BROE / BROWE ETC
Hello Anne, thanks for your query. Please forgive my delay in replying. The Broe / Browe / Brow surname is a common name around the Blessington area. If you look at the 1911 Census of Ireland most with those surnames in Co Wicklow are in the DEDs of Lackan, Kilbride, Blessington, Burgage, Hollywood and Togher which are all surrounding Blessington town. Also if you look at County Kildare there are many clustered in the area between Naas and Blessington.
Look at the county distribution for the Broe surname in http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=
The other spellings of Browe or Brow do not show up in Griffith's.
I'm not sure how we can link up the Blessington Broes with the Rathfarnham Broes. However, there had been a continuous stream of migration from north Wicklow into Co Dublin for many many years and it seem likely that the Broes are related.
I can only find two Broes in the Tithes Applotment Books (c.1833) for the Civil Parish of Blessington - both named Micl Broe. One was in Threecastles and the other in Blessington Demesne. None show up in Boystown or Hollywood. That doesn?t mean there weren?t any Broes there - they may not have qualified. Also you could try www.RootsIreland.ie. For the parishes of Blessington, Valleymount, Ballymore Eustace etc
I have transcribed some of the Boystown / Valleymount RC church records relating to my family and the earliest Browe I found was a Wm Browe who was a sponsor at the baptism of Miles Balf - son of Jas & Mary Balf in 1810. There was also a Thos Browe sponsor in 1813, Wm Browe sponsor in 1813, Thos Browe sponsor in 1818, Margt Browe sponsor in 1818. And Ester Broe daughter of John & Margt Broe in 1823 etc. I also found a baptism in 1877 of a Timotheus Balfe son of Andreas Balfe & Anna Broe of Kylebeg [aka Kilbeg] which is beside Lackan / Lacken. The Broes and Balfes appear to come from the Lackan general area.
I?m not sure if this helps.
Kind regards
Patrick Clarke