Seeking Details on Frances Gearen, born 1884 in Fermoy

Fermoy volunteer alerted

Attached Files

Hello 12vman,

I am not related and am not the Fermoy volunteer, but I did uncover the information you are looking for.

With a name such as Frances Gearen there would be a lot of room in Irish records from the 19th and early 20th centuries for nicknames and alternate spellings of her first and last name.

For example a girl’s first name Frances could be shortened to Fan, Fanny, Fran, etc.

The last name Gearen could have been spelled several different ways, some of which you’ll see coming up.

Another challenge for family historians with Irish ancestors, is that the age of the ancestors, or their dates of birth and death in the old records and on grave markers, are not always accurate, and in some cases can be off by several years.

With these challenges in mind I began the search for Frances Gearen’s civil registration birth record at the free irishgenealogy.ie website. Your information shows that Frances was likely born in October 1884 in Fermoy, Cork, and that her parents were John Gearen and Hannah Slattery, who were married 12 March 1876.

I looked for Frances’s birth over a range of 10 years, from 1876 to 1886, in case her 1884 year of birth was not correct. After a bit of research I found her civil registration birth record, which shows that “Fanny Guerin” was born in King St., Fermoy, on 2 October 1878. Her father is John Guerin, a Sergeant in the 86th Regt, whose residence is “Aldershot,” which is in Hampshire, England, about 51 miles southwest of London.

Fanny’s mother is Honora Guerin, formerly Slattery. Kate Slattery of Fermoy, was present at the birth and was the informant who reported the birth to the district registrar. The district registrar’s name appears to be John O’Neill Sisk. He recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on 21 October 1878. The birth record is Number 24 in the birth register at: https://is.gd/lKbvir

The informant, Kate Slattery, may have been Honora’s sister, and was likely the midwife who delivered the baby.

On Frances Gearen Carroll’s 1923 Department of State passport application which you attached to your message are the words block letters that say, “BIRTH CERTIFICATE SEEN.” This probably refers to the birth certificate of her husband James Carroll, as the passport application shows he was born in Cambridge, Mass.

I couldn’t find King Street, Fermoy, on a Google Map. However, I did locate King Street on an Ordnance Survey Map of Fermoy printed between 1888 and 1913. King Street is just south of the River Blackwater and runs into Patrick Street, just north of St. Colman’s College on the map. The map is from the GeoHive website and is attached to this reply.

A GeoHive overlay of a modern map shows that sometime in the past, King Street became McCurtain Street, which runs into Patrick Street. This map is also attached.

Your Frances Gearen was born in modern-day McCurtain Street, formerly King Street.

With information from the GeoHive Maps, I found McCurtain Street on a Google Map of Fermoy, which you can view at: https://is.gd/5UZlaX
For a Google Street View of McCurtain Street, go to: https://is.gd/Ce1OrY

To view old photos and post cards of King Street, Fermoy, go to the photo archive at the following link: https://is.gd/aVRFbY

Also see: https://is.gd/Uhmto1

Attached to this reply is an old color post card of King Street, Fermoy.

While at the irishgenealogy.ie website I also found the civil registration birth record for Mary Margaret Gearan. She would be Frances’s old sister and John and Hannah’s first born. Mary Margaret was born in King St., Fermoy, on 11 May 1877. Her father John is shown to be a Sergeant in the 86th Regiment. His residence is Aldershot. Mary Margaret’s mother is Hannah Gearan, formerly Slattery. Hannah reported the birth to the registrar, John O’Neill Sisk, who recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on 20 June 1877. Mary Margaret’s birth is Number 222 in the birth register at: https://is.gd/Os8eaI

I couldn’t identify any more Fermoy birth records for children of John Gearan and Hannah Slattery.

At the irishgenealogy.ie website I next found the civil registration marriage record for John “Gearn” and Hannah Slattery. Your information shows they were married “12 March 1876, according to the Cloyne Parish register (attached).”

The date of marriage you have is correct, but they were not married in the Cloyne Parish, but in the Fermoy Catholic Parish. Cloyne would be the Catholic Diocese in which Fermoy is located.

