Hello John,
I’m not related but saw your message at Ireland Reaching Out’s, “St Nicholas (Galway) Reaching Out – new additions this week.”
I found information about the younger Stephen Ruane that you may be interested in. In just a bit you’ll be able to access a free copy of his civil registration birth record from the irishgenealogy.ie website by clicking on the link that is coming up.
As you’ll see the birth record shows that Stephen was born in Knock, Galway, on 17 April 1900. His father is Stephen Ruane, of Galway, employed as a “Tram Driver.” His mother is Mary Ruane, formerly “Neavin.” Mary, whose residence was Knock, reported the birth to the registrar, Martin Semple. Martin Semple recorded the birth in the Ballinrobe Registration District on 5 May 1900. Go to the following link and follow the prompts to access Stephen’s birth record: https://tinyurl.com/n86zh8n4
There are several townlands in County Galway called Knock, but without more specific information I can’t tell which Knock townland that Stephen was actually born in.
Sometime after the 1911 census the younger Stephen Ruane moved to England, as I found him and his wife Ethel living in Paddington, London, in a collection from Ancestry.com entitled, “1939 England and Wales Register.”
The 1939 register shows that Stephen and Ethel were living at an address of 32 Delamere Tce in Paddington. I believe that the initials Tce stand for Terrace, and so the address would be 32 Delamere Terrace, Paddington. Stephen’s date of birth is 17 April 1900, which is the same date on his Irish birth record. The register also shows that Stephen was employed as a “Railway Porter.”
His wife Ethel was born on 13 April 1891. Her occupation was “Household Duties (Unpaid).”
The individual indexes for Stephen and Ethel in the 1939 England and Wales Register are below. As mentioned above, the Register was found at the Ancestry.com website. The original 1939 England and Wales Registers are held by the National Archives, Kew, Surrey, London:
1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Stephen Ruane
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Birth Date: 17 Apr 1900
Residence Date: 1939
Address: 32 Delamere Tce
Residence Place: Paddington, London, England
Occupation: Railway Porter
Line Number: 9
Schedule Number: 78
Sub Schedule Number: 1
Enumeration District: APBM
Borough: Paddington
Inferred Spouse: Ethel Ruane
Household Members, Age
Stephen Ruane 39
Ethel Ruane 48
1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Ethel Ruane
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married
Birth Date: 13 Apr 1891
Residence Date: 1939
Address: 32 Delamere Tce
Residence Place: Paddington, London, England
Occupation: Household Duties (Unpaid)
Line Number: 10
Schedule Number: 78
Sub Schedule Number: 2
Enumeration District: APBM
Borough: Paddington
Inferred Spouse: Stephen Ruane
Household Members, Age
Stephen Ruane 39
Ethel Ruane 48
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.
Original data: Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of TNA, London England. 1939 Register (Series RG101), The National Archives, Kew, London, England. The National Archives give no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to The National Archives Image Library, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, Tel: 020 8392 5225. Fax: 020 8392 5266.
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I’d like to send you an attachment of the original 1939 England and Wales Register, but there is no place provided in the Ireland Reaching Out reply section to do this. If you can provide your email address in a follow-up reply to Ireland Reaching Out, I’ll send the attachment as soon as I receive your return message.
Another collection at Ancestry.com called, “London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965,” gives Stephen and Ethel Ruane’s address as 20 Delamere Crescent, rather than Delamere Terrace for the year 1935.
See below:
London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965
Name: Stephen Ruane
Electoral Date: 1935
Street Address: 20 Delamere Crescent
Ward or Division/Constituency: Paddington
County or Borough: Westminster, England
Name: Ethel Ruane
Electoral Date: 1935
Street Address: 20 Delamere Crescent
Ward or Division/Constituency: Paddington
County or Borough: Westminster, England
Source Information
Ancestry.com. London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data: Electoral Registers. London, England: London Metropolitan Archives.
Images produced by permission of the City of London Corporation Libraries, Archives and Guildhall Art Gallery Department.
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I didn’t find a Delamere Crescent in London, but did locate Delamere Terrace and a Delamere Street on a Google Map, which you can view at: https://tinyurl.com/59s9f32h
Not labeled on the map is the name of the canal that runs parallel to Delamere Terrace. This is The Grand Union Canal.
