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Bernard Cracroft O'Dowda, son of James William O'Dowda and Laura Cracroft, was born in Allyghur, India on 21 March, 1874 and died in Taranaki, New Plymouth on 26 July, 1954.

From what I have been able to ascertain, he sailed from London to Wellington on s.s. Tongariro on
17 August, 1893 and married Ethel Jane Mace in 1902. I believe he played a couple of times for the All Blacks.

Any information about his life in New Zealand and any family he may have had would be much appreciated.

craggagh.

Hello -

I thought that this may be of interest :

THE NINE CONVICTS

During the Young Ireland Revolution of 1848, nine young Irishmen were captured, tried and convicted of treason against the Queen. The sentence was death. The presiding judge read out the names of the convicted men : Charles Duffy, Thomas Meagher, Patrick Donaghue, Terence McManus, Richard O’Gorman, Morris Lyene, Michael Ireland, Thomas McGee, John Mitchell. Have you anything to say before the court passes sentence?

Thomas Meagher had chosen to speak for them all. My Lord, this is our first offence, but not our last, if you will be easy with us this once, we promise on our word as gentlemen to try to do better the next time, and the next time sure we won’t be fools enough to get caught. The indignant judge sentenced them to be hanged by the neck, but passionate protests from all over the world forced Queen Victoria to commute the sentence.  The men were transported for life to the penal colony of the then savage Australis.

In 1871, a Charles Duffy was elected Prime Minister of the Australian state of Victoria. To her amazement, Queen Victoria learned from her Prime Minister Disraeli that this was the same Charles Duffy who had been transported for treason 23 years before. She demanded the records of the other eight convicts and this is what she learned :

Thomas Meagher was Governor of Montana, Patrick Donaghue and Terence McManus were Brigadier Generals in the U.S. Army, Richard O’Gorman was Governor General of New Foundland, Morris Lyene was Attorney General of Australia, to which office Michael Ireland succeeded, Thomas McGee was President of the Dominion of Canada and John Mitchell was a prominent New York politician whose son later became Lord Mayor of New York City.

This amazing true story of nine men banished from their native land to a penal colony for their political views and in later years becoming outstanding citizens in America, Australia and Canada is now part of the United States’ Congressional Record in Washington D.C.

craggagh.

The sister of one of my maternal greatgrandmothers married James O'Dowda in 1890 and, after his death in 1891, she married his brother David O'Dowda in 1893.

I have established that their parents were David O'Dowda and Emma Sidney who were married at the Pro Cathedral in 1846 and that witnesses at their wedding were Thaddeus O'Dowda and Maria Sidney.

I believe that David and Thaddeus were brothers, sons of Thaddeus O'Dowda and Ellen White, but is there any way that I can ascertain this?

Any help with this would be much appreciated.

craggagh.

If anyone is looking into the above names, I came across quite a number of references to them whilst looking for information on the Lancashire OPC site under Marriages at the Church of St Bartholemew in the Parish of Great Harwood, 1862-1897. Incidentally, the following is a great site for that particular part of Lancashire :

http://www.great-harwood.org.uk/about/History/Great%20Harwood%20History.htm

craggagh.

I understood from the husband of my late father's sister, Thomas Ewart, that his brother was Robert Ewart who was captured and shot by the Germans and whose name in inscribed on the memorial to the Cockleshell Heroes. Thomas's parents were Thomas Ewart and Louisa Walker and he was born in Glasgow in 1921. Is there any way that I can verify that Thomas and Robert were brothers?

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

craggagh.