Simon and Anne Dowling of Wicklow, Kildare and Dublin

[Aglorgeolas]

I'm looking for the records of Simon and Anne Dowling and their children, who appear in the 1901 Census of Ireland -

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Dublin/Ushers_Quay/James_s_Street/1302222/

and (without Simon Dowling) in the 1911 Census of Ireland -

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Dublin/Usher_s_Quay/Long_s_Place/71287/

The parents' birthplace is given as Kildare in the first record, and the mother's as Wicklow in the second, which suggests that they may have been from the borderlands of west Wicklow and east Kildare, places such as Baltinglass, Blessington, etc.

The family appears to have shed a father and two children in the intervening decade. I can't find Simon, Lizzie and Katie in any recognisable form in the 1911 census, suggesting that

1) they may all have died
2) the family may have split and
   2a) Simon may have left with the two youngest children, Lizzie and Katie, or
   2b) Simon and the two youngest children, Lizzie and Katie, may have emigrated.

[shanew147]

the 1911 census shows that Anne is widow, with two living children - so based on that,  Simon, Lizzie and Katie  died in the intervening years.

Do you have Anne's maiden name - e.g. from a birth cert or baptism for any of the children ?

[shanew147]

a possible baptism for one of thier children in the Pro-Cathedral (St. Mary's, Marlboro St.)

  Baptism of Esther Dowling - 22 August 1884

Parents names Simon Dowling and Ann Nolan

[Aglorgeolas]

Interesting. I would have thought she'd have had to be born between 1885 and 1887 to have been 16 in 1901 and 24 in 1911, but perhaps the family was being economical with the truth in stating their ages.

[shanew147]

a possible marriage for the couple on the civil BMD Index, earlier in the same year, in Naas registration district :

  Name:  Simon Dowling
  Quarter/Year:    Jan-Mar 1884
  Registration District: Naas
  Volume:    2/ Page : 823

A matching record appears for an Anne Nolan, might be worth a cert to see if it fit's as should give places of residence at the time of marriage for the bride & groom, plus names and occupations of their fathers.

Naas registration districts included parts of counties Kildare and Wicklow as well as a small part of Co. Dublin.

See : Ordering Certs from GRO Roscommon
          Details included on a Marriage Cert

p.s. dont worry about ages, often a little 'out', and this this case just one year based on the 1901 return, so minor difference

[shanew147]

should mention that Dowling is not that common a surname, with nowhere near as many as Kelly, Murphy or even Nolan. As well as that the firstname Simon is not that common either - so I think worth investigating this couple, if only to eliminate..

[Aglorgeolas]

Thanks a lot, @shanew147, this certainly looks like the right people.

How I wish the archives were online, with births, marriages, deaths and children all hyperlinked! It wouldn't take much to do it with the Irish records, and what a service it would be.

I'll hare in to the Irish Live Centre on Monday and take a look. Now to find if the surviving children married!

[Sinann]

There is no landlord listed for their home in 1901 but there is no landlord listed for any of the houses in the street.
Simon is a stable man and his house has 20 out offices 8 of them stables so quite a big place, when he died his wife moves into a shared house so is it safe to assume the first house wasn't theirs or they could have afforded better or could the other family be their tenants?

[Aglorgeolas]

(By the way, I see that Cantwell is one of your interests; I'm sure you know that there's a Cantwell who's a newsreader on RTE TV, and there used to be a Dr Cantwell who was a GP in Dalkey in the 1960s.)