Adelis/Bridget/Delia Kearney married a British Soldier Charles William Watson in 1850. They are my husbands great great grandparents. .A copy of the marriage record for Charles William Watson, with address at the Royal Barracks, private, 31st Regiment, and Delia Kearney, servant, also with an address of Royal Barracks, was dated 21st October 1850. Charles William’s father was recorded as John Charles Watson, hairdresser, and Delia’s father was John Kearney, labourer. The marriage took place in St Paul’s Church of Ireland Church, in the Dublin parish of St Paul, North King Street.
Their first child was born in Fermoy in 1852. We have two baptismal certificiates for John Charles one in a catholic church and one in the church of Ireland in Fermoy. Charles Willian was at that time a Sergeant in the 59th Regiment.
We have searched for a Bridget Kearney, given the date parameters of her marriage and average age at marriage of 21, I searched birth indexes on a vital record database.
Family information on Bridget was that she was from Fermoy Co. Cork Delia/Bridget was the daughter of a John Kearney (from her marriage record). The nearest birth match was for a Bridget Kearney, baptised on 23 June 1825, with address listed as ‘B Vaudy’ in the Roman Catholic parish of Kildorrery, Co. Cork. Her father was listed as John Kearney and mother Margaret Sheehan.
Kildorrery is in the Fermoy area and the address ‘B Vaudy’ is likely an abbreviation for the townland ‘Ballyvoddy’. Other children of John and Margaret Sheehan were found:
Margaret (b1828); Denis (b 1830); Daniel (b 1833); Catherine (b 1835); Ellen (b 1837); John (b 1841), and Cornelius (b1844).
The 3 males: Denis, Daniel, and Cornelius were confirmed as being baptised in the same parish as Bridget, and the address matched. Daniel’s was given as Rockmills which is a village in the same area.
In searching the 1901 and 1911 Irish Census returns I found a Denis O’Kearney aged 41 (estimated birth year of 1860) with his wife and children in the townland of Ballyvoddy, Derryvillane D.E.D. Co. Cork, in 1901. Also in the household was his mother Ellen aged 70, a widow. He was listed as a farmer. By 1911 he was deceased but his mother, wife and children were still in the same townland.
It is possible that Denis is a relative of Bridget Kearney. He may have been her nephew. His mother Ellen was listed as aged 70 in 1901 therefore her birth year could be estimated as 1831 which would mean she was of the same generation as Bridget.
None of the other male siblings could be traced in the area in the Census records.
From the Griffiths Primary Valuation search, the townland of Ballyvoddy, where John Kearney and Margaret Sheehan lived at the time of their children’s births, had no entry in that name as ‘occupier’/tenant of house, offices and land in the townland, however, there was a John Kearney in the townland of Ballynahalisk in which the village of Rockmills is situated. In this townland John Kearney was the tenant of a T.B. Leader esq, occupying a house and yard with no land. This might be the correct family as he was listed as a labourer on Bridget/Delia’s marriage record.
Can anyone help us with this and find Irish decendents? We are well and truly stuck!!!
Prionsios
Thursday 6th Aug 2015, 03:09AMMessage Board Replies
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Prionsions:
I alerted our parish liaison in Kildorrery that you posted a message.
Roger McDonnell
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Thursday 6th Aug 2015, 03:06PM -
Hi Prionsius
I have been asked to look in to this for you and I will start looking.
Will get back to you as soon as possible
Regards,
Mallow Cork
Monday 17th Aug 2015, 04:12PM -
Kearney,
Hi I have checked all possible records and come to the same result as you.
There is a Bridget Kearney baptised in Kildorrery on 23 June 1825, the address Ballyvoddy
Take note that she was baptised in Kildorrery, address where the family lived was different.
Ballyvoddy is in the parish of St.Natlash and indeed in de barony of Fermoy.
Question: Do you know where Bridget died and how old she was when she died? This to establish if we have the correct year of her birth.