For two Google Street Views of a shade covered Delamere Terrace, see: https://tinyurl.com/mryuyf2e and https://tinyurl.com/2p8mt27h
An index from Ancestry.com shows that the marriage of Stephen Ruane and Ethel Edwards was recorded in the Paddington, London Registration District in the June quarter of 1931. See the index below:
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Stephen Ruane
Registration Date: Apr 1931
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration District: Paddington
Inferred County: London
Spouse: Ethel Edwards
Volume Number: 1a
Page Number: 124
Source Citation
General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 1a; Page: 124
Source Information
Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.
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A copy of the original marriage record for Stephen and Ethel will provide a lot more information that the index you see above. For example the marriage record should tell you the exact date and place of marriage, ages of the groom and bride, if either had been previously married, their occupations as well as their residence when they married. The names of their fathers and father’s occupations should also be recorded along with the names of the witnesses to the marriage.
The General Register Office (GRO) in Southport, England, holds civil registration birth, marriage, and death records from the September quarter of 1837.
The marriage index for Stephen and Ethel above shows their marriage was recorded in the Paddington Registration District for the June quarter of 1931, and that the marriage can be found in Volume 1a, Page 124 of the marriage registers held by the GRO.
For ordering information and costs about birth, marriage, and death certificates from the GRO, go to: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/login.asp
You’ll have to register with the GRO to order certificates.
The 1939 England and Wales Register shows that Ethel Ruane was born on 13 April 1891, which would place her age at 40 years old when she married in 1931.
At her age of 40 at the time of marriage in 1931, I didn't expect that Ethel and Stephen would have had many children, if any.
I looked for the GRO birth indexes for their children from 1931 to 1941 at the FreeBMD website but found none.
Back at Ancestry.com I found Stephen Ruane in a collection called, " UK, Railway Employment Records, 1833-1956.” This is an index, not a copy of the original record. The index shows that Stephen’s residence date is 5 December 1938. The next year Stephen and Ethel would be recorded in the 1939 England and Wales Register.
The Railway Employment Record index is below, and provides the additional information that Stephen’s date of birth is 17 April 1900, his age is 38, the station where he was assigned was Marylebone in London, and the company he worked for the London and North Eastern Railway.
The index follows:
UK, Railway Employment Records, 1833-1956
Name: Stephan Ruane
Age: 38
Birth Date: 17 Apr1900
Residence Date: 5 Dec1938
Station: Marylebone
Company: London and North Eastern
Description: Returns of staff at stations and depots as at 31 oct. 1939
Ancestry.com. UK, Railway Employment Records, 1833-1956 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Original data: Railway Employment Records. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England. The National Archives gives no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to the National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU.
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If you provide your email address in a follow-up reply I can send you a copy of the original railway employment record for Stephen Ruane.
For more information about the London and North Eastern Railway, see the Wikipedia article at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_and_North_Eastern_Railway
Going back to the electoral registers at Ancestry.com, I found that by the year 1949 Stephen and Ethel Ruane were living at Bloomfield Place, Paddington, London.
See below:
London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965
Name: Stephen Ruane
Electoral Date: 1949
Ward or Division/Constituency: Paddington
Street: Bloomfield Place
County or Borough: Westminster, England
Name: Ethel Ruane
Electoral Date: 1949
Ward or Division/Constituency: Paddington
Street: Bloomfield Place
County or Borough: Westminster, England
Source Information
Ancestry.com. London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data: Electoral Registers. London, England: London Metropolitan Archives. Images produced by permission of the City of London Corporation Libraries, Archives and Guildhall Art Gallery Department.
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A Google Map shows that Bloomfield Place is 2.8 miles east of Delamere Terrace, Paddington: https://tinyurl.com/y8cscxhn
For a Google Street View of Bloomfield Place, see: https://tinyurl.com/mste5e6v
Stephen Ruane died the year after he was recorded in the 1949 Electoral Registers. The Ancestry.com website shows his death took place in October 1950 and is recorded in the Paddington Registration District for the December quarter of 1950. At the time of death Stephen was 50 years old, placing his year of birth in 1900.
See the index below:
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
Name: Stephen Ruane
Death Age: 50
Birth Date: abt 1900
Registration Date: Oct 1950
Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration District: Paddington
Inferred County: London
Volume: 5d
Page: 140
Source Citation
General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 5d; Page: 140
Source Information
Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration
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Stephen’s death record can be found in Volume 5d, Page 140 of the GRO registers. You can order his full death record from the GRO.