At the time of marriage John is shown to be of “full age,” and a “Bachelor.” His occupation is “Soldier.” His residence at the time of marriage is Fermoy. His father is John Gearn, whose occupation was also “Soldier.”

At the time of marriage Hannah Slattery was 19 years old and a “Spinster,” meaning she hadn’t been married before. Her residence at the time of marriage was Fermoy. Her father is Maurice Slattery, a “Shoemaker.”

The Fermoy priest who married John and Hannah was John O’Donoghue, R.C.C. The initials R.C.C. stand for Roman Catholic Curate. The witnesses are John Maher and Mary Doyle, who are the same witnesses in the Fermoy Catholic register attached to your Ireland XO message. A copy of the original marriage is Number 91 in the marriage register at: https://is.gd/EUYEVN

John “Gearn” may have been stationed in either the New Barracks or the Old Barracks in Fermoy, which are just north of the River Blackwater and south of the Fermoy train station. You can see the location of the New Barracks and Old Barracks in Fermoy in the attached GeoHive Map from the 1888 to 1913 time period.

BAPTISM RECORDS

You already have the church marriage record for John and Hannah. I next looked for the Fermoy Catholic Church baptism records for their daughters Mary Margaret (1877), and Fanny (1878).

Mary Margaret was born on 11 May 1877. The National Library of Ireland holds Catholic Parish baptism, marriage, and burial records for all 32 counties of Ireland, mainly from the 19th century. The parish registers are free to search. The search page for accessing parish registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials can be found at: https://registers.nli.ie/

I found that Mary Margaret Gearn was baptized in the Fermoy Catholic Parish on 13 May 1877. Her father is John Gearn and her mother Anne Slattery. Anne would be an alternate name for Hannah. Mary Margaret’s godparents are Patrick Slattery and Eliza Coyle. Patrick Slattery may have been Anne’s brother.

There are two pages to the baptism register. A copy of the original Fermoy Catholic Parish baptism for Mary Margaret is the last entry on the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/185/mode/1up

You can enlarge the baptism register by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

John and Hannah’s daughter Frances/Fanny was born in Fermoy on 2 October 1878, and so I looked for her baptism in the Fermoy Catholic registers for October of 1878, but didn’t find it. Baptisms in the Fermoy registers are missing for almost all of October 1878.

The name of the Catholic Church in Fermoy where John and Hannah were married and where their daughter Mary Margaret (and perhaps Fanny) were baptized, is called St. Patrick’s. A Google Map of Fermoy shows that St. Patrick’s Church is just 2/10ths of a mile south of McCurtain Street, formerly King Street, where John, Hannah, and their children had lived in the 1870s: https://is.gd/2L8ULy

For a Google Street View of St. Patrick’s Church, go to: https://is.gd/9IEsol

Mary Margaret and Fanny’s 1877 and 1878 birth records shows that their father John was a sergeant in the 86th Regiment and was residing in Aldershot, which, as mentioned earlier is in Hampshire, England. This may be a reference to the 86th Regiment of Foot. A regiment of foot pertains to the infantry.

According to a Wikipedia article, Aldershot was, and still is the home of the British Army. The Aldershot Military Town was established in 1854, according to Wikipedia. See: https://is.gd/6jblQW

The subscription Find My Past (FMP) website has a collection of British Military Records which have been compiled from military records held by the National Archives in Kew, Richmond, Surrey, west of London.

I searched the military indexes at FMP for John Gearen and alternate spellings of his surname, and found the index for an 1879 Army Service Record for a John Guerin who was born in 1861.

If born in 1861 John Gearen would have been only 15 years old when he married in 1876, and so this index may not refer to your ancestor, but you never know, as his year of birth in the military record may not be accurate.

The location of John’s residence in the index is Castletown Roche, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland. After you register with FMP you will be able to view the index at: https://is.gd/asVRpl

A Google Map shows that Castletownroche is about 10 miles west of Fermoy: https://is.gd/vpMTO1

You can also start a free trial with FMP and then view full military record for John Guerin.

