John Dillon and Sarah Meaney

G'day Ben,

I'm not related but found the baptism records for several children of John Dillon/Dillane and Sarah/Sara Meaney, all baptized in the Catholic Parish of Fedamore, County Limerick. The Catholic Parish of Fedamore was also in the Civil Parish of Fedamore.

In addition, I located the Catholic Church marriage record for John "Dillane" and Sara Meaney, but their marriage took place in the Catholic Parish of Bruff, which was also known as the Parish of Grange and Glinora.

It's going to take a little while to compile the baptisms and the marriage record, and to look for more information about your Dillon and Meaney ancestors, and so I should be sending you another reply sometime this week, or perhaps even next week, depending upon how much information is found.

I hope you don't mind waiting just little bit longer to finally meet your ancestors.

With Kind Regards,

Dave Boylan

Howdy Dave! Thanks so much! That would be amazing. Thank you!!

You're welcome Ben. I've been working on the genealogy on and off all day, and have just finished with the Dillane/Dillon baptism records. I'm not sure how much more information I'll find, but I'm still looking.

Thank you for writing back. It is much appreciated, as many people on these message boards do not even respond when you find information about their ancestors.

Best Wishes,
Dave

Hello Ben,

As mentioned in the previous communication, John “Dillane” and Sara Meaney were married in the Bruff Catholic Parish. The marriage took place on 17 February 1817.

Dillane is one one of the Anglo-Norman spellings of Dillon/Dylon, etc. See: https://is.gd/0CA0tr

The information that John and Sara were married in Bruff comes from a marriage transcription I found at the free Find My Past (FMP) website, which is mainly a subscription-based or Pay-As-You-Go website, but does not charge to search Irish Catholic baptisms, marriages, and available church burial transcriptions for all of Ireland for much of the 19th century.

The search engine for the FMP baptism transcriptions can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/jnmqmuv

The search engine for Catholic marriages can be accessed at: http://tinyurl.com/jzylkjy

For Catholic Parish burial transcriptions go to the search engine at: http://tinyurl.com/j9qe5p9

However that not all Catholic Church Parishes in Ireland kept burial records.

Attached to the FMP baptism, marriage, and burial transcriptions are links that will take you to copies of the original parish registers held by the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.

To search the Catholic Parish records at FMP you’ll first have to register with the site. Registration is free.

The FMP marriage transcription for Joannes (John) Dillane and Sara Meany can be accessed at the following:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FMAR%2F1054494%2F1

Joannes is the Latin for of John.

Attached to the transcription is a link to the Bruff Parish registers held by the National Library of Ireland. To view a copy of the original church marriage record for John and Sara, go to: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634942#page/151/mode/1up

The are two facing pages to the Bruff marriage register. The marriage for John and Sara is the last entry on the right-hand page. The entry is in Latin and so may be a challenge to read.

You can enlarge the page by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

The name of one of the witnesses to the marriage appears to be Donatus Meany. Donatus is the Latin for “donate,” and can also mean “God Given.” The first name of the second witness is Johanna, though I can’t clearly make out her last name. It may be Cusack.

Irish tradition holds that marriages take place in the bride’s parish, which means it’s possible that the Bruff Catholic Parish would have been the parish of Sara and her family. It’s not clear however, if Sara had been living in Bruff at the time of marriage or in one of the surrounding towns within the Bruff Civil Parish.

It’s also not clear from the marriage record if John Dillane was from Bruff, as within a year he and Sara would be residing in the Fedamore Civil Parish. I suspect, but cannot prove, that his home parish was Fedamore. The Catholic Parish in this section of Limerick is also called Fedamore, and is located north of Bruff, but not that far away, as a Google Map shows that the town of Fedamore is, by the shortest route, 6.9 miles from Bruff. See: https://is.gd/lZtZiS

The Catholic Church in Bruff is called Saints Peter and Paul, though John and Sara would not have been married in the current church structure. According to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, the building of the present day church was started in 1828. Construction was finished by 1833. The Buildings of Ireland site does not mention whether Saints Peter and Paul was constructed on the site of an older Catholic Chapel in Bruff. See the Buildings of Ireland description of the church, as well as a slide show of the church at: https://is.gd/VtPpBZ

Also Ben, I am not completely sure if John and Sara would have been married in Bruff at all. They may have lived in a townland with a Catholic Chapel nearby that was also in the Bruff Catholic Parish. For example, the 1837 edition of Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary of Ireland notes that, aside from the Catholic Church in Bruff, there were two other chapels in the Bruff Catholic Parish. One at Grange and one at Meanas, though there’s no way of knowing, from the records I’ve uncovered, if Sara and her family had lived near one of these chapels.

