Thomas Michael Whelan and Elizabeth Connolly

Hi Anne!

I just sent Dave an e-mail message alerting him to your message.

Roger McDonnell

Attached Files

Hello Anne,

Roger McDonnell sent an email about your latest post to Ireland Reaching Out, about Thomas Whelan and Elizabeth Connolly.

I don’t recall the communication from a year ago, but wanted to see what information I could find about Thomas and Elizabeth.

This reply will mainly deal with Irish records, though I did look for Thomas and Elizabeth in three immigration collections at Ancestry.com. Two of these collections are, “New South Wales, Australia, Unassisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1826-1922, and, “New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896.”

The third collection is called, “Queensland, Australia, Passenger Lists, 1848-1912.”

I couldn’t identify Thomas or Elizabeth in these three collections.

There will not be civil registration birth records for either Thomas or Elizabeth, as births were not recorded by the Irish government until 1864.

The New Zealand marriage record, according to the information you found, shows that Thomas’s parents were John Whelan and Elizabeth Dunne. Elizabeth’s parents were Robert Connolly and Mary Ann Bennett.

I looked for the individual birth transcriptions for Thomas Whelan and Elizabeth Connolly at the Find My Past (FMP) website, but didn’t find them. I didn’t look for their baptism records just in Queens County, County Kilkenny, and County Longford, but in all the surrounding counties.

I looked for Thomas’s baptism for the years 1845 to 1855, and Elizabeth Connolly’s baptism for the years 1853 to 1865.

I then searched for their baptisms under alternate spellings of their surnames such as Wheland/Whalan/Waylan/Wayland/Phelan, and Connelly/Connly/Conly, etc., but again without finding the baptisms.

I also looked for alternative maiden names for Thomas’s mother, Elizabeth Dunne. For example, Dunn/Done/O’Dunne/O’Duinn, etc., but again did not find a baptism record for him.

I then looked for alternative maiden names for Elizabeth’s mother, Mary Anne Bennett.

In this case I believe I was successful, as I found the FMP baptism transcription for “Elizabetha” Connolly, daughter of “Roberti” Connolly and Maria Anna “Barrett.”

Elizabeth was baptized in the Templemichael, Longford, Catholic Parish on 26 May 1861. Her first name and her parent’s first names are recorded in the Latin form.

You can view Elizabeth’s FMP baptism transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F0518942

Attached to the transcription is a link that takes you to a copy of the original Templemichael baptism register where Elizabeth’s baptism can be found. See:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632371#page/218/mode/1up

If you haven’t already done so, you’ll have to establish a free account with FMP to view the baptism record.

There are two facing pages of the baptism register. You can enlarge the register by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

Elizabeth’s baptism is the 5th entry up from the bottom of the right-hand register page. The sponsors, or godparents were Gulielmi (William) Barrett and Ann Barrett.

The Templemichael Catholic Parish was also known as Templemichael and Ballymacormack, Ballymacormack, Templemichael and Ballymacormick, and
Ballymacormick.

According to the National Library of Ireland the Templepatrick Parish baptisms begin on 5 January 1802, and are available online until 2 January 1881. Templemichael marriages start on 20 January 1802, and can be accessed online until 15 January 1881. There may be gaps in the baptism and marriage registers, however. To see the availability of the Templemichael registers, and for a map of the Catholic Parish of Templemichael, go to the National Library of Ireland website link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0146

The Catholic Parish of Templemichael was located in the Civil Parish of Templemichael.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s 1861 baptism record does not record where the family was living at the time.

The person who recorded the 1885 New Zealand marriage of Thomas and Elizabeth may have spelled the maiden name of Elizabeth’s mother incorrectly, or because of the size and style of the handwriting, it may look like her mother’s maiden name was Bennett, instead of Barrett.

I next wanted to see if I could find the FMP church marriage transcription for Robert Connolly and Mary Anne Barrett. The year of the marriage would tell me if their daughter Elizabeth was one of their older children or one of the younger children they had.

I was fortunate again, as I found that “Robertus” Connolly and Maria Anna Barrett were married in the Templemichael Catholic Parish on 29 December 1851. See the FMP transcription at the following link: https://is.gd/bf3p09

A copy of the original marriage record for Robertus and Maria Anna is the first entry on the left-hand marriage register page at: https://is.gd/97PSG6

The handwriting can be a challenge to read in the marriage record. The name of one of the witnesses appears to be “Patritio” (Patrick) Dunn. The first name of the second witness is Maria, but I couldn’t decipher her last name with any certainty, but it may be Connolly.

Elizabeth was born almost 10 years after her parents were married, which is an indication she had many siblings.

I looked for the baptisms of these siblings at the FMP website, and found seven. Their names and years of baptism are indexed below. I’ve also included Elizabeth in the index so that you can see the full chronology of the eight Connolly baptisms:

Anna Connolly, 1852
Margarita Connolly, 1854
Patritius Connolly, 1857
Jacobus Connell, 1859
Elizabetha Connolly, 1861
Bernardus Connolly, 1863
Joannem Connolly, 1866
?Robertus Connolly, 1869
____

The question mark before the Latin form of the name Robertus, is an indication that the FMP transcriber wasn’t sure how the name was spelled in a copy of the original Templemichael baptism record for him.

In addition, two Connolly children, Joannem (John) and Robertus, were born during civil registration in Ireland, and so I made a note to look for their birth records a little later, and to see if the address of the family was recorded in the 1866 and 1869 birth records.

THE 1852 BAPTISM OF ANNA CONNOLLY

Anna was baptized on 22 December 1852. The FMP transcriber had a question about the first name of Anna’s mother, Maria. You can access the transcription at:
https://is.gd/vnLVsS

A copy of Anna’s original baptism record is on the left-hand register page, 4th entry below the December subheading at: https://is.gd/evwfFE

The hand writing in this baptism is very difficult to read, and I had to enlarge the register to its full magnification. The mother’s name looks like Maria Anne, or Maria Anae. The first name of the godfather looks like Johanne, for John. His last name could be Crighton. The godmother’s first name looks like Anna. I couldn’t tell what her last name was.

THE 1854 BAPTISM OF MARGARITA CONNOLLY

Margarita was baptized on 18 July 1854. See the FMP transcription at: https://is.gd/HDxrkV

A copy of Margarita’s original Templemichael baptism is on the right-hand page, 2nd entry down from the top at: https://is.gd/fKoZE6

Again, the handwriting in this baptism register is difficult to read. The first name of the godfather looks like Johanne. I could not make out his last name. The godmother is Brigida Barrett.

THE 1857 BAPTISM OF PATRITIUS CONNOLLY

The FMP transcription for Patritius shows his baptism took place on 2 August 1857: https://is.gd/SueAex

The original baptism record him is the first entry at the top of the left-hand register page at: https://is.gd/CDJrbz

The godparents are John Lynch and Maria Anna Kennedy.

THE 1859 BAPTISM OF JACOBUS CONNELL

While the FMP transcription gives the name of this child as Jacobus Connell, I believe this baptism actually refers to Jacobus (James Connolly), even though the transcription gives his mother’s name as Catherine Game. The handwriting in copies of original baptism records has a lot to do with how baptisms are transcribed. See the transcription at: https://is.gd/DubJek

A copy of the original baptism record for Jacobus is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://is.gd/WevbjI

It looks the person who recorded the baptism in the register just stated that the parents were Roberti Connolie and Maryanne Connolie. I could only make out the first name of the godmother. Her name was Catherine.

