Hello everyone. My great-great-grandfather Francis Leyden was said to have been born in County Leitrim to parents Francis Layden and Mary Hart, around 1815. My father told me we came from a place in Ireland where “everyone was a Layden”. The Tithe Applotment Books have a Francis Layden in Glackaunadarragh, Inishmagrath parish. Almost half the tenants listed in that townland were Laydens, although I understand that the Laydens have gone now and the townland is almost deserted. The NLI only has parish registers for 1835-1839 for Inishmagrath – I found some records for Laydens, including one Francis Layden who was a sponsor at a baptism in 1838, but nothing conclusive.
Francis junior married Winifred Currans from Sligo. They left Ireland for the Dumfries/Maxwelltown area around 1848/9 with their daughter Mary, and settled there. A Scottish birth certificate for one of their children says they married in May 1843 in “Susie Ireland” (which I think could be Sooey in Sligo).
All the information I have about the Laydens (so far) comes from Scottish records. I would really like to find out for sure where the family came from, and flesh out the Irish side of my family tree.
iainlayden
Monday 15th Feb 2016, 05:05PMMessage Board Replies
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Dear Ian
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out and apologies for the delay in getting back to you.
I couldn't find a marriage record for Francis and Mary or any children nor for Francis and Winfired or any children. It could be the case that they were born in a parish and at a time that predates parish records. I tried too to locate a baptism for Winifred in Sligo without success. I take it they (Frnacis and Winifred) married in Ireland?
Best wishes
Clare Doyle
Genealogy Support
Monday 14th Mar 2016, 03:39PM -
Hi Clare, Thanks for your message.
They were married in Ireland, yes. According to a Scottish birth certificate from 1861, they were married in May 1843 in “Susie, Ireland”. I think this could be Sooey in Riverstown parish, which is close to Innismagrath. Their daughter Mary was born in Sligo around 1845. But I’ve been searching the church records on FindMyPast and I couldn’t find any records of either of these events.
Regards, Iain Layden
iainlayden
Monday 14th Mar 2016, 04:47PM -
Sorry, I did read your earlier reference to 'Susie', Sligo but it went in and out again without computing, so sorry!
If that is the correct reference in Sligo then I would have thought the records would be available as parish records for Riverstown (Taunagh) begin in 1803 with gaps in 1834-1836 for baptisms and 1829-1836 for marriages but I can't find any children to the couple anywhere in Ireland.
The attached link to the Griffith's lists everyone leasing land in Kilmacallan civil parish - you could check under 'occupant' for each one (the quickest view) to see if there is anyone with a variant in spelling of the family name. This Griffith's Valuation is a little temperamental when it comes to spelling variants but there is a tutorial on how to search for differing family names:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/search-tips.xml
My only conclusion is that they were born in a parish and at a time that predates parish records.
There are also 149 Leyden entries in the 1901 Census so another way to try to suss out what Leyden families are living in what townland as a general exercise:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?searchMoreVisi…
As a long shot you could try the online phone book and write to any Leyden entries there (5 of them). Their addresses are usually included:
http://www.eirphonebook.ie/q/name/where/Sligo/who/Leyden/?customerType=…
Best wishes
Clare
Genealogy Support
Wednesday 16th Mar 2016, 02:58PM