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I'm looking for help in finding any (early 1800's) family in Roscrea area of my g.g.great grandmother whose name I know as Ann Honorah Rowlison (nee Moore). About 8 years ago after a lot of searching I found a shipping list of Irish immigrants collated by a man named Peter. On this list I found an entry for one Honorah Moore (alias Kelly) aged 16, a nursemaid of Roscrea. Parents' names Michael and Elizabeth (both dead), religion Church of Rome. A remark beside these details reads "HER NAME IS MOORE WAS SENT BY MASTER OF THE WORKHOUSE IN PLACE OF KELLY WHO WAS SICK". I believe this is my 3x great grandmother. Ann Elizabeth Rowlison (her name on her death certificate) had her parents' names as William Moore, a Tailor, and Ann O'Connell. This information was provided by her eldest living child, son William Shaw Rowlison. Ann was aged 78 when she died on 16th December, 1909 at Manilla, near Tamworth in northern New South Wales.Her burial was in the Catholic section of the cemetery. Ann may have led her children to believe those were her parents' names to hide the fact that she was an orphan from the Workhouse. Again, would the names be the parents of the Kelly girl whose place Honorah Moore took? Should the circumstances of the change of places be so quick, it's hard to believe that the Workouse Master would not have the given the correct names of Honorah Moore or her parents to be listed on a ship's log.  Honorah Moore was an Irish Famine Orphan on the Ship "Maria" (supposedly the last orphan famine ship from Ireland) which arrived in Sydney on 29th June 1850. Honorah Moore's name is listed on the Glass plaque for the Irish Famie Orphan's at Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney, NSW.

I can find nothing about Honorah Moore in Roscrea Workhouse, but would really appreciate any help that anyone can give about this lady or her parents. All we now is she came from Roscrea, Tipperary, nothing about Townlands or anything so any little bit helps to give this lady a true name, so we can celebrate her for who she was and being such a strong young woman to survive as long a she did and also to work as a midwife helping other woemn.   Ann or Honorah, married on 24/1/1853 as Ann Honorah Moore to John Rowlison Elmer (alias) (real name Richard Rowlison), a barrack's sergeant in the 11th Devonshire (North) Regiment of Foot of Victoria Barracks, Sydney. He was 24, Ann was supposedly 20. John stayed in Australia when the 11th returned to England. He was a gold escort, then a policeman in NSW for two years, later became a farmer. He died on enteric fever aged only 53, in 1882. John and Ann Elmer had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son died aged 2.  Their eldest child, Mary Ann Elizabeth Rowlison Elmer (Abra) died 3 weeks before aged 28, of the same illness. Mary was my g.g. grandmother she left 6 young children, my g. grandmother Rebecca was the second child, aged 9 when Mary died. Rebecca looked after the children and kept house while her father farmed. Sadly the baby Mary,died aged 2 a year after their mother, and the other little girl, Ann, called Annie died aged 9, 3 years after her mother.

There are many descendants of this family in Australia and we would all love to know even the smallest thing about the lady we think of as Ann Elizabeth Rowlison. Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you, Lesley McNee

Lesley

Saturday 29th May 2021, 11:06AM

Message Board Replies

  • Roscrea volunteer alerted.

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Saturday 29th May 2021, 12:25PM
  • Attached Files

    Hi Lesley . . .

    Welcome to I.R.O. . . and to Roscrea Town . . and to Tipperary ( it still is a " Long Way " )

    You query is fairly complex . . and I had to read it a number of times . . to get the main question and character .. who was Ann Honoria Rowlinson . . . when she sailed to Australia . . aboard the " Maria" in 1850.. as part of ..the Earl Grey scheme. . to transport healthy young girls . . from Workhouses in Ireland.

    Was she Ann H. Moore . . and . . . did she adopt (pretend) family of Kellys. . . ??
    _________________________________________________________________

    Roscrea (the Town) . . . is situated in N.Tipperary . . bordering two other Counties (within 1 mile)
    i.e. Laoise ( a.k.a. Queens Co.) and Offaly ( a.k.a.) Kings Co. ( back then ) . .
    So in searching . . ( RootsIreland) .. I included all three Counties . . with little positive results ..
    except for 1 .. Anne Moore . . reg.born ..Roscrea 18 Dec.1829 +++

    This Anne Moore .. shows Father is " Michael" ... and Mother is . . .Ellen Neil . .
    ( born 1829 Dec. - could mean she was not Baptised until 1830 )
    She certainly fits the "age" profile ..for inclusion in the group of 1850 . . aboard the " Maria"...

