Three of my distant relatives lived in Clones Parish, Fermanagh, during the late eighteenth century. I am seeking more information about their lives. Below is all that I know about these three individuals:
- Thomas Chambers died in Clones Parish in 1895 at age 91 (b~1804). He lived in Tattinbarr (Griffith Valuation). He was a brother of Martha Chambers as listed in his will, and, perhaps, John Chambers.
- Martha Chambers died in Roslea (Rosslea) in 1898 at age 86 (born ~ 1812). She lived in Roslea (Griffith’s Valuation) She was a sister of Thomas Chambers (No. 1 above).
- John Chambers died in Roslea or Tattinbarr in 1876 at age 75 (born ~ 1801). John lived in Rosslea and Tattinbarr (Griffith’s Valuation). He most likely was a brother of Thomas (No. 1 and Martha, No 2 above) as they are frequently mention together in Griffith’s. This is all that I know about John.
Thomas and Martha Chambers were the “first cousins” of Jane Chambers, my distant aunt, who arrived in Brooklyn, New York on 6 January 1851 from Ireland via Liverpool. Jane died on 23 February 1888 in Brooklyn. In her will, she identified Thomas and Martha as living in Roslea, Fermanagh. The Brooklyn Court did their due diligence and never heard back from Fermanagh.
I would like to know more about the three individuals named above such as the names of their parents, where they were born, their religious affiliation, where they were buried, and anything else that would help me learn more about my U.S. kin.
When Jane arrived in January 1851 aboard packet ship Joseph Walker, she was accompanied by David Chambers, a farmer, age 35, Elizabeth Chambers, age 17, a farmer, Sarah Chambers, age 16, a farmer, and Thomas Chambers, age 35 also a farmer. I know all about their lives one they arrived in Brooklyn, where they lived, who they married and when they died. I also know of another David Chambers who died in Brooklyn in 1857 at age 95. His newspaper obituary stated the he was “From Monaghan.” I know nothing more about him except that he lived with the younger David’s in laws in Brooklyn. The younger David, my fourth great grandfather died in 1854. The difference in ages of the two David’s raises question as to their relationship and to the other individuals mention above
Any advice, suggestions or other information that you could provide to help me resolve my family’s history would be greatly appreciated.
George J. Chambers
Westminster, California
George
Thursday 11th Jun 2020, 04:07PMMessage Board Replies
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George,
You can view John Chambers death certificate on-line on the GRONI site. He died 14.10.1876 and the place of registration is Lisnaskea. You may find that his relationship to Thomas & Martha will be confirmed by the informant. You can view the original certificate on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:
You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2.50 (sterling) to a view a certificate.
The informant for Thomas & Martha’s deaths was Edward Nelson. This looks to be him in the 1901 census:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Rosslea/Tatti...
Edward Nelson acquired the Chambers farm in 1899 (according to the Valuation revision records) but was replaced by Thomas Hazzelet in 1901. So evidently Martha left her farm to Edward. Perhaps he was a distant relation?
Looking at the Chambers households in Fermanagh in the 1901 census, the majority were Church of Ireland so I’d expect that your family were too. The main parish church is in Clones and has records as follows:
Baptisms, 1682-1873; marriages, 1682-1788 and 1792-1912; burials, 1682-1704, 1709, 1722-5, 1733-4 and 1808-1901.
There’s a copy of those records in PRONI, the public record office in Belfast. You may get their parents names from those baptism records. There are 2 other churches in the parish, both near Clones. Aghadrumsee has records for Baptisms, marriages and burials, 1829-1935. Clogh has: Baptisms, 1811-91; marriages, 1792-1910; burials, 1810-1986. Again there are copies of these records in PRONI.
Looking at Co Monaghan, the majority of Chambers there were Presbyterian. So there’s a possibility your family might have been of that denomination. If so, there’s a number of churches in the area. The only one with records for the early 1800s is Stonebridge which start in 1819. Copy in PRONI.
I looked in the tithe applotment records for Tattinbar for 1832 and there was no Chambers farm there then, so it looks as though Thomas acquired it sometime between 1832 and Griffiths Valuation in 1862.
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
John & Thomas are both listed in Roslea in the tithes so it looks as though they had farms there at that time.
I can’t help you with locating where the Chambers were buried. There’s no requirement to record where someone is buried and it’s not always the most obvious place. Some families had plots in graveyards where they used to live and so you often have to search around. Roslea is just on the border with Co. Monaghan and with some members of the family reportedly being from that county, it’s possible that there might be a burial ground in Monaghan rather than Fermanagh. You might need to ask locally in Roslea.
Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Thursday 11th Jun 2020, 05:38PM