I next located the death index for Stephen’s wife Ethel at the FreeBMD website. Her death was recorded in the Llanfyllin (Wales) Registration District in the March quarter of 1972. The index further shows that Ethels date of birth was 13 April 1891, which is the same date of birth found in the 1939 England and Wales Register noted above.
The index is below:
Death March Quarter 1972
Ethel Ruane
Date of Birth: 13 April 1891
Registration District: Llanfyllin
Volume: 8c
Page: 1681
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Ethel’s full death record can be found in Volume 8c, Page 1681 of the GRO registers.
Why Ethel made her way from London to Llanfyllin, Wales is unknown. According to a Wkipedia article, Llanfyllin is a “sparsely populated” section of Wales: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llanfyllin
A Google Map shows that Llanfyllin, Wales, is almost 200 miles northwest of Delamere Terrace and Bloomfield Place in London: https://tinyurl.com/2p9fbpc2
For Google Street Views of Llanfyllin, see: https://tinyurl.com/yc4trvv8 and https://tinyurl.com/5h9aceks
If I knew the name of Ethel’s father and mother, I would be able to look for more information about her, particularly in the 1901 and 1911 England census returns, and in the GRO birth records for the June quarter of 1891.
Indexes at the GRO website shows the births of 12 children named Ethel Edwards in the June quarter of 1891. Two of them were recorded in London, but I don’t know if Ethel was born in London or not.
John, if you order the marriage record for Stephen Ruane and Ethel Edwards, please let me know the name of Ethel’s father, and I’ll see if I can find more information about her, if you are interested.
THE FAMILY OF STEPHEN RUANE IN IRELAND
Going back to Irish records I looked for Stephen and Mary Ruane and their children in the 1911 census at the National Archives of Ireland’s search engine at:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
The 1911 census was taken on Sunday, 2 April. The ages of people in the census were ages from their last birthday, not the birthday coming up.
I found that 40 year old Stephen and 39 year old Mary and four of their children were the “Residents of a house 2.1 in Middle Street (Galway East, Urban, Galway).”
The census shows that all in the family were Roman Catholic, and that Stephen and the children were born in County Galway, but that Stephen’s wife Mary was born in County Mayo. Stephen’s occupation is “Tram Driver.”
The census line for Mary shows that as of 1911 she and Stephen had been married for 12 years and in that time had 5 children, with 4 children still living. In your Ireland Reaching Out post you had mentioned four children, including Sarah, Stephen, Mary Margaret, and Michael. These four children are in the household with their parents in the 1911 census, with Stephen being the oldest at age 11, followed by 9 year old May M., 6 year old Mary G., and 2 year old Michael T. Stephen, Mary, and Sarah are shown to be “Scholars,” that is, students.
The census shows the father Stephen Ruane could not read but could speak Irish and English. His wife Mary and son Stephen are shown to be able to read and write and speak both Irish and English. Daughter Mary could read and write, and Sarah could read.
The 1911 census transcription of the Ruane household can be found at the National Archives of Ireland link at:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Galway_East__Ur…
Once the census page downloads, make sure you click on “Show all information” to view the full census page from left to right. If you do not click on “Show all information,” you will not be able to see the section of the census telling you that Stephen and Mary were married for 12 years and that they had five children with four children still living.
You can view a copy of the original 1911 census for the Ruane family at:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003939987/
In the bottom left corner of the census you’ll see that the father, Stephen Ruane, signed with his signature. To the left of his name is the name of the enumerator who collected the census from the Ruane family. The enumerator is also a constable. His name is Daniel Lyons.
Information from the 1911 census showing that Stephen and Mary had five children, with one child deceased, prompted me to look for the civil registration birth records for all the children born after Stephen in 1900. I especially wanted to locate the birth and death records for the child who did not live long enough to be counted in the 1911 census.
I looked for the birth records and the death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website.
THE BIRTH OF MARY MARGARET RUANE
As you know the child born after Stephen was Mary Margaret Ruane. Her birth took place on 15 February 1902. Her birthplace was St. Patrick’s Avenue, Galway City. Her father is Stephen Ruane, a “Tram Driver” living on St. Patrick’s Avenue. Her mother is Mary Ruane, formerly Nevin. Anne Mahoney was present at the birth and reported the birth to the assistant registrar, Thomas Lyon. Anne Mahoney’s residence was Bohermore. Thomas Lydon recorded Mary Margaret’s birth in the Galway Registration District on 19 February 1902. Mary Margaret’s birth is the last one in the register, number 85, at: https://tinyurl.com/2vswba32
Anne Mahoney could have been the midwife who helped to deliver Mary Margaret.