Elizabeth Connolly was baptized in 1861 after Jacobus.

THE 1863 BAPTISM OF BERNARDUS CONNOLLY

Bernardus was baptized on 10 October 1863, according to his FMP transcription:
https://is.gd/QeaFWZ

A copy of the original baptism record for Bernardus is the 5th entry down from the top of the left-hand register page at: https://is.gd/yAhk53

The names of his godparents appear to be Michael and Anna Crieton.

THE 1866 BAPTISM OF JOANNEM CONNOLLY

The FMP transcription for Joannem Connolly shows he was baptized on 24 June 1866. The maiden name of his mother is not recorded in the transcription:
https://is.gd/Af203a

Joannem’s original baptism is the last entry on the right-hand register page at: https://is.gd/x0HMgz

It looks like the mother, Maria Anna’s maiden name is recorded, but it is very difficult to read as it extends to the edge of the page into shadow.

Joannem’s godparents are Patritio Criton and Anna Barrett.

THE 1869 BAPTISM OF ROBERTUS? CONNOLLY

The FMP transcription for Robertus shows the baptism took place on 2 May 1869. In the transcription the maiden name of his mother Marianna is “Benston.” See the transcription at: https://is.gd/4XdulL

The Templemichael baptism register for 1869 shows that baptisms are recorded across two pages from left to right. On the left-hand page are the first and last names of the child, the date of birth, the names of the parents, and the residence of the parents.

On the right-hand page is date of baptism, the name of the priest who performed the baptism, and the names of the godparents.

Bernardus’s baptism is the last entry in the register at: https://is.gd/zAn6DZ

The record shows he was born on 1 May. The names of his parents follow, showing his father was Robertus and his mother’s first name Marianna. Because we already know that Mary Anne’s maiden name was Barrett, you can just barely tell that her last name is recorded as “Barret,” rather than Benston. The residence of the child and parents is Longford. I believe this refers to Longford Town.

The right-hand register page shows Bernardus was baptized on 2 May by a clergyman whose name looks like P. Fitzgerald.” The name of the godfather looks like Malachium or Malachius. His last name if Connolly. I could not decipher the name of the godmother with any clarity.

The baptism entry can be difficult to read as it was not photographed with enough light.

The combination birth and baptism record for Bernardus is the first instance where the residence of the parents is recorded. This appears to be Longford Town, which is an indication that the Templemichael Parish Church was situated in Longford Town. But there may have also been other Catholic churches within the Templemichael Catholic Parish.

To find out, I went to a very helpful website compiled by Shane Wilson, which shows where parish churches were situated within a given counties and Catholic diocese in Ireland.

I accessed to a specific location in Shane’s website called, “Catholic Parishes and Civil Parish Links - c1837,” where I found there were two Catholic churches in the Templemichael parish. One in the townland of Straid and one in “Longford town.”

Shane Wilson gives more information about the Templemichael parish churches, a map, and Google coordinates of their locations. See the first attachment with this reply.

The baptism record for Bernardus shows he and his family were living in Longford Town, and so I accessed the Google Map location of the Templemichael Church in Longford Town from the Shame Wilson site. The map shows the name of the church is St. Mel’s Cathedral, located at Dublin Street, St. Mel’s Road, and Chapel Lane: https://is.gd/5gRztP

For a Google Street View of St. Mel’s Cathedral, Dublin Street, Longford Town, go to: https://is.gd/ElXn3E

The question I now had was, did St. Mel’s Cathedral exist when Robert Connolly and Mary Anne Barrett were married in 1851, and when their children were baptized from 1852 to 1869?

To find out I went to the Templemichael Catholic Parish website history link at: https://is.gd/SblnME

The history of the cathedral shows that the foundation stone was laid down on 19 May 1840, but that the cathedral did not open for worship until 1856. What this indicates is that the Connolly children born and baptized after Margarita in 1854, were likely baptized in St. Mel’s, beginning with Patrick, who was born in 1857.

Elizabeth Connolly, born in 1861, would be one of these children.

Sometimes, new Catholic churches or cathedrals were constructed on the same site, or near the same sits as the old church. To see if this may have been the case with St. Mel’s in Longford Town, I went to the GeoHive website. There, I downloaded an Ordnance Survey Map of Longford Town. The map is from the 1837 to 1842 time period. This is before the opening of the cathedral for worship in 1856.

The Ordnance Survey Map, which is attached to this reply, shows an R.C. Chapel on the corner of Chapel Lane in Longford Town. It appears that the present day Dublin Street was called “Turnpike Road” back then.

It looks like the cathedral was constructed just to the south, but not by much, of the older R.C. Chapel in Longford Town. The R.C. Chapel you see on the Ordnance Survey Map is likely the chapel where Robert and Mary Anne were married, and where Anna (1852), and Margarita (1854) were baptized.

The Google Street Views of the “Family Centre,” to the right of the cathedral at the corner of Chapel Lane and St. Mel’s Road, appears that it may have been the location of the older R.C. Chapel on the Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to the 1842 time period. See the Google Street Views of the Family Centre at: https://is.gd/nDoDfn and https://is.gd/elCvYD

Shane Wilson shows that the other church in the Templemichael Catholic Parish was in Sraid. From the Google Map coordinates provided by Shane, I accessed Street Views, and as you’ll see, it is a very picturesque country chapel: https://is.gd/4ay5Rr and https://is.gd/LmkDUA

CONNOLLY BIRTH RECORDS

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations were not recorded by the Irish government until 1864. This means there could be birth records for John Connolly, born and baptized in 1866, and Robert Connolly, born and baptized in 1869.

I looked for their birth records at the free irishgenealogy.ie website, and found them.

JOHN CONNOLY’S BIRTH RECORD

John Connolly was born on June 19, 1866. His place of birth was none other than Chapel Lane, in Longford Town. As you saw on the Google Map, Chapel Lane
t-junctions into St. Mel’s Road, where the cathedral is located. See the enlarged Google Map at: https://is.gd/OfeSuo

John’s birth record shows that his father was Robert Connolly, a “Carpenter” living in Longford. John’s mother is Mary Anne Connolly, formerly Barrett. John’s mother, Mary Connoly, of Longford, reported the birth to the registrar, who recorded the birth in the Longford Registration District on June 27, 1866. John’s birth record is in the register at Number 308. See the attachment.

ROBERT CONNOLLY’S BIRTH RECORD

Robert was born in Chapel Lane on June 24, 1869. His father is Robert Connolly, a “Carpenter” residing in Longford. Robert’s mother is Mary Anne Connolly, formerly Barrett. Mary Anne reported the birth to the registrar, who record the birth in the Longford Registration District on July 5, 1869. Robert’s birth record is Number 241 in the attached register.

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

With the knowledge that Robert and Mary Anne Connolly were living in Chapel Lane, Longford Town, I wanted to see if I could find Robert in an Irish property tax record called Griffiths Valuation. I can’t remember if I mentioned Griffiths Valuation in the reply from a year ago, but in case I didn’t, Griffiths Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for the Civil Parish and Catholic Parish of Templemichael, was completed by the year 1854, though the “Valuers,” who compiled the information may have been in Longford Town a year or two before.

