Acheson Fitzpatrick

Alistair,

The tithe applotment records for 1832 list an Acheson Fitz.(Patrick) in the townland of Aughahanagh (more commonly Aghahannagh):

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/fermanagh/tithe-applotment-books/parish-of-drumkeeran.php

Griffiths Valuation also lists him there in 1862. To be precise there were 2 different Acheson Fitzpatricks farming beside each other (one nicknamed “White” and the other “Black.”). There was a Jane Fitzpatrick nearby too (probably a widow). All 3 were likely related.  White had plot 4 an 11 acre farm and Black had plot 5 a 38 acre farm.

Those farms today are on a dead end lane off the Pettigo Rd, just outside Pettigo as you approach from Kesh. You can see where they are by using the maps on the Griffiths site:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

There were still 3 Fitzpatrick farms in Aghahannagh in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Clonelly/Aghahannagh/

I think that the Acheson who was married to Sarah died 24.11.1908 aged 91. His wife Sarah died 4.12.1905 aged 81. Their son John, also of Aghannagh, was the informant.

The other Acheson (who I note was born in Donegal) died 19.1.1908 aged 84. His son John was the informant. John lived in Drumcrin. This is him in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Glenvannan/Drumcrin/1354284/

3 Fitzpatrick farms in the townland in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Clonelly/Aghahannagh/

Probate abstracts taken from the PRONI wills site:

Probate of the Will of Acheson Fitzpatrick late of Aghahannagh County Fermanagh Farmer who died 26 November 1908 granted at Armagh to John Fitzpatrick Farmer.

The above will is on-line. It mentions sons John & James and daughters Bessy Mills and Catherine White.

Fitzpatrick Isabella otherwise Bella of Aghanna Clonelly county Fermanagh spinster died 26 December 1942 at Belalt Pettigo county Donegal Administration Belfast 12 August to William Fitzpatrick farmer. Effects £104 7s. 5d.

Fitzpatrick Robinson James of Aghahannagh Clonelly county Fermanagh farmer died 22 January 1946 Administration Belfast 18 February to Eliza Jane Bratton married woman. Effects £621 8s. 6d.

Fitzpatrick Sarah of Aughanna Clonelly county Fermanagh widow died 30 October 1953 at Fermanagh County Hospital Enniskillen county Fermanagh Probate Londonderry 14 September to Edward Herbert Fitzpatrick farmer. Effects £698 16s.

Fitzpatrick, George of Aghahannah Clonelly county Fermanagh retired farmer died 27 June 1960 at Kilmore Clonelly Administration Belfast 25 October to Thomas John Robinson pig dealer. Effects £352 10s. Revoked and Cancelled by Order of the Master, 8 July 1992.

These probate files are not on-line. They are in PRONI in paper format.

If you are searching for early birth records, statutory birth registration only started in Ireland in 1864. Prior to that you have to rely on church records. In this case  Drumkeeran Church of Ireland records start in 1801. There are copies in PRONI in Belfast. A personal visit is required to view them.

Additional information on one of the 2 Acheson Fitzpatricks in Aghahannagh. The Kings County Chronicle for 26.11.1845 reported that Edward & Acheson Fitzpatrick had both been committed for trial having allegedly shot a Mr F. W. Barton who reportedly survived the incident. (I don’t see a news report stating the outcome of the court case but since Acheson was still farming there until his death, he must have got off the charge. Perhaps it was just an accident?). Barton looks to have been their landlord. Griffiths names him as Folliott W. Barton.

The Belfast Weekly News of 4th August 1888 reports that rents had been agreed with some tenants in Fermanagh, amongst who was Acheson Fitzpatrick. His landlord then was Captain Hugh Barton.

Dear Elwyn

I'm overwhelmed, not just by the breadth of your information, but also by the speed of it's delivery !.....many, many thanks !

I'd seen the Griffiths Valuation, but found them hard to decipher (don't suppose I'm alone there ?) so your interpretation cuts right through.

My tree will now look a great deal healthier, and I must arrange to make a personal visit, when COVID allows !

One quick question (if you don't mind ?) George Fitzpatrick's effects were given to Thomas John Robinson in 1960, but then goes on to say,  "Revoked

and Cancelled by Order of the Master, 8 July 1992"....What could this mean ?...and why did it take over 30 years ?

