Hi dathai and thank you for your help & reply, I really am hoping to unravel this mess.
Also leaving the conflict with the fathers name out of it how did you come across the mother's name as Bridget Armstrong.
When I first started my search some years back my family over in Ireland (Im in the UK) told me that my GGGrandmother was Bridget Armstrong.
I presume you have his marriage cert to Margaret Nolan 1900
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FYCB-4NY
if you have this does it give his father as John.
He seems to differ by 9 years as to age on the census
1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kilkenny/Urlingford/New_Road/1456832/
1911
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Kilkenny/Urlingford/Urlingford_Town/533297/
i dont see any point in getting John or Catherine's birth cert as you can see their parents names on the above Birth's and Baptism's,the only extra info would be their address.
So today I dug out my paperwork and yes I have the marriage of James Callaghan & Margaret Nolan.
James`s parents are named as John Callaghan & Bridget Armstrong.
As for James on the 1901/11 census I cant help thinking what looks like a 1 is actually 7 making his year of birth again c1873, what do you think?
If Bridget was genuinely in her eighties in 1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kilkenny/Urlingford/New_Road/1456841/
she would have been in her fifties in the 1870s not impossible to have given birth to James at that age but highly unlikely.
Bridgets age is a pain in the butt, I doubt I`ll ever get to the bottom of it lol.
Kate Callaghan married Michael Taylor in 1893
http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/f4eead10252311
have you got this marriage cert to compare fathers names.
Unfortunately I dont have the marriage cert for Katy`s marriage but according to the ifhf her father is Michael not John! Im beginning to wonder if Bridget was married to Michael who may have passed away then took up with John.
last but not least when did he join up could there have been any sort of age restrictions involved causing him to say he was a lot younger so he could join up.
I have James`s records printed off and when he rejoined the British Army in August 1914 it states he was 41yrs and 60 days old. His previous records I cant find as yet but I have his prison records from 1896 when he was jailed, states he was 23. And of course his headstone which gives his age at death as 74 in 1947.
Maybe I will have to wait like many others until 8th July before I get some if any answers when the NLI make parish records digital!!!
Regards Patzy