Unlike a census, Griffiths Valuation did not enumerate individual members of a family, such as husband, wife, and children in a household residence. Those named in the valuation were individuals who paid to lease property, such as land, houses, and outbuildings. Each person who paid to lease the property was called an “Occupier.” The other person listed in Griffiths Valuation was the person who owned the property, or who worked as the middleman collecting the rent on Gale Day for the owner. This middleman was called the “Immediate Lessor.”

You can access Griffiths Valuation transcriptions and original copies for free at the Ask About Ireland website link at: https://is.gd/toFFVU

I found Robert Connolly in Griffiths Valuation leasing a house and small garden at 34 Chapel Lane. He, along with several other Chapel Lane Occupiers leased their property from an Immediate Lessor named Charles McCutchen.

The Griffiths Valuation transcription for Robert Connolly is below:

Griffith's Valuation Record Information
Tenant
Family Name 1 CONNOLLY
Forename 1 ROBERT
Landlord
Family Name 2 MCCUTCHEN
Forename 2 CHARLES
Location
County LONGFORD
Barony ARDAGH
Union LONGFORD
Parish TEMPLEMICHAEL
Townland TOWNPARKS

Place Name CHAPEL LANE

Place Type OTHER
Publication Details
Position on Page 38
Printing Date 1854
Act 15&16
Sheet Number 13
Map Reference 38 34
____

The attached copy of Griffith Valuation shows that Robert’s house was valued at 2 Pounds. The entry for him is at Map Reference 34, just above an Occupier named John Creighton toward the bottom of the page. Robert would not have been required to pay a tax on the house. Leases valued under 5 Pounds were not subject to the tax, as genealogist John Grenham notes that:

“The individual in economic occupation of the property was responsible for payment of the local taxation based on Griffith’s, with one exception: tenants with a holding valued at less than £5 annually were exempt, but their landlord was liable for the tax. This liability was a powerful incentive for landlords to get rid of smaller tenants in any way they could and certainly contributed to the wave of evictions that took place throughout the second half of the nineteenth century.”

See: https://is.gd/3aTzCT

THE 1901 CENSUS

Moving ahead in time I went to the 1901 census to see if Robert and Mary Anne Connolly and any of their adult children were still living in Chapel Lane, Longford Town.

The 1901 and 1911 Irish census returns from the National Archives of Ireland can be searched at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

You always have to be aware that a person’s age in the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations was not always accurate.

The 1901 census shows the Connolly family were the “Residents of a house 16 in Chapel Lane (Longford No. 1 Urban, Longford).”

By 1901 however, Robert, the father, was deceased, as the census shows that 72 year old Mary Anne Connolly was a widow. The census also shows that she was born in County Longford, and that she could read and write. In the household with her are two sons and two grandchildren.

The oldest son is 36 year old James, whose occupation was, “Coach Builder (Wheeler).” The census also shows that James could read and write, and that he was not married.

The occupation of his 33 year old brother John was, “Coach Builder (Body Maker).” John could also read and write, and was not married. The occupation of coach builder for James and John is an indication that their father was not a general carpenter, but also a coach builder, and that his sons learned the trade from him.

Mary Anne’s two grandchildren are 16 year old Robert Connolly and 12 year old Margaret Connolly, who were “Scholars.” All five residents in the household were Roman catholic and born in County Longford. The grandchildren, Robert and Margaret, would have been the children of one of Mary Anne’s sons, or perhaps two of her sons if the grandchildren were not brother and sister.

A transcription of the 1901 census from the National Archives of Ireland website can be viewed at: https://is.gd/MpDD33

Once the transcription appears, make sure to click on, “Show all information,” to view the full census page.

To access a copy of the original 1901 census for the Connolly family, go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001037953/

Scrolling down to the bottom right of the census page, you’ll see Mary Anne Connolly’s signature as the “Head of Family.”

Earlier in this reply you saw that Jacobus (James) Connell was baptized in 1859. I had noted that I believed this James was the son of Robert and Mary Anne, in spite of what the FMP transcription recorded.

James’s age of 36 in the 1901 census shows he would have been born circa 1865, which means his age in the census is off by 6 years.

As noted previously, the Templemichael Catholic Parish baptisms are available from the year 1802. Robert and Mary Anne were married in the Templemichael Catholic Parish in 1851. Irish marriages traditionally take place in the bride’s parish, and so I looked for Mary Anne Barrett’s FMP Templemichael baptism transcription for the 1820s and 1830s, but didn’t find it. I couldn’t identify her baptism in any County Longford Catholic Parish. There is always the possibility I missed locating her baptism record because of Barrett surname variations.

BERNARD CONNOLLY IN THE 1911 CENSUS

The 1901 census also shows that 36 year old Bernard Connolly, his 30 year old wife Catherine, and their daughter Mary Anne, whose age is not transcribed, are the, “Residents of a house 26 in Chapel Lane (Longford No. 1 Urban, Longford).”

Bernard of course would be Robert and Mary Anne’s son. His occupation was Coach Painter. The census shows he could read and write, as could his wife Catherine, whose occupation was House Keeper.

Bernard, Catherine, and Mary Anne were all born in County Longford.

The census transcription from the National Archives of Ireland can be viewed at: https://is.gd/sj4lBf

Concerning their daughter Mary Anne, when you see in a census transcription where a child’s age is not recorded, it usually means the child is less than a year old. The child’s age however, is generally recorded in the original census.

You can view a copy of the original 1901 census at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001037961/

The original census return shows that Mary Anne was only 14 days old. The 1901 census was enumerated on Sunday, 31 March, and so Mary Anne would have been born two weeks earlier, if her age is accurate in the census.

Concerning Bernard’s age of 36, this would not be accurate. His age of 36 and his brother James’s age of 36 are the same, according to the 1901 census. Bernard’s baptism record however, shows he was born in 1863. In 1901 he would have actually been 38 years old.

Because Bernard and Catherine’s daughter Mary Anne was less than a year old in 1901, I thought that the couple were married within the previous 4 or 5 years or so. To find out I looked for their civil registration marriage record at the irishgenealogy.ie website, and found it.

Bernard “Connelly” and Catherine Donnelly were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of St. Mel on 8 July 1896. At the time of marriage Bernard was a Bachelor and Catherine a Spinster. Bernard’s occupation was “Labourer.” No occupation is recorded for Catherine. At the time of marriage Bernard and Catherine were living in Longford, meaning Longford Town. The marriage record further shows that Bernard’s father was Robert Connelly, a “Labourer,” and that Catherine’s father was also a “Labourer.”

The priest who married Bernard and Catherine was William Murry. The witnesses to the marriage were Pat Cassidy and Ellie McQuaid. Both Bernard and “Kate” signed the marriage register unassisted. Their marriage is Number 27 in the attached register.

ROBERT CONNOLLY’S DEATH RECORD

The 1901 census shows that Mary Anne Connolly is a widow, which means that her husband Robert would have died between the birth of their son Robert in 1869 and 31 March 1901, when the census was taken.

