Richard Fernsby b 1804 Co Carlow

[LynneOz]

I am looking for family information on Richard Fernsby b Co Carlow in March 1804. The only possible Fernsby relative I can find is Edward Fernsby who is recorded in Griffiths Evaluation living in Dublin Road, Carlow, Co Carlow.

Most of the information I have about Richard is from his military discharge papers. He enlisted in the 16th Lancers on 17 Feb 1823 and was almost immediately transferred to the 17th Lancers; his occupation in 1823 is listed as servant. He was discharged in 1848 for "chronic rheumatism" and at that time was listed as a military tailor. His service with the Lancers covered 1823-32 in Ireland; 1832-38 in England; 1841-42 Scotland; 1842-46 in England; 1846-48 in Ireland.

Richard Fernsby married Catherine Ellison on 2 May 1830 in St Paul's, Dublin. They had 3 children: Richard, Alice, Sarah, all born in England. Catherine and Alice appear to have died between 1846-48 in Ireland. In 1851 Richard jr may have remained in Ireland, Sarah was living with her mother's sister Alice Ellison Adams in London. In 1853 Richard jr married his cousin Elizabeth Lay Adams, and Richard snr married a widow Ann Bunn Reeder. Richard snr lists his father as Richard with occupation of weaver.

Ann Fernsby had two children. Ann died in 1860 and her daughter in 1861. It appears that Richard was by then sufficiently infirmed to be eligible for the Chelsea Hospital but he carried on until his step children and his youngest son were independent. He entered the Chelsea Hospital in 1867 and died on 11 June 1869.

Fernsby is an unusal name and there are only a few floating through the census records. Any help with tracking Richard's family back before 1804 would be gratefully received.

Cheers

[shanew147]

For early records like this you would need to check for available church records, so it would be best to know where in Co. Carlow you Fernsby family lived at the time to check what records might be available for the parish they lived in.

I dont see a Fernsby marriage in the Church of Ireland St. Paul's in Dublin - was Richard's family Catholic ?

Some Co. Carlow parish records are available on www.irishgenealogy.ie, but they only have Church of Ireland details at present.

It would probably be worth following up that Griffith's entry in case there is a connection there. Carlow town is one of the few RC parishes in the county that have records back as far as 1804. See : RC Parish Carlow town  (note - there are some gaps in these records)

see :  Introduction to Irish Records


Shane

[LynneOz]

Richard Fernsby's discharge papers read as follows:

"The Board having examined and compared the Regimental Records, the Soldier's Book, and such other Documents as appeared to them to be necessary, report that Richard Fernsby by Trade a Servant was BORN in the Parish of Carlow or near the Town of Carlow in the County of Carlow was attested for the 16th Regiment of Lancers at Dublin in the County of Dublin on the 21st February 1823 at the Age of 19 years ..."

Richard was discharged on 2 May 1848 and his age was stated as 44 years 2 months, making his birthday sometime in March 1804.

Fernsby is variously spelled as FURNSBY, FERNLEY, FURNSLY etc.

Edward Fernsby who appears in the Griffith Valuation was renting a House and small garden in Dublin Road in the Town of Carlow, from Thomas Haughton for 2pounds 5shillings.

According to the IGI, Richard's son, Richard jr, was baptised in the Isleworth Roman Catholic church on 28 Jul 1833. There is no similar entry for either Alice or Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane married William Snook in 1864 and did so in the Parish Church at Plumstead in Kent and her children were definitely not reared in the Catholic faith. Sarah, herself, did attend Catholic church in her later years.

Cheers