Philip Clark(e) of Bailieborough. Born 1799

Local volunteer contacted.

I don't know if this is your Philip, but it's the only one born near 1799. 

Philip Clark                       

Baptism:              30-Apr-1795  in RC Parish of LURGAN, Co. Cavan

Address:               Edenburt             

Father:  Patrick Clark      

Mother:               Honor Duffy

Sponsors: John Clarke, Joanna Roe

From rootsireland.ie

Hi Angela,

Getting back that far is very difficult and the other problem is that the Clarke surname is very common, I have difficulties with my own Clarke relatives as they also married into the neighbouring Clarke family, all with similar first names.  The above record in Lurgan is a neighbouring parish, however it still could be him as his family may have moved.  Bailieborough is in the parish of Killann and their records start 1835 on RootsIreland.  What you could do is write up an article with all the information you have with photos and send it to linda@anglocelt.ie it is the local paper, and you would hope that in the recess of someone's mind, they might have been told about him.  There is no guarantee that it will be published but you never know.  His children's names may honour the names of his or his wife's parents.  Was she from Bailieborough?  Have you done DNA test?

I hope you make a breakthrough.

Regards Carmel O'Callaghan

Thank you both for replying so quickly. I will take note of the possibility that he may be the Lurgan Clarke. His sons were called Philip and Thomas, so I had presumed that his father may have been called either of these names.

My DNA has been tested with Ancestry but nothing came up that I could recognise as being linked to the Clarkes.

Also, I read that there was a French community of linen workers in the area. My grandmother told me as a child that everyone in her family was Irish, except for one woman who was French, and the DNA test confirmed this. I'm wondering if one of the Clarkes married one of these French ladies. Do you know if there was much intermarriage between the linen workers and the locals?

Best wishes,

Angela

Hi Angela,

There was a woollen mill, I know nothing about its origins, but I never heard about French people being involved, but that may be due to my lack of knowledge.  He may have visited many countries, his regiment records may tell you where he was.  The closest French women that I am aware of are the St. Louis nuns who came to Carrickmacross but too late for Philip as they arrived in 1859 and did teach lace making.  Can you find his marriage records?

Regards Carmel

Angela,

There were settlements of Huguenots in Ireland, so perhaps that is where your French ancestor came from.

Thanks, Carmel and Patricia.

I was trying to find a link to a French ancestor, and the linen worker in Cavan was a stab in the dark. I did read at: https://www.historyireland.com/enigma-french-linen-weavers-cootehill-sw…; about Cootehill being a linen-producing town, and Catholic linen workers from Flanders settling there.

The record I have for Philip's marriage does not give me much information: the only source is the GRO Chaplain's Indexes. This records him as getting married in Corfu, where he was stationed from 1819-1830, but not the year or who is spouse was.

His daughter's death record gives her mother's name as "Susanna Bird". His daughter was born in Ireland, where Philip was stationed after returning from Corfu and coming to Australia about three years later. So perhaps he re-married in Ireland? If I could find a birth record for his daughter would be wonderful. His Army record does not have any details about his family, unfortunately.

Regards,

Angela

Thanks Angela for the additional information, what was his daughters name and do you know where and when was she born?

The only Clarke person born to a mother whose surname was Bird in Co. Cavan is the following one:

 Now the name Bird also has an Irish variant MacEneaney, the Irish version is very prominent in Co. Monaghan, with a variety of spellings.  This article gives some details https://www.houseofnames.com/mceneany-family-crest

Regards Carmel

Carmel, 

thanks for that information. I didn't realise there was another version of the name.