An Example of a Record Found in the British Army Pensioners – Royal Hospital Kilmainham Collection at Findmypast.com

A little bit ago, I posted about a new collection added to Findmypast.com.  It seemed like an interesting collection so I decided to check it out further and share with you what I found.

First, I had a hard time locating the record collection.  But after a few minutes of sleuthing, I managed to find it.  Depending on where you look, the collection is either called British Army Pensioners – Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Ireland, 1783-1822 or Kilmainham Pensioners – British Army Service Records 1783-1822.  This is the link to search the collection specifically, through the findmypast.com US version (it also contains more information about the records).

I did a search on the surname Cahill and there were 12 results.  I found one in County Kilkenny, which happens to be from where my Cahills are from.  Below is the first page (pretty much a blank page on the back), and although it is small, you can see that there is quite a bit of information.

This particular record is the discharge paperwork for Sergeant William Cahill, who was “born in the Parish of Freshford in or near the Town of Freshford in the County of Kilkenny was enlisted for the aforesaid Regiment at Kilkenny in the County of Kilkenny on the 11^th Day of July at the Age of 25 years for the Kilk[enny] Militia.”  He served in the Army for 29 years and 71 days, from 11 July 1793 to 25 September 1822.  During his service, he was a Private for about six-and-a-half years, a Corporal for over a year-and-a-half, and a Sergeant for over 21 years.

After the service record, there is some more interesting information, some of which is obscured by a stamp.  I think it has to do with his discharge, and I can tell that his “character” was “very good.”  I’ve transcribed the 6th through 8th items below.

[begin transcription]

6th. Certificate of the Settlement of all Demands.	THAT he has received all just Demands of Pay, Clothing, &c. from his Entry into the Service to the date of this Discharge, as appears by his Receipt underneath.
7th. Acknowledgement of the Receipt of all Demands.	I Wm Cahill do hereby acknowledge that I have received all my Clothing Pay, Arrears of Pay, and all just Demands whatsoever, from the time of my Entry into the Service to the date of this Discharge. Witnessed by John Gordon [??]  Signature of the Soldier } Willm Cahill Serj [notice that he signs his name Willm not Wm]
8th. Certificate of Description.	TO prevent any improper use being made of this Discharge, by its falling into other Hands, the following is a Description of the said Wm Cahill He is about 54 Years, of Age, is 6 Feet 1 Inches in height, Brown Hair, Gray Eyes, Fair Complexion; and by Trade or Occupation a Laborer

Given under my Hand, and the Seal of the Regiment at Castle[??] this 24th Day of Sept^r 1822

Signature of the Commanding Officer. } [illegible] Col. Kil[kenny] Reg[iment] Militia

[end of transcription]

Certainly a neat document.  Learned quite a bit about this gentleman.  I wonder if he’s related to my Cahills of Kilkenny.  Freshford is about 19 miles from Thomastown, which is where my Cahills are from.  I have no idea about my Cahill line prior to the baptism of my third great-grandfather in 1834 (and I not even sure if the record is for him!), so who knows.  At least I had fun exploring a new-to-me record type.

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Image:  Discharge papers for Serj. Wm Cahill, digital image obtained from findmaypast.com, Kilmainham Pensioners British Army Service Records 1771-1821 collection on 7 December 2012.

Friday Finds – 03/19/10

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things that I’ve learned or found.

Article – I came across an article written by Kory L. Meyerink, entitled Witches in Colonial America.  The article even includes a list of those accused based on several sources.  During my own research, I found two sources that indicated that Mary REEVE Webster (wife of William Webster, who was the son of Gov. John Webster) was tried and acquitted for witchcraft in 1684.  She does appear on the list in the article, with some additional information.

Education– FamilySearch is offering video courses on their website.  So far, the Research Series Classes Online offers courses on the following topics:  England Beginning Research, German Research, Ireland Research, Italy Research, Principios básicos para la investigación genealógica en Hispanoamérica (México), Research Principles and Tools, Russia Research, and U.S. Research.  Note:  Some courses require the use of Microsoft’s Silverlight.

Article – I love the magazine Chicago.  They always have interesting feature articles related to the city, many times of a historical nature.  In the March 2010 issue, there was an article written by Geoffrey Johnson entitled, “Camera Obscura.”  The article talks about a woman photographer named Beatrice Tonnesen, who lived and worked in Chicago in the early 1900s.

Irish Genealogy– Kimberly Powell created a list of 12 Top Web Sites for Researching Irish Ancestors at About Genealogy.

