But really, where in County Limerick?

After I eliminated the three Timothy Brown(e)s found in Griffith’s Valuation, I actually gave up looking for the family, at least for awhile.  But, I decided I would review all of the House and Tenure Books for Timothy in the area of Patrickswell  After all, we do know the family did not leave until after May 1847, and, the valuation for Patrickswell was being done at that specific time frame.  

 
I won’t burden you with all the details, but, it took a long, long time to find him.  I will tell you that I started in the vicinity of Ballybrown in the northern part of the church parish.  The name of the parish is Patrickswell and Ballybrown Catholic parish.  Now, you would think that with a name like Browne, logically, the family would be in the Ballybrown area, right?  Wrong!  There were no Brownes in Ballybrown, nor were there Kellys or any of the other names shown in the church record.  Who would have thought? 
 
When I finally got over that fixation, I decided to try the area around Castleroberts where Timothy #2 was located.  I’m not sure why I picked that area, but, I think there was a guiding hand somewhere.  Fanningstown, next to Castleroberts, but notably within Patrickswell parish was one of the areas I checked.  


Fanningstown Tenure Book
(click to enlarge)

The first entry in the Fanningstown Tenure Book is John and James Browne.  The original image covers two facing pages.¹   The image at the left shows both the left (top portion) and right (bottom) sides of the document.  The left side shows the Occupiers name, who the land was leased from and whether there is a house, farm buildings, etc.  The right side of the document shows the amount of acreage, rent due, the date of the lease and any notes made by the valuator.  The lease for John and James Browne started in 1818 and runs for the duration of the landlord’s life.  There evidently was some problem because they were in the process of being ejected from the tenement.  It was settled and these men ARE shown in the published version of Griffith’s which means they were in residence in 1851.  The second entry shows James Moloney and Ellen Kelly.  Ellen is a charity case living in a cottage that is “rented” from James Moloney.  There is a good possibility that Ellen is a relative of James Moloney.   They, too, are in the published Griffith’s. 


Fanningstown Tithe
(click to enlarge)

 I didn’t see an entry for Timothy Browne anywhere in the townland; however, as I look through the remaining entries, I see Hogans, and Hallinans along with the Kellys and Moloneys.  These names sound very familiar and are indeed surnames shown in the church records.  I was curious enough about the names to look at an earlier record set that is used as a census substitute – the Tithe Applotment.²   (See copy of the Fanningstown Tithe record at the right.) 
 
There were two lines, at the top, showing “Browne Jno & Brothers.” Line 4 shows Maurice Hogan and line 11 shows David Hallinan.  Maurice and David were witnesses at the marriage of Timothy Browne and Hannah Kelly!  I looked at the Fanningstown Tenure Book again and found entries for Thomas and Thady Browne. ³   (See image for Thomas and Thady Browne below left.  Image has been cropped to show only these two men.)  Like the image for John and James, the left portion of the document is shown in the top portion; the right side of the document is at the bottom.  While they are shown together, each of them holds about 27 acres of land.  John and James above have 23 acres.  Looking back at the Tithe record for John Browne and Brothers, they hold a total of 75 acres.  Combining the three entries in the Tenure Book, there is a total of approximately 75 acres.  This is probably the same family, but where is Timothy?  I initially decided this was a different family and went on to other townlands with no luck. 

Thady Browne Tenure Listing
(Click to enlarge)

 
That is until I took an Irish Genealogy course in 2011 which included a lecture on names and naming patterns.  It seems that Thady (pronounced Tā ^. dy) is a substitute name for Timothy!  The Irish have a LOT of alternative names and nicknames.⁴   The letter from the Limerick Archives (see previous post dated January 3, 2016) gave an alternative name for Hannah; it did not mention any alternative for Timothy.  The actual church registers, not available to me until 2012, (shown in the same January 3, 2016 post) show Thady/Thaddeus in some of the records.   I only wish I had known about this earlier!
 
Now the Tenure Book entry for Thady and Thomas Browne makes sense.  They are part of the “John Browne & Brothers” from the 1821 Tithe Record.  There are two other vital pieces of information in the Tenure Book.  First, notice that both Thady and Thomas Browne are crossed off with the notation “Dead.”  Does this mean one or both of them were dead?  Because of the notations in the Observations column, I believe both had died.  The tenure for these men began in 1826 as a “joint lease” but had been given up to the land owner, Mr. Jackson, in December 1848.   Remember that prior to 2011, I had located a passenger list that gave the date of the family’s arrival in Boston in January 1849.  Taking into consideration the average length of time for the voyage, December 1848 would be a logical date for the family to have left Ireland.
 

