Horan, Catherine and Bridget

John:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

There are three Castletowns in Co. Tipperary. Do you know for a fact that your Horans were from the Castletown in Castletownarra parish. The reason I ask is the the RC reocrds for Castletownarra parish do not begin until 1849.

http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0802

The 1850 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Castletownarra civil parish shows three Horans including a Patrick in Killoran townland. http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/tipperary/castletownarra.htm

Roger McDonnell

Hello Roger.  I was not aware that there were three Castletowns in Tipperary and I have no evidence that Catherine and Bridget were from Castletownarra Parish.  It was just an assumption.  I am confident that the sisters were RC and marriage and death records in Australia consistently show Tipperary as their birthplace.  The only other information is that Patrick Horan is shown as farmer in one instance and as slate dresser in another instance.

Regards and thanks

John

John:

When I went back and checked, there are actually four Castletowns in Tipperary and all in North Tipperary. Besides Castletownarra parish, the other three were in Moyne, Kilbarron and Loughkeen parishes.

I did check Roots Ireland and also Find My Past and did not find a baptismal record for Catherine anywhere in Tipperary with the parents names you provided. It is possible that the parish of baptism no longer has records back to the 1830s.

Roger

spotted the mention of 'slate dresser' as an occupation for Patrick - there was a large Slate Quarry close to Castletown near the town of Portroe in Castletownarra civil parish. See Castletown Arra (Lewis 1837) and OSI map c1840

Good work Shane!

We still have the problem with the late records for Castletownarra parish.

Roger

Thanks Roger and Shane.  I have looked online for any substantial records of the Royal Mining Company of Ireland but there doesn't seem to be any.  Of course, Patrick might not have been employed by the company; dressing of slate probably occurred after it had been bought?  In addition, I think it is more likely that Patrick was a farmer - that was the occupation given on Catherine's marriage certificate in 1858 whereas slate dresser was given on Bridget's death certificate in 1916 by her son.

It seems likely that the Horans, like the Ryans from Tipperary and other direct ancestors from other parts of Ireland, are not going to be found in birth, death and marriage records in Ireland ant time soon!

Thanks for your efforts

John

adjoining parishes of Templeachally and Youghalaara have records that go back farther, you might get lucky. Incidentally my Minogues were from the Townland of Killoran as well. You came darn close to being a Vermonter as many from the parish were  heading out to the Statesaround 1853-54 to work the slate quarries of Vermont.