branigan in chatham

[tirion]

looking for help on finding info on a family living in chatham in 1830 on wards, they were patrick and Catherine branigan he was a tailor possibly following the army from ireland but don't know what regiment as he disappeared by 1851 and his wife remarried or appeared to have. i can find no record of this death or her remarriage as a branigan, and no children registered, partly i think because they may of been Irish catholic, i am really struggling, can any one help, i live to far away to get to kents record office.. i have even written to the local church but no reply. can any one help

[casalguidi]

Hi Tirion

Just to get things clear, is it this family you are enquiring about

1851 - 4 Queen's Court, Gillingham, Kent

Benjamin BEYMAN? head mar 46 chelsea pensioner b.Bristol Somerset
Catherine wife mar 48 b.Ireland
James BRANNIGAN step son 10 b.Chatham

HO107/1611 folio 518 page 34
.......................

1841 - Brook, Chatham

Patrick BRANIGAN 60 tailor b.I(reland)
Catherine 45 b.I(reland)
Jane 14 b.I(reland)
Joanna 12 b.Kent
Mary 12 b.Kent
Patrick 5 b.Kent
William 3 b.Kent
James 1 b.Kent

HO107/487 folio 9 page 8

Casalguidi

[Eyesee]

Johanna BRANIGAN married Dec qtr 1846, Medway
Jane BRANIGAN married Sep qtr 1847, Medway

Only two BRANIGAN marriages in Kent

Ian C

[casalguidi]

Is this marriage of Benjamin BEYNON/BREYNON to Catherine DUNN in Gillingham 1849 relevant

http://www.rootschat.com/links/05ng/

I notice that Benjamin was a shoemaker on marriage so tried looking for him in 1861 and 1871 to see if there was an occupation match:

1861 - 219 High St, Chatham, Kent

Benjamin BEYNON head mar 55 b.Gloucestershire
C B wife 58

RG9/481 folio 82 page 14
......................

1871 - Sawyer's Alley, Gillingham

Bgman BEYNON head wid 63 shoe maker b.Oxfordshire

RG10/908 folio 91 page 35

Casalguidi

[tirion]

thanks for the info guys but i know the beynon in the cenus can't be them as catherine needs to be irish and in 1851 Benjamin was a retired soldier. i know there is a miltary connection with catherine but its an irish regiment, which i have written too but to no avail, they were also catholic i believe and that even worst in the 1850's. the family just disappears after 1850's.  i have  even written to the head of the dioceses but no replies. i have hit a total brickwall. any suggestion, my work, time and costs limit my ability to go to record offices as i am at the wrong end of the country. 

[casalguidi]

Hi Tirion

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you know the info in the census can't be them - I can't see any reason why it couldn't be them.  It doesn't say anywhere that Catherine wasn't born in Ireland.  Yes, Benjamin BEYNON was a Chelsea Pension but pensions for rankings wouldn't have been very much and almost inevitably the pensioned soldier would have other employment if he were still able to work.  If you search the catalogue of the National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp you will see that there is a pension document for a Benjamin BYNON of the 56th foot born Bristol c1805 which would fit quite nicely.  There is also a document for a Patrick BRANNAGAN of the 17th Dragoons born Dublin c1776 which might fit but whether it is your man or not

When you say your Patrick was in an Irish regiment - do you know which regiment and may we ask the source of this information?

Here is a list of old Catholic churches in the Chatham/Gillingham area http://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/rclist.htm and a list of current day churches http://directory.rcsouthwark.co.uk/Chatham_area.html - maybe you could try contacting St Michael in Chatham or have you already done that?

Casalguidi

[tirion]

thanks for the update i will try those leads, i did find a b beynon and c beynon in 1861 which could also be them.   Her son  patrick was the band master of the 1st battalion of the 88th regiment of the connaught rangers, i have email two sites but neither have replied, i have tried emailing the church in Athalone as i know one of the children were born there but no reply, i even wrote to st michaels in chatham district but no reply.  the problem seems to be that catholic records seem to be difficult to get hold of.  i know a lot where never recorded at that time as protest against the government officials.   and i suspect family history is frown on upon by the church, hence few records are accessable on line.  catherine 1st husband was a tailor but seem to follow the army to england they came over well before the famine

[leheinrich]

Hello Tirion,
Did you manage to find out what happened to Catherine and her youngest son James Branigan. Catherine was born in Ireland. She married Patrick Branigan and their eldest daughter Jane was born in Athlone, Ireland in1827.They moved to Chatham before their second child Joanna was born in about 1829. Patrick died after the 1841 census as by the time of the 1851 census Catherine had married Benjamin Beyman and her youngest son James was with her.
They seem to have disappeared from the records after that.

My interest in Catherine and James is that Catherine and Patrick are my 2 x great grandparents. Their eldest son, Patrick (Patrick Henry/Arthur Patrick Henry) who was bandmaster of the 88th Regiment of Foot/Connaught Rangers and married Maria Josephine Byrne are my great grandparents. Patrick Jnr jointed the 99th Regiment of Foot on 31 March 1847 at the age of 14 to be trained as a musician. I presume that Patrick Snr must have died shortly before that. Patrick and Maria's son Guido Patrick Joseph Branigan born 22 June 1881 in Mooltan India, is my grandfather. Guido's younger brother William born 27 June 1882 in Mooltan India, followed in his father's foot steps and joined the Connaught Rangers and also became the Regiment's Bandmaster.

What is your interest Catherine and the Branigan family, if I may ask?

There is a Chelsea Pensioners Service Record for a Patrick Branigan born in 1795 in the parish of St Peter near the town of Drogheda, Louth who joined the 44th Regiment of Foot in Belfast on 17 September 1813 at the age of 18. His occupation is given as being a Weaver. He was stationed at Athlone in 1828 so I am presuming that he is Catherine's first husband Patrick Branigan. Patrick was discharged on medical grounds from the 44th Regiment of Foot on 2nd September 1841 and was awarded a pension.

Would love to know what happened to Catherine and James, where and when Catherine was born and what her maiden name was. Plus lots, lots more.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Lorraine E Heinrich

[leheinrich]

Further to my message of 4th July 2022.

After I had post my of 4th July 2022 I recalled that when looking at Patrick and Maria Branigan's 1891 Census record seeing that they had a nephew Arthur Beynon (16) and a nice Bertha Beynon (11) living with them at the time. Now wondering how they fitted into the picture I did some research. I found no other records for Bertha but I did find birth, christening, marriage and death record for Arthur. His full names are Arthur James Gustave Beynon born 17th April 1873 in Simla, West Bengal, India. His parents are James and Emily(?) Beynon.

A thought – considering that Patrick has indicated on the Census that Arthur and Bertha are his nephew and niece, is their father James Beynon, by any chance James Branigan (youngest son of Patrick and Catherine Branigan and the brother of Patrick Jr) whose surname was changed from Branigan to Beynon some time after Catherine married Benjamin Beynon?
Food for thought.

Warm Regards from Sunny South Africa.
Lorraine E Heinrich