Somerville Family History

Matt:

I searched the subscription site Roots Ireland and did not locate a baptismal record for William Somerville back in the 1800-1820 tiem period. Many Church of Ireland parishes lost their records in the 1922 Public Records Office fire. Some have records locally and others in the Representative Church Body library in Dublin. I also did not see a good lead for Mary Hughes and I did not find a marriage record anywhere in Ireland for the couple.

Besides the baptismal record for David, I found a May 3 1844 baptismal record for Harriet Somerville (born January 11 1844). The baptism was in the Castlecomer C of I church. There was also a record for a William Somerville on September 1 1835. His father was  William Somerville (land steward) mother Anne Hughes. Castlecomer C of I . I'm sure this is the correct family. So William and Anne/Mary would have married pre-1835.

I did not find a good lead for a death record for William and maybe he died pre-1864 when civil registration started. I did find an 1891 death record for Anne Jane Somerville (widow of land steward) with Harriet as the informant.

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

I did not find Harriet in the 1901 census in Co. Kilkenny but did find her brother William.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kilkenny/Castlecomer/C…

This may be the 1908 death record for Harriet See sixth record.

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

Roger McDonnell

Roger -

Many thanks for your reply - greatly appreciated! I have attached 

This is a document requested by the UK Government to support David Hughes's application when he joined the UK Post Office in 1860. I believe this was a common practice to ascertain the actual age of a potential civil servant. On the document it highlights the parents names as William and Mary. I was wondering if William had originally been married to Mary who gave birth to Isabella Somerville (1832), William (1836) and then David Hughes (1840). Perhaps Mary died and then William remarried Anne who was the mother of Harriett (1844). \

David Hughes ended up marrying Anne Elizabeth Spong who was born on October 7th 1842 in Carlow. Her father was Frederick Macfarlane Spong, a seed merchant in Carlow. He had a seed warehouse at 48 Dublin Street. Given that William was a Land Steward perhaps that was how my great great grandparents met.

On another note of interest, family folklore has us related to the Butlers of Kilkenny Castle. My sense is that might have been a result of an illicit tryst .

Again Roger - many thanks for your assistance.

Cheers!