For FMP subscription packages, go to: https://is.gd/TuZfcZ

The National Archives, west of London, holds British military records for the 19th century. Their reading room will open on April 27, 2021, but the paid research service by National Archives staff has been suspended, due to the Covid.

From the National Archives home page you can access guides that will help you with information about searching for British Military Records. The homepage is: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

The following link will bring you to military and maritime research guides at the National Archives in Kew: https://is.gd/dlRnB1

If you would like a National Archives researcher to look for John Gearen’s military records some day, check back with the National Archives website from time to time to see when paid research has resumed.

If you eventually decide to hire a researcher to look for John Gearan’s military record, make sure to provide the civil birth records for his daughters Mary Margaret “Gearan” and Fanny “Guerin,” as well as the marriage record for John “Gearn.” The birth records show that their father John was a sergeant in the 86th regiment and that his residence was Aldershot, Hampshire when the birth’s took place. The 1876 marriage record for John “Gearn” and Hannah Slattery shows that John was a “Soldier,” and at the time of the marriage was living in Fermoy, where the New Barracks and Old Barracks were situated.

The marriage record also shows that John’s father was a “Soldier.” In addition, the two birth records and the marriage record show the different ways the family’s surname was recorded in the civil birth and marriage records between 1876 and 1878.

As mentioned earlier in this reply John Gearn was living in Fermoy when he married in 1876. I didn’t know if he was from Fermoy, or another county in Ireland, or from England.

I looked for his baptism transcription at the aforementioned Find My Past (FMP) website. While primarily a subscription site, FMP also has collections you can search for free. You can see what these collections are under the “Your search” category in the upper left margin of the page at: https://is.gd/3jIKY2

One of the free databases you can search is the Irish Catholic parish registers collection for all 32 counties of Ireland. These include Catholic Parish transcriptions of baptisms, marriages, and burials/deaths. Most of the parish registers are from the 19th century, but there are also some that go back to the 18th and 17th centuries.

Attached to each baptism, marriage, and burial transcriptions are links that take you to copies of original records for that Catholic parish held by the National Library of Ireland. Copies of the original parish register entries at the National Library of Ireland are free to access online as well.

The FMP transcriptions mean that you do not always have to undergo the tedious process of searching parish registers day by day, month by month, and year by year when looking for ancestors.

The search portal for the FMP baptism transcriptions can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/jnmqmuv

The search portal for Catholic marriage transcriptions can be accessed at: http://tinyurl.com/jzylkjy

For Catholic Parish burial/death transcriptions go to the search engine at: http://tinyurl.com/j9qe5p9

FMP also allows you to search variants of a surname, which is an extremely valuable research tool.

Searching church parish registers is especially helpful, being as the government in Ireland did not record birth or death records until 1864. Civil marriages and Protestant marriages, but not Catholic marriages, were recorded beginning on 1 April 1845. Marriages for all religious denominations, including Catholics, were recorded in 1864.

I figured John Gearen was born and baptized sometime in the 1850s, though it is possible he was born in the 1840s. I looked for his Fermoy baptism transcription at the FMP website for the 1840s and 1850s, knowing that his father was John, but not knowing who his mother was.

I only found one baptism transcription at FMP that come close. This is for a John Guernon, who was baptized in Fermoy on 17 August 1855. His father is John Guernon. His mother is Ellen Hickey. There is no way of knowing if this is your ancestor. See the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1485324

A copy of the original baptism record for John Francis Guernon is the 5th entry down from the top of the right hand parish register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/44/mode/1up

His godparents are John Hickey and Catherine O’Connor.

On the other hand there is also the possibility that John was born in England.

HANNAH SLATTERY AND HER FAMILY

In her 1876 Fermoy marriage record Hannah Slattery was 19 years old. Her residence at the time of marriage was Fermoy. Her father is recorded as Maurice Slattery, who was a shoemaker.

I now wanted to see if I could find the baptism transcription for Hannah at the FMP website. She would have been born and baptized circa 1857, which means there will not be a civil registration birth record for her.

