Who is my McDermott grandfather??

[aghadowey]

1911 census says William & Maggie Gallagher married 30 years (no children mentioned on transcription but 'none' on original image)-
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Leitrim/Carrick_on_Shannon/Carrick_on_Shannon_Town/652826

[heywood]

I think I saw William died later in 1911 but couldn't find a death for Margaret.

[Surrey Genie]

Its going to take me a while to go through all the posts since I've been out, but to recap on the facts as I have them

A few years ago, my aunt (Thomas's daughter) went to Ireland and tried to get his birth certificate.  She was told he was not registered.  She found his baptism record (no idea where but at the time I assumed it was Carrick, that being where Thomas lived his whole life and where I knew my aunt was staying).   She told me then that she had discovered he was illegitimate - she was shocked, she obviously had no idea, but she did not mention the name Keegan, so I assumed he was baptised in the name McDermott, but his illegitmacy was somewhere on his baptism record.


in 1901 he is Thomas McDermott age 12 in Carrick, son of Bridget Delaney (who is step daughter to William Gallagher, husband of Margaret).
Birth details of Bridget Delaney's children give her name as Keegan.
Bridget Keegan (SPINSTER) married Patrick Delaney in 1893
Bridget Keegan gave birth to Thomas Keegan in Carrick Workhouse on 16/10/1888.
(Thomas was born in 1888 according to his family and his gravestone)
Thomas's army records give Bridget as mother, living at The Green, Boyle, and Margaret as grandmother.  I remember my father mentioning Bridie, his grandmother.
Dated Jan 1908, they give Thomas's address as Kiltoghert, Carrick and his age as 19 yrs 10 mths

In 1911, Thomas is in the army, and Bridget is a widow, still on The Green, Boyle, Roscommon.

So far, everything fits perfectly.

This Thomas on census says he was born in Boyle - that is where his mother lived.    He married and lived his whole life in Carrick - his obituary says he was born in Carrick.

[Surrey Genie]

I think I saw William died later in 1911 but couldn't find a death for Margaret.

That is correct. I haven't found a death for Margaret either.

[Surrey Genie]

As previously posted, Thomas Keegan was born on 16 October 1888.  For information, just to be aware that a transcribed record for Kiltoghert RC parish shows a Thomas Keegan was baptised on 17 October 1888, the mother was given as Bridget Keegan, the father was given as Thady Keegan. Just a possibility.

Indeed a very good possibility!!

This is a surprise - can it be a coincidence?  A whopping great big one if it is.

But what does it mean?    If this is MY Thomas, then there is an even bigger question mark as to how he became a McDermott!     

I have no idea what to think now.   Hallmark, come back!   

PS What kind of name is Thady??

[Sinann]

You need to see the baptism record your Aunt saw.

She went looking for a Thomas McDermott and it sounds like she found one, so you would from that assume his father is McDermott, but you need to see it. Otherwise it's all speculation.

[Surrey Genie]

You need to see the baptism record your Aunt saw.

She went looking for a Thomas McDermott and it sounds like she found one, so you would from that assume his father is McDermott, but you need to see it. Otherwise it's all speculation.

I know...............     it's the biggest genealogical headache I've come across so far, and I've had a few!  The trouble with this one is, it's very close to home!    My entire identity feels a little uncertain now. 

The Thady Keegan father thing is bothering me.

[brigidmac]

sianne ;

plenty of time by1911 for margaret to have been married to W>Gallager

If Im following correctly she had Bridgett as an unmarried woman was that Keegen or macdermott??

And she'd married before her Gallagher wedding

So Bridgett was maybe alternately named after her birth mother or step father

and Thomas took either her maiden name or name of 1st husband

its very interesting ..I cant do the detective work on Irish records but am in awe of  all your findings so far .

AS AN EXAMPLE of alternate names
My own g.uncle was born in Ireland Belfast 1906
..I.ve not seen the birthor baptism originals
 

His sister birth 1910 in Scotland  cert says
july 22 1909 mary agnes McDermid ILLEGIT

 Their mother  was Celia Alfreda Robson domestic servant
father Duncan Mcdermid mercantile clerk

both parents were present at  the Glasgow birth reg
 address was given as the macdermid family home 92 River road Carmyle   

The registrar knew the couple were unmarried but maybe the family thought they HAD married in Ireland 
Neither children ever used their mothers surname .

[Surrey Genie]

sianne ;

plenty of time by1911 for margaret to have been married to W>Gallager

If Im following correctly she had Bridgett as an unmarried woman was that Keegen or macdermott??

And she'd married before her Gallagher wedding

So Bridgett was maybe alternately named after her birth mother or step father

and Thomas took either her maiden name or name of 1st husband

its very interesting ..I cant do the detective work on Irish records but am in awe of  all your findings so far .

AS AN EXAMPLE of alternate names
My own g.uncle was born in Ireland Belfast 1906
..I.ve not seen the birthor baptism originals
 

His sister birth 1910 in Scotland  cert says
july 22 1909 mary agnes McDermid ILLEGIT

 Their mother  was Celia Alfreda Robson domestic servant
father Duncan Mcdermid mercantile clerk

both parents were present at  the Glasgow birth reg
 address was given as the macdermid family home 92 River road Carmyle   

The registrar knew the couple were unmarried but maybe the family thought they HAD married in Ireland 
Neither children ever used their mothers surname .

Margaret is the grandmother - mother of Bridget (or so it seems) and presumably she was Margaret Keegan (widowed or unmarried) when she married William Gallagher.   

Bridget had Thomas when she was 16.