Searching for John Gafney, Co Meath

Hello SylNilsen,

The person who told you that the Ardbraccan Church of Ireland parish registers “were all practically destroyed in 1922,” is correct, except for marriages.

According to the free website, “The List of Church of Ireland Parish Registers,” (updated May 2024), the early Church of Ireland Ardbraccan parish registers were destroyed in the Four Court Fire in Dublin during the 1922 Irish Civil War.

The List of Church of Ireland Parish Registers shows later records for Ardbraccan baptisms are available for the years 1874-1875. Marriages are available from 1845 to 1955, and burials for 1874-1875. See: https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/library/registers/ParishRegisters/PARISHREGISTERS.pdf

The subscription website RootsIreland has Ardbraccan Church of Ireland registers available as transcriptions. Baptisms are available for the years 1884-1900; marriages from 1845-1900, and burials from 1884 to 1900. The RootsIreland home page can be found at: https://www.rootsireland.ie/

The Ardbraccan Church of Ireland marriage registers do not go back far enough to have recorded the marriage of John Gaffney and Mary, being as their daughter Jane was born circa 1836, based on her age of 21 when she sailed to British Kaffraria, South Africa, on the Lady Kennaway in September of 1857.

The youngest Gafney child, Mary Ann, who sailed on the ship Vocalist with her mother Mary and siblings in 1858, was 4 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1854. Once again, there will not be a baptism record for her if she had been baptized in the Ardbraccan Church of Ireland.

However, if the child Mary Ann Gafney and any of her other siblings were baptized in the Kells Church if Ireland, you may have a better experience in uncovering baptism records for them, and possibly a marriage record for their parents, especially if the mother Mary had been from Kells. Church of Ireland marriages, like Catholic marriages, traditionally take place in the bride’s parish church.

Then too, Kells is not all that far from Ardbraccan. A Google Map shows that Kells, by the shortest modern-day route along the R147 road, is 7.9 miles northwest of Ardbraccan. See the Google Map: https://tinyurl.com/5v2y4s86

The distance of 7.9 miles is not a long distance by car today, but back in the 1800s, it would have taken hours for a family with young children to walk from Ardbaccan to Kells. The average adult walks about 3 miles an hour, which means it would take less than half a day to walk 7.9 miles. But with young children in tow, it could take all day, and perhaps 2 days to walk the distance if the family had to stop along the way.

But, if the family could afford to travel by horse and wagon, it would have taken much less time to cover the distance between Ardbraccan and Kells, and back again.

RootsIreland holds Kells Church of Ireland baptism, marriage, and burial transcriptions for the years 1773 to 1900.

You can obtain subscriptions at RootsIreland for 1 day, 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year.

Even with a 1 day subscription, you can accomplish a lot of research in the Kells Church of Ireland parish registers from RootsIreland.

At RootsIreland, you can confirm the baptism for Mary Ann Gaffney, who, according to the information you have, was baptized in Kells on 4-3-1854.

One of the Gafney children you had mentioned traveling to South Africa in 1858 with her mother and siblings was Elizabeth. I found what I believe to be a copy of the original marriage certificate for Elizabeth, showing she and Neil Johnson were married in the “School Chapel in the Parish of East London in the Division of British Kaffraria on 26 December 1865.”

This record comes from the free FamilySearch website at: https://www.familysearch.org

A transcription of the marriage that I compiled is below:

Marriage • South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004

Marriages Solemnized in the School Chapel in the Parish of East London in the Division of British Kaffraria in the Year 1865

Name Neil Johnson

Sex Male

Spouse's Name Elizabeth Gafney

Spouse's Sex Female

Event Type Marriage

Event Date

26 December 1865

Event Place South Africa

SOURCE:

"South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6F1G-19K4

----

A copy of the original marriage record is attached to this reply, and shows that Neil Johnson was employed as “Lighthouse Keeper.”

Both Neil and Elizabeth were living in East London at the time of the marriage. The marriage took place “After Banns,” which indicates this was a church wedding, perhaps in the local Anglican Church. Anglican, as well as Catholic banns of marriage were traditionally announced in church on three successive Sundays before the wedding took place.

Because of the handwriting, I couldn’t make out the name of the priest who married Neil and Elizabeth, but he was the “Incumbent” priest. Nor could I tell what the names of the witnesses to the marriage were.

Elizabth Gafney signed the marriage register with “her x mark,” signifying she could not write.