At this point in the research however, I didn’t know who her mother was, and so before looking for Hannah’s birth and baptism records, I wanted to see if her parents were still alive, living in Fermoy, and recorded in the 1901census. The census would not give the maiden name of Hannah’s mother, but would provide her first name.

The 1901 and 1911 Irish census enumerations are available at the National Archives of Ireland link at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

I found Hannah’s parents, siblings, and grandchildren of her parents in the 1901 census. They were, “Residents of a house 52 in King Street (Fermoy Urban, Cork).” King Street, now McCurtain Street is where your Frances, and her sister Mary Margaret were born.

The 1901 census shows that Maurice Slattery is a 70 year old Boot and Shoemaker born in County Waterford. He could not read but could speak both Irish and English. His wife is 69 year old Margaret, born in County Cork. Her occupation is, “Needle Woman Under Clothing.” She could read but could not write. Maurice and Margaret would be Hannah’s father and mother.

You can view a transcription of the 1901 census for the Slattery family at the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/6bhR2f

Once the census page downloads make sure to click on, “Show all information” to view the full census page. Maurice and Margaret have three children in the household with them. One of these is 30 year old House Keeper, Kate Linchan. The census shows she can read and write and was not married. The children recorded under her however would be her children and the grandchildren of Maurice and Margaret.

A copy of the original 1901 census from the National Archives of Ireland however, shows that Kate Linchan is married, which means the transcription is incorrect about her marital status. Also in the copy of the original census, Kate’s last name looks like it could be “Linehan,” as well as Linchan.

See a copy of the original 1901 census at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000574400/

I made a note to look for Kate’s civil marriage record later, and to also look for the Slattery family in the 1911 census.

The other two children of Maurice and Margaret Slattery in the 1901 census are 40 year old James, who like is father is a Shoe and Boot Maker, and 28 year old Ellen, who is a Dressmaker. Both James and Ellen are not married.

With information from the 1901 census that Maurice Slattery’s wife was Margaret, I went to the FMP website to look for Hannah’s baptism transcription. Hannah was born before 1864 and so there will not be a civil registration birth record for her.

I found the baptism. Her first name in the baptism transcription is the variant Johanna. Her last name is spelled “Slatery.” Johanna was baptized in the Fermoy Catholic Parish on 28 December 1856. Her father is Maurice. Her mother is Margaret Cronan. You can view the FMP baptism transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1485700

A copy of Johanna’s original baptism record is the 3rd to the last entry on the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/52/mode/1up

Johanna’s godparents are James Horrigan, or Harrigan, and Johanna Spillane.

According to the National Library of Ireland, Fermoy baptisms begin on 1 January 1828 and are available to access until 11 September 1881, though there are some gaps in the registers.

Marriages are available from 18 May 1828 to 20 February 1881. I found there are some gaps in the marriage registers as well.

To view the availability of the Fermoy parish registers of baptism and marriage, and to see a map of the Fermoy Catholic Parish and surrounding Catholic parishes, go to the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0051

Back at the FMP website I uncovered the Fermoy baptism transcriptions for seven of Johanna’s siblings. An index of their names and years of birth/baptisms are below. I’ve also included Johanna so you can see the full chronology of the Slattery baptisms.

The last name for the youngest child Ellen was transcribed as “Flattery,” rather than Slattery, probably because of the handwriting in the original baptism record for Ellen:

Patrick Slattery, 1850
Mary Anne Slattery, 1852
James Slattery, 1854
Johanna Slatery, 1856
John Slattery, 1859
Margaret Bridget Slattery, 1862
Kate Slattery, 1865
Ellen "Flattery," 1868
________

PATRICK SLATTERY

Patrick was baptized on 10 June 1850. See his FMP baptism transcription at: https://is.gd/2BomhP

His mother’’s maiden name is spelled, “Cronin,” rather than Cronan in the transcription. A copy of Patrick’s original baptism record is the 8th entry down from the top of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://is.gd/kPL4Tb

The first name of Patrick’s godfather is Edmond. Edmond’s last name is difficult to read, but in may be Krenshaw, but I can’t be sure of that because the baptism entry is difficult to read in spots. Patrick’s godmother is Ellen Flynn.

