I descend from George Bethel of Portumna Ireland - Seeking information on Bethel Family

Hi Jackie.

Thank you very much for your enquiry which has been passed to me. I have seen the memorial and spoken to Caroline Haslam who looks after Christchutch. Im hoping to meet her during the week to get a look at the actual records and then I will be able to let you know more. You are very welcome to join the Portumna Parish page on www.irelandxo.com and get yourself on the mailing list to get any news as it is released. Hope to talk to you soon.

Pat Madden.

I am sooo excited to be in contact with somebody in Portumna.

I visited Portumna a number of years ago and thought it was a beautiful place.

We visited the church but it was closed and I while we searched the headstones I did not see the one for George and Ann Bethel. I am very curious about exactly where in the yard it is.

I am also very curious if it is possible to figure out which piece of property lot 15a and b from the last Grifiths Evaluation is and get a picture of it.

I am looking forward to finding out more regarding George and Ann and figuring out whether it was him or his son George Henry Bethel in the different listings and why he (the son George) staid in Portumna until 1887 after his father died.

Did my great grandfather (George Henry Bethel) have a first wife in Portumna? He came to America and married the daughter of a painter, which I found interesting.

George Henry Bethel had a brother Thomas Waldron Bethel who came to America and became a police officer 20 years before George came to America. I believe there was a brother William who died in the Portumna Poor Workers house and I think there was a sister Ann. Am I correct regarding this family?

I am so excited !!

Hello,

I live in Portumna and just had a look at George Bethel in Griffiths. He is listed in two places in Portumna - lot 15a and b can be seen on the accompanying map in Griffiths.

http://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie/gv4/single_layer/i8.php?lat=&longt=…

You can use the slider in the top right-hand corner to see today's satellite picture. The plot is on St. Brendan's Road (which is what we call locally the Galway Road N65). Plot 15 is now an estate called Fisherman's Wharf at the rear and and 4 private houses fronting the road.I have taken screenshots in the attached Word file.

If the overlay is accurate then the houses/building(s) referred to in Griffiths, 15a & B, are today part of the houses known as The Spires (they are on the other side of the road on the modern map).

George Bethel also owned a garden plot on Old Main Street (number 91 in Griffiths). There is a town map which shows this and I've taken a screen shot as well. I have tried to copy and paste a link but it doesn't work. If you can find your way around Griffiths, then you can zoom into the maps and find these places.

Regarding the headstone, there is a sketch map showing the positions (difficult to find if you don't know the website!). The link is http://historicgraves.com/sites/default/files/d7_files/pdf-uploads/surv…. It's number 30 (behind the church as you look at the pdf, in the row to the right-hand side).

regards

Dolores O'Shea

Is it Ann or George at headstone or plot 30 and who is at 33 butted up against their plot? Cross my fingers for a relative : ) 

You can see all the headstones in the Church of Ireland Portumna here: http://historicgraves.com/graveyard/christchurch-c-i/ga-ccpd.

No. 30 is here: http://historicgraves.com/christchurch-c-i/ga-ccpd-0030/grave – both Ann and George are mentioned. There seem to be no other Bethels in the graveyard.

GRIFFITHS:

The plot of land corresponds to the entry 50 in Griffiths for Portumna. The numbers correspond to land and the letters to buildings. As nothing exists anymore (the road is built-up on both sides with various houses), you can only just see where the plot was originally, and the old map (1837-1842) may not correspond one to one to the more accurate modern-day map. The original buildings shown in Griffiths seems to overlay where The Spires is today but they are the other side of the road so was the road moved or is it just the difficulty in overlaying the maps?

There is a George Bethel in Old Main St. but I only find number 91 and it’s a garden.

Hello again Jackie,

you may already have this information.

http://www.failteromhat.com/slater/0023.pdf

Slater's Directory lists George Bethel as a shopkeeper in Old Main Street Portumna in 1846.

regards

Dolores

I only just saw your message. I know something about the Bethells of Portumna. One of them, Richard Bethell, son of George, married Caroline Lucas of Whitegate in Co. Clare in 1867. Caroline had been born in England. The couple lived in Portumna for a few years, then moved to Dublin, and eventually settled in Leeds in Yorkshire where trhey had a butcher's shop. I believe they were in the provisions trade in Portumna as well. Caroline Lucas was my partner's great great aunt. I'm afraid I don't know anything about Richard's siblings but I'm sure they must be the same Bethells.

Regards
Tim O'Mahony.,

Hi Jackie,

I have just completed a parish history on Portumna entitled 'Portumna A Galway by the Shannon'. During my research I came across a few references to the name Bethel. You seem to have uncovered much of the information that I have but I will check to see if I jhave any more.

Regardsm

John Joe.

I am very excited that you may have source information that I only have speculation. And would love to chorespond further.

I have recently found somebody who "could" be George Bethel's Father.

My Great Grandfather, George Bethel's older Brothers name was Thomas Waldron Bethel (both born in Portumna to George Bethel and Ann.

I don't know how many other children George and Ann had or exactly what the naming patterns of Irish families were, but I was thinking Waldron might have been Ann's maiden name or some other close relative.

I found another George Bethel who married a Mary Walden (tiny variation but pronounced the approximate same) who married in Dublin Sept 9 1805 I think in some parish records,  4 years before my Great Great Grandfather was born. I would really like to find more information about them to find out if they could be Georges parents.