Train accident

[Ghostwheel]

Is there any kind of volume that I could consult to discover a railway accident in Ireland? That probably took place in the 1890s.

I had heard that a sibling of my great grandparent who emigrated to America died in a train accident. (Or that is to say from injuries sustained about a week later.)

Now, I am afraid my starting base of information is pretty low.  I don't know the fellow's first name, since he likely has no birth or baptism record.  (Only my great grandmother has a birth record.). I only know three names that he couldn't have had, as they were the names of brothers living at that time

I don't know where the accident took place.  Whether in America or Ireland.  But I have tried to search some American volumes, which supposedly covered all train accidents in the state where at least three of the siblings lived, including nonfatal ones, and couldn't find any obvious connection.

The one guy who I thought it could be ended up having parents with different names.

Meanwhile, there were at least three siblings in Ireland at the time.

Finally, the brother who mentioned the accident did not have a good grasp of time, so it is difficult to be sure what year the accident took place.

It was supposed to be 1897, but that is probably wrong.  His age was supposed to be 19, but I would guess closer to 30.

If it happened anywhere in Ireland, I would guess it happened in the native county of Kerry.

I wonder if there were many railway deaths in Kerry.  It seems like they were very small trains.

He fell from a train, which made me wonder if he could have been a brakeman.

The name was O'Brien, and they lived near Killorglin and Killarney.

Has anyone heard of train deaths in Kerry around that time?

[martin hooper]

Hello

Start here - https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/

It covers railway accidents in Ireland for the period you're looking at.

Martin

[martin hooper]

Hello

I should add that all railway accidents were investigated and a report produced which identifies the cause. This website has many of the original reports available but not all. You would need to search by data and/or place to narrow it down.

Good luck

Martin

[aghadowey]

Since you don't have a name, date or place there might be other ways to try and find this relative.

If he died in U.S.- depending on the location (each state has their own system of registration and not all of them required reporting of deaths pre-1900). However, those that did often listed names of both parents (this would depend on the informant knowing the correct details).
Perhaps he died in Canada on his way to America- as with the U.S. each Canadian Province is different.
If he died in Ireland- the death should be registered in the normal way. You could, therefore, search all O'Brien deaths in 1890s (starting with the family's local registration district then branching out further afield, perhaps then concentrating on places with likely rail links).

Have you searched through parish records to find baptisms for him & other siblings? that would possibly eliminate other names and dates of birth.
Have you tried doing a parent search on Family Search? (just put in O'Brien as surname then names of both mother and father (also try using father's name and only first name for mother).
Something might have appeared in local or even national newspapers in Ireland.

It was supposed to be 1897, but that is probably wrong.  His age was supposed to be 19, but I would guess closer to 30.

If he was born after 1864 the birth should, in theory, be registered. When did the parents marry? (this will give you an idea of earlier he could have been born) If he died aged about 19 then perhaps the death was much earlier than 1897.

If you wish to provide more details (names of parents, marriage date, where they lived (townland, town or street), and names & dates for known siblings, and also where the brothers in America settled) then we can try to look at some resources for you.

[Stanwix England]

I've had a very quick look through Irish newspapers and haven't found mention of an O'Brein dying in a train accident.

However, if he died a week later from his injuries, then he might not be mentioned in them at all.

With such a broad scope and so few details however, it's very possible that I've missed something.

[mckha489]

There is this one

Kerry Evening Post
21 July 1883
THE LATE FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT LISTOWEL

James O’Brien, was a Porter.
Wife Mary

[mckha489]

Registration for that death.
He was 42 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1883/06349/4821435.pdf

[Stanwix England]

Well spotted mckha489. A few more details.

James O Brien was a porter on the Limerick and Kerry line.

His wife Mary O Brien, witnessed the accident, which was at the Devon Road Station, of Listowel. The accident happened on the 8th July, the article on the 21st of July is about the inquest which happened the Monday before the 21st July.

His wife apparently lived at Tullagoline in Limerick.

It appears Mr O Brien was trying to stop a man getting onto the train while it was already in motion, and unfortunately he fell under the train and died from his injuries.

Earlier articles from the same newspaper say he lived long enough to be moved to the workhouse infirmary on the Wednesday of the accident and died on the Friday evening. Horrible. It also notes he left a wife and young family, although doesn't say how many children or their names.

[Ghostwheel]

@aghadowey

When did the parents marry?

There is an index to a record in Glenbeigh Parish, which suggests it was  1851.  I must qualify it, as the marriage records for that period seem quite fragmentary, and I have never seen the original entry.  But in terms of a timeline for the mother.  I have identified her as being born in 1831, so it is entirely possible it is correct.  At least, I am sure it is close to correct, based on information Bridget (the daughter, who was very good with dates.) provided about the age of one of her sisters.

The parents, Michael O'Brien and Bridget Breen lived in Breanlee, Killorglin Parish.

That is a very remote spot.  The place where they have a parking lot for climbers to Ireland's highest peak.

I've never been completely clear on how the registration system worked.  Their district was Caherciveen.  If they really had to travel all the way there, I think it would have been a hard journey.  Only one sibling had their birth registered. 

The parish itself, for reasons unclear to me, has older records but is missing a large period spanning very roughly from about 1850-1880, as such, there are no surviving baptisms for the siblings.

My main sources of information for the siblings comes from various censuses (including American) and the Forester records of Bridget (daughter) and her brother Pat.  These were life insurance records made in the vicinity of Boston, USA.

Trouble is the Forester records don't actually include the siblings names, just their ages and health status, as reported by the brother and sister.

Pat (filled out his application in 1903) was very bad with dates.

While Bridget (who filled hers out in
1913)was very good with them, but Bridget didn't mention the brother who died in a train accident.

The number of siblings each gave doesn't quite agree, and I can't follow the logic behind it, only to think that neither was considering the possibility anyone would want to look at it for genealogical purposes.

Pat reported 4 sisters living in 1903, and 0 brothers living (though he probably had at least 2 in Ireland), while he reported one dead brother. (Who d. c1896 after the train accident)

Bridget reported 3 sisters living in 1913, while not mentioning a fourth, living or dead.  She reported two brothers living and one who died in 1906.

I even know the month (May) he died and the cause of death (pneumonia) but I have never been able to find the death record, and would guess it was never reported.

These are the siblings I know of:

Emigrated to Boston
Bridget 1870-1929
Julia M. 1867?-1921 (never married)
Patrick J. 1862?-1949

In Ireland in 1901
Daniel 1855?-1930 (Liv. in Breanlee)
Mary 1858?-1932 (Kilcurrane West)
Michael 1862?-1906? (In Breanlee in 1901, Suspect never married, don't think his death was reported)

Whereabouts and identity unknown

Sister b1853?, Liv. in 1903, possibly dead by 1913, but not necessarily.

Brother (Patrick, who was very bad with dates gives about c1877-c1896.  The first number is clearly off, and probably not even close)

Patrick said that all four of his grandparents died at age 100.  Though, by the time his sister filled out her application, it did not request this information.

Pat said his father died in 1885, when it was 1887.  And called his mother 80, when she was really about 72.  He called his sister 30, when she was about 33.

I think the brother who died from the train accident would have had to been close to Bridget's age (b1870).  It's not altogether impossible he was younger than his sister Bridget, as Pat seemed to imply.  But I think it is quite certain that he wasn't really a teenager, as reported by Pat, unless they had adopted him.