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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Kerry => Topic started by: Stender on Thursday 29 August 19 11:02 BST (UK)
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I was perusing the parish registers of Kenmare, as you do, and I perked up at an unusual name, as you do, and then I read on. Napoleon! Not The Napoleon but his son! Has anybody else seen this? Why was he in Kenmare? So many questions!
It says :
Napoleon - Rd Mallaghan Bap. Napoleon Francis Charles Bonaparte Emporer of France King of Italy and Protector of the Confederation of the Eirie.
I read that he would have been 12 yrs old and living in exile in Austria at the time.
Anybody else find this crazy???
See the first register (microfilm 04289/01) it's on the bottom right page 33.
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634289#page/33/mode/1up
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Welcome to Rootschat
I read the beginning as Ego Ed. OCallaghan
If I am correct, the priest was Edward (Edmund?) O'Callaghan. It would be interesting to know if he had been anywhere near Bonaparte before being assigned to Kenmare Parish. There was an Irish Brigade in the French army (founded by Jacobites?).
Perhaps this is relevant:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/surnames.callahan/1142/mb.ashx
Philip
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:o :o. Does look like 1811 in margin yet it appears in the July 1823 Kenamare baptisms.
This is what wiki says about the baptism, doesn't say who performed it:
The baptism, inspired by the baptismal ceremony of Louis, Grand Dauphin of France, was held on 9 June 1811 in Notre Dame de Paris. Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, Austrian ambassador to France, wrote of the baptism:
The baptism ceremony was beautiful and impressive; the scene in which the emperor took the infant from the arms of his noble mother and raised him up twice to reveal him to the public [thus breaking from long tradition, as he did when he crowned himself at his coronation] was loudly applauded; in the monarch's manner and face could be seen the great satisfaction that he took from this solemn moment
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Wikipedia links
Napoleon II (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_II)
King of Italy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Italy#Kingdom_of_Italy_(1805–1814),_House_of_Bonaparte)
Confederation of the Rhine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_of_the_Rhine)
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Thanks for the re-transcription, I'm not very good at deciphering the handwriting!
I think that he was undoubtedly baptized in Paris, he was Napoleon II after all. Maybe he came over in Ireland and they held this ceremony for political reasons, keeping up good relations etc?
As for the Irish brigade, I was reading about them last night but they were disbanded before 1823. But I'll look into it further as it may have been replaced by something else.
It's all very strange, especially with the date 1811 in the margin. And the Callahan/O'Callaghan message makes it even more mysterious!
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Perhaps you might ask here for details of this baptism?
http://napoleonireland.com/
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Thanks Aghadowey, I'll write to them tomorrow!
Today I wrote to the Fondation Napoléon in Paris and they just said that Napoleon II was baptised at Notre Dame in Paris, had never been to Ireland and the register has nothing to do with him, which I thought was very dull for an answer. I do think it's worth looking in to WHO baptised him in Paris, was it Ed. O'Callaghan?
Anyway, I wrote to the Kerry archives, they probably already know about it or else it might spark interest. I certainly think it's worth a try at Napoleon Ireland. I'll keep you posted!
In the meantime, if anybody hears of anything... I would be so disappointed if this was a 19th century joke!
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I have been turning this over in my mind and I think the most probable solution is:
Napoleon II was baptised in Notre Dame de Paris - this is confirmed by historical sources.
The priest heading the baptism service would have been a top-level clergyman - Archbishop of Paris or a Cardinal perhaps.
It is fair to suggest that there would have been several other clergymen assisting in the proceedings - holding the crucifix, handing items to the top clergyman, assisting with Holy Communion and so on.
It might well be the case that Father Ed O'Callaghan was what might be described as one of the many junior assistants at the ceremony.
It is very unlikely that there will be a record of every clergyman who participated in the ceremony (probably no named individuals below the rank of bishop). However, depending on how good records are, it might just be possible to trace Father O'Callaghan's career to find out if he trained or served in Paris or was attached to a senior clergyman who was at the ceremony.
The idea that this was a nineteenth century joke is possible, but I much prefer to think that it is a case of "I was there - I was on the team".
