William Gaughan 1810 : Short Biography

William Gaughan 1810

Addergoole (Mayo)

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Per family history, William Gaughan of Lahardane, married Eveleen Clery of Belass, and set up shop in Foxford, in the Square near the Church (1840?).

This is the house, now known as "The Hideout" pub, where my grandmother, Bridie Mary Gaughan, was born in 1898, to William's son Martin Gaughan and Annie Walsh.

William Gaughan attended the same hedge-school in Lahardane as Archbishop John MacHaIe and was bilingual, his English with a sound foundation of Greek and Latin roots. There were four sons: Martin, Michael, John, and James, and one daughter, (probably) Eliza. The Gaughans thrived rapidly in Foxford, with William's son Martin owning five shops in the Square, the original with three bakehouses at the back, a drapery and a millinery next door, and opposite two from which he operated a hire-car service.Martin’s brotherJohn sold out land and pub and went to America. His grandson is now adistinguished priest in Dublin*. The remaining brothers competed in a not-too-brotherly fashion. Indeed,the parish priest persuaded Martin and James to build a high wall between their properties!

* Wish I could determine who this is! The John Gaughan who went to America is a bit of a mystery. The other relations are all mapped out on Ancestry

Additional Information
Date of Birth	1st Jan 1810 (circa)
Date of Death	1st Jan 1873 (circa)

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Hello I am trying to connect my gg grandfather John Gaughan (we believe this was the spelling!)

He is old enough to be a brother/cousin of your William . Do you know of any extended family members of William's

John married a Mary......? in Ireland and had sons Michael b circa 1832 and Martin b circa 1846. John is said to have died and wife Mary came out with her two sons - however this family lore is proving difficult to prove - cant find them on passenger lists or marriage / baptism records

Dna says Mayo is where my ancestors most likely originated

How lovely to have history like yours

Marcia

Marhold

Friday 22nd January 2021 01:57AM

Hello, Marcia!

So wonderful to hear from a fellow Gaughan researcher! Unfortunately, William's family is still a big mystery to me. That said. I have a working theory based on this fantastic research: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~irlmayo2/ballynahaglish_cp_gahagan_griffiths… this, I prospose that my great-grandfather, William Gaugan, had a brother named Martin, who lived in Bellass. Bellass is mentioned in our family papers. Interestingly, James Gaughan of Foxford, son of William Gaughan of Lahardane, is buried in "...the family plot in Ballynahaglish."

I can't find William or his grave, but I'm guessing he is in Ballynahaglish, too. The more "modern" Gaughans are in Creggagh, near Foxford.

My hypothesis is that William Gaughan (Lahardane) was sibling to Martin Gaughan (Bellass) and to perhaps a sister, Hannah. I do have some of the Martin descendents mapped in Ancestry. Nothing definitive yet from a DNA angle, which is surprising and leads me to believe I *may* be barking up the wrong tree.

Happy to work on this with you, however, since dates and times seem to align! I know that John Gaughan, my grandma's uncle, did -- supposedly -- "sell out land and pub" and emigrate to the United States. I find no record of that or futher trace!

- A

Anneliese

Wednesday 17th March 2021 06:47AM

Well, my gg grandfather John G.....? married a Mary .......? unknown!

Ancestry dna says Connaught is the area of origin - that takes in a few counties - and unfortunately some of my maternal line is from part of that area too. This dna / family trees are a real challenge

Mary his wife died in 1879 in George Town Aus,t and her newspaper death notice says that John had died before she and my g grandfather aged abt 10 came to Australia circa 1856. However, I cant find his (Martin's) birth in Ireland - well not with an older brother Michael to the same parents.

My 2nd cousin believes that Mary and the boys may have gone to America before coming to Australia I wonder if her husband John went too - I do not have access to the American database on Ancestry - but I think they would have needed some money - not knowing how they lived in Ireland is another puzzle. Another scenario is that Mary and John were the grandparents?

I am beginning to believe that they either lied or did not know their birth years! or because they could not read - they did not know how the person recording details was spelling their surname.

Do you think the parish priests always got the spelling right ? Some of their handwriting is awful and slight changes do seem to occur

I do believe I have seen your tree on Ancestry ? the name Anneliese rings a bell.

Will keep your tree in mind

Thanks for replying

Marcia