Irish Genealogy – Ancestry has published the Ireland, Famine Relief Commission Papers, 1844-1847 collection.  For more information, refer to Ancestry’s blog post Personal Accounts of the Irish Famine Now Online.

Friday Finds – 03/12/10

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things that I’ve learned or found.

Website – At About.com Genealogy, there is a wonderful resource, Glossary of Old Occupations & Trades.

Article – An informative article by Emily McMackin, entitled “Pride of the Irish,” in the March/April 2010 issue of American Spirit (a publication of the DAR).  It was interesting to see the role the Irish played in the formation of America, from politics to culture.  This is a good read for anyone with Irish heritage or an interest in early American history.

Carnival – The first edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies was posted the other day.  There are 15 articles in this debut issue, highlighting a project or publication of a particular genealogical society.

Friday Finds – 01/08/10

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted this column.  With the new year upon us, I figured it’s time to start it up again.

Blog – One of my new favorite blogs is Blog of a Genealogist in Training.  Right now, the main focus of the blog is the authors work on completing the NGS Home Study Course.

Revolutionary War Pension File – This week, I found (by accident) the pension file for my sixth great-grandfather Solomon NORTON (aka NAUGHTON) on Footnote.  What was more interesting than the pension papers, were the varied query letters in the file.  One letter’s author I recognized immediately.  But there are letters from two other individuals who are apparently Solomon’s heirs, but I do not have them in my tree as of yet, so I’m curious to know how they are related.

Irish Records – I’m just about finished reading the book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, Third Edition, by John Grenham.  So far I’ve learned about what records exist, where they exist, and how to obtain them.  I can’t wait to dive into my Irish heritage, and this book is a huge stepping stone to doing so.

Article – From Kimberly Powell’s About.com Genealogy Blog, is a good primer article, Starting a Genealogy Business.

Irish Genealogy Treasures

The 17th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture is a Genealogy treasure "show and tell."

Genealogists are treasure hunters of a different kind. Instead of searching for riches, we dig for information. Instead of prizing gold, we value documents - the visual proof of the life stories of families that have passed before us.

Share with us the image of and the story behind a document (or documents) that have been valuable to you during your search for an Irish branch of your family. How and where did you find these documents? What are their significance to your research and/or why are they special to you? Here's your chance to show off some of your genealogical "loot" at our online "show and tell."

The following obituary is for my second great-grandmother, Margareth “Maggie” MILLET Cahill[1].  In it, her place of birth is listed as Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland.  Had I not already found this information in other sources, this would have been a gold mine, as it pinpoints a specific location in Ireland to search “across the pond.”

Having obtained a location, as well as her parent’s names from her marriage license, I searched for a baptism record for Margaret using Irish Family History Foundation website [2].  I found the following extraction among the results, which seems to fit.

I am not 100% sure this is her, but it’s certainly a possibility.  First, the parents names (except the surname spelling) match the information provided on Margaret’s marriage license.  Additionally, the baptism took place in County Kilkenny.  The baptism date is also consistent with the age provided on the marriage license. 

But, according to her death certificate, and the obituary, the baptism date is too early.  The death certificate records her birth as 28 February 1865, and the age listed in the obituary is consistent with that.  Additionally, the death certificate records her father as Michael Millet and a mother unknown.  I tend to rely more on the marriage license because it was created closer to the date of birth, and the information was more than likely provided by Margaret, whereas the death certificate is a secondary source of the birth information created 79-82 years after her birth (the information was provided by her son).  Another source that aligns with the marriage license, and this baptism extraction, is the 1900 census [3], which indicates her birth month and year as January 1863.

There is still much work to be done with this family.  I have received some information from one of Margaret’s granddaughters, which is mostly consistent with other sources.  She does indicate that there has always been a discrepancy in Margaret’s date of birth.  The granddaughter only mentioned one sibling, Catherine, who stayed in Ireland.  The obituary, however, provides details for at least two additional siblings, and their locations in the U.S.  That said, the obituary is a wealth of information in that respect, which will hopefully help me to find the other siblings in the U.S. as well as research the family in Ireland.

Sources

1. Obituary for Margaret Cahill, 8 January 1945, Beacon News (Aurora, Illinois), p. 4, col. 4-5. 
2. Margaret MILOT, "Rothe House," database, Irish Family History Foundation (http://kilkenny.brsgenealogy.com/search.php). 
3. 1900 U.S. census population schedule, Aurora Ward 3, Kane, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 68, sheet 9B, p. 18, dwelling 209, family 222; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623. 

