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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Kilkenny => Topic started by: MBR1965 on Monday 09 June 14 23:40 BST (UK)
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Finding a Michael Brennan in Castlecomer Kilkenny is like looking for a needle in a haystack but I have the advantage that his father (b.1837) had a really unusual name - Abin.
I've not seen it anywhere else in Ireland, I was wondering if anyone here had ?
I am not looking for help in finding it, I have most of the info I need, I am just curious as to where this name comes from ( I think in the 18th century one ancestor called Abbon came from Killabban & thought it might come from the place name) .
I have seen it written (and misspelt) on offical records as Abin, Abbin, Abban, Abon, Abbon, Abden, Aban, Aben etc so can only presume that is was unknown as a name even then and being probably illiterate, he couldn't spell it for the census takers or church parish & civil registrars when married and later when registering his 6 children so they had to guess.
By the turn of the century , my Great Grandfather, Michael Brennan crossed the water to Gateshead with his brother John to work as miners. They married two sisters and both couples called one of their many children Abin (my grandfather) & lived next door to each other so I presume that is how it is supposed to be spelt officially.
Any thoughts ?
Best Wishes
Michael Brennan
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Very unusual name.
I found 1 Abbin
Abban 5
Abbon 1
Abden1
Aban 1
Aben 1
All on Irish Genealogy but not one Abin.
Could it be a bible name?
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Hebrew it appears http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Abin.html
How did that end up in Ireland! An interesting story I'd say.
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Very unusual name.
I found 1 Abbin
Abban 5
Abbon 1
Abden1
Aban 1
Aben 1
All on Irish Genealogy but not one Abin.
Could it be a bible name?
Not found it in the bible but those variants you found above all refer to one and the same person just various misspellings (or his descendants). At one point in 1901, in Castlecomer, two men called "Aban" Brennan were living almost in the same street :-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?searchMoreVisible=false&census_year=1901&surname=brennan&firstname=aban&county19011911=Kilkenny&county1821=&county1831=&county1841=&county1851=&barony=&parish=&ward=&townland=&houseNumber=&familyId=&ded=&age=&sex=M&search=Search&ageInMonths=&relationToHead=&religion=&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&yearsMarried=&birthplace=&nativeCountry=&language=&deafdumb=&causeOfDeath=&yearOfDeath=&familiesNumber=&malesNumber=&femalesNumber=&maleServNumber=&femaleServNumber=&estChurchNumber=&romanCatNumber=&presbNumber=&protNumber=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=
I suspect they must have been sons of brothers of the same father (if that makes sense)
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None of tham are Castlecomer,
Abbin is Abbin Smith Dublin 1621
The Abban are Cork and Kerry and so on
They don't have Kilkenny baptism records.
There is 3 Abin in the 1901 Census 2 female!
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http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mjbrennan/killabban.htm
Link about Kilabban
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None of tham are Castlecomer,
Abbin is Abbin Smith Dublin 1621
The Abban are Cork and Kerry and so on
They don't have Kilkenny baptism records.
There is 3 Abin in the 1901 Census 2 female!
OK sorry, I see what you mean, it's just I found all those variants as I mentioned in my first post in the castlecomer civil & parish records from the 19th century on rootsireland and familysearch and they referred to the same person just different spellings.
I have highlighted the spelling mistakes in bold so you can see what I mean
1867 Abbin Brennan married Mary Kelly in castlecomer 30 November 1867
They had 6 kids
Michael Brennan b.1868 Father Abon Brennan Mother Mary Kelly
Birth : Elizabeth Brennan b.1870 Father Abbon Brennan Mother Mary Kelly
Baptism : Eliza Brennan1870 Father Abben Brennan Mother Mary Kenny
Mary Brennan b. Dec 1871 Father Abbon Brenan
Baptism : 1872 Father Abin Brennan (they got it right !!! ) Mother Mary Kelly
Winifred Brennan b. 1874 Father Abdin Brennan Mother Mary Kelly
Baptism : Father Abbon Brennan Mother Mary Kelly
Birth : John Brenan b. 1876 Father Abbin Brenan Mother Mary Brenan Kelly
Birth : Catherine Brennan b. 1878 Father Abden Brennan Mother Mary Kelly
Baptism 1878 : Kate Brennan Father Abbon Brennan Mother Mary Kelly
Death 1917 Q1 3/403 finally listed as Abin Brennan ( although they say estimated age 74 when in fact he was 80 ) and they also have him down as being 80 years old and called Aban in the 1901 census , 16 years earlier !!!!
You can see what a headache I have had but I am sure I am not the only one :p
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There is 3 Abin in the 1901 Census 2 female!
I have found a couple of "Abina" in my searches. :)
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http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mjbrennan/killabban.htm
Link about Kilabban
Interesting - Thanks
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OK sorry, I see what you mean, it's just I found all those variants as I mentioned in my first post in the castlecomer civil & parish records from the 19th century on rootsireland and familysearch and they referred to the same person just different spellings.
Birth : Elizabeth Brennan b.1870 Father Abbon Brennan Mother Mary Kelly
Baptism : Eliza Brennan1870 Father Abben Brennan Mother Mary Kenny
You can see what a headache I have had but I am sure I am not the only one :p
I have come across this in my own family searches, it's down to the people transcribing the records. In many cases the "original" documents are almost illegible, and they do the best they can.
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Why do you consider Abin as the only "correct" spelling, and write the others off as mistakes? I see that the most recent members of the family spelled it that way but it doesn't make the other versions wrong.
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I don't think the other versions are wrong- I think it had many spellings across Ireland, I meant they were wrong in relation to the one ancestor that I had who was born in 1837 who I was trying to trace at the time - he was definitely Abin but I agree , it can be spelt many ways.
From what I have learned since I started the thread, it seems to have been an Irish abbreviation or family name for Abraham, as was suggested before by someone .
I have since found Abban and Abin on gravestones in Castlecomer so I think you are probably right.
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Having spent a fantastic two weeks in Castlecomer visiting my long lost relatives, I even found out that the couple I rented the cottage from where related to me through marriage (9 steps removed) - crazy ! I still have first cousins and second cousins over there as well.
In regard to the name "Abin" , I discovered there is also a church just outside castlecomer called St.Abban's , who is apparently a local saint.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abb%C3%A1n
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http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mjbrennan/brennans_index.htm
Lots of Brennans including one Abbin listed on this link "Brennans in the Parish of Kilabban" :)
Compiled from Griffiths Valuation
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I discovered he was actually born in Doonane, Laois, just over the Kilkenny border and the local church where he was baptised is St. Abban's.
Abban is the name of the local saint , there is a St Abban's well at Kilgory burial ground in Laois.
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Hello Michael,
I think we are distantly related. My great grandfather was Thomas Brennan, his father Michael, his father Abin. Small world!
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That would be interesting. Since I wrote that post I have spent years researching the family, piecing together various branches etc. I even have a photo of the Abin I am talking about who was born in 1837 along with his wife. His father was indeed called Michael and he did have a brother called Abin, who was married to Ellen Ryan. Their children were Michael, Elizabeth, Mary, James, John, Stephen, Helena, Thomas Winifred. Does that ring a bell ?
Send me a PM if it does but I have discovered at least 3 "Abins" from different families at the same time in Clogh Castlecomer but the fact you have the exact same names in the same order is very interesting.
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MBR1965 - codefro will need to make 2 more posts on here, before his/her PM's will be activated.
Two lots of smileys will do it! Welcome to Rootschat!