Mallow Cork
Monday 17th Aug 2015, 04:42PM -
Hi Proinsios
I have found Bridget and her siblings in the Kildorrery register. Ballyvoddy and Rockmills are in the Catholic Parish of Kildorrery, hense the reason that they were all baptised in Kildorrery. Unfortunately the records for Kildorrery only begin from 1824 so it is possible that Bridget may have had even more siblings.
As far as I know there aren't any Kearneys presently in that area but I will do some checking locally and see what I can come up with.
The Kearney grave in Rockmills can be viewed on historicgraves.ie and click St Nathlash.
JESUS HAVE MERCY
IN MEMORY OF
DENIS O KEARNEY
WHO DIED OCTOBER 2ND 1910
AGED 50 YEARS
RIP
ERECTED BY HIS LOVING SISTER
MARY ELLENAlso I came across the following in a project done by schoolchildren in the parish of Aghinagh near Macroom, Co Cork which I thought was rather interesting:
Fr. Denis O' Kearney
Fr. Denis O' Kearney was the parish priest of Aghinagh at the time of the Famine . Here is a little piece about Fr. O' Kearney . He did trojan work for his parishioners during the famine . There is a plaque on the wall in Ballinamorrive Church as he is buried near the altar . Fr. O' Kearney was born in Rockmills, Kildorrery . Fr. O' Kearney was appointed parish priest of Aghinagh in 1837 and remained here until his death from famine fever in 1848.Fr. Kearney's Letters
Fr. O'Kearney was a Parish Priest in Aghinagh During the Famine. He wrote numerous letters to the editor of the Cork Examiner. This is an extract from a letter on November 18th, 1846.
My dear sir, We have no time to breathe or at all attend to our usual occupations in this neighbourhood so great is the pressure upon us in consequence of the deplorable state of the poor people. Mr. John O'Connell as many more and I myself have for the last fortnight ten hands beyond my usual number. Several others have acted similarly. I am glad to tell you the comfortable farmers in this parish are behaving nobly. Their subscriptions are in amount far beyond their means. I expect a great deal from the resident and would I could say from the non-resident gentry. My neighbour. Mr. Hernett of Dellish has kindly sent me ten pounds, his second subscription.
Sincerely, my dear Sir. Denis O'Kearney, P.P.I will get back to you if I can find out what became of the Kearneys.
Best wishes
Brenda
Parish Liaison
Kildorrery Ireland Reaching Out
Kildorrery Cork
Thursday 20th Aug 2015, 11:21AM -
Re the Denis O'Kearney headstone
Denis's loving sister MaryEllen was married to my GG grandfather's nephew - if anyone wants more information on them
Cordangan, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Friday 16th Dec 2016, 12:53AM -
Thank you all for your replies so far and would love to have any information you can find. We can find no full record of Charle's military service in Ireland except his marriage certificate and the birth of his first son, he had four children so it's possible that most of them were born in Ireland, but we have found record of a Charles Watson on a military record database. He served in the 31st Regiment of Foot, as sergeant. His service number was 2563.
The 31st saw active service in China, moving there in 1860 and taking part in the capture of the Taku Forts. The regiment remained in China until 1863 and was involved in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. Charles was awarded the Second China War medal which was issued to those who took part in the Second Opium War of 1856-1860 against China. Six clasps were authorised for the recipient indicating service in a particular campaign or battle. Charles was awarded the clasp for Taku Forts 1860. Charles died in China on 1 May 1862.When they left Ireland we think sometime around 1860 when his regiment went to China and were told that the family moved to York but we can't find them on the census so that piece of information is inaccurate. Their son John Charles was given a place at the Duke of York Military School in Dover when his father died so perhaps she lived in Dover and died there. So now have to check up on that. We would love to know what happened to the Kearney family in Ireland because it's always been such a mystry in my husbands family.
Prionsios
Friday 16th Dec 2016, 04:30AM