    ___________________________________________________________________

    I searched for the "Birth" of an Ellen Neil ... from 1799 - to 1819 .. all three Counties . . Nothing
    -- ditto -- Michael Moore 1789 to 1809 . . . ditto . . . .. Nothing . .
    same negative ...for Elizabeth Neil . . . . .
    _______________________________________________________________________________________

    The Marriage of Michael and Ellen . .. circa. 1829 .... Nothing . . .
    ______________________________________________________________

    The Death of Anna Moore . . . 1835 -1845 . . .Nothing
    ___________________________________________________

    So . . as you know . . records . . in Ireland . . that far back are scarce . . andd diffacult . .
    _______________________________________________________________________

    The first image (below) . . is a piece of work I did myself (EMH) . . approx .10 yrs, ago ..

    Where I found this list . . I have forgotten .. (age thingeee !! )

    But . . if you study it well . . you will see I have highlighted the girls on the " Maria"

    I list ...9 in number . . but nowhere can I see ... anything similar to " Moore " or ( Kelly ) . . .

    Why . . . I have NO idea . . but maybe you have an explenation ..??

    There is a " Maria Kelly " on the " Pemberton " . . . ( I had a search for her birth in Tipperary -- No luck. )
    ____________________________________________________________________

    The " Workhouses" records . . . are scant . . mostly to do with Board of Guardians meetings . . not much about the wretches who were inmates . . . but ... a local Historian .. A Wm.Smyth ... has written a University type of Analysis . . which incl. Roscrea Workhouse.. I searched " Google " but failed to find same . . .
    You could usefully trace it . . thru. . . Roscrea Library or Nenagh Library ... directly.
    ______________________________________________________________

    Sorry now . . Best I could do . .
    Good Luck with your coninued searching . . .

    Cheers . . Eamonn.

    Eamonn M. Horan, Volunteer Ireland Reaching Out ☘️

    Tuesday 1st Jun 2021, 07:53PM
  • Afterthought  . . . 

    I searched for the Death of a Michael Moore -- in Roscrea . . . Nothing . . 

    Eamonn M. Horan, Volunteer Ireland Reaching Out ☘️

    Tuesday 1st Jun 2021, 08:04PM
  • Thank you for all your effort Eamonn, It's much appreciated. All I know from the ship "Maria" mt relative's name was Honorah Moore. When she married in Sydney in 1853 it was as Ann Honora Moore. The lady couldn't read or write. Her husband gave most details for the children's births as he was literate. The only bit I know about the name "Kelly" came from the ship's list, and I believe it meant that a girl surname of Kelly was supposed to be on the "Maria" in 1850, but fell ill so couldn't travel, and Honorah Moore was sent in her place. I thought Honorah must have been a last minute replacement, but I really have no information at all about this. The person in charge of the Workhouse at Roscrea gave that information to the person in charge of getting the girls to the ship I presume, as it's written on the shipping list beside her name. I tried searching for Michael Moore but found nothing either. I am beginning to think that I will never know if this lady Honorah Moore is the same one that I think is my relative, but there are no other Honorah Moore's on any ships to Australia, sadly.

    Thanks once again, it's nice to now people do try and help, especially volunteers!

    Kindest regards,

    Lesley

    Lesley

    Wednesday 2nd Jun 2021, 01:07PM
  • Attached Files
    Maria_07.jpg (988.57 KB)

    Lesley,

    Dick Conroy here.  I'm another volunteer with IrelandXO living in Roscrea.  I found this record which may be you already have regarding  Hanora Moore.  The text here is from a website that has the names of Most of these young Earl Grey Women.  You may google it under "Barefoot and Pregnant" a work by Trevor McLachlan (not sure of the spelling) where he did a huge amount of work trying to trace all the young women who were transported to Australia under the scheme.

    • Surname : Kelly (alias Moore)
    • First Name : Honora
    • Age on arrival : 18
    • Native Place : Tipperary, Roscrea
    • Parents : Michael & Catherine (both dead)
    • Religion : Roman Catholic
    • Ship name : Maria (Sydney 29 Jun 1850)
    • Workhouse : Tipperary, Roscrea
    • Other : Shipping: nursemaid, cannot read or write, no relatives in colony, annotation: 'Her name is Moore - was sent by the Master of the Workhouse in the place of Kelly who was sick'.

    Dick

    Friday 3rd Sep 2021, 06:10PM

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