My great great grandfather Michael Tobin was born in County Waterford about 1799. (Parents unknown at this time) On February 21st 1830 he married Catherine Cahill who was born in 1805. The marriage was registered in the Parish of Dungarvan. The witnesses to the marriage were Mary Tobin and Michael Tracey.
From Griffith's Valuation in the 1840s it is known that Michael and Catherine were tenant farmers at Ballynamuck East in the Parish of KIlrush on the outskirts of Dungarvan. Michael had just over 12 acres and the Valuation Office Books show that in addition to the house he had "office attached" Cow House, Piggery, and "hovels"
Baptised in the Parish of Dungarvan were the seven children of Michael and Catherine:
Mary - Januray 21st 1831
Thomas - September 29th 1832
Michael - June 1st 1835
James- May 1st 1837
Edmond - May 1st 1839
Patrick - February 6th 1841
John - April 9th 1843
My Great grandfather was the second born son (Michael 1835) About 1857 he migrated to Australia and travelled to Bendigo Victoria where he worked and eventually ran General Stores and small hotels in the nearby area. In 1862 he married Anne Leonard who had been born in Sheffield England. They had three children :Michael (born 1864); Mary Anne (born 1864) and James (born 1873). Sadly Michael died of Hepatitis aged 41 years. His elder son Michael was my grandfather.
Of the other children of my Irish ancestors (Michael and Catherine) it is known that the eldest son Thomas remained on the farm at Ballynmuck. He married Johanna Sheridan on January 1863. Johanna had been baptised at Dungarvan on May 2nd 1841 and her parents were Dennis and Mary who were tenant farmers in nearby Spring Kilrush. They had 4 children Michael (b October 20th 1863); James (b April 29th 1866 ); Mary (b July 9th 1868) and Dennis (b June 6th 1873)
GGgrandmother Catherine Tobin nee Cahill died at Ballynamuck on January 20th 1879 when she was 74 years old. Less than two years later Thomas's wife Johanna died suddenly on September 25th 1880 aged only 40 years.
Two and a half years later in March 1883 Thomas took his three surviving children to Australia where three of his brothers had settled. His father, Michael would have been 84 years old at this time - perhaps too old to run the farm on his own. The next fact known about him is a record of his death. He died at Chapel Road Cappoquin in the Diocese of Lismore on October 29th 1889 aged 90 years. The informant was James Tobin (perhaps his 4th child). It is not known what happened to the farm at Ballnamuck.
Two Tobin brothers Edmond and Patrick had emigrated to Australia shortly after my Great grandfather Michael. Patrick was in business with Michael running a General Store in Bendigo but nothing is known of him after the late 1860s. Edmond eventually selected land in the area and became a farmer. He married and had many childen. He died in 1921.
It is not known what became of Thomas who had brought his children to Australia in 1883. His son James (b) 1866 became a successful member of the Victorian Police Force; his daughter Mary (b 1868) lived with her cousin MaryAnne but died at a young age in the 1890s and nothing is known of what became of Dennis (b1873)
My grandfather Michael became a successful land owner. He married and had 9 children whose descendants all stayed in Victoria. My father and my three brothers continued as landowners running merino sheep with very fine wool.