Saturday Night Fun – May 2, 2009

Doing a little catch up here on Randy’s Saturday night challenges.

May 2nd challenge:

Let's do a Top Ten list of Favorite Genealogy Web Sites. These can be record databases, data portals, how-to sites, family trees, software, entertainment, blogs, etc. Your choice, your opinion - what educates, helps, or entertains you in your genealogy quest for a big GEDCOM file?

Here are mine in no particular order:

1. Ancestry
2. Illinois State Archives
3. Genealogy Bank
4. Family Search
5. Find A Grave
6. New England Ancestors (NEHGS)
7. Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK)
8. Irish Family History Foundation
9. USGenWeb
10. Footnote

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #18

Prompt:  Showcase a favorite blog or blogger. This is a great way to share some blog love and introduce readers to new genealogy writers.

This is certainly a toughie, considering there are so many wonderful genealogy blogs out there.  So I made this easy on myself and chose one that is very new, yet exceptional.

Irish Genealogical Research has only been up and running since April, but already has some wonderful posts.  Since my dad’s side is Irish, this blog will be a first-stop for me to help me in my research.  If you are of Irish descent, I highly recommend you check out this blog!!

Saturday in the Attic - 03/14/09

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and the Irish in me, I thought I'd share a St. Patty's Day card.

This card is from my dad.  The copyright on the card is 1988, so it's pretty likely that's the year I received it.  It would be the second to last St. Patrick's Day my dad would celebrate, as he died in October 1989.

What Exactly is the Significance of St. Patrick's Day?

It's time for the 12th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the theme for this edition is a parade of all things Irish.

Growing up, we always celebrated St. Patrick's Day with corned beef and cabbage, all the while wearing our green apparel. Until now, I had no idea who St. Patrick was, or what the significance of the day was. I did some digging to learn about this person, this day, and essentially, more about my Irish heritage.

St. Patrick, Who Was He?

St. Patrick is believed to have been born at the end of the fourth century in Britain. When he was sixteen, he was taken from his home by Irish pirates. He was held prisoner in Ireland for six years, working as a slave. During this time, we relied heavily on his Christian faith and prayed every day.

He escaped captivity and returned home to Britain. He spent more than fifteen years in religious training, after which he was ordained. St. Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary. It is believed that he founded 365 Christian churches throughout Northern Ireland.

Each source I read indicated a different year of St. Patrick's death. But all sources note the 17th of March as the day. Most sources point to the later half of the fifth century as the year.

St. Patrick's Day

The 17th of March signifies St. Patrick's death and has been celebrated as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On this day, Irish folk would observe the holiday by heading to church in the morning and celebrating in the afternoon. Oddly enough, St. Patrick's day occurs during Lent, so the "no-meat" rule does not apply for the celebration.

Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in numerous way in several countries, by Irish and non-Irish.

So What's With the Corned Beef?

The Irish would traditionally feast on Irish bacon and cabbage. Corned beef came into play when the Irish in New York were looking for a cheaper alternative. Corned beef is now the staple for Irish-Americans.

And What About All That Green?

It is believed that the color blue was long associated with St. Patrick and St. Patrick's Day. It is likely that the color green became associated with St. Patrick's Day merely because green is the color of the Irish, and is the color of the shamrock.

I remember when I was younger, my dad said that we could also wear orange. To this day I never understood why. My guess would be that it's because orange, like green, is in the flag of Ireland.

Conclusion

So that's what I learned today and it's only the tip of the iceberg. To learn more, check out the sources I used (below).

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Photos

1. Statue of St. Patrick, by Pierre, permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license.

2. Chicago River St Patrick's Day 2008, photographed by Mathprog777, permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license.

Sources

1. History.com, "Saint Patrick's Day," website.

2. St. Patrick's Day, website.

3. Wikipedia, "Saint Patrick's Day," website.

4. Wikipedia, "Saint Patrick," website.

Finding My Irish Roots

"My Key to Ireland" is the topic for the 11th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture.

If you have found your ancestral county or village in Ireland, just how did you find your way there? What resources led you to learn the original county or townland or your ancestors? Tell us how you did it and what your feelings were when you made the exciting discovery.

If you have not yet found the area where your ancestors made their homes in Ireland, tell us about the resources that you hope to use to find out. What records and documents do you hope will lead you to that information? How do you plan to go about the search?

If you have always known the place or places where your family hailed from, tell us about them. What draws you there and what else have you learned throughout your search for family history?

