William Keenan

[Robneve]

I am trying to locate William Keenan who was my grandfather.

What I know for sure is not much but here it is.

He served twice with The Royal Scots Greys and once with The Royal Field Artillery. On all three occasions the age he gave on enlistment produces a year of birth of 1865/1866 and the county of birth as Londonderry.

He got married in Glasgow on January 26, 1886 and gave his age as 20.
Since the marriage was January, his year of birth was probably 1865. He listed his parents as James Keenan & Mary Campbell. He also said that both parents were deceased.

Not only can I not find this birth, the only marriage I can find for these parents is Feb 1866, and that is in Omagh. It is also too late for his year of birth.  I know that people were unsure of their year of birth at that time, and I also know that William did not learn to write until much later in life, yet he is fairly consistant when giving his age in official documents. His 3 enlistments in the army range from age 19 to age 34.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

[aghadowey]

LDS site has a record for William MacKinnon/Keenan born 1866 son of James Keenan and Mary Campbell- the marriage date matches the one you have.

There was a William Keenan born 1866 Co. Londonderry (don't have any more details)- this is possibly the one you are looking for. However civil registration of births in Ireland only started in 1864 and at first many births weren't registered so it's possible there's no birth certificate for William Keenan.

Civil registration of Catholic marriages began 1864 (from 1845 for other marriages) and if the parents were married in a Catholic ceremony before Apr.1864 there will be no marriage certificate.

It's possible that the parents were married after William's birth or even that they didn't get married. If that's the case then William's birth could have been registered under his mother's surname, Campbell.

[Robneve]

Thanks aghadowey.

Sorry, I forgot about LDS.  That comes from my own family tree sent to them some time ago and only lists info. obtained by deduction from his marriage certificate. At some point after marriage the surname changed from Keenan to McKinnon.

Where did you locate the Londonderry birth?

The other assumption I have been making all along is that Ireland being predominately Catholic,  a birth out of wedlock would never be known.  The non-catholics were predominantly Sots-Irish and would have had the same attitude.

I will see what a search for William campbell brings though.

[aghadowey]

Children born out of wedlock is nothing new and religion had nothing to do with it although most religions would have frowned on it.
The 1866 William Keenan born Co. Londonderry came from an index but no more details listed.