Doyle, Power, Griffin (1700s to 1830s) Portlaw/Ballyduff

Hello M?ir?n

Greetings from Waterford.  You seem to have a lot of homework done having already found your ancestor in 1815 in the Portlaw parish registers.

You state that Robert Edmund Doyle was a 'physical education instructor' in a large estate.  Was this in Waterford or Canada?

The catholic parish of Portlaw / Ballyduff is large in area (by Irish standards).  It includes the villages of Portlaw and Kilmeaden.  The large village / small town of Portlaw is unusual in that it was planned and built in the early 1800s by the Malcolmson family, who were Quakers, to house the growing number of workers in their huge linen mill at Portlaw on the banks of the Clodiagh river.  At its zenith the factory was the largest of its type in the world and employed over 5000 workers!

The surnames Doyle, Griffin and Power are common in Waterford, Power being four times more common than any other surname in the County.  

Warm wishes

Tony

Hi Tony,
My Doyle ancestor was a P.E. Teacher in Waterford. I had spoken to a very nice man, Brendan, from Waterford, a few years back from over there and he said that it was probably the Curraghmore House.
He sent me a photo of the cemetery and a lady in white in a tomb, I think who was a Le Poer, and was well liked in that area. I suppose all of the Powers are related, maybe not all had the wealth. Unfortunately, I don't know anything on Catherine Power's people or Catherine Griffin for that matter. Since my ancestor was working there, I wonder if he was there perhaps because of his wife's Power connection, like a distant cousin to anyone there. It would be nice to find some distant relatives who are also looking for any of us.
It has been a long time ago.

It seems the teaching profession was passed down to his daughter, my g/g/ grand, in 1865 Iowa and then to her daughter, my great gran, who were both teachers also.

Thanks for the information. I think we have a Waterford upbeat personality even though I have other Irish ancestors. Never been out of the USA though.

My distant cousin Joe Kenney did the work finding the Baptisms in Waterford years back, so I owe him a lot.

Accidentally I found the Priest's obit. in a NY Genweb site. who Baptized some of my people, oneday. Here it is for Rev. Michael Rouke..The date was :14 Mar 1857, Waterford Ireland..
Waterford -
"The Rev. Michael ROURKE, pastor of Portlaw, died on the 11th ult., after a prolonged illness, at the patriarchal age of 94, over 60 years of which he spent in the sacred ministry. (making him born about 1763)

A real shame the Linen Mill closed..displacing a lot of people. I am going to look up Kilmeaden. I have a nice Frommer's Atlas of Ireland

Thanks again Tony, Maureen

uh oh. I just found this.  This is PROBABLY Robert Edmund Doyle, my ancestor, who, if this is correct, was 'insolvent' in 1836.

His mother, Catherine Power Doyle possibly died around this time, before 1839. I don't know the exact date. His father, Richard Doyle, appears to have imigrated from Waterford to Canda also.

This about the time they left for Ontario, Canada. If this is him, I wonder what happened.  It also states he was a shopkeeper,but the teacher title is in our family history.

DOYLE, Edmund, of Waterford, teacher and shopkeeper.
 

(FROM THE DUBLIN GAZETTE).

WATERFORD 23RD DECEMBER 1836.

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/waterford/newspapers/insolvents-…

Hello again Maureen

You suggest that your ancestor may have been a PE teacher in Curraghmore Estate.  While this is certainly possible I would think that it is unlikely.  Robert Edmund Doyle was baptized a catholic whereas the Beresford / Power family of Curraghmore were (and still are) very much a protestant family.  At that time all senior members of staff would most likely have been of the protestant faith.  

The Malcolmson family on the other hand were Quakers and like many Quakers were very industrial by nature.  The cotton mill in Portlaw was one of the many businesses run by the family.  There were about 12 -14 brothers and sisters!  Several of them built large estate type houses in the Portlaw area.  It is possible that it is in one of these houses that your ancestor taught.  While some of those houses still stand the Malcolmsons (as I understand it) have died out in the Portlaw area.

The inclusion of Edmund Doyle on the 1836 insolvents list is very interesting.  I will check the local directories -Pigotts of 1820 and 1824 to see is there any mention of Robert Edmund Doyle.

There's a very good book about the Malcolmsons of Portlaw called 'Portlaw Co Waterford 1825-1876' by Tom Hunt which is available on ebay for a few dollars

Maybe you'll come over and visit us here in the summer.  I'll arrange a tour especially for you!

Warm wishes

Tony

Thanks Tony.  I don't have any evidence where my ancestor worked.  An Irish person from Waterford, who is also related to the Powers, suggested it. I had never heard of Curraghamore Estate until someone from there told me that could have been where my ancestor may have worked.  I have never heard of The Malcolmson family, so that is very interesting also.  I am going to look them up. 

A trip to Ireland would be  a trip of a lifetime for us. It would be nice to have relatives who are looking for us.  Some people who are related over here can't even visit each other, even though you are related.   It seems people who do genealogy tend to appreciate their family a bit more maybe, no matter where they were born or where they are now.

  We've never been overseas,  not even into Canada.  Would love to visit, yes.  Maybe oneday. 

Thanks again, Mairin