The Hughs family of County Wicklow

[kyushukev]

Thanks for the quick reply and information, Shane.
Here's my gedcom if you're interested:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kevrik
I see Laurence married Mary Sweeney and had a William and maybe 6 other children, while I can only find Laurence and William for Patrick and Betty. My kingdom for a Thomas!
Sponsor names haven't been that much help; Moore hasn't shown up in Thomas' children.
Mary-William Hughes & Elizabeth Hughes
Dora-James Doyle & Bridget Dolan
Patrick- Patrick Lyons & Nannie Dunn
James- John Delaney & Elizabeth Lyons
Thomas- William Nolan & Anne Maher
All are in Rathvilly.

[SanTelmo]

It would seem quite unusual for a catholic family in Ireland at this time to have only 2 children.  This was around the time of the famine and it's possible that Patrick and Betty may have been evicted.  The RC baptismal records for Carlow are not online so they may have had more children in another parish, possibly a Thomas.

Incidentally, the Patrick Hughes I mentioned that was living in Rathbawn in 1839 was the son of Thomas and Mary Hughes.

I'll check the Rathbawn records for 1848 onwards next time I'm in the NLI to see if the family stayed in the area.

[kyushukev]

Thanks again for the help and support. Some years ago I wrote to Carlow, and they found 3 Thomas Hughes births with a father Pat:
1835 Rathvilly mother = Mary Ryan, no siblings found.
1836 Carlow town, mother = Sally Murphy, 2 siblings - Mary 1833 & Patrick 1841
1838 Tullow, mother = Mary Kealy, 1 sibling - Patrick 1841
FYI, there are some Carlow baptisms up until 1835 here:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlcar2/Baptism_Rathvilly_24.htm

I also thought to check out the name Dora. Unfortunately, Roots Ireland doesn't let you search first names, but I found these:
Church Baptism    Darcy    Dorothy    1804    Co. Wicklow RATHVILLY (RC)
Church Baptism    Moore    Dorothy    1798    Co. Wicklow RATHVILLY (RC)
Darcy (as sponsors-so far)and Moore are connected to Pat Hughes and Betty Moore.
Church Baptism    Hughs    Dorothy    1829    Co. Wicklow AVOCA (RC) Father: Pat
and a Dorothy also in 1869 (like my Dora), in Arklow.
It's not a common name.
Thanks again and take care.

[kyushukev]

I think I have a connection in my search for the parents of Thomas Hughes, with the last
two Patricks standing being Patrick in Tullow and Patrick in Clonmore.
I think the Thomas (m. 1865) and Patrick (m.1864) married in Rathvilly are brothers; both
name their father Patt (minor point: Patrick's age matches).
Mary Barret is a witness at both weddings.
Patrick and Thomas named their first sons (in order)Patrick and James.
It looks like baptismal sponsors William Nolan (Thomas) and Kate Nolan (Patrick)are
husband and wife (married in Rathvilly 1859).
Pat in Tullow has the advantage of a recorded Thomas (1838); I'd have to trust fate for
Pat in Clonmore. I only see Patrick b.1843 for them.
Thomas named his first daughter Mary, which is also Patrick in Tullow's wife, Mary
Kealy.(Pat in Clonmore married Margaret Lacy)

This makes Thomas born in 1838 in Tullow, mother = Mary Kealy, 1 sibling - Patrick 1841.
It appears that Martin Hughes in Rathvilly is family; I still think it's his children
that sponsor Thomas' first daughter Mary in 1866

[SanTelmo]

That's some great detective work!

It would probably be worth checking these families in the Griffith's Evaluation and Tithe Applotment records to see if any of the other family names you have in those records were living in close proximity. 

I've also been looking at the Landed Estate Court Rental records lately - you can find these on findmypast.ie.  If you are lucky your ancestors may have been the main tenants and the details of their lease would contain information on the previous generations.

Good luck with your search!

[mphughes]

I enjoyed reading the posts concerning the Rathbawn Hughes families.
My gg grandfather's 1845 marriage record (Tyendinaga township, Hastings Co, Ontario)
states that he was the son of William Hughes and Anne Gibbons from Hacketstown Parish,
County Wicklow. His name was Michael Hughes and he came to Canada with his brother Timothy.
Michael died in the early 1850's and Timothy died in Michigan in 1890 with age listed as 72.
We believe that they were sons of the Rathbawn William Hughes though the definitive record has yet to be found.
My uncle was able to look through estate records some years back. Also, I did have somebody
look for Michael and Timothy in the records concerning the Fitzwilliam clearances - no luck - though I think that time frame was be a bit later than I would need.
Best wishes -- Mark Hughes

[SanTelmo]

Hi Mark,

Good to hear from you.

