G'day Carol and Diddy...I don't know if PJ ever married. At the moment I can't do much with the info on the death of the infant Maureen Carolan as I just don't have any pieces to join it to just yet. I have the same problem with the Thomas Carolans born in 1887. Those three records give me info on his parents but I need to link my mother back to his birth or a census record or such that provides the link first before I can have any idea if any of those three are connected. Later on the trail that information will hopefully be invaluable. This is where (as you both are probably only too aware) it gets murky. I have found a number of Thomas Carolans that might fit but I can't fit them without the missing pieces. I didn't want to add to the confusion by throwing them in until they could be linked, so remember, I have no connection for these.
Thomas Carolan
1911 Census
Born Dublin ( I would have thought born Mayo but Dublin is possible)
Age 15 ( This makes his birth 1896. Would be thirty three mum was born)
Father James 46 years of age - born 1865 in Meath
Wife Anne 40 years of age - born 1871 in Dublin
Married 16 years Would be 1895
Daughter Anne 12 years of age - born 1899 in Dublin
Daughter Bridget 9 years of age - born 1902 in Dublin
Son James 6 years of age - born 1905 in dublin
Address 14 Mabbot Street North Dock Dublin
That one I came across whilst looking for my father's father (Christie) and in one of those moments of confusion I ended up looking for Thomas in Dublin. Dublin is not impossible but wouldn't have been my first choice given that mum was born in Mayo. If one of the kids or his wife had been named Eileen or Phiomena I would have given this one greater strength, given my mum's name and the tradition of naming the kids after other members of the family tree. If I stretch for a connection, Bridget was also the name of one of my mum's sisters who was run over and killed when she was about 55 and James could be the J in PJ. No sign of a "P" though. So for the moment, this one just sits in the filing cabinet, so to speak.
Thomas Carolan
Mayo birth records (mayoancestors.com)
Baptised 1887 Father Thomas Carolan Mother Catherine Walsh South Mayo
Born 1884 Father Thomas Carolan Mother Mary Walsh South Mayo
Born 1884 Father Thomas Carolan Mother Mary Walsh North Mayo
Those last two are either the same one with an error in the locations or there were two Thomas Carolans who just happened to both be married to a Mary Walsh, both in Mayo, one north and one south and both gave birth in 1884 and named their child Thomas. Seems more likely that it is a duplication with location error. Even the other one (1887) seems odd. Two Thomas Carolans, one married to Catherine Walsh and the other to Mary Walsh, both in South Mayo, both giving birth around the same period and both naming their child Thomas. Anyway, there is another one.
Born 1887 Baptised 1st November, 1887 Knockbrega Burrishoole/Newport Parish North Mayo
Father Dominick Carolan 28 years of age born 1859
Mother Mary Coyne 24 years of age born 1863
Sponsor 1 John O'Boyle
Sponsor 2 Kate Moran
I found a Dominick Carolan baptised in 1859 in Louth, St Peters Parish Honeymore/Chester Lane
Also found in 1901 census
Dominic Carlon aged 55 from Knockbrega
Mary aged 50
Michael aged 14
Thomas aged 11
Owen aged 9
Kate aged 7
Annie aged 5
This census listing fits the records above except for the ages of Dominic and Mary. Surname shows Carlon not Carolan and Dominick shows without the "K". Thomas's age is out by a couple of years. What makes me think this is inaccurate is the age of the parents and the kids. Annie is only 5 but her mother is 50, Kate is 7 and Owen 9. Unusual to have three kids after the age of 40. Now, if you knock ten years off the parents ages, it all fits a lot better. Having said all that, I have nothing to link this to my mum's dad, so it too is in the filing cabinet.