Phelan, Thomas

Maeve:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I assume you have a copy of the civil marriage record but it is at the link below. You will have to sign-in to see the record. Thomas was a widower and the names of the fathers is shown on the record.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…

Do you know what county Thomas was from because normally an RIC constable was not posted to his home county. Do you know the name of his first wife or the names of any of his children. I did not see Thomas in the 1901 census for Co. Limerick which indicates he was posted outside of Limerick.

Roger McDonnell

Maeve:

I did some searching On Find My Past (subscription site). They have records for RIC constables. Thomas Phelan was a native of Co. Laois and he entered service on May 6, 1882. He was married twice before he married Mary Nestor. His first marriage was on May 23, 1889 in Co. Limerick. I could not find a record of the marriage. His second marrage was on June 15, 1893 in Buttevant Cork. See link and sign-in.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…

Thomas had service in Co. Limerick (twice) and Co. Cork (twice). After his marriage to Mary Nestor he was reassigned to Co. Cork.

As you indicated he was pensioner in May 1908.

Roger

Maeve:

I located the 1901 census record for Mary Phelan and five children. I assume the two youngest children were her children and the older children were from Hannah Cronin and the first wife.

http://census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000596097/

Thomas was in the Ballydehob RIC barrack

http://census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000596074/

Roger

Maeve:

I found Thomas in the 1911 census in Enniskeen Co.Cork. He shows five children including three born since 1901. He also indicates that he was married and he erroneously showed that he had nine children but only five were living as of 1911. (The wife was supposed to show how many years married and total children and total living children. This means that three of the children shown in the 1901 census had died by 1911. Clearly Thomas had tragic situations with two wives dying plus four children. Not sure where Mary was. I could not find her in Cork or Limerick in the 1911 census.

http://census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Cork/Teadies/Enniskeen_Tow…

I did find a civil death record for Gerald Phelan age 20 months son of Thomas who died from burns in July 1909.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

Roger

Roger,  Thank you so much for the information you provided me.  It has added considerably to the very little information I have on my Mother's (Lucy Phelan) side of the family.  According to my late Uncle Vincent Phelan, Thomas' son, Thomas died in County Tyrone.  Again, thank you so much for your help.  We have always felt a great loss in not knowing the Phelan side of our family.  Maeve

Maeve:

I keep thinking about the tragedies that this family experienced. I'm wondering if Mary Nestor Pheland was in an asylum in 1911.

I will try to see if I can find her.

Roger

Roger,  Thank you for your ongoing concern.  I have the death certificate for my maternal grandmother, Mary (Nestor) Phelan.  She died April 9, 1912 in Bruckana, Urlingford, Kilkenny.  The age listed is incorrect.  It should be 44 yrs.  It states that she died of pernicious anemia, although my Aunt Kathy (Lena Phelan) insisted she died of cancer.  My Mother, Lucy Phelan, was 2 yrs old at the time.  It is true that there was much tragedy in her family.  Her sister, Teresa b.1908 died in a kitchen fire in Carlow on January 27,1923 while preparing dinner for the family (cousins, the Pattersons, who had taken her in).  They had all gone out on a picnic that day.  She was 14 yrs old.  Lucy had a hard life in Ireland and lived with her stepmother, stepbrother, Gerald, and the stepmother's uncle in Edenderry.  When she was 12-13 years old her older sister, Lena, put her in an orphanage on William Street, Dublin, as she was emigrating to New York.  Lena was about 7-8 years older than Lucy.  Lucy joined Lena in New York in 1928.  Although my Mother suffered greatly from emotional illness all her life as a result of her family's tragedies, she worked and married and raised three children in New York and died at age 97, almost 10 years ago.  I was with her when she died.  It's odd, but I feel a very close attachment to all these people even though I never met most of them.  I almost feel as if I could reach out and speak with them and ask them to tell me their stories.  Thanks very much, Roger.  Maeve 

Maeve:

I did check out the asylum in Youghal in the 1911 census but did not find Mary Nestor Phelan. Likely based on your note, she was in Kilkenny.

We do have a site where you can post stories about Irish emigrants. Feel free to add your mother if you wish.

Roger

 http://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy

Thank you, Roger, for your care and the information you provided me about my family.  You are doing incredibly important work and I thank you very much for it.  Sincerely, Maeve Heffernan Chang