Philip
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church records
http://www.irishgenealogy.ie
Napoleon Bonaparte baptised 30.6.1823 Kenmare father NR Bonaparte
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church records
http://www.irishgenealogy.ie
Napoleon Bonaparte baptised 30.6.1823 Kenmare father NR Bonaparte
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01oa6/
KG
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church records
http://www.irishgenealogy.ie
Napoleon Bonaparte baptised 30.6.1823 Kenmare father NR Bonaparte
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01oa6/
KG
Which is just a link to the (bad) transcription of the parish records Stender posted at the start
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I agree with you Philipsearching that this is looking more and more like a 19th century prank.
Indeed it was Cardinald Joseph Fesch who baptized Napoleon 2nd, he was Archbishop of Lyon and the head of the catholic church in France. I read an account of the baptism which lists who was there, only important people were named and apart from the cardinal only "the clergy of the cathedral" and "his clergy" were mentioned.
I've had answer back from the county archives, they read CS O'Callaghan, and said:
"Pádraig de Brún's Some Lists of Kerry Priests, 1750-1835, Journal of the Kerry Archaeological & Historical Society, Volume 18, has a Charles O'Callaghan as a Curate at Kenmare in 1835. He matriculated from Maynooth in August 1823, and died as PP of Ballymacelligott Parish in 1868 at the age of 76."
They also said that Napoleon 2nd never came to Ireland, so we can take that as a fact now (we have 2 reliable sources).
No answer as yet from Napoleon Ireland, I wrote to them last night.
One thing, I read that the baptism wasn't sure to go thru as Napoleon 1st was excommunicated and he was very worried they wouldn't accept to baptise his son. But they did.
I'm thinking it's either a prank OR philipsearching is right and maybe an archbishop or somebody may have assisted to represent the Irish, and he would have had an entourage of his own, our O'Callaghan was in it.
Doesn't anybody think it's odd that the person who transcribed the register on Irish Genealogy didn't say anything to anyone? And surely I'm not the first person to have noticed this! I think that the Kenmare paper should do a little research for us, they could do a fun article about it!
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It may not be a spoof, but for a misguided reason. British citizens caught in France were interned so the Father would not have risked the trip. Napoleon signed a Concordat with the Pope, whereas the Revolution murdered the previous Pope.
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The fellow from the County archives also put forward a theory, which I rather like :
It is possible (if incredible!) that O'Callaghan marked the year of his matriculation with a momentous event in Europe!
What do you think?
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Well he could have had relatives in Ireland going back to the Battle of the Boyne, did all the French Army go home or did some of them stay in Ireland.
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church records
Jacobus Bonaparte baptised 1801 St Andrew Dublin
Father Dominic
Mary Magdelin Bonaparte baptised 14.6.1835 St Mary Cathedral Dublin
Father Geo
Marie Bonaparte Wyse death in 1960 in Rathdown aged 92
I would love it to be true that Napoleon had ties with Ireland as I am Irish but brought up in England.
Some time what you read is not always the truth I have never been back to Ireland but some else is going to Ireland as me. So I now mistakes can be made.
It is possible they just named him after Napoleon
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Sir Thomas Wyse married Letita Bonaparte niece of Emperor in Italy in 1821 lived in France son Napoleon born moved to Waterford had another some William.
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Bonaparte and Wyse list on peerage site
http://www.thepeerage.com
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Hello, I had another answer from the Napoleon Foundation in Paris. The person who first answered explained that she'd talked to her colleagues and they're under the impression that it is a spoof, a "fervert Napoleonist" is their opinion.
Rathmore, the Bonaparte/Wyse people are Corsican (as was Napoleon 1st) and most of them seemed to have gone off eslewhere, but some descendants may have stayed in Ireland. Also you said it was dangerous times for folks to be travelling around. The baptism in Paris definately didn't have any notable Irish people there. And finally, the Irish Brigade had been disbanded by 1823.
As for the Ancestry forum message, it was very curious but Father O'Callaghan wouldn't have married and had children, he was a priest. However, he may have had a brother.
My preferred conclusion is the one suggested by the County Kerry archivists; that Charles O'Callaghan wanted to mark his matriculation in 1823 and somehow managed to get the registration made and that he was a passionate follower of Napoleon. In his lifetime there had been a lot of Irish support for Napoleon.