See the Topographical Dictionary’s entry for Bruff at the following link:
https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/B/Bruff-Coshma-Limerick.php

For the location of Saints Peter and Paul Church and cemetery on a Buildings of Ireland map of Bruff, see: http://webgis.buildingsofireland.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?REG_NO=21803002

And for Google Street Views of the church and cemetery, go to the following links:
https://is.gd/5ZThde and https://is.gd/AMS54s

There is a Find A Grave webpage for the Saint Peter and Paul Church cemetery, but thus far no body has added information about the graves of any Dillons or Meanys. The oldest grave in the cemetery dates from 1838.

See the Find A Grave site at for the Bruff cemetery at::
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2640281/st-peter-and-paul%E2%80%99s…

At the historicgraves.com link there are 55 memorials listed in the Saints Peter and Paul cemetery, but once again I didn’t find any submissions for the Dillon or Meany/Meaney surname. See the historicgraves.com link at: https://historicgraves.com/graveyard/st-peter-paul-s/li-ppbr

As you saw in the FMP transcription, John Dillane and Sara Meany were married in 1817. According to the National Library of Ireland website, the Bruff Catholic baptisms as well as well as marriages, begin in 1808. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0870

This means there will not be baptism records for either John Dillon or Sara Meany in the Bruff Catholic Parish registers, as both were born before the Bruff Parish registers commence. Nor would there be church marriage records for their parents. There won’t be statutory, or civil registration birth or marriage records either. Civil registration began in Ireland on 1 April 1845 when the government recorded civil marriages as well as Protestant marriages, but not Catholic Church marriages.

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denomination began in Ireland in 1864.

Just to recap, I suspect, though can’t prove with complete certainty, that John Dillon or Dillane, was from the Fedemore area of County Limerick, rather than from the area near Bruff, based on the baptisms of his and Sara’s children in the Fedamore Catholic Parish.

THE FEDAMORE DILLANE/ DILLON BAPTISMS

The FMP website shows that two sons named Dillane were baptized in the Fedamore Catholic Parish in the same year and less than a month from one another. One of these is Edmundus, or Edmund. The other is Patritius.

Edward was baptized on 20 January 1818 while Patrick was baptized on 22 February 1818.

The transcription shows that Edward’s father was Joanne (John) Dillane and that his mother was Sara “McAny,” which I take to be either a misspelling of Meany or an alternate form of the name. See the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6958719

But, the link to his baptism in the Fedamore Catholic registers for 20 January 1818 does not exist, as far as I can see. See the Fedamore baptism registers for January 1818 at the following links: https://is.gd/3sIvLG and https://is.gd/7XdeTK

The person who transcribed the baptism for Edmund may have typed in his baptism month, day, or year incorrectly, or have mixed it up with another baptism for an Edmundus Dillon.

For example, there is the baptism for an Edmundus, son of Edmundo Dillane and Honora Toole. Edmundus was baptized on February 4, 1818. His is the first entry on the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634980#page/46/mode/1up

The baptism record for Patrick Dillane on February 22, 1818 is on the same page as Edmundus, son of Edmundo Dillane and Honora Toole. Patrick’s baptism is the 2nd entry up from the bottom of the page. Patrick’s godparents are Bryan Sheahan and Catherine Kelly.

I looked for the baptism of Edmundus, son of Joanne Dillane and Sara “McAny” in several pages, covering many months of the Fedamore register for 1817 and 1818, as well as 1819, but failed to uncover it. I may have missed locating it altogether, or it may be an error in the FMP transcription.

Next, Michael Dillane was baptized on 7 March 1820. His FMP baptism transcription can be viewed at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F7026823

A copy of Michael’s original baptism record is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the right-hand register page, Number 7, at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634980#page/62/mode/1up

Michael’s godfather is Joanne (John) Hartigan and his godmother Honora Crimin.

