Patrick McDonald

[groat]

Hello
I'm trying to find the background of my GGfather Patrick McDonald born 1840. His father was Walter, a "farm laborer". Patrick became a soldier in the British Army enlisting at York 4th December 1862. See detail attached. I have more details of his subsequent life but I've come to a full stop here. He married in England in 1870 Bridget Brangan age 26 born in either Sligo or Tipperary, daughter of John Brangan, shoemaker and his wife Charlotte. My family oral history thinks that an ancestor of either Bridget or Patrick fought at Waterloo (possible name Walter McMahon).
Can anyone help?
I can provide more details if required but they don't for the moment seem relevant.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Ian McDonald

[Maiden Stone]

Does it say "Angles Castle Barr" for Patrick's birthplace? Possibly the parish of Aglish, Castlebar. Some R.C. registers date from before his birth.
Have you found Patrick or Walter on an English census?

[groat]

Hello

Thanks for responding so quickly.
Yes it looks like Angles but I thought that was too far removed from Aglish to be a typo or a mishearing. That's why I posted the copy to see if anyone had any other ideas about Castlebar parishes.

I have no details for Walter apart from the fact that his name is given as the father on Patrick and Bridget's marriage certificate in 1870.

I have a fairly full census history for Patrick (and Bridget) up to his death in Chelsea Hospital in 1923 or 4.

with thanks

Ian

[Maiden Stone]

Catholic registers at National Library of Ireland for Castlebar parish, Archdiocese of Tuam, County Mayo. Variant names Aglish, Ballyhean and Breaghny
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1039
Baptisms from 1838 and marriages from 1824.

There is a partial transcription of baptism registers in chronological order on deesgenes genealogy site on Rootsweb freepages.  Earliest baptism is 1822 then a gap until 1840.

[heywood]

This looks as though it could be a brother to Patrick given what you say.
It is easily found in Ancestry indexes and link to baptism but trying to find it in the Catholic NLI registers was difficult!

Edward  McDonnell   Baptised 9th October 1845
Parents Walter McDonnell and Sarah McMahon
Sponsors - Pat and Bridget McDonnell
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000631982#page/104/mode/1up

[Maiden Stone]

Yes it looks like Angles but I thought that was too far removed from Aglish to be a typo or a mishearing. That's why I posted the copy to see if anyone had any other ideas about Castlebar parishes.

Unless the letter we think is "n" is "u".

[heywood]

There is also a baptism:
John McDonnell 1st August 1850 - parents Walter and Sarah McMahon
Sponsors -  McDonnell and Margaret Gibbons

[groat]

Thanks for that - looks very interesting. What might be the discrepancy between McDonald and McDonnell (apart from the obvious, which I've put up with all my life but perhaps would not expect to see in a baptism register)? The McMahon connection is tempting, any way of tracing that back or connecting it to Waterloo. I notice there is a statue of a Waterloo veteran in the grounds of Christchurch, Castlebar.

Ian

[heywood]

Ancestry and I think FindMyPast - have Waterloo medal rolls. There are several Mc!ahons to be seen on Anc. but they do not show birthplaces.
You may be able to find some records elsewhere - just try a search and see what comes up.