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Looking for Flynn

MeathMitchelstown (Meath)

Hello,

I am trying to trace my Father's side of the family, the Flynn family from Mitchelstown. All I knew was that they came from Co. Cork but I have since discovered from the 1901 census in England that my Great Grandmother and my Grandfather and Great Aunt were all born in Mitchelstown.

On that census my Gt Grandmother Mary Flynn is shown as a widow aged 56 living in East London with my Grandfather Willaim Flynn aged 32 who is a Messenger at the Tower of London and my Gt. Aunt Mary aged 29 who is a Waistcoat maker working from home and that their place of birth was Mitchelstown.

My only other clue is on my Grandfather's marriage certificate in 1908 which shows his Father as deceased but a former Bootmaker. I do not know if my Gt Grandfather died in England or before the rest of the family came over but none of them appear on the previous census of 1891 so I am guessing that they were still in Ireland then.

I visited Mitchelstown a few years ago but the only information I got there did not really tally with mine regarding ages of the family members. Mallow Heritage Centre said that a William Flynn and Mary O'Brien married on 3/3/1859 but if I go by the age on the census that would make Mary just 13 or 14 at marriage. They said they had two children called William and Mary (Kilshana and Mulberry respectively) but again the dates of birth were 1864 and 1868 respectively which again would make them older than the ages on the census.They also said another son Patrick was born in 1861 and the witnesses were Thomas Brien and Mary Sullivan. I am not sure therefore if this information is correct or if their ages are correct on the census for one reason or another.

When in Mitchelstown I bought a book by Bill Power in which was a photograph of a play and one of the men shown was a Jeremiah Flynn who bore a striking resemblance to my Father as a young man! Possibly coincidence but who knows? There is also a reference to a William Flynn in a transcript I have of the Doneraile Consiracy but again I have no proof that this was my relative.

Any help you can give would be very much appreciated.

IrelandXO member

2 replies

Judith:

I think the ages on the census record  were understated which happens frequently. Below are the civil registration birth index records for William and Mary (1864 and 1868) and also a baptismal index record for Mary showing her parents as William Flynn and Mary O'Brien. If you want copies of the civil birth records, you can write to the GRO www.groireland.ie  fill out their form and provide the year of birth, registration district (Mitchelstown) and the volume and page number ( 4 and 729 for William, 19 and 817 for Mary). Costs 4 euros each.

Roger McDonnell

Name: William Flynn
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 1864
Event Place: Mitchelstown, Ireland
Registration Quarter and Year: 1864
Registration District: Mitchelstown
Age:  
Birth Year (Estimated):  
Mother's Maiden Name:  
Volume Number: 4
Page Number: 729

{C}

{C}

Name: Mary
Gender: Female
Christening Date:  
Christening Place: 817, MITCHELSTOWN, CORK, IRE
Birth Date: 02 Oct 1868
Birthplace: Mitchelstown, Cork, Ire
Death Date:  
Name Note:  
Race:  
Father's Name: William Flynn
Father's Birthplace:  
Father's Age:  
Mother's Name: Mary O Brien
Name: Mary Flynn
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 1868
Event Place: Mitchelstown, Ireland
Registration Quarter and Year: 1868
Registration District: Mitchelstown
Age:  
Birth Year (Estimated):  
Mother's Maiden Name:  
Volume Number: 19
Page Number: 817
Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks for that information. Maybe this is the right family after all and the ages on the English census are incorrect. Would still like to hear from anyone else who might recognise any of the details in my post.

 

IrelandXO member

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