Poverty Relief Loan
(Click to enlarge)

There is another piece of information that provides further proof that Timothy and Thady are the same person.  Early in 2015, Find My Past made a new record set available.  This is the Poverty Relief Loan List (Reproductive Loan Fund).   A loan is registered for “Timothy” in Fanningstown.⁵  (See image at right.)  The document gives the names of the persons who signed as surety for Timothy.  One of them is Patrick Kelly of “Lys,” (contraction of Liskilly, the townland bordering Fanningstown on the north), who is the likely sponsor at the baptism of Mary Browne in 1837.
 
There is other information available for Fanningstown, but, that will need to wait for the next post . 

 

1.       Browne, John, Tenure book, Townland of Fanningstown, Co. Limerick, dated February 1848 to May 1849, Family History Library, microfilm #2299188

2.     Browne, Jno & Brothers, Tithe Applotment, Townland of Fanningstown, Co. Limerick, dated 1821, National Archives Ireland, http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004239502/004239502_00383.pdf

              Tithe taxes were collected to fund the state church, The Church of Ireland regardless of whether you belonged
              to that church or not.  Taxes were collected from those engaged in agricultural endeavors and was not generally
              collected from towns people unless they had a garden plot somewhere.  It was not collected from those engaged
              in other occupations, such as a cooper, or miller for example. 

3.       Browne, Thady, Tenure book, Townland of Fanningstown, Co. Limerick, dated February 1848 to May 1849, Family History Library, microfilm #2299188

4.       While there are many sources available to identify Irish naming alternatives, two of the best are: A Rose by any Other Name: a Guide to Irish Christian Names by Judith Eccles Wight available online at https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE105460; and First Names in the Help section of RootsIreland.ie at http://www.rootsireland.ie/help/first-names/.  Roots Ireland is a pay site, but the Help section is free.  Each site has names not shown in the other.  The composite list of names for Timothy is:  Tim, Timy, Timmy, Timothius, Timotheus, Timothi, Timothio, Thaddeus, Thady, Theady, Tady, Teigue, Teagye,  Tomaltagh, Tumelty, Tiomóid, and Tomaltach.  Alternate names for Honoria are: Hanora, Honorah, Hanara, Hanorah, Hanna, Hannah, Hon, Ann, Anna, Honny, Honor, Noey, Nonie, Nora, Norah, Norrie, Norry, Onny, Johanna, Joh, Johannah, Joanna, Johan, Joan, Jane, Siobhán, Nancy, Nóra, and Onóra,  It’s no wonder they were so hard to find!

5.       Timothy Brown, Fanningstown, Security Notes of Borrowers and Sureties for Loans, 1845, Find My Past,  http://findmypast.com/   Poverty Relief Loans/Productive Loans were made by the British government to "industrious poor" people in depressed regions of Ireland, predominantly the western portion of the island, in an attempt to alleviate poverty in those areas.  The loans cover a period from 1821 to 1874; however, the majority of the records are for 1824 to 1846

Finding a Townland

In the United States, one of the first places to search for ancestors are US and state census records.  Unfortunately, the first intact census in Ireland is for 1901.  Because of that, we look for a census substitute nearest the time frame when we know our ancestors were still living in Ireland.  For the Browne family, the last record in Ireland is the 1847 baptism of Thomas, the youngest son of Timothy and Hannah Browne.  The first record in the United States, that I had at the time of my research, was a baptismal record for Patrick Brown dated 27 Mar 1854, son of Patrick Browne, at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio¹.  Patrick, the father, is the oldest son of Timothy and Hannah Browne and is one of the immigrants.  So we know the family came to America between 1847 and 1854.   

Griffith’s Valuation is a tax valuation that was completed and published between 1846 and 1864.     While it is considered a “land record,” information was collected on virtually every occupier in Ireland regardless of whether they owned land or not.  In fact, relatively few people owned land, but, because of the destruction of so many records in Ireland, and because it includes records on much of the population in the country, Griffith’s has become one of the most significant census substitutes in Ireland.

 

I consulted indexes for Griffith’s Valuation for County Limerick and located three possible entries for Timothy Brown(e): 

1.       Timothy Brown, Ballyveelish Townland, Parish of Crecora, Limerick

2.       Timothy Browne, Castleroberts Townland, Parish of Adare, Limerick

3.       Timothy Browne, Dollas Upper Townland, Parish of Croom, Limerick

 

At the time I was initially researching the family, I used a website that is no longer available, Other Days.  Now there are several online sites that provide access to records for Griffith’s Valuation.  One free site is Ask About Ireland at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/.  Other pay sites are also accessible online.  They are: Roots Ireland at www.rootsireland.com, Ancestry.com and Find My Past at http://www.findmypast.com/.  Ask About Ireland and Find My Past also provide maps, both current and historical, which makes it easy to locate the geographic location of your ancestor.  Easy, that is, if you are sure of the location.  As stated in an earlier blog, the Patrickswell church records did not provide the name of the townland.    

