Hi, I'm wondering if anyone might be able to help me in my search for my Irish GGrandparents as I'm really stuck.
My grandfather was James Joseph Nolan born 1913 in Athy. I have a print out of his birth details from the parish records in Athy when my mother visited there. This details his parents as
James Nolan and Elizabeth Rouan. I know that my grandfather had a 1 sister only, known as Molly.
I found a 1911 census entry for a James and Elizabeth Nolan with a daughter called Mary, living in Athy. This states that James was 30, Elizabeth 28, Mary 1. All Catholic, all born in Athy.
I found my GGGrandfather James on the 1901 census, living in Athy but am unable to locate any mention at all of Elizabeth anywhere.
I know that the name Rowan has many different spellings. I found James Nolan and 'Eliza' Rowan's marriage record for 1908. I have searched endlessly on all variations of the name, even looking through all Elizabeths and Elizas in Kildare to no avail.
I did find a baptism entry on Rootsireland for an Elizabeth Rouen in Athy but this was in 1876 which would put the Elizabeth I found on the 1911 census the wrong age (by 7 years).
I'd really like to find the names of Elizabeth's parents if possible but I'm at a dead end. I will order the marriage certificate from Ireland for Elizabeth and James to give the name of her father but wondered in the meantime if anyone out there was possibly able to help? I'd be really grateful as my Mum knows next to nothing about her Irish ancestry as her father was a secretive man (he arrived one day back to their house in England with a small Irish child 12 years old and announced she was my Mum's cousin and she lived with the family for years but he would give no further details, for example!).
Yours hopefully,
M