Sweny of Dublin

[kenneth cooke]

To Bray,
Re family of Edw Harding and Emily/Amelia Sweny.
You said that they had lived in England, Cornwall and I think Scotland.
Could you give us more details of their movements, as we know nothing more about them.
Regards,
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

To Bray,
You may have found this already:
Amelia Sarah Anne Sweny, born 25.10.1852 at 7 City Quay, bapt. 25.10.1852 at St. Mark Dublin, parents John & Matilda Sweny.
Sarah Anne was the name of her aunt, wife of Dr. Mark Sweny.
From Irish Genealogy (updated issue of BDM records)
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

Dr. Mark Sweny's wife was Sarah Anne. She died in 1894, aged 76, so born abt. 1818.
I believe that the two brothers, John Paget and Mark, married two sisters named Yeates.
John married Matilda Yeates, 1815-1900 abt. 1835 and it seems that Mark mar. Sarah Ann Yeates, born 1818, abt. 1845. They were daughters of Kendrick Yeates and Margaret Faulkner.
Dr. Mark's son, Herbert Sidney, 1859-1933, named his fifth son Ernest Yeates Sweny, born 6.11.1893, and bapt. 1.2.94, at 44 Bessborough Ave. to Herbert Sidney Sweny and Sarah Jane Wilson.
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

More evidence:
Dr. Mark Sweny's first child was Augusta Elvira Lucinda, b. 1846.

The youngest child of Kendrick Yeates and Margt Faulkner was Augusta.

The names Augusta and Yeates in Dr. Mark Sweny's family strongly indicate that his wife was Sarah Ann Yeates, b. 1818.
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

More:
Augusta Sweny, (?) namesake of her maternal aunt, Aug. Yeates, married Wm. Fredk. Wilkinson 1874.  Their son James was born in 1876:
James Scarlett Yeates Wilkinson, b. 3.6.1876, bap. 21.7.76 St. Mark, parents Wm.Fredk. W. & Augusta Elvira Lucinda W. of 1 Lincoln Pl.
So two descendants of  Dr. Mark & Sarah Ann got the middle name 'Yeates'.
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

I’ve been trying to sort out some of the Swenys, who can cause confusion because of the occurrence of the same names over several generations.

Family of Dr. Mark Sweny and Sarah Ann (?Yeates), married abt 1845:

Augusta Elvira Lucinda 1846, mar. Wm Fredk Wilkinson
Mark Halpin 1848-1900
Lydia Lovely 1850-1900, mar. John Jos. Egar
Ada Matilda 1852, (fl.1916) mar. Henry Cockburn
Lincoln Albert 1854-1880
Victoria Eugenia 1855 (fl.1890)
Frederick William 8.12.1856-1924
Herbert Sidney 1859-1933
Eugene 1860-1861
George Arthur Wellington 1863-1868

Frederick William, 1856, was the famous chemist, of 1 Lincoln Place. He married twice and had at least fourteen children.
 
1. mar. 1884 Sophia Mary Johnson 1857-1895:
Ethel Sophia 22.1.1885-1893
Violet Beatrice 6.2.1886-1909
Edith 16.9.1887, (fl.1916) mar. 1912 ? Ring
Fredk William jnr 1888 (fl.1916)
Albert Edward 1889 (to USA 1911)
Walter Theodore 7.3.1892-1893 
Eveleen Ruby, born & died 1891
Lilian Caroline 30.6.1893, mar.1918

2. mar. 26.4.1897 Sarah Jane Owens:
George Arthur 13.2.1898, mar. (fl.1916)
Charles Herbert 25.5.1899-1965
Alfred Victor 23.8.1900 (fl.1916)
William Lionel 1902 (fl.1911)
Victoria Eugenia ?
Arthur Wellington 1909 ?
Cecil Desmond 1910 (fl.1916) mar.1932
Reginald Fredk 1915-1993
There may have been more. Some of the above have not been heard of again, so we can assume that they died young.
Ken

 

[kenneth cooke]

More:
Herbert Sidney, 1859-1933, the fourth son of Dr Mark Sweny, married Sarah Jane Wilson on 14.6.1886. (careful- don't mix up all the Sarahs & Janes !)
They had seven sons-

Herbert Sidney, b. 1.3.1887 bap. 25.5.87 at St Mark, of 6 Hamilton Row
Fredk Wm, 27.4.1888, bap 12.8.88 St Thomas, of 10 Lower Gloucester St
Arthur George, 7.6.1889, bap 7.8.89  St. Thomas   "      "           "          "
Walter Victor, 29.8.1891 bap 5.11.91 Nth Strand Par.Ch. of 44 Bessborough Av.
Ernest Yeates, 6.11.1893 bap. 1.2.84  "        "       "     "        "                            
John Charles,  4.9.1896, bap. 11.10.96 "       "        "     "       "           "            
Robert Cecil, 18.12.1897, bap 27.1.98 "       "       "     "          "          "             

The first four all emigrated to the USA, where their descendants live today.
Their father, Herb Sid. visited them in the 1930s.
Ernest died 1 year old, as did Robert. We don't know anything about John Charles.
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

Re Herbert & Sarah Jane,
The last three children must have died, and one more, whose birth we have not yet found.
In the Dublin Census of 1911, married women were asked how long they had been married, and how many children survived.
 
At 44 Bessborough St:
Herbert, 52 yrs, Advertising Agent
Arthur, 20, Tinsmith
Walter 19, Plumber
Sarah Jane, 51, born Co Antrim, married for 24 yrs, 8 children, 4 living. 
(Walter left for the US a few weeks later, and Arthur in 1920.)
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

St. Martin’s Dublin 25.6.1890, Lydia T. Cooke, (dau. of William B. Cooke and Thomasina Sweny) married James Gibb Macnab of Glasgow, railway clerk.
Witnesses- Ralph Sweny & Victoria E. Sweny.
Ralph was Lydia's uncle, and Victoria was Ralph's cousin.
Then, the birth of their son James Cooke Macnab 29.8.1891 St. Rollox,
Glasgow, Scotland.
Then, London Gazette 7.12.1915, The Highland Light Infantry-
To be 2nd. Lieutenant- James Cooke Macnab
Then, Auction of Military Medals 20.4.2006, Spink & Son Ltd, London-
A Great War 'Western Front' M.C. Group of Four.
Military Cross, G.V.R., reverse neatly engraved 'Second Lieutenant James Cooke Macnab, M.C. 9th (Glasgow Highlanders) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry For Conspicuous Gallantry 27th July 1916', in Royal Mint case of issue; 1914 Star; British War and Victory Medals, extremely fine (4) Estimate £800-900
London Gazette 27.7.1916 2nd Lt. James Cooke MacNab, 1/9th Bn., High. L.I., T.F., Mil.Cross 'For conspicuous gallantry during a raid. He took many prisoners, as ordered, at greater risk than if he had killed his opponents. He repeatedly showed great daring on patrol.'
Lieutenant James Cooke MacNab, M.C.; commissioned Lieutenant 9th Battalion Highland Light Infantry, 1.7.1917

He was a Macnab, with the middle name Cooke, but the military spirit seems to come from the Swenys.
Ken