John Michael Mehigan born c. 1841 in St Luke's, Middlesex

[Billy_B]

I'm having trouble tracking down John Michael Mehigan's birth. I've previously dropped a note in about him here:
http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/surnames.mehigan/49.1/mb.ashx

He is listed in the 1891, 1901 and 1911 living in Brompton near Gillingham where he had a shoe-making business on the high street (eventually becoming a Master Shoemaker). The last one gives his place of birth as St Luke's, Middlesex (the other have Middlesex and London, Middlesex):
1891: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV3P-ZPZ
1901: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9FN-NFR
1911: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWDK-D1W

There is a John Maigan (seems to be "Maigan" on census) aged 2 in the 1841 census living in Whitechapel but I don't think it is him (although there is no):
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQVK-2WW

I've also found a John Magra in the 1841 but again it looks to be "Magra" and I can't see how you'd mistake the two.

I can't see him in the 1851 census, but think I've found him in the 1861 one, listed as John Megan living at 37 Chapel St, Greenwich, Woolwich with George Corbett, both listed as shoemakers (possibly doing their apprenticeship?).

However, we can't find his actual birth, possibly because his unusual surname is sometimes transcribed wrong, hence this request for help tracking down his birth/baptism (and the 1851 census?). I've looked up Meaghan, Meacham, Megan and even Mason but can't find anything, so it might be someone else can figure out a better angle of attack or just provide a fresh set of eyes.

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What else we know about him:

He died on Feb 25 1915 at River Street, Brompton (moved just around the corner when he retired apparently) and is listed as "army pensioner" in the occupation slot:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JW9-77D

He married Margaret Bolger (at least that is what I think she was called, I'm not sure there is any confirmation of those beyond what we've been told in the family) from County Galway but can't find details of their wedding either (might have been back in Ireland?) so we don't know his father's name which might have been helpful. She died on November 9th 1930. As I can't find him in the 1871 census (just before the birth of their first child) this might fit with him being elsewhere when he got married.

We can also track his movements partly through his children's births, as he joined the army (Royal Engineers I believe) in the mid to late 1870s.

His oldest children were born in Shorncliffe, Kent - John Singleton (1872) and Edward Patrick (1874). They would also join the military and I have their service records.

Ellen Margaret born in the Woolwich barracks (listed as Royal Engineer's Depot) - we only have her baptimsal details: July 31st 1878 and John Mehigan is listed as a 2nd Corporal in that.

The next two girls (Josephine May and Kathleen Mary) were born in Gibraltar (May 8th 1881 and 1883, respectively), which explains his absence from the 1881 census.

Then he seems to have left and been living in Brompton until his death, as the remaining children were all born in Chatham, Kent (Brompton being between there and Gillingham) - Patricia Rebecca (1885), Agnes (1887) and Annie Cecilia (1890). So it looks like he left the army around 1884.

[keyboard86]

Hi going on the above census returns, did he marry a Margaret Manley March qtr 1877 Poplar 1c 884 as John Mehegan?

Keyboard86

  Maybe not as you have even earlier births of children!

[nanny jan]

Welcome to Rootschat. 

His birth might not have been registered, many were not in the early years of registration.


Nanny Jan

[Billy_B]

Hi going on the above census returns, did he marry a Margaret Manley March qtr 1877 Poplar 1c 884 as John Mehegan?

Keyboard86

  Maybe not as you have even earlier births of children!

Thanks for this.

Yes, as you say it is a little too late.

This is another possibility I found:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DVZ-2FH

However, we do know a bit more about her and have always been told her surname was Bolger. I need to doublecheck the records to see if we've got that confirmed somewhere - we only have Ellen Margaret's baptism.

[keyboard86]

Hi again, the John Megan 1863 marriage was not him aged 28 at marriage occ Tailor

Keyboard86

[Billy_B]

Welcome to Rootschat. 

Thanks, its nice to be here.

His birth might not have been registered, many were not in the early years of registration.

Good point, the family might have been newly arrived from Ireland and not sure of the system or there might have been some kind of issue that got in the way. We've done our best so this is kind of our last roll of the dice before putting this on the back burner.

However, as we can't find him in the 1851 census and his surname does seem prone to be wrongly transcribed there is a hope that the records are out there, we just haven't got the right settings to make the result spring out for his birth record (which will then make it easier to look for his wedding and the 1851 census). Also the family are staunch Catholics (one of his daughters and a grand-daughter became nuns) so they would have had him baptised which is another possible angle of attack, although I'm unsure where a Catholic would worship in that area.

[keyboard86]

  I kept wondering why the first born child had the middle name of Singleton, perhaps because of this:-

Marriage 6th September 1840 St Leonard, Shoreditch

Michael MAHAGEN Full Age occ Shoemaker abode Princes Street Father David Mahagen occ Shoemaker
Ellen Singleton Minor occ Tailoress abode Rosemary Lane Father Edward Singleton occ Carpenter
Keyboard86

[Billy_B]

I kept wondering why the first born child had the middle name of Singleton, perhaps because of this:-

Marriage 6th February 1840 St Leonard, Shoreditch

Michael MAHAGEN Full Age occ Shoemaker abode Princes Street Father David Mahagan occ Shoemaker
Ellen Singleton Minor occ Tailoress abode Rosemary Lane Father Edward Singleton occ Carpenter

That had niggled me and it looks like you've managed to unlock the puzzle!! 

I don't think it is a coincidence that Michael Mahagen (shoemaker) and Ellen Singleton's son John Michael Mehigan (shoemaker) would marry Margaret Bolger? and their first child would be John Singleton and their first daughter would be Ellen Margaret (sometimes given as Margaret Ellen - known to the family as Nelly). St Luke's and St Leonard's are also very close to each other.

Singleton is easier to find in the BMD 
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=tlmtcB7ff3wSlfF2K1QURA&scan=1

[edit: Although a bit of digging suggests it is the 6th September 1940, which would fit with the quarter given in the BMD index.]

I might do a bit more digging to satisfy myself that this is a match and let my excitement die down  then I'll fire off an order for that wedding certificate.

Thanks for that, it feels like I might finally be making more progress on this. 

[keyboard86]

Hi again, firstly this family rumour that the maiden name of Margaret was Bolger, as it appears you may possibly purchase the marriage certificate of Michael Mehegen to Ellen Singleton, why have you not purchased either of the boys births in Dec qtr 1871 and June qtr 1873 Elham, recorded as either Megan or Magan, to put your mind at rest once and for all?
Also that marriage I showed in 1877 with that spelling of John Mehegan with a Margaret, as I cannot believe the other two on that page did not marry each other is surely one to look into?
Keyboard86