THE BIRTH OF SARAH JOSEPHINE RUANE
Sarah Josephine Ruane’s birth took place on St. Patrick’s “Street,” Galway City, on 23 October 1904. Her father is Stephen Ruane, a Tram Driver of St. Patrick’s Street. Sarah’s mother is Mary Ruane, formerly Nevin. Sarah Nugent of Prospect Hill, Galway City, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the assistant registrar, Thomas Lydon, who recorded the birth in the Galway Registration District on 29 October 1904. Sarah’s birth is the last entry in the register at number 183: https://tinyurl.com/2p9bwd8u
I could not find a St. Patrick’s “Street” in Galway City, which means the assistant registrar, Thomas Lydon, probably made an error recording Sarah’s birth in St. Patrick’s Street, rather than St. Patrick’s Avenue..
THE BIRTH OF ANNIE RUANE
Annie is the child who didn’t live to be recorded in the 1911 census. Her birth at Forster Street, Galway City, took place on 20 November 1906. Her father is Stephen Ruane a Tram Driver of Forster Street. Her mother is Mary Ruane, formerly Nevin. Anne Mahoney of Bohermore was present at the birth and reported the birth to the assistant registrar, Thomas Lydon. Thomas Lydon recorded Annie’s birth in the Galway Registration District on 24 November 1906. Annie’s birth is number 162 in the register at: https://tinyurl.com/2hxhmeka
THE DEATH OF ANNIE RUANE
Annie died on 28 August 1907 at the age of 9 months. The place of death was Prospect Hill. She is shown to have been the “Daughter of a Tram Driver.” The cause of death was Diphtheria 5 Days.” Annie’s mother, Mary Ruane of Prospect Hill, reported the death to the assistant registrar, Thomas Lydon, who recorded the death in the Galway Registration District on 5 October 1907. Annie’s death is the first entry in the register at number 226: https://tinyurl.com/2p8vsvca
Mary signed the death register with “her x mark,” indicating that she could not write, but the 1911 census shows that she could read and write.
BIRTH OF MICHAEL THOMAS RUANE
Michael’s birth on Prospect Hill, Galway City, took place on 18 September 1908. His father is Stephen Ruane, a Tram Driver of Prospect Hill. Thomas’s mother is Mary Ruane, formerly Nevin. Sarah Nugent of Prospect Hill was present at the birth and reported the birth to the registrar, Thomas Lydon, who recorded the birth in the Galway Registration District on 26 September 1907. Michael’s birth is the last entry in the register at: https://tinyurl.com/s3vznf6u
A Google Map shows that St. Patrick’s Avenue, Prospect Hill, and Forster Street are not far from Eyre Square in Galway City: https://tinyurl.com/2p8d68u7
For a Google Street View of St. Patrick’s Avenue from Eyre Square, see: https://tinyurl.com/me7bpm9n
For a Google Street View of Prospect Hill, Galway City, go to: https://tinyurl.com/mhyku78k
A Google Street View of Forster Street can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/2p8fm8h7
THE 1901 CENSUS
Going back in time I found 30 year old Stephen and 29 year old Mary Ruane in the 1901 census transcription at the National Archives of Ireland link. The 1901 census transcription shows that Stephen and Mary’s son Stephen is in the household, but no age is given for him in the transcription. This usually means that a child is under the age of 1, but that his age in months will be recorded in the original census.
Stephen, Mary, and Stephen are shown to be the " Residents of a house 5 in St. Patrick's Avenue (Galway Urban, Galway).” They would have lived across from Eyre Square, as noted on the Google Map.
The census shows that the older Stephen was born in County Galway, but cannot read. He can speak Irish and English.
The census also shows that his wife Mary can read and write and can speak Irish and English. But the census also shows she is Stephen’s wife, but is “Not Married.” I think this information may have been transcribed incorrectly by someone at the National Archives, or maybe the handwriting in the census is difficult to read. Unlike the 1911 census, which shows that Mary was born in County Mayo, the 1901 census has her place of birth as Galway. See the census transcription at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Galway_Urban/St…
Make sure to select “Show all information” to view the full census page.