The FMP website does not have another baptism record for a child of John Dillane/Dillon and Sara Meany for 9 years after Michael’s 1820 baptism.

Timotheus (Timothy) Dillane was baptized in 1829.

Checking the Fedamore Catholic Church baptisms at the National Library of Ireland site, I found that baptisms for the parish are not available after 29 January 1822, or before 4 January 1826. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0883

There are also gaps in the baptism records for 1826, as only January, February, March, and April baptisms are available.

No Fedamore baptisms are available for the year 1827 either.

For the year 1828, baptisms for the month of May are missing.

There is the probability that John and Sara had more children baptized in the Fedamore Parish from 1821 to 1828, but that these baptisms unfortunately no longer exist.

Timotheus Dillane was baptized in the Fedamore Catholic Parish on 17 May 1829. See the following FMP link: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6406528

Timothy’s original Fedamore baptism record can be found at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634981#page/18/mode/1up

His baptism is on the left-hand register page, 3rd entry up from the bottom. The first name of the godfather is Joannis, or John. A portion of his last name is buried in the fold of the page, but the first three letters of his last name are “Ben.” It could be Bennett. Michael’s godmother is Catherine Moore.

Martinus (Martin) Dillon was baptized on 6 September 1831 according to the FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6406718

A copy of his original Fedamore Catholic Parish baptism record is the last entry on the left-hand page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634981#page/49/mode/1up

The godparents are Jacabo (James) Dee and Anna Hartigan.

The youngest child whose FMP baptism transcription I found is for Jacobus (James) Dillon. His baptism took place on 12 October 1833: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5192164

A copy of James’s original baptism record is on the left-hand page, 10th entry down from the top at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634982#page/8/mode/1up

James’s godparents are Roberto Dee and Maria Kelly.

None of the baptism records, unfortunately give the residence of the Dillon family. They may have lived in Fedamore or in one of the surrounding towns in the Civil Parish as well as Catholic Parish of Fedamore.

The Fedamore Catholic Church is called Saint John the Baptist. You can see the location of the church on a Google Map of Fedamore at: https://is.gd/pjagox

A Google Street View of the church can be viewed at: https://is.gd/fFQVbw

Not all of the Dillon children would have been baptized in this church structure. According to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, the church was constructed in the year 1830, the year after Timothy Dillon was baptized in 1829, and the year before Martin was baptized in 1831.

Martin and his brother James may have been baptized in the church you see in the street view.

For information about the architectural details and a slide show of the church, go to the Buildings of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/t8AHPZ

The church is located in a section of Fedamore called Ballyea.

You can see the location of the “R.C. Chapel” in Ballyea, Fedamore, on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period at the GeoHive link at: http://bit.ly/2THa9EN

On the Ordnance Survey Map compiled between 1888 and 1913, the church is now called “St. John the Baptist’s R.C. Chapel.” Go to the GeoHive link at: http://bit.ly/3cLuiBc

The Google Street View of Saint John the Baptist Church shows a small graveyard on one side of it. I suspect these may be the graves of the parish priests who served the church over the years and not a burial ground for the parishioners of Saint John the Baptist. I tried to find the exact location of the old Catholic cemetery in Fedamore, but was unsuccessful, though I did uncover information about the Old Fedamore graveyard at: http://limerickdioceseheritage.org/Fedamore/gyFedamore.htm

This site gives a brief description of the present day graveyard in Fedamore, below which is a description of the old graveyard and photos, but does not say where the cemetery is located. The oldest grave in this cemetery dates back to 1732.

The Find A Grave site lists three cemeteries in or near Fedamore, but doesn’t mention if they are Protestant or Catholic. See: https://is.gd/e61x7y

The first Fedamore cemetery listed in Find A Grave may be the one east of the town. You can see A Google Street View of the cemetery at: https://is.gd/MuDtat

But again, I’m not sure if this is a Catholic or Protestant cemetery.

If John and Sara didn’t emigrate out of Ireland, they could be buried in the old Fedamore cemetery. But, if John and Sara Dillons had died during the Great Famine of 1845 to 1849, there may not be a gravestone for them, as their older children may have been too poor to afford a grave marker for them.