I looked for Robert’s death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website and found it. Robert died on 8 April 1895 in Longford at the age of 65. At the time of death he was married. His occupation had been, “Coach Builder.” The cause of death was, “Chronic Bronchitis several years. Certified.” The person who was present at Robert’s death and who recorded the death to the registrar was his son James Connolly of Longford. The death register shows that James signed the register with “his mark” in the form of the letter x, which signifies he could not write. The 1901 census however, shows that he could read and write.

The registrar recorded Robert’s death in the Longford Registration District on 15 April 1895. His death is Number 13 in the attached register.

THE 1911 CENSUS

I found Mary Anne Connolly in the 1911 census, showing she was the resident, “of a house 11 in Chapel Lane (Longford No. 1 Urban, Longford).” The census shows that Mary Anne is a 76 year old widow, who is on an “Oldage Pensioner.” She was Roman Catholic and could read and write. She is the only one in the household.

The 1901 census shows that Mary Anne was 72 years old, but 10 years later in 1911 she is 76 years old, showing that you cannot trust the accuracy of a person’s age in these census enumerations.

See the 1911 census transcription from the National Archives of Ireland at: https://is.gd/AVeudA

For a copy of the original 1911 census for Mary Anne Connolly, go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002907961/

At house 10 in the 1911 census is 30 year old widow Bridget Connolly and five of her children. No occupation is recorded for Bridget. She and her children were Roman Catholic and born in County Longford. The children are 6 year old Robert; 5 year old Malachy; 4 year old Mary Anne; 2 year old Patrick; and John, whose age is not recorded in the transcription, but who would be less than a year old. The census transcription for Bridget and her children can be found at: https://is.gd/jT8dPt

A copy of the original 1911 census for Bridget and her children has to be enlarged quite a bit to read that John’s age is “Under 5 months.” See: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002907961/

Bridget would have married one of Robert and Mary Anne Connolly’s sons. To find out I looked for the marriage of a Connolly last name and a Bridget first name at irishgenealogy.ie.

I found what I believe is the marriage record, showing that John Connolly and Bridget McNally married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Longford on September 23, 1903.

At the time of marriage John and Bridget were of “full.” Age. John had been a bachelor and Bridget a spinster. John’s occupation was “Coachbuilder.” Bridget’s occupation was “Cook.” John’s father is recorded as Robert Connoly whose occupation was “Coachbuilder.” Bridget’s father is Patrick McNally, a “Baker.”

The name of the priest who married John and Bridget was looks like D P Reynolds. The witnesses to the marriage were Robert Connolly and Maggie Connolly, who were likely John’s brother and sister. The marriage record is attached to this reply.

The Roman Catholic Chapel of Longford would, I suspect, refers to St. Mel’s Cathedral in Longford Town.

Bridget’s son John was less than 5 months old according to the 1911 census. Her husband John would have probably died sometime in 1900 or 1901. I looked for his death record at irishgenealogy.ie and found it.

John Connolly died on 19 October 1910 at the age of 42 years. At the time of death he was married. His occupation was ‘Carpenter.” I couldn’t make out the full cause of death, but the primary cause of death was “Pulmonary Tuberculosis 2 years.” His wife Bridget was present at the death and reported the death to the registrar, who recorded the death in the Longford Registration District on 12 December 1911. John’s death is the last one in the attached register at Number 77.

I also found 50 year old Bernard Connolly, his 30 year old wife Kaite, and their 6 children in the 1911 census. The family were the, “Residents of a house 21 in Chapel Lane (Longford No. 1 Urban, Longford).”

John’s occupation is “Painter.” Kaite’s occupation was House Keeper. The census line for Kaite shows that she and Bernard had been married for 15 years and in that time period had 7 children, with 6 children still living. The 6 children are in the household with them, ranging in age from the oldest at 10 years old and the youngest at 1 year old. The census transcription from the National Archives of Ireland spells Kaits’s name as “Karte.” See the transcription at: https://is.gd/Z4cVVf

A copy of the original 1911 census for Bernard, Kaite, and their children can be found at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002907983/

Earlier in this reply you saw that Bernard Connolly and Catherine Donnelly were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of St. Mel on 8 July 1896.

MARY ANNE CONNOLLY’S DEATH RECORD (MAYBE)

I looked for Mary Anne Connolly’s death record between the years 1911 and 1931 but couldn’t identify it with any amount of certainty in the Longford death records at irishgenealogy.ie.

But then I thought about what Sherlock Holmes had said to Watson in Arthur Conan Doyle’s story called, “The Sign of the Four,” where Holmes stated, “when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

The best “improbable” death record I found after eliminating several others, shows that a Mary Anne Connolly died in Longford at the age of 72 on 21 March 1921. At the time of death she was a widow, and had been a “House Keeper.” The cause of death was, “Apoplexy 3 days. No Medical attendant.” The person who was present at the death, and who reported the death to the registrar was Margaret Connolly of Longford. Margaret’s relationship to Mary Anne is not recorded. The registrar cited Mary Anne’s death in the Longford Registration District on 16 April 1921. The death is Number 79 in the attached register.

Having been married in 1851, I think Mary Anne would have actually been in her 80s, and maybe heading toward her 90s in 1921. Ages in death records, like those in the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations, were not always accurate.

Anne, I had another reason for accessing late 19th century and early 20th century birth, marriage, and death records for the Connolly’s other than seeing when the births, marriages, and deaths took place.

I wanted to see if Elizabeth Whelan had been present at any of the births and deaths as an informant, or at a marriage as a witness, even though Pallas Big is over 50 miles south of Longford Town.

We know from the 1901 census that the Whelans, Elizabeth, her husband Thomas, and their five children, were living in Pallas Big, Queens County.

Speaking of the 1901 census, as well as the 1911 census for Thomas and Elizabeth Whelan and their children in Pallas Big, Queens County, both enumerations show that Thomas Sr. was born in Queens County, not in County Kilkenny as stated in the 1885 New Zealand marriage record.

More evidence to support Queens County as the origins of the Whelan family is from your grandfather Thomas’s enlistment papers when he joined the AIF in Melbourne during World War I, stating he was born in Maryborough, Queens County, even though he was actually born in Australia.

The question is, why would he state he was born in Ireland when he was born in Bega, N.S.W.? Perhaps he thought of being more Irish than Australian?

If you look at a Google Map, you’ll see that Pallas Big is a little over two miles west of Maryborough: https://is.gd/OjbkJK

I wish I could have found more information about Thomas Whelan Sr. If you learn any new information about him, please send an update.

Best Wishes Anne,

Dave Boylan

SOURCES

Ancestry.com
Find My Past
National Library of Ireland
Shane Wilson: Catholic Parishes and Civil Parish Links - c1837
Google Maps
Google Street Views
Templemichael Catholic Parish Website: https://is.gd/SblnME
GeoHive Ordnance Survey Maps
irishgenealogy.ie
Ask About Ireland/Griffiths Valuation
Ask About Ireland/John Gresham
National Library of Ireland 1901 and 1911 Census
Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes in "Sign of the Four"

Just want to shout out a huge thank you to Roger McDonnell for passing on my last message re Whelans and Connollys to Dave Boylan.

Lastly but not least another "HUGE" thank you to Dave Boylan who has gone above and beyond my wildest expectations in researching these two lines of my family history.

