Hello
Thomas Desmond and Mary Meagher are my great great great grandparents. Their first child was Jeremiah born 1803 in either Passage West Cork or Carrigaline Cork. Jeremiah came to Australia in 1836 and was followed by two sisters about 1838. Mary born 1824 in Cork married Martin Cronin. There is some uncertainty about Mary's birth year. It may have been 1831. I have been in touch with a descendant Gabrielle a few years ago. They all settled around the Hunter Valley in NSW.
There was a 17 year gap between Jeremiah born 1803 and Eliza born 1819 then Ellen 1823, Mary probably 1824. I think that gap was because Thomas Desmond was in the Royal Navy and fought at Trafalgar on the HMS Prince in 1805. I think Thomas was born about 1783 in Carrigaline Cork. I went to the Greenwich naval museum and found probably another Thomas who has a will made 11 May 1787 reference ADM 48/21/105 before sailing on the Sirius in the first fleet to Australia. He returned to England on the Scarborough. I think this guy could be the father of Thomas of Trafalgar married to Mary meagher. This Thomas was sending most of his navy pay to his wife see ships pay book SB473 13 April 1804 also ADM 6/226/208. We are Visiting England and Ireland next week but I don't know if I'll have luck tracing either Thomas. We live in Sydney. I have the references but didn't have time to get to the national archives in Kew to chase them up. I might try this trip. So I suspect/hope the two Thomas Desmonds were father and son, the dates fit, one was on the first fleet and later tried to get into the retired seamans home (Greenwich hospital) but was refused in 1817. Thomas the younger left the navy and went back to cork where he resumed breeding duties. My best guess only.