With Kindest Regards

Alistair FitzPatrick

Alistair,

George Fitzpatrick’s effects weren’t given to Thomas John Robinson in 1960. Thomas was simply appointed executor of the estate. (He might have been a beneficiary too but you would need to read the will to find that out.). The will should be in PRONI (in paper format). If you go in person you can order it up, read & copy it. Or, if you can’t get there, you can pay PRONI to copy it for a fee. If you ask them to copy it, I would also ask them to copy any other papers in the file as they may be important to understanding what has happened in this case.

The Master is a High Court judge who deals with a range of civil and procedural matters. Protection of vulnerable people is I think one area they handle.  Sometimes they deal with dispute resolution.  It looks likely from this that they also have authority to intervene in Probate disputes. For example, if a person failed to carry out their duties as executor of an estate properly, I suspect the Master might be asked to review the case.  So it sounds to me like someone in the Fitzpatrick family wasn’t happy with the way George’s estate was handled and persuaded the Master to either revoke the will or cancel actions taken in 1960. A new executor may have been appointed in 1992, who hopefully dealt with it properly. You would need to look at the file to find out. If the will was invalid for some reason, the estate would then normally be dealt with under intestacy laws. The words “Administration” usually appear in the probate abstract of intestate estates. I don’t see that wording here, so I think the will was valid. Therefore the next aspect would be whether George’s wishes and directions in his will were followed properly or fully. That would be my guess, but it’s just speculation. You would need to get the file out to find the facts.

You wonder why it took 32 years for the case to come to court. Obviously when George died his farm must have been taken on by someone else. I suspect that around 1992 whoever was then in possession either died or decided to sell it. Then at that point, some irregularity which had not been evident in 1960 became apparent.  Perhaps there was a dispute over who actually owned the property?

You don’t see the Master intervening very often and whatever it was, was fairly major for that to happen. You wouldn't normally trouble a court 32 years later because you didn’t get Aunt Bessie’s cracked China jug left in her will. A court would normally tell you to get over that, I think. This has to be about something pretty valuable and important. Ownership of the farm would obviously fall into that category.

If you are trying to find the probate file in PRONI check 1992 as well as 1960. Normally the files are held by the date that probate was granted, ie October 1960 in this case, but if there was a fresh or revised grant of probate in 1992, the file may now be held under that year instead. The PRONI staff will show you how to look the Wills Calendars up. 

Dear Elwyn

Once again, both comprehensive and prompt !......so I've "promptly" made a donation to Ireland XO.

Thanks again for your help.

Alistair

Alistair,

Thank you for the donation. Delighted to help, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

I came across this thread while trying to explore my Adams connection in Fermanagh (who are also linked to the Fitzpatricks - my line is through Guy born in Aghahannah, whose daughter Rose married the Acheson Fitzpatrick who was born in Donegal).

Alistair might be interested in the following information I found shortly before finding his thread.

"The second son of William Barton (1723-93), his namesake, William Barton (1758-1835), inherited his grandfather's estates in Fermanagh, Leitrim and Donegal, and in about 1805, and built himself a new house called Clonelly near Pettigo. William was a man of simple tastes and scholarly interests who did not really want the burden of running such a large estate. With his father's agreement, he therefore passed the western portion of the property to his next brother, Lt-Gen. Charles Barton (1760-1819), who built a house at The Waterfoot on the banks of Lough Erne. William's children were an unlucky bunch, as although all the six sons who are known lived to adulthood, only two of them survived their father and only one of them, Folliott Warren Barton (1798-1870) survived for a normal lifespan. Even he was lucky to do so, for in 1845 while riding home from dining with his cousin at The Waterfoot he was ambushed and shot in what was taken by the authorities at the time to have been another anti-landlord 'atrocity' of a type becoming increasingly common as the Potato Famine took hold. No one was ever convicted of the crime, and modern research has shown that it was in fact a more personal attack: a case of direct action against a sexual predator by an enraged relative who was subsequently protected by the local community and also, to an extent, by the local gentry who were more concerned to avoid scandal than to prosecute the would-be assassin. "

Carol

Dear Carol (I've just seen this !)