Wow Dave, I am overwhelmed by your reply and was exhausted after reading it all.  I've got to say that it is going to take me a while to follow up on all the suggestions and links you have provided me.  I'm not very experienced in genealogy research and your insight is invaluable. I joined a genealogy group at the start of last year but as you can imagine, it has been drastically interrupted with the onslaught of Covid.  We did try a few online "Zoom" sessions but it's not the same as being able to speak face to face to somebody so I can't wait to report back to my tutor about your response.

I must say that at the end of last year I was just about ready to give up on my Whelan side of the family as I kept running into dead ends.  It was only after obtaining a copy of my mother's registration of birth that I saw in very small print that my grandfather had been born in Bega, NSW. This opened up a trail for me to follow and I was amazed to trace the marriage of his parents back to New Zealand, not to mention his grandparents names as shown on the marriage certificate.  On that point, I mistakenly typed the wrong maiden name of his mother as Bennett, and you were able to confirm that her name was actually Mary Anne Barrett, which was actually printed on the marriage certificate.

One valuable piece of information I have taken from your reply is that I did not realise that Civil Registration birth records were not recorded until after 1864 which is probably why I kept coming up against a brick wall.  Also, being in Australia, I am not familiar with the "parish" system of those times when it comes to searching for baptism records.

I am looking forward to following up all of the links you have given me for Ireland and I have found that there is an historical and genealogical office in Bega, so maybe there are some records there which will give me an insight into their time in NSW.  I am still mystified as to why Thomas Snr. would state his birthplace as Kilkenny on his marriage certificate but  "at sea" on his son's birth certiicate. Maybe I will never know but it might explain why no baptismal records were found for him in Ireland if he was in fact born at sea.  The birth certificate I have is an original handwritten copy from NSW births, deaths and marriages where as the New Zealand Marriage Certificate is a "typed" Certified true copy of particulars recorded by a Registrar. 

I don't know why Thomas Jnr would have stated that he was born in Ireland on his enlistment papers, but as you stated, he may have identified with being more Irish than Australian, given that most of his years were spent in Ireland. He would have been aged somewhere between three and eight when the family returned to Ireland before the 1901 census. Neither have I found out when he returned to Australia but assuming somewhere between 1912 and 1915. Nor do I know whether he met Julia Tynan before he returned to Australia before WW1 or whether it was immediately after the war. If it was before he returned to Australia that would put her age at mid teens when they met.

As you can see, I have plenty of research to keep me busy. Once again I am eternally grateful for the time and effort you have put in on my behalf.  It may take a while but I will certainly keep you updated on anything I find.

Regards,

Anne Baker.

Attached Files

Hello Anne,

Thank you very much for your reply and your kind words.

When I was reading what you had to say about Thomas Whelan Jr., I had wondered what drew him back to Australia after he and his family had moved to Ireland several years earlier.

Then I thought maybe he went back to Australia to be with Julia Tynan. But where did they meet? Another question I had was, if Julia had been born in or near Maryborough, it’s possible that Thomas Jr. had met her in Ireland rather than in Australia and that in the course of time they both ended up in Australia.

Your reply had prompted me to look for Thomas Whelan Jr’s Australian army service record at the subscription Ancestry.com website, as I thought that somewhere in his service record there may be a mention of his marriage, that is, if he had married when still in the army.

I uncovered several documents pertaining to Thomas’s service record. Ancestry.com’s source for the service record is the National Archives of Australia; Canberra. The index of his service record is below:

Australia, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920

Name: Thomas Michael Whelan
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Birth Year: abt 1893
Birth Place: Marybrough, Ireland
Dossier Year Range: 1914-1920
Enlistment Place: Melbourne, Victoria
Service Number: 6907
Spouse: Julia Whelan

Source Citation
National Archives of Australia; Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia; B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Australia, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
____

One of the documents in his service record dossier gives dates and places he traveled to when he was in the 21st Battalion during World War I. This record, dated 22 May 1923, shows that Thomas enlisted in the A.I.F. (the Australian Imperial Force) on 31 January 1917.

It also shows that Thomas went overseas to France, and on 22 March 1918, was wounded and captured by the Germans and made a prisoner of war. He was repatriated and arrived in England on 24 December 1918. What a Christmas present that must have been!

On 27 December 1918 he was granted leave, but then went A.W.L. (Absent Without Leave), and was absent from 29 January 1919 to 2 February 1919. For this infraction he was “Admonished,” and forfeited 8 days pay.

This document is attached to this reply.

Going through the other service records for Thomas, I believe I found why he went A.W.L. His service record shows that Thomas Michael Whelan, of the 21st Battn, and Julia Tynan were married in the Roman Catholic Church of Emo, Portarlington, Queens County on 27 January 1919. At the time of marriage Thomas was of “full age.” His address was, “Paleas, Maryborough,” which would be a reference to Pallas. His occupation was “Soldier.” His father is Thomas Whelan, a “Labourer.”

Julia’s residence at the time of marriage was Clonomone, Queens County. She was 20 years old and a “Spinster,” before she married. Her occupation was, “Farmer’s Daughter.” The name, address, and occupation of her father was Anthony Tynan, a “Farmer.” No address is given for Anthony. No address was given for Thomas’s father either.

The priest who married Thomas and Julia was Arthur F. Murphy, P.P., that, Parish Priest. The marriage was recorded in the Mountmellick, Queens County Registration District.

The army marriage record is attached to this reply.

With this information I looked for Thomas and Julia’s civil registration marriage record at the irishgenealogy.ie website and found it. It gives much the same information as the army marriage record, with the addition that the witnesses to the marriage were Anthony Tynan and Mary Anne Tynan. Anthony was either her father or brother. Mary Anne could have been her mother, but maybe her sister. The marriage record is attached to this reply.

Thomas’s service record shows he was Absent Without Leave beginning on 29 January 1919, which means he was due back to his army unit on the 29th, but never showed up. His service record, as mentioned earlier, shows he was absent from the 29th of January to the 5th of February. For his punishment he loses eight days pay. It looks like Thomas took a bit of a honeymoon with his new bride Julia, throwing Absent Without Leave, and caution, to the wind.

Anne, you can write a neat little story about your grandfather for future generations in your family, about an ancestor in a long ago war, who was born in Australia, but sailed with his parents to their home country of Ireland when he was a child…..

World War I begins in 1914, and in 1917 Thomas makes the long, dangerous journey back to Australia on a ship. In Australia he joins the A.I.F., is then sent to France where he was wounded and captured by the Germans, is held prisoner, but then released a month after the war ends. He arrives in England on 24 December 1918, and in less than a month he is in Ireland, where he marries his girl, Julia Tynan, on 17 January 1919. He then goes Absent Without Leave, ostensibly (guessing here) to have a few days with his new bride, before rejoining his unit in England. He loses eight days pay for being A.W.L.

I can just imagine what Thomas’s commanding officer thought about the A.W.L. I suspect the commander took it easy on the punishment of a soldier who was wounded and captured by the Germans, and remained a prisoner of war from 22 March 1918 until 19 December 1918, just after the war ended. The commander would also have known that Thomas was married less than a month after he arrived in England. If the war was still going on when Thomas was A.W.L., the punishment may have been more severe.