The marriage certificate doesn’t state which school chapel in East London the marriage was performed in.

Neil and Elizabeth were married on 26 December, which is a traditional holiday called “Boxing Day.” In South Africa it is called the “Day of Goodwill.” See the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day

Unlike Irish and English civil registration marriages, the 1865 marriage record for Neil and Elizabeth, does not record the names of their fathers.

As a side note, the mothers of the groom and bride in Irish and English civil marriages were not recorded.

Have you tried DNA testing? DNA testing may lead you to other family historians descended from John Gaffney and Mary. These descendants may possibly know what Mary’s maiden name was.

THE 1821 CENSUS

The only complete Ireland census returns available online today are the 1901 and 1911 enumerations. Before 1901, only census fragments are available, as described by the National Archives of Ireland at: https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/help/pre1901.html

The 1901 and 1911 census returns, as well as cemsus fragments are available to search at the National Archives of Ireland website link: https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

These census fragments cover the years 1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851. On the off chance, I wanted to see if any Gafneys/Gaffneys had been recorded in Ardbraccan, County Meath in the census fragments available for the years 1821 to 1851.

I was surprised to find there were for 1821.

The National Archives of Ireland transcribed the 1821 census, showing that a 24 year old Philip Gafney and a 12 year old John Gafney, were recorded in the household of William Gerrard, of house 48, Ardbraccan, County Meath.

The person who transcribed the census however, hedged their bets, as they couldn’t decipher whether or not the surname for William and his family was Genard or Gerrard, or if Philip and John’s surname was Gafrey or Gafney.

You can see the double transcription for the members of the house 48 at the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1821/Meath/Ardbraccan/Ardbraccan/48/

The transcription shows that William was the head of the household and that he was employed as a “Barony Constable & Weaver.”

His 24 year old border Philip Gafrey/Gafney was his son-in-law, and employed as a “Linnen Weaver.” No occupation is recorded for 12 year old John Gafrey/Gafney.

You can view a copy of the original 1921 census at the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/c19/007246483/007246483_00706.pdf

In looking at the census you can see why the National Archives transcriber had a problem with deciphering the surnames for William Philip, and John, but the way I read the names in the copy of the original is that William’s surname was Gerrard, not Gennard, and that Philip and John’s surname was Gafney, not Gafrey. What do you think?

I don’t see Philip’s wife in the household. She may have been deceased at this time.

Also, I don’t know what the relationship was between Philip Gafney and  John Gafney. They were 12 years apart in age. But, this could be your John Gafney, though that’s only a guess.

At age 12 in 1821, John would have been born circa 1809. Do you have a year of birth or approximate year of birth for your John Gafney?

The 1821 census also enumerated Gafneys in other townlands located in the Civil Parish of Ardbraccan, County Meath. These townlands include Dormstown, Ogenstown, and Durhamstown. See: https://tinyurl.com/4k5kkyk7

With Kind Regards,

Dave Boylan

SOUCES

The List of Church of Ireland Parish Registers

RootsIreland

Google Maps

FamilySearch

Wikipedia

1821 Census of Ireland: National Archives of Ireland

Wow – you have gone to so much trouble to help me find John Gafney - thank you!

I used a short subscription to RootsIreland and a COI  researcher was able to find Mary Ann Gaf(f)ney’s baptism record in Kells.  This is what she wrote:  

Please find below, and attached, Mary Anne's baptismal entry into the register for Kells parish, County Meath.  You will see that it is spelt with two 'f's. The writing for 'By whom the ceremony was preformed' is a little hard to read, so I did some research and its: W (William) Kempston - he was curate of Kells from 1848-54.  

I had a little look at earlier baptisms, just in case the older children were in this register as well, but to no avail.  I also searched the Kells marriage register but couldn't find an entry for John and Mary.  I've attached the Records List for Navan - the closest town - but unfortunately the baptism registers for the time period you are looking for were destroyed in the 1922 Fours Courts, Dublin fire so no luck there either.  There is a marriage register which begins in 1845, if you think that John and Mary may have married in Navan.

Thanks again for your comprehensive search!  We have the marriage records for the Gafney siblings in South Africa but nothing for any of them (besides Mary Anne) in Ireland.

Syl Nilsen

You're welcome Syl, and many thanks for your reply and for the additional information you had obtained from the Church of Ireland researcher. If you ever have any further questions please don't hesitate to write to Ireland XO.

Best Wishes,

Dave