William Gaw was born in Cleenish, Fermanagh in 1805, according to his 1824 Military Attestation Record (as displayed on FindMyPast.com). He served as a Sergeant
in the 66th Regiment of Foot; married Bridget McGrath sometime before the birth of their first (?) child, Mary Anne, on Oct. 12, 1828 in Templemore, Tipperary. He and Bridget had at least four more children [William, b. 1834 in Quebec, Canada; Ellen, b. March 5, 1841 in Fort Cumberland, Hampshire; John, b. 1843 in Templemore, Tipperary & Joseph, bap. Dec. 19, 1846 in Templemore, Tipperary]. William was discharged in 1847 and collected a British Army pension until his death on Dec. 26th,
1865. He returned to Belfast after receiving his pension. His sons all joined various regiments of the British Army during the 1800s. They were baptised in the parishes of
Templemore, Tipperary & Templemore, Belfast in both Church of Ireland & Roman Catholic cathedrals. If anyone has any information about William's birthplace, birthdate, marriage details, and possible ancestors, I would be much obliged. Yours sincerely, David Gaw
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1805 | |
| Date of Death | 26th Dec 1865 | |
| Townland born | Cleenish, Fermanagh | |
| Spouse (First Name/s and Maiden/Surname) | Bridget McGrath | |
| First Child | Mary Anne | |
| Names of Children | William, Ellen, John, & Joseph | |
The only Gaw household in Cleenish in the 1834 tithes was a widow Gaw in Derryleck. Not saying that’s your family but it wasn’t a common name, and there might be a connection:
http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/fermanagh/tithe-applotment-books/parish-of-cleenish.php
The family had gone by the time of Griffiths Valuation in 1862.
If the family was Church of Ireland then unfortunately the early records were lost in the 1922 fire in Dublin, so you are unlikely to get any help there.
Thanks very much for your research efforts, Elwyn! It's enlightening to find something on my family, if anything. As you say,
the Gaw family name is rather uncommon - so it's very likely that the Widow Gaw was a family member - possibly my great-great-great grandmother or another relative. I'll continue on with my detective work in order to see if I can find anything else.
Thanks again. Yours sincerely, David Gaw
dalagaw,
Glad to have helped. Hope you make some progress.
Elwyn