How interesting, and thank you so much for posting.

You'll not find it hard to believe that my Irish researches have been, er, "challenging" ! But every snippet fits into a larger picture, so thank you for sharing this.

I really must pay a visit to Fermanagh in the future (though due to Covid 19, who knows when that will be !). It's probably the best way to "fill in" some gaps, and

get a better feel for my ancestors, and the lives they lived.

Incidentally, I've gotten the impression that some "FitzPatricks" left Ireland (famine-related ?) in the 1840's for Scotland, but the 10-20 year gap is something I've not been able to breach as yet.

Any light you can throw (on Rose,and where she lived with Acheson,  perhaps ?) would be most welcome.

Many thanks and Kindest Regards

Alistair

Glad my post was of interest.  One thing that I didn't make clear in my post was that Rose's father was Guy FITZPATRICK (not Adams) who was born at Aghahannagh and was presumably your Acheson's uncle or even brother?  Guy was my GGGG Grandfather.

In my tree I have my Donegal Acheson dying on 24/11/1908 aged 84. 

I only have records for 3 children for Rose and Acheson, dating from 1860, although they married in 1853 and I imagine there would have been other older children, including John who notified Acheson'e death.  The 3 I know of were William, Guy and Margaret.  Margaret (spelt Margret in the records) was born in 1865 in Clonelly, which borders the Townland of Aghahannagh.

Do you have a subscription to Ancestry?  If so I can invite you to see my tree.

Regards,

Carol

Hi Carol

Wow, we're getting closer together !

There's a "Guye" Fitzpatrick at Aghahannah in the 1901 Census. He's 40 and blind !

Does this link to the "Guy" you mentioned ?

Best

Alistair

Hi Again Carol

I am a member of Ancestry, and if this works (!) my tree is here :

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/tree/701388/family/familyview

It needs cleaning up (as you'll see) but if it's any help to you, you're most welcome.

Kind Regards

Alistair

Hi Alistair,

Guye in the 1901 Census is my 1C4R.  Thanks for your family tree link.

Having the 2 Achesons living next door to each other and dying the same year is very confusing!  Plus they've both got sons notifying the deaths!

Apologies for not replying to the message you posted on Sunday, irelandxo has only just sent it along with your other one.  Perhaps it isn't an automated system?

Have you taken a DNA test?  I'm sure we are related but probably through my earlier Guy and your earliest Acheson.

Regards,

Carol

Hi Carol

I'm not sure posts are sent out straightaway, anyway we're getting them, which is the main point !

I have taken a DNA test, but some time ago, however, I'm waiting (now) on a "BigY" test, which should give me much more information

Happy to share the details when I get them (month or two I think ?).

Besides being very happy to "make your acquaintance" !........it's also really encouraging to find someone else to compare notes with, or bounce ideas off.

Looking forward to what we can discover !

Best

Alistair

(BTW, my email is "fitzpatrickalistair@gmail.com" if that's easier ? A.)

Hi Carol

Your invitation came through this morning (thanks for sending) and the link seems tantalisingly close !

Have you looked at Griffiths Valuations ? http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/  This is where I first discovered the farms that my forebears worked on.

Sadly, having to work full-time seriously reduces the time I can spend on this fascinating chase, and is probably why my tree needs more time to "sort" properly.

Perhaps when I get my "BigY" test we'll be able to resolve things ?

Best

Alistair

Hi again Elwyn and Carol

I've just spent a spellbound hour or so reading this piece by John Cunningham:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/27699315?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

It relates to the attempted assasination of FW Barton (the Fitzpatricks landlord) who was, by all accounts, a bit of a "ladies man" and non too fussy where they came from !

Acheson's wife, Mary, was a Mistress of FWB and gave birth to several children by him (Hugh and Thomas at least , though I don't know whose surname they took ?).

LIttle surprise then, that the cuckold was keen to get vengeance, by attempting to kill FWB (October 1845).

The tale also alludes to the death of Acheson (in 1845) whilst in Enniskillen gaol (possible official records ?).

Currently, I'm waiting for my "BigY" results which may well help in the research.

Anything you can add (or deduce) from the above would be most welcome.