MARY ANNE SLATTERY

The transcription for Mary Anne shows she was baptized on 13 September 1852. See the transcription at: https://is.gd/bNdULq

A copy of Mary Anne’s original baptism is the 7th entry down from the top of the left-hand register page at: https://is.gd/VZIlOB

Her godparents are Daniel Sheehan and Honora Callaghan.

JAMES SLATTERY

James Slattery was baptized on 27 August 1854 according to the FMP transcription at: https://is.gd/b4sREF

His baptism record is on the right-hand register page, 3rd entry up from the bottom at: https://is.gd/Cjd4sF

The first name of James’s godfather is Charles. I couldn’t tell what his last name was, though it looks like it begins with the letter L. It could be “Luce.” The first name of the godmother is either Ann, Anne, or Anna. I couldn’t tell what her last name was.

JOHN SLATTERY

John Slattery was baptized on 5 June 1859. See the FMP transcription at: https://is.gd/yK7akN

John’s baptism is the first entry at the top of the right-hand register page at: https://is.gd/aIVbag

The godfather’s last name is Cronin. I could not clearly make out the initial of his first name. It may be W. He may have been Margaret’s brother. The godmother is Mary Lenihan. The first name initial of the priest who baptized John, looks like W. His last name is Higgins.

MARGARET BRIDGET SLATTERY

Margaret Bridget Slattery was baptized on 2 February 1862 according to the FMP transcription at: https://is.gd/DmT4hy

A copy of Margaret’s original baptism record is the 3rd entry down from the top of the right-hand register page at: https://is.gd/YYu9Ch

Her godfather is John Hartnett. Her godmother is Mary A. O’Conner.

KATE SLATTERY

The FMP transcription for Kate Slattery shows she was baptized on 21 May 1865, Her mother’s maiden name is transcribed as, “Cronine.”: https://is.gd/PuhIFy

Kate’s baptism is the 5th entry down from the top of the right-hand register page at: https://is.gd/NNyZ2W

Her godfather is Thomas Doyle. The first name of her godmother is Susan, whose last name may be Buchanan, or a variation of the name Buchanan.

ELLEN SLATTERY

According to her FMP transcription Ellen was baptized on 15 March 1868: https://is.gd/GxGc2W

Her original baptism register entry is the first entry, top left baptism register page at: https://is.gd/4CiFlY

The names of her godparents appear to be James Cotter and Margaret McCarthy.

As noted earlier, Fermoy Catholic Parish marriage registers are available from18 May 1828 to 20 February 1881. I looked for the marriage of Maurice Slattery and Margaret Cronin in the Fermoy marriage registers, but didn’t find it. They would have been married sometime before the birth of their son Patrick, who was baptized on 10 June 1850. It’s possible their marriage took place on a date that is missing from the Fermoy Catholic marriage registers. I also checked for their marriage in other Catholic parishes but didn’t find it.

I then wanted to see if there were individual FMP Fermoy Catholic Parish baptism transcriptions for Maurice and Margaret. It’s possible they may have been born and baptized in Fermoy sometime after 1827. As noted earlier, the Fermoy baptisms held by the National Library of Ireland begin on January 1, 1828.

I didn’t find the FMP baptism transcriptions for either Maurice Slattery or Margaret Cronin in Fermoy or in any other nearby Catholic Parish.

Of the 8 Slattery children born to Maurice and Margaret, only two were born after 1863. These children are Kate (1865), and Ellen (1868). They should have birth certificates in addition to their baptism records, but there is always the possibility that their birth records do not exist. The absence of a birth record is an indication that one of the parents, or the midwife, or the administrator of a hospital, infirmary, or workhouse, did not report the birth to the district registrar.

I went back to the irishgenealogy.ie website, where I found the civil registration birth records for Kate and Ellen Slattery.

