Halpins of Co. Wicklow, Portarlington and Dublin City - Part 2

[Shanachai]

     That's invaluable stuff, Robert.  Because we already have a Michael Halpin kicking around the traps in Queen's County.  The two M's could be linked, no doubt about it.  At the moment I'm tied up with other duties and it may be a while before I get a chance to have a thorough look at your chap.  I'll talk more about it to you in private.  Cheers for now, R.

[BillW]

It appears that a raft of the William Halpin family died in North London in the 1860s and possibly all were buried at the then fairly new Kensal Green Cemetery.  I have given Ronald a connection there that may assist.   From this news, the possibility of burial records and wills holds potential family information.  These deaths were:

1.   William Halpin buried 31 Dec 1862.  In the Census a year earlier as found by Ronald, he was a Captain on half pay, living at 39 Leinster Square, Bayswater and, at age 84, still proudly avowing his birth in Wicklow (about 1777).   Living there with him were the following:

2.   Sophia Halpin died on 31st Oct or Nov 1862 (before her father) at Leinster Square.  There was a death notice in the Times: ‘On 31st inst at 3? Leinster-square W, Sophia, youngest daughter of Captain William Halpin.’

3.   William Halpin buried 28th April 1865. He died at 54 Belsize Road, Hampstead.  Belsize Square, I think, was the address 20 years later of Rev Robert Crawford Halpin.  Had the family acquired property there as early as the 1860s?  William had retired in 1861 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Madras Native Infantry upon which he was awarded the honorary rank of Major General.

4.   Anna Halpin.  An Anna Halpin is recorded in FreeBMD as dying in 1867 aged 57 in the Hampstead registration district, the same district as for William above.

The remaining known sibling (other than Robert Crawford, the youngest) was Richard Halpin (from Trinity College entries, the eldest).  Richard Halpin is recorded as a Cornet 8th – 22nd July 1815 in his father’s regiment, the King’s German Legion (aged about 16).  Thereafter, he went up to Trinity in 1818, was awarded his BA in 1822.  It seems he had gone on half pay because we find in the London Gazette the following:  98th Regiment of foot.  ‘To be Ensigns. Cornet Richard Halpin, from half-pay 1st Light Dragoons, King's German Legion.  Dated 7th April 1825....’
I have been able to follow Richard’s trail only to 1833.  From the same source: ‘To be lieutenants Without Purchase.  Ensign Richard Halpin, from the 98th Foot.  Dated 26th April 1828’ [49th Foot].  Then: ‘49th Foot, Lieutenant Richard Halpin to be Captain, by purchase, vice Morris. Dated 13th September 1833’.

If any of the service records of the army officers can be found in the National Archives at Kew, there may be much more information.  Unfortunately Kew is a very long way from me.
Bill

[BillW]

I can't resist observing that Captain William Halpin of Wicklow and my George Halpin, engineer of Dublin, seem to have been born two years apart, calculated birth years 1777 and 1779.  Just how closely are they related?

William and all his children but RCH were born in Wicklow.  This was an established and prosperous family.  But, where in Wicklow?

Surely they left some traces: church, testamentary, legal, land or published records.  If one or more of the latter could be found then a likely parish or two might lead to church records.  The parish church for one line of Halpins just may be the same for a related line.

In my previous message I failed to mention another son, John.  John and his two year older brother William (of the Madras Infantry) are recorded as entering Trinity College on the same day, 6 Nov, 1820.  So far we have not seen John mentioned anywhere else except that he was awarded his BA in 1826.

Finally, for now, I had another ancestor who achieved Richard Halpin's ranks in the army about the same time.  Units of his regiment were detailed to escort convicts out to, in his case, Van Diemens Land (Tasmania).  His wife and (then) 5 children sailed with him and a few years later he resigned from the army in Sydney and here we remained.  It is always a possibility to be entertained.

Bill.

[kenneth cooke]

When I joined the forum the focus was on Wicklow in the 19th century. I am happy that I have helped to get it back 100 years, and to include Queen's Co.
As we are now talking about uniting the various branches, I want to summarise my findings on the Paget/Mark line of Maryborough.

The only record we have of Eliz. Halpen’s parents Mark Halpen and Mary Paget comes from a Sweny pedigreee, held at the Society of Genealogists, London. He was ‘of Ballynamoney, Maryborough, Queens  Co., and Dublin’.  Nothing more has been found about them in Ireland. As the name ‘Paget’ was noted in the family 100 years earlier, it is not necessarily the name of Elizabeth’s mother. So both Mark Halpen and Mary Paget are dubious figures.
Paget Halpin lived at Ballynamoney in 1786 (9 years after Elizabeth married Eugene Sweny), so he would seem to be either Elizabeth’s father or brother. There must have been four or five generations of Pagets. 

+ HALPENNY, PAGITT, Pen (Dr Hinton, Queen's Co.), Nov 1, 1698, aged 16;  son of Nicholas, Generosus; b. Queen's Co.  from Alumni Dublinenses. (born 1682, pen=pensioner [paid own fees] generosus=gentleman, went up to Trinity College Dublin 1.11.1698,  Dr Hinton- ? tutor)

+ A Handlist of Voters of Maryborough of 1760 (jstor.org) shows a Pagett Halpen- ‘in the army’.

+ A Lieut. Halpen was a passenger on the packet from Holyhead which arrived in Dublin, reported in Freeman’s Journal on 10.9.1763.
 