A copy of the original 1901 census can be accessed at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000807524/
In the copy of the original 1901 census you can see that Mary’s marital status looks like an ink blotch, and is not readable.
In the lower right corner of the form, Stephen signed the census with “his x mark,” signifying he could not write. The enumerator, whose name I couldn’t make out, witnessed Stephen’s signing with a x.
THE MARRIAGE OF STEPHEN RUANE AND MARY NEVIN
I next looked for Stephen Ruane and Mary Nevin at the irishgenealogy.ie website to see if I could find their marriage record. Your information shows they were married in the St. Nicholas Church in Galway.
The primary reason I wanted to locate their marriage record was to see if their ages were recorded and to also learn what the names of their fathers were. With their ages and the names of the fathers, I would be able to see if I could find Stephen and Mary’s individual birth records, or perhaps even their baptism records. But, without knowing the first and maiden names of their mothers beforehand, any birth or baptism records I found would be circumstantial evidence, not direct evidence of the birth or baptism.
I found their civil marriage record confirming their marriage took place in the “Roman Catholic Chapel of St. Nicholas” on 26 March 1899. At the time of marriage Stephen was a 28 year old bachelor and Mary and 26 year old spinster. Stephen’s occupation was “Tramdriver.” His residence at the time of marriage was Forster Street. His father is Stephen Ruane, who was alive at the time of the marriage, and who was a farmer.
At the time of marriage Mary Nevin was a “Servant” who was living in a residence in Wood Quay, Galway City. Her father Thomas Nevin was still alive and employed as a labourer.
The priest who married Stephen and Mary was Andrew J. Nestor, C.C. The initials C.C. stand for “Catholic Curate.” The first name of one of the witnesses to the marriage is John. His last name looks like it could be Badger, but it is difficult to tell because of the handwriting. He could not write as he signed the marriage register with “his x mark.” The other witness to the marriage was Mary King.
Stephen Ruane also signed the register with “his x mark.” Mary Nevin signed with the full name. The marriage was recorded in the Galway Registration District by the Deputy Registrar, Thomas Lydon, who recorded the marriage on 31 March 1899.
The marriage is the second entry in the register at number 216: https://tinyurl.com/5yr74x8t
A Google Map shows that Forster Street is just a half mile east of Woodquay Street, Galway City: https://tinyurl.com/2p93mjc9
For a Google Street View of Woodquay Street, Galway City, go to: https://tinyurl.com/bdf7zasd
Stephen’s age of 28 when he married on 26 March 1899 places his year of birth in 1871, though if he had been born any time after 26 March, he would have actually turned 29 in 1899, bringing his year of birth to 1870.
His age in the 1901 census is 30, which also places his year of birth in 1871. In the 1911 census he is 40 years old, again places his year of birth in 1871.
After many years of Irish genealogical research I do not always trust the accuracy of a person’s age in marriage records, or in census records or death records. I’ve even found civil registration birth records, when compared to baptism records, show that the child was baptized before their recorded date of birth, and so I don’t always trust the accuracy of birth records either.
With this in mind I searched for the birth of a Stephen Ruane who was born between 1864 and 1875, and whose father was also named Stephen. I found only one County Galway birth record during that time which shows that a Stephen Ruane was born in the townland of “Lisheen Kyle” on December 4, 1868. His father is Stephen Ruane, a labourer residing in Lisheen Kyle. His mother is Mary Noon. A lady named Margaret Noon was present at the birth and reported the birth to the registrar, Joseph Duggan, who recorded the birth in the Galway Registration District on December 22, 1868. Stephen’s birth is the first entry in the register at: https://tinyurl.com/3bbfr2cm
Margaret Noon may have been Mary’s mother, sister, or perhaps sister-in-law.
According to the IreAtlas Townland Data Base, there were two townlands named Lisheenkyle in the 19th century in Galway. These were Lisheenkyle East and Lisheenkyle West. Both were in the civil parish of Athenry. See:
https://tinyurl.com/yeyk6zk2
Stephen Ruane would have been born in either Lisheenkyle East or Lisheenkyle West.
As noted above, Lisheenkyle East and West were located in the civil parish of Athenry. They were also situated in the Catholic Parish of Athenry, and so I went to the Find My Past (FMP) website to look for Stephen’s baptism transcription.