My Irish roots come from my dad's side of the family.  I have second great-grandparents that immigrated to America from Co. Kilkenny and third great-grandparents who immigrated from Co. Tipperay.  Most of the family planted roots in Chicago between 1860-1880.

So how do I know where they came from? 

Well, somewhere along the line, I picked up my Co. Kilkenny knowledge, but from where, I couldn't tell you.  It was just one of those nuggets I picked up without sourcing.  However, I did confirm this by locating some birth and marriage records through the Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF).  Personally, I do not like this database, but I'll save that for another post.  The point is, I confirmed, with records, the information I had acquired previously.

I got lucky on my third great-grandparents, I think.  The birth certificate for my second great-grandfather revealed that his parents were born in Co. Tipperay.  Usually, these records simply say the country, if not the U.S., so this was a pleasant surprise.  I haven't explored this piece of information any further yet.  I'll likely explore the IFHF site (despite my beef with it) and try to find other potential sources.  My first stop will be to review the article 12 Top Sites for Researching Irish Ancestors by Kimberly Powell at About.com, and explore the sites she recommends.

One day, I'd love to visit Ireland to see where I hail from, and of course, do some research!

Irish Records Now on familyrelatives.com

The UK-based genealogy records site has added numerous Irish records and indexes.

• Alumni Dublinense 1593-1846 search
• Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815 search
• Index to Prerogative Wills of Ireland search
• Indexes to Irish Wills 1536-1857
• Indexes to Irish Wills 1536-1857 Vol I search
• Indexes to Irish Wills 1536-1857 Vol II search
• Indexes to Irish Wills 1536-1857 Vol III search
• Indexes to Irish Wills 1536-1857 Vol IV search
• Indexes to Irish Wills 1536-1857 Vol V search
• Ireland - Return of Owners of Land in Ireland
• Irish Genealogical Guide search
• Irish Names and Surnames
• Irish Immigration records 1846-1850 search FREE
• Irish Medical Directory 1878
• Irish Medical Directory 1932
• MacDonalds Directory
• MacDonalds Directory - Antrim search
• MacDonalds Directory - Armagh search
• MacDonalds Directory - Belfast
• MacDonalds Directory - Kerry search
• MacDonalds Directory - Londonderry search
• MacDonalds Directory - Tipperary search
• Quaker Records Dublin Abstracts of Wills
• Royal School Armagh
• Ireland Topographical Dictionary

You can read the full article at:  http://www.familyrelatives.com/information/info_detail.php?id=113

Irish Heritage & Culture Homework - Part 1

Here's a quick status on my "homework."  View the original post for details of my "assignment."

Thanks to a RAOGK from Colleen, I was able to find a little more about my gg-grandfather Thomas CAHILL and his wife Margaret MILLETT, as well as my ggg-grandparents Michael CAHILL and Anne HALE.  Following is part of the original post:

I am fairly certain that my gg-grandfather, Thomas Robert CAHILL was born in Thomastown, Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland in 1860. As far as I can tell, his parents (my ggg-grandparents), Michael CAHILL and Anne HALE were born in Ireland probably between 1834-1838. Thomas married Margaret MILLETT, likely from Kilkenny as well. They were not married in Ireland; instead they were married in Illinois in 1887. It appears in the U.S. census data that they immigrated at different times, so I am not sure if they knew each other in Ireland or not. I also suspect that Margaret's parents, John MILLET and Mary RYAN were also born in Ireland.

Through the Irish Family History Foundation I tracked down some church records and here's what I've found/confirmed:

• Confirmed - Thomas was born in Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland in 1860.
• Found - Michael and Anne were married in Thomastown, Kilkenny on 30 January 1855.
• Confirmed - Margaret was born in Old Grand, Kilkenny in 1863.
• Found - Somewhere along the line, Margaret's name was changed to MILLETT from MILOT.
• Confirmed - Margaret's parents were John MILOT/MILLETT and Mary RYAN.
• Confirmed - Thomas had a sister Margaret, born in Thomastown, Kilkenny circa 1867.

That's all for now.  Stay tuned!

 

Originally posted @ my LiveJournal blog on 3 October 2008.

Julie

Shamrock Personality

Ok, last one (well at least for tonight). Again, eerily true, here's what my shamrock says about me:

You are brilliant, analytical, and somewhat of a perfectionist. You are ultra competent and knowledgeable. At times, people find you intimidating. You can be a bit sarcastic and harsh. You don't really consider yourself a lucky person. In your view, people create their own luck. You are creative, innovative, and complicated. You definitely have a unique spin on the world.