CATHERINE SLATTERY’S BIRTH

Catherine Slattery was born in Princes Street, Fermoy, on 14 May 1865. Her father is Maurice Slattery, a shoemaker whose residence is Princes Street. Her mother is Margaret Slattery, formerly “Cronin.” The mother Margaret Slattery of Princes Street, Fermoy, reported the birth to the registrar, Richard White, who recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on 26 May 1865. Catherine’s birth is Number 466 in the register at: https://is.gd/xFjNvO

ELLEN SLATTERY’S BIRTH

Ellen was born in Princes Street on 5 March 1868. Her father is Maurice Slattery, a Shoe Maker residing in Princes Street. Ellen’s mother is Margaret Slattery, formerly Cronin. Margaret, the mother, of Princes Street reported the birth to the registrar, Richard White, who recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on 8 April 1868. Ellen’s birth is at Number 220 in the register which you can access at: https://is.gd/6QmS7d

Before locating the birth records for Catherine and Ellen Slattery, I hadn’t known that the family residence at one time had been Princes Street in Fermoy. I couldn’t locate Princes Street, Fermoy on a modern Google Map and so went back to the Ordnance Survey Map for the 1888 to 1913 time period to see if the street had been anywhere near King Street, which is now McCurtain Street.

The Ordnance Survey Map, from GeoHive, shows that Princes Street is just south of King Street. The map is attached to this reply.

A modern GeoHive map of Fermoy shows that Princes Street is now Connolly Street. This map is also attached to this reply.

What this means is that there’s the possibility that all eight children of Maurice Slattery and Margaret Cronin, were born in Princes Street, rather than King Street just to the north.

At this point in the research I wanted to see if I could locate the marriage records for Maurice and Margaret’s daughter Kate. From the 1901 census we know that James and Ellen were single, but that their sister, 30 year old Kate Slattery was married to someone named Linchan. The name Linchan didn’t look right and so I thought the name may have been Linehan instead. Kate is shown to have three children in the 1901 census. These children are 5 year old John James; 3 year old Maurice George; and 2 year old Charles. The oldest child, 5 year old John James would have been born circa 1896.

I found her marriage at the irishgenealogy.ie website. The index of the marriage shows that Kate Slattery had married George Linehan on 25 November 1894, and that their marriage was recorded in the Fermoy Registration District. The index is below:

Marriage of GEORGE LINEHAN and KATE SLATTERY on 25 November 1894
Party 1 Name GEORGE LINEHAN
Party 2 Name KATE SLATTERY
Date of Event 25 November 1894
Group Registration ID 2193259
SR District/Reg Area Fermoy

Source: irishgenealogy.ie
________

A copy of the original marriage record is Number 26 in the marriage register at: https://is.gd/AxuHwO

The register shows the marriage took place in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Fermoy, and that the groom’s full name is George Patrick Linehan, who was of “full age,” and a “Bachelor” when he married. His occupation is “Soldier.” His residence at the time of marriage was New Barracks, Fermoy. His father is John Linehan who was a “Shoemaker.” Kate and George probably met through their fathers who were both shoemakers.

Kate Slattery is shown to have been of “full age,” and a “Spinster,” when she married. Her address is King Street, Fermoy. Her father is Maurice Slattery, a “Shoemaker.”

The priest who married George and Kate was James Sisk. The witnesses to the marriage were James Slattery and Ellen Slattery. They were likely the James and Ellen Slattery in the 1901 census, and so would have been Kate’s siblings.

You can see the location of New Barracks on the aforementioned Ordnance Survey Map of Fermoy that is attached to this reply.
After locating the marriage record for George Linehan and Kate Slattery, I wanted to see if Maurice and Margaret Slattery and any of their adult children were recorded in the 1911 census.

I located the family in the 1911 census which shows that 79 year old Margaret Slattery is the head of the household and is a widow, employed doing needle work. Margaret is shown to be able to read. She and two of her children in the household are shown to be, “Residents of a house 73 in King Street (Fermoy Urban, Cork).”

As you can see, the family were still living in King Street as of 1911.

