William Francis Hazel : Short Biography

My Grandfather William Francis Hazell was born William Hazel.  Over the years the last name was spelled Hazell.  His father's name was Patrick Francis Hazel. At different times in William's life he would add a middle initial "F" or sometimes the middle name of Francis.  Willliam and some of his brothers were sent to the Galway Workhouse.  The experience was horrific.  Corporal punishment was brutial.  The Galway Workhouse location was on 8 acres on the west side of Newcastle Road, Galway and designed to hold 1000 inmates. 

William Francis Hazel was born 2 Sep 1885 at Mary St., Galway City, Galway, Ireland.  His father Patrick Francis Hazel and mother Marie Hession.  This was Patrick's second marriage and the first for Marie.  Shortly after the death of his mother Marie Hession on 9 Jun 1893, he was sent to the Workhouse in Galway by his father, along with two of his other brothers, John Francis Hazel and George Stephen Hazel. John born 16 May 1882 died 22 Mar 1897 while in the Workhouse at the age of 12 according to the death record log from the Workhouse. He had an abdominal absess for some months before he died.  Perhaps this came from eating Indian Corn / maza sent by the English for the inmates.  I am not sure.  Perhaps it could have been ruptured appendix. He was buried 23 Mar 1897 in an unmarked grave in the Bohermore Grave yard, Galway City, Galway.  After many years of family research, that began in 1993, I found his death record and where his grave site was located in 2019.  Also burried in the unmarked grave was his father Patrick Francis Hazel.

George Hazel was born 1 Sep 1887 and also was sent to the Galway Workhouse.  George like his older brother William "Will" made it out of the Workhouse but not without a serious medical condition of TB.  George escorted William's new bride on the ship passage to Boston, USA.  However within the year of arriving he died 23 JUN 1909 (East Boston) Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. 

The conditions in the Workhouse were very bad.  Please take time to read about the Workhouse conditions (linked below). William ran away from the Workhouse three times.  The first two times he was caught and sent back.  The third time he was left on his own to make his own life as the authorities decided he was old enough to take care of himself.  Usually it was the age of 14 that boys were viewed to take care of themselves.  He lived and found work in the Galway City area.  He was a fantastic swimmer and swam across Galway Bay every day of the year.