We know our line with certainty back to Richard Stuart who was born about 1802 in co. Wexford in Ireland to unknown parents. He had emigrated by 1815 to Burslem in Staffordshire, England. He married and had a family there. In 1841 they emigrated, arriving in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1842. Richard died there in 1878. I’ve found a POSSIBLE father of Richard in co. Wexford. He was John Stuart, living in Ballyvoodock in Ballyvaldon parish, co. Wexford, in 1833. We have heard an old family story that our Stuarts were earlier from the Isle of Man. I’ve found John Stuart of Ballyvoodock’s POSSIBLE baptism on the Isle of Man in 1761, as the son of Charles Stuart. I’ve traced this Charles Stuart’s origins with certainty to Dunkeld in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, where he was baptised in 1713, the son of an earlier John Stuart.
donhansen
Sunday 31st Mar 2013, 01:29AMMessage Board Replies
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Hello Don,
You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
The Tithe Applotment List might be of use to you, or at least interesting for you. These lists constitute the only nationwide survey for the period, and are valuable because the heaviest burden of the tithes to the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, fell on the poorest, for whom few other records survive. The information in the Tithes is quite basic, typically consisting of townland name, landholder's name, area of land and tithes payable. Many Books also record the landlord's name and an assessment of the economic productivity of the land. The tax payable was based on the average price of wheat and oats over the seven years up to 1823, and was levied at a different rate depending on the quality of land. For Parishes where the registers do not begin until after 1850, this information can be useful, as they are often the only surviving early records. They can provide valuable circumstantial evidence, especially where a holding passed from father to son in the period between the Tithe survey and Griffith's Valuation.
Best regards Michael.
Friday 19th Apr 2013, 03:10PM -
Hi Don,
Hamish Stuart here. A few years ago you sent me some wonderful information regarding our ancestor Richard Stuart. I was just wondering if anything further had come about?Working in Oulart National school, only a few miles from Ballyvaldon parish really is such a strange coincidence and many people have suggested I write to RTE to see if there is anything that they could help with in regard to the story. I am meeting with a local family from Ballyvaldon this Friday who apparently have some information for me. I know your research was very thorough, and perhaps you have already met these people. I have been thinking about getting a DNA ancestry test done to see if after all these years (1802-2019) there might be people near by that we could be related too. My Nana, Jean Stuart (Masterton, NZ) is 94 and would love to hear if anything new has come up.
Kind RegardsHamish Stuart
Rosslare Strand
Co. Wexford
IrelandTuesday 25th Jun 2019, 09:42PM