Adrian
Thanks again for your interest.
William was not in the army - as to his father - I don't know his name or occupation.
As in these situations there are facts and there are facts. William was born 1839 or 1840 fact. He worked on a big estate at Manorhamilton and later owned a pub in Sligo Town fact. He had 5 children 4 of whom were born at Lockris, Cloonclare, Co Leitrim and one (a middle child) was born in Co Fermanagh - all were born away from home while the family was resident in Sligo - nearly fact. The 4 were definitely born in Co leitrim and in my father's documented history he states that they were born at this address. He may have got the name or spelling wrong. My father states that he was an orphan while my Uncle states that he was the youngest of 3 boys by some 14 years and both his parents had died while he was young (how young?). He fell out with his brothers over the will and the brothers bought him off by first getting him a job in the big estate and then buying him a pub. Hearsay but the circumstantial evidence would point in this direction although it raises issues about how the brothers had the influence etc. But it does answer how an orphan would be able to afford a pub.
Clearly Lockris is central to unlocking this story. If he had fallen out with his brothers and he was either de facto or actually an orphan then who was living at Lockris that his wife visited to have her children? We know that her parents lived in Co Fermanagh, nearly fact. She was born and raised in Co Fermanagh. It is just possible that they moved to Manorhamilton but unlikely for they would have had to return to Co Fermanagh for the birth of the middle child and then come back to Co Leitrim for the birth of the remaining children. I know that the "centre of gravity" of William and his family was Manorhamilton even when they lived in Sligo. As a young boy Manorhamilton was talked about a lot.
Its like a detective novel!
Stev1