Thomas’s service record shows he left England for Australia on board the ship Ceramic, on 9 August 1919, and disembarks in Melbourne on 27 September 1919. He is then discharged from the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF), at Melbourne, on 30 November 1919, just a little over a year after the war ended on 11 November 1918.

Julia must have joined him in Australia, or she may have actually arrived in Australia before him. The marriage in Ireland, and Thomas’s discharge from the army in Australia, are what brought them both to Australia.

But, I am wondering if Thomas tried to join the British forces in Ireland during the war, but was told he had to go back to his native country of birth, Australia, to enlist.

If you make contact with any military historians in Australia, you can ask them that question.

The next attachment from Thomas’s service records is the report that states, “Missing France. Now reported prisoner of war in German hands & wounded.”

The reported missing notice appears to have two dates, one of which is 16/4/18 and the other 23/4/18. Thomas was not in the war very long before he was wounded and then captured.

The next attachment looks like a postcard that Thomas penned when he was a prisoner that was addressed to his brother, J .Whelan, notifying him that he was wounded. The address of his brother is: “Mr. J. Whelan, Pallas, Queens Co., Maryborough, Ireland.

Another attachment, on a blue card, also mentions that Thomas is wounded and a prisoner of war.

As noted earlier, there are several more documents from Ancestry.com relating to Thomas’s service record in World War I. Ancestry.com offers a two week free trial. For the free trial you have to provide a credit card number, but if you cancel before the two weeks is up, you will not be charged for a subscription, which can be expensive.

Before I subscribed to Ancestry, I used to take advantage of the free trials. I did this for three or four years before deciding to take out an Ancestry.com World Explorer subscription.

If you want the free trial Anne, go to Google and type in, “Ancestry.com free trial.”

Also, the National Archives of Australia, Canberra, may have more information.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THOMAS WHELAN’S SERVICE RECORD

Outside of Ancstry.com I found documentation about Thomas at the Australian War Memorial website. One document is his First World War Embarkation Roll, which you can access at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1920092

Another document is called The First World War Nominal Roll, which records Thomas’s service number and his dates of service with the 21st Battalion. The Nominal Roll can be accessed at the following link: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2266963

Anne, keep Thomas’s service number, 6907 handy for future reference should you do further research about his military records during World War I.

There is also information about Thomas Whelan from the https://www.awm.gov.au website entitled, “Australian Red Cross Wounded And Missing Files," about his being a prisoner of war in Germany. See: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1476532

The actual information about Thomas as a prisoner of war is from a pdf contained on six index cards under a title page at: https://is.gd/xtIlM7

The third index card pdf mentions Thomas’s having been wounded and a prisoner of war reported by Pte. (Private) L.F. Hamilton, Service Number 6824, of the 21st Battalion, who was also a prisoner of war. Hamilton’s report is dated 26/3/18.

I found a copy of the original letter from Private Hamilton of the 21st Battalion, AIF, where he writes that Thomas Whelan is a prisoner of war. The letter is faded and difficult to read in spots. Private Hamilton mentions Thomas Whelan at the bottom of the letter, which is attached to this reply. He gives Thomas’s contact information, referring to Thomas’s brother, “Mr. J. Whelan, Pallas Maryborough, Queens County Ireland. The letter is stamped 1 May 1918.

The 4th index card includes information I had been looking for, in that it shows that Thomas was a “Prisoner of War” who was “Interned” in Limburg, which is located in Germany. A quote from Thomas on this card reads, “I am in Hospital with good wound in the shoulder. Tim Whelan is also here wounded in the leg. We are being treated very well – 4 or 5 meals a day, we also have cigars and cigarettes given to us every day. So you can see we are not doing too bad.”

This information too, was provided by L.F. Hamilton of the 21st Battalion to a person named Pte H. Shelton, 21st Battn., dated 10/4/18.

Thomas mentions that Tim Whelan is in the hospital with him, though I don’t know if Tim was related or not.

The 5th index card, dated 19/8/18, shows that by this date Thomas is “Interned Wittenberg Lazarette,” with a quote from Thomas that reads, “I have been wounded. Excuse. Will explain more fully next time.”

Wittenberg is a town in Germany. From what I understand, a “Lazarette” is a hospital where people receive treatment.

The 6th index card, dated after the end of the war, notes that Thomas’s pay book was found in the German War Offices in Berlin.

We now know that Thomas was a prisoner of war in two locations in Germany. The first place is Limburg, where he was in the hospital. The second location where he was held was in Wittenberg. A Google Map shows that Wittenberg is 287 miles northeast of Limburg: https://is.gd/s0TsGW

For more information about the Wittenberg prisoner of war camp, including drawings and photographs, see the online post entitled “The Forgotten Men of Wittenberg,” at: http://thebignote.com/2020/01/01/the-forgotten-men-of-wittenberg/

I believe that much of the information in the post concerns the Wittenberg prisoner of war camp in its earlier days, before Thomas arrived there.

There are two sad songs of World War I that remind me of your grandfather Thomas. The songs are by musician Eric Bogle. One of the songs is called “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda,” and tells of a young Australian soldier going off to war to fight in the Gallipoli Campaign in Turkey in 1915. The soldier is wounded and is sent back home to reflect sadly on the battle and those that fought it and were either wounded or died there. It is my favorite song about World War I, and you can watch Eric Bogle sing it here (after skipping the advertisement): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h-e888c4aA&ab_channel=PeterTitchener

A very beautiful version of, “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda,” is sung by Elizabeth Smith of the Australian Army’s Lancer Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEthYuKCEug&ab_channel=TheLancerBand

Waltzing Matilda does not refer to dancing with a girl, but is a reference to a backpack or swag that a soldier carried everywhere with him as part of his kit.

The AIF was actively involved in the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign, off Suvla Bay, in the Dardenelles, Turkey, which you can read about here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Australian_Imperial_Force

The other sad World War I song by Eric Bogle is called “The Green Fields of France,” or No Man’s Land.” You can watch Eric Bogle sing it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-38PB_5ozc

ST. PAULS CATHOLIC CHURCH, EMO

I’d like to now go over the information found in the military and civil marriage records for Thomas and Julia.

The military (AIF) marriage record shows Thomas was residing in “Paleas, Maryborough” at the time of marriage. His civil marriage record shows his residence was “Pallas near Maryborough.”

Julia Tynan’s residence in the AIF marriage document is “Clonomone Queens Co.,” and in the civil marriage record it is “Clonamone.” Clonamone is the spelling of this townland a Google Map.

The church where Thomas and Julia were married was in Emo. The military marriage record states the marriage took place in the Church of Emo, Portarlington. This would be Julia’s parish church. It’s called St. Paul’s. The Catholic Parish is called Portarlington and Emo. See the Portarlington & Emo Parish website at: https://www.portarlingtonparish.ie/churcheslist/st-paul%E2%80%99s-churc…

A Google Map shows you the locations of Pallas, Maryborough Village, St. Paul’s Church in Emo, and Clonamone: https://is.gd/1mOKNq

For a Google Street View of Clonamone, go to: https://is.gd/YfdmcK

For Google Street Views of St. Paul’s Church in Emo, see: https://is.gd/mhA4pU and https://is.gd/vPCTNR

THE 1911 CENSUS

I next looked for and believe I found Julia Tynan, her parents, and eight siblings in the 1911 Ireland census, showing the family were the “Residents of a house 18 in Ballybrittas (Ballybrittas, Queen's Co.).”