Margaret’s oldest adult child is 48 year old James, employed as a “Boot Maker.” The other child is 30 year old Ellen, a “ Dressmaker.” Both James and Ellen are single. The 1911 census transcription from the National Archives of Ireland can be accessed at: https://is.gd/lEtmk2

For a copy of the original 1911 census of the Slattery family, go to: www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001929917/

THE DEATH RECORD OF MAURICE SLATTERY

The next thing I wanted to do was find the civil registration death record for Maurice Slattery. I uncovered his death record at irishgenealogy.ie, which shows he died in King Street, Fermoy, on February 21, 1907. At the time of death he was 77 years old and married. His occupation had been “Boot Maker.” The cause of death was, “Senile decay 6 months. Influenza 3 weeks. Certified.” His son, James Slattery of King Street, was present at the death and reported the death to the registrar, whose name I could not decipher because of the poor handwriting in the register. Maurice’s death was recorded in the Fermoy Registration District on February 25, 1907. His death is Number 110 in the register at: https://is.gd/oEAyEK

THE DEATH RECORD OF MARGARET SLATTERY SR.

I also found Margaret Slattery’s death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. She died in King Street, Fermoy, on August 20, 1913 at the age of 75. She is shown to have been the “Widow of a Shoe Maker.” The cause of death was “Senile Decay 3 months. Certified.” Her son James was present at her death and reported the death to the registrar, M.A. O’Brien, who recorded the death in the Fermoy Registration District on August 30, 1913. Margaret’s death is the last one recorded in the register at Number 75: https://is.gd/7h1mg6

MARRIAGE OF ELLEN SLATTERY

Sometimes people married later in life and so I wanted to see if either James or his sister Ellen had married after they were enumerated in the 1911 census. I found that Ellen had indeed married. She and Stephen Mills were married in the Roman Catholic Church of St. Patrick, Fermoy, on 14 October 1919. At the time of marriage Ellen was a 51 year old spinster whose residence had been King Street. Her father is Maurice Slattery, a Bootmaker.

At The time of marriage Stephen Mills was a 65 year old widower. His occupation was “Marine Merchant.” His residence was also King Street. His father was John Mills, whose occupation was “Nail Maker.” The St. Patrick Church priest who married Ellen and Stephen was Edmond Fitzgerald, C.C. The witnesses to the marriage were Richard F. Ryan and Mary Swiney. The marriage is Number 167 in the register at: https://is.gd/1j7P32

DEATH OF JAMES SLATTERY

James Slattery never married. I located his civil registration death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. He died in the County Hospital, Fermoy, on 16 October 1925 at the age of 60 years. His death record shows he had been a Bachelor.” His occupation was Shoemaker. The cause of death was, “Myocardial degeneration. Certified.” The person who was present at the death and reported James’s death to the registrar was Martin Wall, who was the Occupier of the County Hospital. The term “Occupier,” usually means the administrator of an institution. The assistant registrar, Patrick Cahill, recorded James’s death in the Fermoy Registration District on 22 October 1925. James’s death is at Number 44 in the register at: https://is.gd/XoBZLQ

I couldn’t find a “County Hospital” on the Ordnance Survey Map of Fermoy from the 1888 to 1913 time period. The hospital may have been part of the Fermoy Union Workhouse, just east of the town, which you can see in the attached Ordnance Survey Map.

I now wanted to see if I could find the marriage records for Maurice and Margaret Slattery’s children, Patrick, Mary Anne, John, and Margaret Bridget. I began with their oldest child Patrick who was baptized in 1850.

MARRIAGE OF PATRICK SLATTERY

I found Patrick’s marriage record. At age 22 he married 22 year old Mary Lane in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Fermoy on 29 September 1872. At the time of marriage he was bachelor and employed as a “Boot & Shoe Maker.” His residence was Fermoy. His father is Maurice Slattery, also a Boot and Shoe Maker.