+ On the Army List of 1778 there was a Paget Halpen of Maryborough, a lieutenant on half pay (reserve) in the 124th Foot Regt.

+ House of Commons Parliamentary Papers dated 1812 - The second part of the eleventh report of the commissioners appointed to enquire into fees, gratuities, perquisites, and emoluments, which are or have been lately received in certain public  offices in Ireland
Under the subheading Arrears and Balances: Stamp Office Queen's County: "4th July 1786.  Paget Halpin, Esq. Ballynamoney, Queen's County; Boys Smith, Surgeon, Maryborough." 
It seems Smith and Halpin owed £23 14 9..."The Distributor and Boys Smith, one of his sureties, are both dead, without leaving property.  Mr. Paget Halpin, the other Surety, is solvent."
 
+ There was a copper engraver of the same name, of 44 Mecklenburg St., listed from about 1790-1810, one of several Dublin engravers named Halpen or Halpin.  He is probably the same one who married Margaret Delane at St. James, Dublin on 9 May 1794.

+ Another Paget Halpen, aged about 29, arrived in New York by ship from St. Croix, Virgin Islands in 1824 (born abt 1795). No birthplace was shown, but he was a US citizen and a ‘shugar planter’. We do not know if he was a resident of St. Croix, or had been a visitor there.

+ The next Paget Halpen appears in Louisiana. He was one of seven signatories to a public  notice in the Baton Rouge Gazette, of 17.3.1827.  It read: “Charles Ash Mix is declared a liar, swindler and a villain; beware of him.”  (Sugar was also grown in Louisiana, but not in New York !)

+ In the adjoining territory of Texas on 16 March 1839, Paget Halpen was one of 28 men at a meeting to establish Houston’s first Episcopalian church. (From ‘Houston, the Unknown City’ 1991 by Marguerite Johnston).  Then, in Sept. the same year his name is found on the tax list in the Texas Morning Star as owing $13.75 to the City of Houston.
+ He is also on a list of men claiming a state pension for having fought in the ‘revolutionary’ war to ‘free’ Texas from Mexico, 1835-42.  (Republic of Texas, later joined the union)
+ Later there are at least five entries for Paget Halpin in the Texas Land Titles Abstracts, from 1846 to 1856, and then one for “the heirs of Paget Halpin” in 1906.
Ken





 

[kenneth cooke]

Ray, thanks again for that fantastic find. I've managed to get it myself.
I googled in 'Halpin Ballynamoney Queens Co' It was from a 'Google Books'
site. It may have been a different source to yours, but the content seems to be the same. Perhaps one of the legal experts can tell us what it means.

"The House of Lords  The Sessional Papers 1801-1833
Vol. 51 (1812) Including 12th Report of Commissioners on Fees, Gratuities, etc (Ireland) also to examine any Abuses in same, and the present mode of receiving, collecting, issuing & accounting for Public Money in Ireland.  (Index from P. 94)
On Page 126-  Queens County
 G. Webb   Bond  £600  4 July 1786  Paget Halpin Esq. Ballynamoney, Queens Co; Boys Smith, surgeon, Maryborough   £117.14.6 / 1803

This distributor, in his Account for the year ending the 25th March 1799 acknowledges to have stock on hands- £783.10.8.
The Comptroller, in his first account, charges him with subsequent Consignments to the amount of £1106.0.11, of which there are Receipts in the Office for £1012.0.11  Total Charge £1795.11.7
The Comptroller, in the same Account, credits payments to Collector £613.14.5
Stamps handed over to S. Simpson £1158.2.5. Total credit £1771.16.10
Leaving a Balance which can be proved to be due, of only- £23.14.9

The Distributor and Boys Smith, one of his Sureties, are both dead. Mr Paget Halpin, the other Surety, is solvent. "

I guess Webb was the late distributor, the doctor is dead, and Halpin is left holding the baby.
Thanks again Ray,
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

I should add-
From the same source as above, same period, there were references to two other Halpins, re legal fees paid:
P. 40 Christopher Halpin (?maltster)
P. 46 Charles Halpin
Ken

[kenneth cooke]

Re previous message-
Not really sure what it's all about, but here are the details:

Page 40  19 December 1805.  Fee with brief case to advise whether an appeal should be brought from the judgement of the Sub-Commissioners, where a decrease of malt in the stock of Christopher Halpin .....  Fee £2.5.6

Page 46,  29 April 1806  Roger Coleman Appellant,  Charles Halpin Respondent
Fee with brief to argue appeal  £2.5.6
1 May 1806  Ditto, Fee with brief to argue appeal in this case £2.5.6

It doesn't say where they were from. They mention excise fees.
Ken

[BillW]

In support of one of Ken's Pagets.  One of my reference libraries has a scattered range of Army Lists.
1801 Army List.  (Page 504)
On the Irish Half-Pay
Disbanded in 1763 (What happened then?)
124th Foot
Lieut Paget Halpen
So, whether he was with the regiment when it disbanded in 1763 and he was still on half pay in 1801, I don't know.

Hey, we're on Page 2 already!
Bill

[kenneth cooke]

Bill,
I estimate that Lt Paget Halpin would have been born abt 1740 or earlier.
he would have been abt 61 in 1801.
If the 124th foot was disbanded in 1763, that would explain why he was on the boat from Holyhead that year. I don't know how long they were on half-pay, 38 yrs seems a bit too long.
I wonder what happened in 1763?  Perhaps peace broke out.  What a dismal thought !
Ken