A Google Map shows that Ballybrittas is only 1.8 miles east of Clonamone, but would be shorter as the crow flies: https://is.gd/QFWb3N

The 1911 census shows that 13 year old Julia’s parents are 46 year old Agricultural Labourer, Anthony Tynan, and his 43 year old wife Bridget. The census line for Bridget shows that she and Anthony had been married for 18 years, and in that time period had 9 children, with all 9 children still alive. The census shows that the 9 children were in the household with their parents, and like their parents, where born in Queens County.

One of the children in the household is 15 year old Maryanne. I suspect she was the witness, Mary Anne Tynan at Thomas and Julia’s 1919 marriage.

The census transcription from the National Library of Ireland can be accessed at: https://is.gd/nWrNkT

Make sure you click on, “Show all information” so that you can view the full census page.

For a copy of the original 1911 census of the Tynan family, see: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003167776/

The 1911 census shows that Julia Tynan is 13 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1898, that is, if her age is accurate. Ages of individuals in the 1911 as well as the 1901 census were often not accurate.

I went to the irshgenealogy.ie website to look for the civil birth record of Julia Tynan, daughter of Anthony and Bridget Tynan. Her birth record would not only record where she was born, but also provide the maiden name of her mother Bridget.

I looked for Julia’s birth between 1895 and 1900 and found it. She was born on 17 January 1898. At first I couldn’t make out her place of birth, but after looking at maps of Clonamone and the surrounding area, I figured out she was born in a town called Brockhill. The birth record shows Julia’s father was Anthony Tynan, a Labourer residing in Brockhill. Her mother is Bridget Tynan, formerly McNamara. The first name of the person who was present at the birth and who reported the birth to the registrar is Elizabeth. I couldn’t make out her last name. Her residence was Clonamone. Julia’s birth was recorded in the Mountmellick Registration District on what looks like 24 January 1898. Her birth is Number 440 in the attached register.

The Google Map at the following link shows that Brockhill House, Brockhill, is only a half mile east of Clonamone: https://is.gd/2w0Pdj

For a Google Street View of Brockhill House, Brockhill, see: https://is.gd/DmVgN8

For townland.ie map of Brockhill, go to: https://www.townlands.ie/laois/portnahinch/lea/ballybrittas/ballybritta…

On older maps, such as the Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period, Brockhill was called “Brackhill.” The Ordnance Survey Map from the GeoHive website is attached to this reply.

Anne, now you know when and the townland where your grandmother, Julia Tynan Whelan, was born.

The 1911 census shows that Anthony and Bridget Tynan were married for 18 years, placing their year of marriage circa 1893. Julia Tynan’s birth record shows her mother was Bridget McNamara, and so I looked for the marriage record of Anthony Tynan and Bridget McNamara at the irishgenealogy.ie website and found it.

Anthony and Bridget were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of St. Paul’s, Emo, on November 13, 1892. At the time of marriage both were of “Full age,” meaning over 21. Anthony had been a bachelor and Bridget a spinster. At the time of marriage Anthony was a “Soldier,” whose residence was “Clonemone,” that is, Clonamone. His father is John Tynan, a Labourer.

Bridget’s occupation is, “at house.” Her residence at the time of marriage was Old Ballybrittas. Her father is James McNamara, a Labourer. The priest who married Anthony and Bridget was Thomas J. Kelly, P.P. The witnesses to the marriage were Laurence Tynan and Lizzie Clasby. Laurence Tynan may have been Anthony’s brother. The marriage record is attached to this reply.

On another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period you can see that the townland of Ballybrittas Old is just north of Brackhill. The map is attached to this reply.

It appears now that Thomas Michael Whelan followed in his father’s footsteps and also became a soldier. Thomas Sr’s service record would be held by the National Archives, Kew, near London, though you would likely have to pay a researcher to locate his service record. For more information about military records at the National Archives in Kew, see: https://is.gd/AU1eTT

THE 1901 CENSUS

I found 3 year old Julia Tynan, her 30 year old mother Bridget and Bridget’s other four children in the 1901 census showing they were the “Residents of a house 17 in Ballybrittas (Ballybrittas, Queen's Co.).”

Bridget’s husband Anthony is not in the household, though the census shows that Bridget is married. The head of the household is shown to be 70 year old “Nurse,” Julia McEvoy, who is recorded as Bridget Tynan’s mother. Bridget Tynan’s children are shown to be Julia McEvoy’s grandchildren.

Also in the household is Julia McEvoy’s nephew, 21 year old agricultural Labourer, William McLoughlin. He, and everyone else in the household were born in Queens County. The 1901 census transcription from the National Archives of Ireland can be found at: https://is.gd/U3KHsW

A copy of the original 1901 census for the Julia McEvoy household can be seen at:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003823925/

I’m not sure why the last name of Bridget Tynan’s mother’s is McEvoy and not McNamara. As you saw earlier, Anthony Tynan had married Bridget McNamara, not Bridget McEvoy. Bridget McNamara’s father was James, according to the marriage record.

BRIDGET MACKNAMARA’S BIRTH RECORD

At the irishgenealogy.ie website I looked for the civil registration birth record of Bridget McNamara, whose father was James and whose mother was Julia. I found the birth record showing that Bridget “Macknamara” was born in Ballybrittas on 12 February 1869. Her father is James McNamara, a “Servant.” The name of the town where James was residing at the time of the birth looks like, “Garahinch.” Bridget’s mother is Julia Macknamara, formerly Morgan. Bridget’s mother Julia of Ballybrittas, reported the birth to the registrar, who recorded the birth in the Mountmellick Registration District on 26 February 1869. Bridget’s birth is Number 30 in the attached birth record.

Your grandmother Julia Tynan Whelan, may have been named after her own grandmother, Julia Morgan McNamara, who was born in 1869.

James Macknamara’s residence of Garahinch may possibly be a reference to Garryhinch, across the border in County Offaly, which would have been Kings County when Bridget was born. A Google Map shows that Garryhinch is 9.2 miles northwest of Ballybrittas, by the shortest route: https://is.gd/nUpKf4

ANTHONY TYNAN’S BIRTH RECORD

I also found Anthony Tynan’s civil birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website, showing he was born in Ballybrittas on 4 October 1864. His father is John Tynan, a Labourer residing in Ballybrittas. Anthony’s mother is Bridget Tynan, formerly Keegan. John Tynan the father, reported the birth to the registrar who recorded the birth in the Mountmellick Registration District on 10 October 1864. Anthony’s birth is Number 75 in the attached register.

For a Google Map of Ballybrittas, see: https://is.gd/vTdFWA

For a Google Street View of Ballybrittas go to: https://is.gd/FO9TtZ

Attached to this reply is an Ordnance Survey Map of the Ballybrittas crossroads from the 1837 to 1842 time period. The map is from the GeoHive website.

I’m going to close here, as you already have a lot of information from the previous reply to add to the multiple records found in this reply.

I have not done very much Australian genealogical research over the years, and so there are probably several other records concerning Thomas and Julia that I missed.

It’s been very interesting locating information about Thomas Whelan Jr. and Julia Tynan. You must be very proud of them and the hardships they faced before settling for good in Australia to raise a family.