Parish boundaries for Patrickswell RC Church, Co. Limerick
(click to enlarge)

When I received the church records from the Limerick Archives, a map of the parish of Patrickswell and surrounding areas was included with the letter.²   (See the map at the left.)  The map has proved invaluable in determining the specific location of the family.   I quickly eliminated Timothy Browne #3 from Dollas Upper since he was not in close vicinity to Patrickswell, and is actually located about ten to fifteen miles southwest of the village.  (Patrickswell is shown in the center of the map.)  That left Timothy #1 and Timothy #2 who were not in the parish but were close enough to have traveled to Patrickswell for church events.  Timothy #1, in Ballyveelish, was a couple of townlands to the southeast of the village and the church; Timothy #2, in Castleroberts, was adjacent to the parish of Patrickswell but still a few miles away from the church.  So, I thought either of these two Timothys were candidates for our ancestor.   

 

Timothy Browne about 3/4 down page,
Griffith's Valuation for Castleroberts, Adare, Limerick
(click to enlarge)

The published version of Griffith’s is what we are used to looking at online. For the Patrickswell area, Griffith’s was printed in 1850-51.  (See copy of the printed Griffith’s for Castleroberts at the right.³)  The published version was compiled from handwritten notes, notably Field Books, Perambulation or Tenure Books, and House Books, collected while surveying and valuing each tenement.⁴   Cancelled or Revision Books were also created annually after Griffith’s was initially completed to record changes in occupiers or owners as well as improvements to each tenement allowing authorities to collect and adjust taxes appropriately.⁵   Revision Books continued to be updated until fairly recent times and can be used to track the history of a family or tenement.   A wealth of information is contained in these records, and, depending on where your ancestors originated from, and the date Griffith’s was completed for the area, may provide more detailed information, and earlier information for the family.  I have found that it took a period of time, from 12 to 18 months in some cases, to complete the valuation process before publication.  And, during times of great change, such as the famine of the 1840s, the notes can provide information not appearing in printed records.

 

While it was intended to make the House and Tenure books available online by the National Archives of Ireland sometime in 2015, (see information in the Irish Genealogy News blog at http://www.irishgenealogynews.com/2015/02/digitisation-plans-for-griffiths.html), they have not yet become accessible and obviously were not available online in 2005 while doing my research.   They are, however, available on microfilm from the Family History Library.  I decided to use these records to determine which of the two Timothys, if either, was our ancestor.   

 

Timothy Browne third from top in Castleroberts Revision Book
(Click to enlarge)

Timothy #2 is shown in the Revision Books until 1879, well beyond the date our family arrived in America; so he can be eliminated.⁶   (See copy of the Revision Book to the left.)  The Tenure Book for Timothy #1 was created in December of 1847, a time when our family should have been in residence.⁷   The published version of Griffith’s shows Timothy Brown in tenement 1a with 157 acres.  The Tenure book shows David Carmody in residence at that tenement with a 45 year lease that had expired.  Timothy #1 could have taken up the property between the time the lease for David Carmody expired, 1847, and the time Griffith’s was published in1850; however, in the meantime, I found another piece of information which eliminated him from the running.

 

I had finally located a ships passenger list for the family that arrived in Boston in January, 1849.  I will save that discussion for a future blog when we look at our family in America.  I also want to look at Timothy #2 again in the future.  His is an interesting story and we very well may be related to him.  That will require more research to determine.  However, the next blog will tell the nitty gritty about how the townland for our Timothy was finally found.  

  

 

1.        Wolf, Donna M, compiler, The Irish in Central Ohio: Baptisms and Marriages 1852-1862, St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio, Publisher unknown, 1991, p. 17

2.       Map of Patrickswell RC Parish and surrounding parishes, from Limerick Archives, 2003.  Parish divisions are superimposed on a Townland Index Map.  Dotted lines indicate townland boundaries.

3.       Griffith, Richard, General Valuation of Rateable Property in Ireland . . . Barony of Coshma, County Limerick, Unions of Croom, Kilmallock, and Rathkeale, Parish of Adare,  1851, Digital image from Find My Past: http://Findmypast.com 2015

4.       Reilly, James R., Richard Griffith and His Valuation of Ireland, Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 2000, pp. 13-32

5.       Ibid, pp. 38 and 43-47.

6.       Browne, Timothy, Revision Book, Townland of Castleroberts, Co. Limerick, dated 1879, Family History Library, microfilm #0848593

7.       Brown, Timothy, Tenure Book ,Townland of Ballyveelish, Co. Limerick, dated December 1847, Family History Library, microfilm #2299189

 

Instant gratification!

On December 26, 2003, I sent a request to the Limerick Archives for baptismal records for the Brown family.  In just over a week I had a response and what information was contained in the response!  I felt like I had really hit the jackpot so the amount I paid for the records, which really was not very much, was worth every penny. 

