is roughly 1858 to 1866.
  • Thomas and Catherine appear in Crumlin/Crimlin townland, Pontoon DED, in both the 1901 and 1911 censuses, with nine children. The surname is spelled Bleane in 1885, Blain in 1901 and Blaine in 1911.

What I've ruled out:

  • Castlebar Catholic baptism register, roughly 1858 to 1866: several Catherine Walshes, but none with a father named John. Registers are in English, not Latin.
  • Griffith's Valuation for Ardvarney (Aglish parish, Carra barony) lists five occupiers and no Walsh, so I don't think Ardvarney was the family home. My guess is she was in service there at the time of the marriage.

My questions:

  • Which Catholic parish would a Walsh family near Castlebar most likely have used if not Castlebar itself? I've wondered about Parke or Turlough.
  • Is there a townland nearby with a known Walsh presence that would fit?

Catherine's FamilySearch profile, for reference: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/G87S-K3K - it's pretty spartan, but I'm confident in the information listed there which I arrived at through her son George.

Any pointers gratefully received.

...

sheroux

7 replies

RootsIreland (paid subscription) shows the following baptisms for Catherine Walsh, Father- John

Name after year is mother's

1850 Mary Burdish

1861 Ellen O'Boyle

1862 Ellen O'Boyle

1862 Catherine Murry

1865 Bridget Walsh

1866 Mary McGloglan

1868 Maria O'Connor

Irish Naming patterns for daughters from AI. Was Thomas and Catherine's first daughter Bridget. Maybe her mother's name??

  1. First daughter: Named after the maternal grandmother.
  2. Second daughter: Named after the paternal grandmother.
  3. Third daughter: Named after the mother.
  4. Fourth daughter: Named after the mother’s eldest sister.
  5. Fifth daughter: Named after the father’s eldest sister
  6. If families had more than five children of the same gender, parents would choose names outside the traditional pattern
mtvrdk@gmail.com

Thank you so much! That census and list are a huge help.

I was able to find and confirm her actual family as the Ellen O'Boyle record from 1861 and corroborate with several other pieces of evidence that all match perfectly.

As it turns out, Ellen and John were really busy around that decade with at least three other kids beyond our own Catherine, on their holding in Derrycreeve.

sheroux

All the Catherines I listed were from Islandeady. There was the one from 1850 and the rest were from 1860s. There could be more, just not listed on RootsIreland.

mtvrdk@gmail.com

Here are the John Walshes who were head of household in Islandeady in Griffith's Valuation when the survey was completed in 1857. Perhaps this will lead you to the townland where the Walshes lived.

  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Derrycoosh         Islandeady           Co. Mayo            
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Derrycoosh         Islandeady           Co. Mayo
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Tawnyeeny         Islandeady           Co. Mayo            
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Cashel   Islandeady           Co. Mayo            
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Derrintloura        Islandeady           Co. Mayo            
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Derrycreeve        Islandeady           Co. Mayo            
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Kilfea     Islandeady           Co. Mayo            
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Kilfea     Islandeady           Co. Mayo            
  • Griffith  Walsh    John       Ballynamarroge Islandeady           Co. Mayo

--rootsireland.ie

glanvil3@aol.com

Thanks again everyone, I didn't see the replies and edited my post to indicate that I went ahead and found my Catherine! She was the matriarch of the Derrycreeve Walshes for sure, corroborated with multiple unrelated documents - most notably their other daughter, Mary, who witnessed her sister's marriage, among other known events. I eventually paid for a rootsireland subscription because I have several branches to go down for my wife at this point.

Hopefully some of my research will be useful to others as your help has been to me :)

sheroux

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