Anne, do you know if Thomas talked to his children about what happened to him during the war?

With Best Wishes,

Dave

ATTACHMENTS

Thomas Michael Whelan's Service Record
Thomas Whelan and Julia Tynan 1919 AIF Marriage record
Thomas and Julia's 1919 Irish Marriage Record
Thomas Whelan Reported Missing In Service Record
Thomas's Prisoner of War Post
Another Report of Thomas Being Wounded and a Prisoner of War
Julia Tynan's 1898 Birth
Ordnance Survey Map of Brackhill
Tynan and McNamara 1892 Marriage
Ordnance Survey Map of Ballybrittas Old and Brackhill
Bridget Macknamara's 1869 Birth
Anthony Tynan's 1864 Birth
Ordnance Survey Map of Ballybrittas

SOURCES

Ancestry.com: Australia, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920
irishgenealogy.ie
Australian Imperial Force Nominal Roll
Eric Bogle Song: And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Elizabeth Smith Singing And The Band Played waltzing Matilda
Wikipedia: First Australia Imperial Force
Eric Bogle Song: No Man's Land/Green Fields of France
Google Maps
Google Street Views
National Archives of Ireland 1911 Census
townland.ie Maps
GeoHive: Ordnance Survey Maps

Thanks again Dave Boylan for your extensive research into Thomas Michael Whelan and his WW1 involvement.

I did already have quite a bit of that information through the Australian War Memorial and yes I am very proud of him and all of the servicemen who have served during the world wars. In fact, in 2019 my husband and I had a very moving and memorable visit to the French/Belgium war fields where both of our grandfathers saw action. Just as a matter of interest, I will enlighten you a little on what I know of my grandparents, Thomas and Julia.                                                                                                                                              As you had found, they were married at St. Paul's, Emo, on the 27th January, 1919.  I suspect, as you did, that my grandfather was AWOL when they were married.  I do not know whether Julia accompanied him back to England when he reported back for duty. I haven't found any shipping references for Julia coming to Australia and I assume that she accompanied Thomas back to Australia on the troop ship. My mother was their first born and she was born in January 1920. They lived most of their married life in the Camberwell/Surrey Hills area in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Unfortunately I never met Thomas who suffered in later years from the after effects of being gassed as well as shell shock and he passed away around 1942 not long before my mother married. Julia  lived until 1963 and passed away when I was 11 years old.  Needless to say, I never asked the questions which I now wish I had of.  I have met my mum's cousins on the Tynan side in Ireland.  They haven't been able to enlighten me too much only to say that she was very young when she left Ireland.   They know nothing about the Whelan family. I have done my DNA but have never had any matches to the Whelans as far as I know.

I don't know whether Julia and Thomas met before Thomas returned to Australia before WW1 or whether it was a "whirlwind" romance while he was on leave.  I still don't know why or when Thomas returned to Australia before the war but suspect it was somewhere between 1911 (after the census) and 1916.  I have copies of Thomas's birth certificate and also his parents New Zealand marriage certificate but I am following up with the historical society in Bega, NSW to try and find out when the family moved to the area and when they left.  I am also going to follow up on John and Eliza Whelan who landed in Portland, Victoria to see if there is a connection to Thomas Snr there. I have seen the passenger list for John and Eliza and they were to be employed by a J. Henty.  The Henty's have left quite a famous legacy in the Western Districts of Victoria mainly in sheep farming but also in politics.

Hope I haven't bored you too much Dave and thanks again for the research you have done.

Regards, Anne Baker.

Thank you Anne. You're narrative wasn't boring at all but extremely interesting.

I hope you can find more information about your ancestors, as you never know, someone in your family years from now may want to know where they came and who they are descended from. Hopefully they will be as proud of their Irish heritage as you are, and proud of the sacrifices their ancestors made, especially a soldier ancestor who in World War I who was wounded and ended up a prisoner of war. You could write a book about your grandfather Thomas and grandmother Julia. Theirs is a very interesting story.

It must have been very moving for you and your hisband to have visited the fields of battle in Belgium and France where your grandfathers fought.

Thank you again Anne for writing.

Dave

Thanks Dave, yes it was a very moving experience to visit the battlefields but it was a bit rushed and you never seem to have enough time to soak it all up when you are on a time schedule.  Nevertheless, I can say that I may have walked in my grandfathers footprints even though I never knew him.  I guess that's what driving my passion to find out more. 

Unfortunately all of Julia and Thomas's children are now deceased and none of the grandchildren were born whilst Thomas was alive. I was brought up knowing that he had been a POW and that he had been gassed, other than that I know nothing of his time during the war or his time in Australia prior to WW1.  I think that its only in recent times that peoples war experiences are talked about.  Even my own father who served in the Australian navy during WW2 didn't speak much about the war. I do know that my grandmother found it very difficult bringing up the family on her own as there was no financial support from the government back then.   My two uncles werr quite young when their father died, i think around 12 and 13 and were a bit of a handfull. The area of Melbourne where they lived was working class and had a lot of market gardens in the area; I remember stories of them stealing vegetables from the gardens to feed the family.  Amazing to think that the same area now is one of the more affluent areas in Melbourne. 

I also believe there may have been a bit of ill feeling towards Thomas's brother in Ireland, something to do with Thomas's pay during the war. I know his pay book  which was found in Berlin post war was sent back to the family in Ireland.   I also believe that one of his sisters emigrated to USA and was quite wealthy so maybe there was some resentment there.  But this is all heresay.

My grandmother used to correspond with some of her family in Ireland and my mother continued to write to her cousins after Julia's death in 1963. My own mother passed away in 1983 and there was no more contact whith Ireland until I tracked them down around the early 2000's. Our first visit to them was in 2004 and we were welcomed "home" by them all with open arms.  We have since been back to visit 3 or 4 times and although we have been to see the old family home, they haven't been able to shed much light on Julia's sudden marriage and move to Australia. My mother was the eldest of six children, she was born in Melbourne in 1920. 

Thanks again for your interest Dave, I am still following up on some of the leads you have suggested.

Regards Anne.

Hi Anne,

Your mom passed away much too young in 1983.

I have found that some of my Irish relatives and ancestors lived a very long time, but that others died young, in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. There doesn’t seem to be rhyme nor reason sometimes for who lives into old age and those who pass at a young age. I had an uncle who lived into his 90s, but his sister, my aunt, died in her early 50s of cancer. My own brother died at age 42 from cancer.

Like you, my cousins in Ireland always welcomed me “home,” and when leaving would ask, “When are you coming home again?” That makes you feel like you really belong there.

I always found it coincidental that many of my older relatives and friends in Ireland, even those who didn’t know one another, had the same two or three pictures hanging on their kitchen walls. One was of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one was the Pope, and the other a picture of U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, whose great grandparents came from Ireland.

I believe that many, if not all of my cousins spoke the Irish language, or had a working knowledge of the language. I used to know some Irish as well, but have lost it over the years due to not being able to speak it with anybody here in the U.S., as it is a difficult language to master if you haven’t been brought up with it.

Thank you for writing Anne. If there is any other research you’d like me to look into, please don’t hesitate to ask.

With Best Wishes and God Bless,

Dave