2004 letter from Limerick Archives
(Click to enlarge)

The records were found in Patrickswell Roman Catholic Church.  Yes, this really is our family despite the discrepancy in the mother’s name – Hannah vs. Johanna (the church records also show Honora).  Not all of the information agreed with the information in the David Brown letter, but the differences were very few.  (See the response from the Limerick Archives at the left. ¹)  The siblings are listed in the same order with two exceptions.  There is an additional child, David, between Patrick and John that had not previously been identified.  Since I have not found information on him in America with the rest of the children, it is assumed that he died sometime between his baptism in 1832 and the date the family arrived in America.  Moreover, it seems that “David” is an important name in the family since that name tends to be repeated in several generations. 

The other difference is the absence of a record on James.  The Limerick Archives letter gives a possible explanation that children who were not thriving at birth may have been baptized at home and not recorded in the church records. 

James G. Ryan in his book, Irish Church Records, gives other reasons why baptisms might not have been recorded.  First of all he states that it is not clear where baptisms actually took place before the mid 1800s.  This could have been in the home of the parents or other relative, in church, or even perhaps in the priest’s house.  He further states that many priests owned horses and visited their parishioners to “administer sacraments,” particularly in rural areas. Ostensibly, the priest would have taken notes about these sacraments but could have failed to initially record them or missed transcribing them when he returned to the church following his circuit.  It also appears that several priests, or clerks, recorded the events and one of them could have missed recording the baptism.   Ryan also states that, “There is also the possibility that the priests may have demanded a fee for the sacrament which the family could not afford.” ²

Church records can now be searched online at either www.rootsireland.ie or www.irishgenealogy.ie  depending on the location of the ancestors, and, since July 2015, actual copies of the records are available at http://registers.nli.ie/.  But they were not available back in 2004.  So, when I traveled to Dublin in 2012, I made a point of stopping by the National Library to obtain copies.  (Note that the records for Patrickswell are listed under “Lurriga.”) 

Patrickswell original records
(Click to enlarge)

When I found the actual records in the Patrickswell church records, there appears to be a few discrepancies in the abstracts from the Limerick Archives.  The most obvious is that the marriage of Timothy Brown and Honora Kelley took place in 1830, not 1930 as identified in the archives letter.  Another difference is that the month of David’s baptism is actually October, not January.  Also, the second sponsor at the baptism of Patrick appears to be Domina Hallinan and not Mary Moloney.  (See copies of the baptismal records at the right.³)  Note the sponsors for the marriage and baptismal records.  These become particularly important in future research.

The letter goes on to state that the names of the parents of Timothy Browne and Hannah Kelley are not known since there are no baptismal records for them but that, at least, Hannah likely came from Patrickswell since marriages usually took place in the bride’s parish. 
 
The other missing piece of information was the actual address of the family in Patrickswell.  Patrickswell is the name of the church parish.  In Ireland, there are church parishes and civil parishes which are not the same when looking for geographic locations.  There is also a village of Patrickswell which is located about 10 miles southwest of the city of Limerick.  We were planning a trip to Ireland in 2005 and wanted to find the homeland and needed a more precise location, specifically the townland, within the civil parish.  
 
A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland, a book by Brian Mitchell⁴, gives a cross reference of church parish to civil parish.  The maps for the area are very small and Patrickswell could be in the civil parish of Adare or the surrounding parishes.  How I determined the townland will be the subject of the next post.

 

1.        Limerick Archives, Limerick, Ireland, 2 Jan 2004, Letter to Mary Ann Faloon, Wilmington, OH.  Letter contains marriage information for Hannah Kelly and Timothy Brown,  and baptism information for their children, Patrick, David, John, Mary, Johanna, and Thomas,
 
2.        Ryan, James G., Irish Church Records, Flyleaf Press, Dublin, Ireland, 1992, pp 120-123

3.       Patrickswell Catholic Parish registers at the National Library Ireland.  Page numbers refer to the online records at http://registers.nli.ie/.

Marriage Timothy Browne & Honora Kelly, 16 Feb 1830, p. 116, microfilm 02409-05, Lurriga, Limerick

Baptism Patrick Browne, 26 Nov 1830, p. 29, microfilm 02409-05, Lurriga, Limerick

Baptism David Browne, 11 Oct 1832, p. 39, microfilm 02409-05, Lurriga, Limerick

Baptism John Browne, 1 Jan 1835, p. 52, microfilm 02409-05, Lurriga, Limerick

Baptism Mary Browne, 21 May 1834, p. 63, microfilm 02409-05, Lurriga, Limerick

Baptism Johanna Browne, 21 Sep 1841, p. 89, microfilm 02409-05, Lurriga, Limerick

Baptism Thomas Browne, 6 May 1847, p. 13, microfilm 02409-06, Lurriga, Limerick

 

4.       Mitchell, Brian, A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland, 2^nd Ed., Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 2002