FMP is primarily a subscription-based or Pay-As-You-Go website, with the exception that FMP does not charge to search Irish Catholic baptisms, marriages, and available church burial transcriptions for all of Ireland. Most of the parish registers cover the 19th century up to the early 1880s. But some Catholic registers in Ireland go back to the 18th and even 17th centuries.
I located Stephen’s baptism transcription at the FMP website, showing he was baptized in the Athenry Catholic Parish on 30 November 1868. This is an example of a child’s baptism occurring before his recorded civil registration birth date, which was December 4, 1868. I tend to go with baptism records as being more accurate than civil birth records.
The baptism transcription further shows that Stephen’s father is Stephen Ruane, and that his mother is Mary “Nam.” In this case I suspect the FMP person who transcribed the baptism from a copy of the original may have had a difficult time deciding what Mary’s maiden name was.
See the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4529086
Attached to the baptism transcription is a link that takes you to a copy of the original Athenry baptism for Stephen Ruane. The original Catholic Parish baptisms, marriages, and available burial records are held by the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin City.
You can access the original baptism page for Stephen at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000631956#page/61/mode/1up
There are two facing pages of the baptism register. Stephen’s baptism is the 2nd entry down the left-hand baptism register page.
You can enlarge the register 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 handwriting in the baptism register is difficult to read, and you can see why the FMP transcriber thought that Mary’s maiden name was Nam. The baptism record also shows two other names. These are Stephen’s godparents. The first name of the godfather is Denis. His last name looks like Relly or Velly. The godmother is Mary Egan - ? I couldn’t tell if her last name was also the same as the last name of the godfather. To the right of Mary Egan’s name are what appear to be the numerals 4 and 4. This means that Stephen Ruane and Mary Noon donated 4 Pence and 4 Shillings to the church as a donation for the baptism.
A link at the National Library of Ireland website shows that Athenry Catholic baptisms are only available from 3 August 1858 to 21 September 1878. Marriages are available from 1821 to 1829, and then from 24 November 1858 to 1 October 1878. Go to the following National Library of Ireland link to see the availability of Athenry baptism and marriage records, and to also see a map of the Athenry Catholic Parish and surrounding Catholic parishes in County Galway: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0103
I next looked for the baptisms of any of Stephen’s siblings in the Athenry Catholic Parish and other Catholic parishes in County Galway, but found none. I also looked for Stephen Ruane and Mary Noon’s church marriage at the FMP website, but didn’t find it.
I then looked for their civil registration birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website, but without results.
Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations began in Ireland in 1864, and so if Stephen Ruane and Mary Noon were married before 1864, there won’t be a civil marriage record for them.
I can’t tell for certain if the Stephen Ruane baptized in 1868 in the Stephen Ruane in your direct line. Without knowing the maiden name of his mother beforehand, the 1868 birth record for Stephen can be looked upon as circumstantial evidence that he might be in your direct Ruane line in County Galway.
MARY NEVIN
The challenge with finding more background information about Mary Nevin is the same challenge with locating more information about Stephen Ruane. That is, not knowing the first and maiden names of Mary’s mother.
In the 1899 marriage record for Stephen Ruane and Mary Nevin, Mary’s age is 26 years old, placing her year of birth in 1873. The marriage record also shows that her father was Thomas Nevin, who was still alive.
In the 1901 census, Mary is 25 years old, placing her year of birth in 1876. The 1901 census also records that she was born in county Galway.
In the 1911 census Mary is 39 years old, placing her year of birth in 1872. But, the 1911 census has County Mayo as her place of birth, not County Galway.
The search for Mary’s civil registration birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website was inconclusive. I had also looked for her birth under the alternate spelling “Navin,” “Navan,” but again could not pinpoint a birth record for Mary between the years 1870 and 1877.
Going to the FMP website, I did find the baptism transcription for a Mary Nevin. She was baptized in the Killimore and Tiranascragh Catholic Parish, County Galway, on 19 June 1871. Her father is Thomas Nevin. Her mother is Bridget Madden. See the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F0041623
A copy of Mary’s original baptism record can be found on the left-hand register page, 4th entry up from the bottom at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632945#page/58/mode/1up
The name of Mary’s godfather appears to be Michael Mullen. The name of her godmother looks like E. Horan.
There is no way of determining, without more information about her, if this is the Mary Nevin who married Stephen Ruane in Galway City in 1899.
With Kind Regards,
Dave Boylan
