Maria Lallivan

Alice I cannot find the name but looked at the marriage record on Roots Ireland where apparently the church records have a note, firstly Patrick Downey is a railway worker and it mentions his father is from Keanmare which I take to be Kenmare in County Kerry and therefore the mother is probably Sullivan. Common name in Kerry, that said I cannot find a Patrick born in Kerry to a father BARTHOLOMEW . There is a Bartholomew born to a Bartholomew Downey and Mary Sullivan in 1869 in Allihies, which is in Cork but turns up on the church records for Kerry, it is also near enough to Kenmare, it is at the outer end of a peninsula and Kenmare is at the land end if you understand. At the time of the Mayo marriage the country would have been well serviced with the railways. 

I wonder if the son was known as Patrick to avoid confusion with the father, also no other children to this couple but a Bart Downey has a number of children prior to this with a Mary Saunders also in Allhies. I can find no marriage for either of them but think the Downey man was from that area but I cannot stand it up but from the notes I see on Roots Ireland, you can see the church records here. https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0751 

What do you think

Pat

Pat.

Thank you for the information.  I am thinking also that it may be Sullivan. I know Patrick Downey married Bridget Hughes in Nov 28, 1891. On that paper it had said Patrick Downey and for father said Batt Downey. But it is not to clear to read.

I know that they were from County Kerry. Do you have the names of the children from the one that was married to Mary Saunders. 

Thank you

Hello Alice, I attach the info below, they are all three born on Dursey Island, and are James 15 April 1860; Ellen 25 July 1863 and Catherine 23 July 1866, there is a civil record for this, area Castletown when searching Irish Genealogy. Father is a labourer. 

Now the child to Mary Sullivan in 1869 was address Sand Road, assume Allihies.

Now this is where I started tearing at what little hair I have, having often heard of Allihies and mining I decided to search it and discovered it was a very big operation, up to 2000 employed, opened 1810. This is where the hair went awry, I attach a link to the local history but see the name of the man who operated the mine, there was a big Cornwall, England connection, a note on one of the above baptisms mentions the surname Caupey. Assuming Cornish name. Anyway back in the day the mine manager was a John Lavallin Puxley. See this bit on the man here and his wife, when the wifes name is inserted into the married name as here it indicates the wifes family were the more eminent and the name was kept for prestige.

Who was John Puxley?

John Lavallin Puxley was the son of Henry Puxley and Sarah Lavallin of ‘Puxley Castle’ in Dunboy. Locally he was referred to as “Copper John”. He cleared all the debts of the Lavallin Estate and took it over. He also purchased the Annesley Estate in Castletown Berehaven. He was a landlord in the locality as well as being High Sheriff for the County of Carmarthenshire in Wales during 1832. He married Sarah Hobbs. “Copper John” was told by Colonel Hall  that there was copper in Allihies. Mining Engineers were brought over from Cornwall, to confirm if this was true, by “Copper John”. Copper mining began in Allihies in 1812. This industry was to have a profound bearing on the lives of the people of the Beara Peninsula thereafter.

There is a picture of this guys castle on the site, I may be talking to the gentry here now!!!!! https://aceh.ie/local-history/

Alice I am learning as I go and it may be worth your while reposting in the Cork section of Ireland XO to see if there is a local volunteer, I live about 200 miles away and only took the query as it was not answered. You could also contact the local history people or the nearest library to see about the name. Local volunteers may have locally produced books etc including grave inscriptions etc.

Feel free to ask me more as I enjoy the learning also but there may be more to find out locally, also I would try Facebook to see if there is a local private page on either genealogy or history, a lot of places have that on FB and also if you have done DNA there are often projects for names and areas.

I should know that when odd names turn up there is usually a reason, where did you find it.

Regards

Pat

Alice I have been reading about the mines etc and see there was a Methodist church, I understand that the Methodist records have not been released to the various genealogy sites, I have come across some here but in a local history book so it may be they were Methodist and the Downey chap married a catholic but in that case there may be an adult baptism for him.

Just chance.

Pat

Pat

Thank you