I'd say the fact that your gg grandfather listed his parents being from Hacketstown Parish, Co. Wicklow would mean they are most likely the Rathbawn Hughes.  The Hacketstown RC parish covers parts of Counties Carlow and Wicklow so luckily you can eliminate any Hughes from the Carlow side. 

Given the dates it seems like the baptism of your Michael Hughes would have been too early for the Hacketstown parish records which started in the mid 1820s.  I did a quick check on the rootsireland website for any baptism records for the Hacketstown RC parish with the parents' surnames Hughes + Gibbons but unfortunately there were none.

Just to let you know what the tenant records list for Rathbawn:

1827 - William Hughes aged 54, farmer with 10 acres, 2 roods and 3 perches.  Living with his wife aged 44, 4 sons and 3 daughters.  There are also several sub-tenants on the land, namely:
Michael Doyle, 31, Labourer + wife and 4 daughters
Patrick Hughes, 50, Weaver + wife, 2 sons and 1 daughter
Bridget Connors, 70

1839 - William Hughes aged 64, farmer, same land.  No wife listed so she must have died in the intervening years, 4 sons and 2 daughters.  No sub-tenants listed.

Also:

1827 -  Edward and Fergus Gibbons living in Rathbawn.  Fergus was 45, wife 43, 2 sons and 4 daughters.  Also Catherine Gibbons, widow aged 38.

In 1839, Fergus is listed as being 54, wife 52, 3 sons and 6 daughters.  Catherine is listed, again as a widow, and 40 years of age (the ages are not always accurate as you may have noticed she only aged 2 years in 12!)

Hope this helps in your research,

Shane

[mphughes]

Thank you, Shane. Your help is much appreciated ! The records you cite are
very interesting. I'll have to look through the parish records again,
but going from my uncle's previous work, the other sons were named
Patrick and Laurence. (I noticed your mention of a Patrick of the same generation
who was a son of Thomas, so I may have a mistake here.) Years ago, my
uncle (Larry Hughes) was in contact with another Larry Hughes who was
descended from the Rathbawn family. I believe he was living in England.
Thanks again - take care  --- Mark

[Veronica9]

Dear Shane and RedHugh,

I am excited to reach out here to you. RedHugh, we are DNA matches.. 4/5th cousins on Ancestry. I am thinking we may be connected through your Hughes/ Wicklow - James Hughes' line - his father James Hughes married to Eleonor Kerevan of Killaveny.

Here's what I know -- my great x2 grandfather was Matthew Hughes of Ballysallagh, Hackettstown, Carlow. He married my great x2 grandmother in Killaveny - Mary Byrne.  I don't know his parents - not listed / no found records.  I have Matthew's marriage cert and death cert. b. about 1821 d 21 Sept 1891. No know burial location. I've worked with a local Carlow-based genealogist and exhausted as much as I could (we think) and the DNA let me here.

Matthew and Mary had 4 known children - Thomas b 1846, Peter b. 1848-d 1922 (NY), Susan b 1851, Margaret, b 1856.   Peter was my great grandfather.. emmigrated to New York - Brooklyn.

RedHugh, I am trying to find the link between my Matthew Hughes and your James Hughes (Snr) b. abt 1785- married to Eleanor Kerevan.  I am wondering if James was his father, Eleanor his mother.  .  . and if Matthew is another sibling of James b 1806, Patrick b 1815. John Peter b. 1839, Mary b.?

Shane might you have any ideas here?  I find it interesting that the name Susan shows up as my Matthew's daughter, and the name Susan is repeated a few times in RedHugh's tree (descendants of James Hughes 1785). And Matthew marries in Killaveny before living in Ballysallagh when the kids are born by 1846 a lead? And the name Thomas repeats.

I'd love to finally find the birth record of Matthew Hughs abt 1821 somewhere! Been searching for many years.. feet on the ground in Ballysallagh, through Hackettstown.  I visited the church in Killaveny where he and my great x2 grandmother married.

I look forward to hearing from you both.. and Thanks in advance   Veronica