Mary Lane was a 22 year old spinster living in Fermoy. No occupation is recorded for her. Her father is Maurice Lane, a Labourer. Because the handwriting in the marriage record is difficult to read in spots, I could only make out that the name of the priest who married Patrick and Mary could have been J. Lynch. The first name of one of the witnesses to the marriage was Patrick. I couldn’t tell what his last name was. The name of the second witness looks like Mary Anne Roche. The marriage record for Patrick and Mary is the last entry in the register at Number 107: https://is.gd/wllKTL

DEATH OF MARY SLATTERY

Mary Anne Slattery was baptized after Patrick in 1852. I didn’t find a marriage record for her at irishgenealogy.ie, but I did uncover her death record. Mary Slattery died in King Street, Fermoy, on 11 February 1874 at the age of 23. The death record notes she was the “Wife of a Shoemaker.” I believe this notation may be an error. I didn’t find a marriage record for Mary, but the registrar wrote that she was married, rather than a spinster or unmarried. The cause of death was “Phthisis Pulmonalis. Certified.” Phthisis Pulmonalis was the old term for tuberculosis. In the 19th century tuberculosis was also called “Consumption.”

The death record further shows that the person present at the death and the person who reported the death to the registrar, was Maurice Slattery of King Street. The registrar, John O’Neil Sisk, recorded the death in the Fermoy Registration District on 18 February 1874. Mary’s death is Number 232 in the register at: https://is.gd/ZO67pc

JOHN SLATTERY

John Slattery was baptized in Fermoy in 1859. I couldn’t identify a marriage or a death record for him that had been recorded in the Fermoy Registration District.

MARGARET BRIDGET SLATTERY

Margaret was baptized in Fermoy in the year 1862. I didn’t find a marriage record for her. Copies of original death records at irishgenealogy.ie are only available from the year 1871. Indexes of deaths however, are available from 1864, but give very little information.

I found what may be the irishgenealogy.ie death index for Margaret Slattery, which shows her death was recorded in the Fermoy Registration District in 1866. At the time of death Margaret was 4 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1862. See the index below:

SR District/Reg Area - Fermoy
Death of MARGARET SLATTERY in 1866
Name MARGARET SLATTERY
Date of Death 1866
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Fermoy
Deceased Age at Death 4
Returns Year 1866
Returns Quarter 3
Returns Volume No 14
Returns Page No 401

Source: irishgenealogy.ie
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If you’d like to order the full death record for Margaret Slattery to see if the person present at her death was her father Maurice or mother Margaret, I can send you instruction on how to do so in a follow-up reply.

CONCLUSION

Unfortunately I didn’t have enough information to do a more comprehensive search for your great grandmother Frances Gearen’s father John. What is known about him is that he and Hannah Slattery married in 1876, and that at the time of marriage he was a soldier and that his residence was Fermoy. The marriage record further shows John’s father was also named John, and was also a soldier.

For the births of John’s daughters Mary Margaret in 1877, and your grandmother Fanny in 1878, John is shown to be a sergeant in the 86th regiment. His residence at the time of the births was Aldershot, in Hampshire, England.

On the Slattery side of the family records show they had first lived on Princes Street, Fermoy, and then later moved a short distance to King Street, Fermoy. Today, Princes Street is called Connolly Street. King Street is now McCurtain Street.

Birth and census records also show that Hannah’s father Maurice Slattery was a boot and shoe maker who would have plied his trade when the family lived on Princes Street as well as King Street in Fermoy.

If you or members of your family decide to travel to Ireland someday after the Covid ends to see where your ancestors had lived, you’ll be able to visit the streets in Fermoy where they had resided during the 19th and 20th centuries.

There are seven attachments with this reply. They are:

Ordnance Survey Map of King and Patrick Streets Fermoy
Modern Fermoy Map
Post Card of King Street Fermoy
New and Old Barracks Fermoy
King & Princes Street Fermoy
Connolly Street Fermoy
Fermoy Union Workhouse
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I utilized the following online resources for this reply:

irishgenealogy.ie
GeoHive
Google Maps
Google Street Views
Google Photo Archive
National Library of Ireland
Wikipedia
Find My Past
National Archives, UK
National Archives of Ireland
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With Kind Regards,

Dave Boylan

Hi Dave!

Fantastic job once again!

Roger

Many thanks Roger.

Dave

Thank you, sir!  This is more than I could have hoped for.  Fermoy is most certainly on the itinerary next time we're in Ireland.  My family and I genuinely appreciate the effort you've put into this.

Dave Graham

You're welcome Dave, and many thanks for your reply. Great first name by the way!

Dave Boylan