The Shamrock Personality Test

 

Originally posted @ my LiveJournal blog on 20 September 2008.

Julie

Celtic Horoscope

Oh my, how addictive! But hey, I'm only posting the ones that are somehow or another related to genealogy.

This one is also very true; my Celtic horoscope.

You Are A Hazelnut Tree

You're a charmer with a killer sense of humor. You are very demanding, but you can also be very understanding. No matter what, you always make a lasting impression - you're quite popular. Passionate, you are an active fighter for social causes and politics. In general, you are moody, honest, and a perfectionist,.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

 

Originally posted @ my LiveJournal blog on 20 September 2008.

Julie

10 Essential Genealogy Books

The Carnival of Genealogy - 56th Edition challenged us to choose our top ten essential books for our genealogical research. Short, sweet, and to-the-point, here's my list.

General

• BCG Genealogical Standards Manual, Board for Certification of Genealogists, 2000
• Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, Elizabeth Shown Mills, 2007
• Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians, Elizabeth Shown Mills, 2001
• Locating Lost Family Members & Friends : Modern Genealogical Research Techniques for Locating the People of Your Past and Present, Kathleen W. Hinckley, 1999
• The Family Tree Problem Solver: Proven Methods for Scaling the Inevitable Brick Wall, Marsha Hoffman Rising, 2005
• Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case, Christine Rose, 2005
• Your Guide to Cemetery Research, Sharon Debartolo Carmack, 2002

Family/Heritage/Location Specific

• Co. Kilkenny Ireland, Genealogy & Family History Notes, Michael O'Laughlin, 2002
• Book of Irish Families Great & Small, Michael O'Laughlin, 2002
• German-American Names, George F. Jones, 2006

Originally posted @ my LiveJournal blog on 11 September 2008.

Julie

Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture

The back-to-school edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture is upon us. The challenge, as I understand it, is to make a research plan related to our Irish roots. The Irish side of my family is one I have not spent much time on lately, due in part to a brick wall with my ggg-grandparents. That being said, I fully accept the challenge to make a plan, and of course, follow through on it in the months to come. So...here's the plan...

Goal #1 - Figure out where in the heck my ggg-grandparents were born in Ireland. I am fairly certain that my gg-grandfather, Thomas Robert CAHILL was born in Thomastown, Kilkenny, Leinster, Ireland in 1860. As far as I can tell, his parents (my ggg-grandparents), Michael CAHILL and Anne HALE were born in Ireland probably between 1834-1838. Thomas married Margaret MILLETT, likely from Kilkenny as well. They were not married in Ireland; instead they were married in Illinois in 1887. It appears in the U.S. census data that they immigrated at different times, so I am not sure if they knew each other in Ireland or not. I also suspect that Margaret's parents, John MILLET and Mary RYAN were also born in Ireland. Following are some sources I plan to start with:

• The Master Book of Irish Surnames : Locations, Ethnic Origins, Variant Spellings & Sources by Michael C. O'Laughlin, 1993.
• Co. Kilkenny Ireland, Genealogy & Family History Notes by Michael C. O'Laughlin, 2002.
• Names of Irish Passengers to America by Michael C. O'Laughlin, 2002.
• The Birth Index of Ireland by Michael C. O'Laughlin, 2004.
• The Book of Irish Families, Great & Small by Michael C. O'Laughlin, 2002.

Goal #2 - Assuming I can uncover the mystery from Goal #1, I'd like to trace both lines further, using the same sources noted above.

Goal #3 - Find out what in the world a "dark Irish" is. I have been told I'm "dark Irish" but have no idea exactly what that means...I want to know more!

Goal #4 - Do some research on Ireland during the time period my ancestors lived there. Following are the books I plan to start with.

• The Great Hunger : Ireland 1845-1849 by Cecil Blanche Fitzgerald Woodham-Smith, 1991 (originally published in 1962).
• The Great Shame : And the Triumph of the Irish in the English-Speaking World by Thomas Keneally, 1999.
• To the Golden Door: The Story of the Irish in Ireland and America by George W. Potter, 1960.

Goal #5 - Just for fun, read the book Look What Came From Ireland by Miles Harvey, 2002.
Look for future posts reporting on my findings, challenges, and successes!

This post was written for the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture hosted by Small-leaved Shamrock.

Originally posted @ my LiveJournal blog on 17 August 2008.

Julie