Kindest Regards

Alistair

Hi Again

I'm now reading through John B. Cunningham's book, "The Great Silence" and here's a quote:

" Edward Fitzpatrick, one of the two brothers in jail under suspicion of firing at Mr Barton, died on Monday last of fever, saif to have been brought on by his state of mind under such an accusation.In his last moments he solemnly protested to the Doctor and a Magistrate that he was in no way concerned in the affair"

So, I have a date for Acheson's brothers death of December 1845 (the 1st, 8th, 15th or 22nd - surely unlikely to be the 29th ?).

Maybe this will take me further !

Best

Alistair

Thanks for this Alistair.  Incredible family history detail!  Was watching 'Who Do You Think You Are?' recently and there was a story almost exactly mirroring this tale, although the reasons were more financial than this.

Carol

Hi Carol. Can you say which episode ?

I've watched a few, but there are many I haven't seen too !

Best

Alistair

It was the one with Liz Carr.

Carol

Hi Carol

Yes, I watched that one too. Made me even more determined to get over there at some point !

Best

Alistair

Attn: Elwyn

HI Elwyn. Hope that you (and family) are safe and well ?

In a previous email I mentioned that Edward Fitzpatrick had died in Enniskillen Prison in December 1845. 

Do you know of any Official Prison records that I could look at which might offer more information about Edward, and the circumstances of 

his imprisonment/charges/death ? (should have thought of that beforehand !) Thanks - Alistair

Alistair,

There are some general records about Enniskillen gaol in PRONI under the ref FER 4/6. However these mostly deal with maintenance and expansion of the building not with the individual prisoners details. If such record survived they may well have been sent to Dublin and then lost in the 1922 fire. It might be worth checking the National Archives site in Dublin in case they have anything but I suspect these records are gone. (I don’t know of any for other prisons in Ulster)..

Thanks Elwyn, I'll have a check ! Best - Alistair

Hi I just read your post and I think I may be related to the same people. Acheson Fitzpatrick 1821-1908 and was married to a Rose Fitzpatrick, children Mary, William and Guys. I note there is an Annabelle Scott listed as a Granddaughter and a Mary Jane Johnston listed as a Servant. Is this the same person. I believe I am related through Mary Fitzpatrick who married Henry Rankin.

Hi Daniel,

Rose Fitzpatrick was my GGGG Aunt who married Acheson Fitzpatrick from Donegal.  There were 2 Acheson Fitzpatricks on the go at the same time, one from Aghahannagh and one from Donegal, both no doubt related.  Alistair is descended from tha Aghahannagh Acheson.  (Rose was also a Fitzpatrick, a daughter of Guy Fitzpatrick from Aghahannagh, so it could have been a first cousin marriage).  I suspect that Guy Fitzpatrick and Acheson Fitzpatrick from Aghahannagh were brothers but I have no proof. 

So you will be related to this saga in some form!

It's good to have further infomation about Rose's daughter Mary, thank you for that.

Carol Russell

Hi Carol, this is very interesting can you email me on
danielagnew77@gmail.com
My mother carried out a DNA test on ancestry and had very limited returns on that side of her family.
She had 2 returns that identifed her as a descendant of Henry and Mary Fitzpatrick (Mary is the daughter of Rose). The 2 returns identified her as a 2nd Cousin to both, meaning my mother shared the same great grandparents and that Rose was her GG Grandparent

Thanks for all this wonderful and fascinating information. I'm the great granddaughter of Mary Fitzpatrick (who married Henry Rankin). My grandmother, Martha, left Ireland at 19 to go to the states. She appeared to travel with her 19-year-old female Fitzpatrick cousin. Martha died when my father was young, so we lost touch with that side of the family. This thread has helped so much with the repeating names! I think I will need to draw it out so that I can fix my tree.  Martha married Robert James Craven Sr. (1888) from County Sligo and had one child, Robert James Jr.

I will find you, Carol, as we likely have the DNA match through Ancestry! What is the big Y? Daniel, we will keep re-searching!
 

Well, interestingly, I don't have a link to Carol through the Acheson Fitzpatrick I'm related to (only to Daniel's mom and Aloela Davies). Did you link your DNA results to your Ancestry profile Carol?

Also, looked up "Big Y" and found I'm not eligible ;-)  When is the double XX coming?

Have a good weekend!

Jill