What you can do is post a query to the Ireland Reaching Out XO Ancestors for the Fedamore Parish, and see if anyone knows where the old Fedamore Catholic cemetery is located. Perhaps someone familiar with the cemetery will be able to walk through it to see if any of your Dillons are buried there.
The link for the XO Ancestors for Fedamore is at: https://irelandxo.com/ireland/limerick/fedamore-limerick

THE TITHE APPLOTMENT BOOKS

Ben, I next wanted to see if I could locate John Dillon or John Dillane in a record that would be contemporaneous with his living in the Civil Parish and Catholic Parish of Fedamore. The record I went to is what is called the Tithe Applotment Books, which was an agricultural tax record where farmers were taxed on the crops they crew. The tax went for the upkeep of the established church at the time, which was the Church of Ireland.

Catholic farmers, which comprised the majority of farmers in Ireland, did not like to be taxed especially when their tax went to the Church of Ireland.

The Tithe Applotment Books were compiled in all 32 counties of Ireland between 1821 and 1851. The tithe applotment for the Fedamore Civil Parish was taken in 1826, which was between the births and baptisms of Michael Dillon in 1820, and Timothy Dillon in 1829, which means that the Dillon family had probably been living in the Fedamore Civil Parish at the time.

For a more comprehensive explanation about the Tithe Applotment Books, go to the National Archives of Ireland links at:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/about.jsp
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/aboutmore.jsp

You can search the Tithe Applotment Books for free at the National Archives of Ireland link at:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp

I didn’t find anyone named John Dillane recorded in the Tithe Applotment Books for the Fedamore Civil Parish,

But I found a John Dillon recorded in two different, but nearby townlands to each other in the Tithe Applotment Books for the Fedamore Civil Parish. One was recorded in the townland of Carnane, and the other townland of Ballyea, where the Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church is located. In the Tithe Applotment Books however, you’ll see Ballyea also spelled as “Ballyhay,” and “Ballyhea,” and “Ballyhed,” but they all refer to the same town, as well as the same John Dillon in that town. There are duplicate tithe records, with some variations, for John Dillon in Carnane and John Dillon in Ballyea, but in each town they too refer to the same individual. The name John Dillon was the only Dillon recorded in Fedamore in the Tithe Applotment Books in 1826.

I can’t say with any certainty however, which, if either of these John Dillon landholders is your ancestor. It’s also possible that the same John Dillon leased agricultural land in both Carnane and Ballyea.

To view the indexes of the John Dillons in the Tithe Applotment Books for Fedamore in 1826, go to the National Archives of Ireland of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/AL3Uhm

John Dillon’s name is highlighted in blue in all seven indexes. Click on any one of his names for Carnane and you’ll come to a copy of the original tithe page for him and the other landholders in town. Also click on his name in any of the entries for Ballyea and you’ll come to copies of the original entries for him and others in that townland.

The first Carnane tithe record for John Dillon at Landholder 41, shows he leased 6 acres of 3rd quality land (1st quality being the best), and that his rent was 12 Pounds. The total amount of tithes he had to pay was 6 Shillings.

The second Carnane tithe record shows that John Dillon leased 6 acres of 3rd quality land, that his rent was 12 Pounds, and that the total amount of his tithe was 12 Shillings and 5 Pence.

The third Carnane Tithe record shows that John Dillon leased 6 acres of 3rd quality land, and that his rent was 12 Pounds. But this record also shows that he paid 6 Shillings that went toward the “Vicarial” tithes, and another 12 Shillings and 6 Pence that went to the “Rectorial” tithes.

For an explanation of Vicarial and Rectoral tithes, see: https://is.gd/IsNedB

Predial tithes refer to money paid for products, such as grains and fruits, coming from the earth.

For John Dillon in Ballyea and the tithe record variant tithe spellings of the town, I’ve only given the final total of the rent and tithes he paid so as not to get too bogged down with numbers.

The first “Ballyhay” tithe record shows that John Dillon, Landholder 209, paid rent of 11 Pounds, 13 Shillings, and 1 Pence. The total amount of tithes he paid was 5 Shillings and 10 Pence.

For the second “Ballyhea” tithe entry John Dillon paid 11 Pounds, 13 Shillings, and 1 Pence for rent and 12 Shillings and 1 Pence in Tithes.

For the third “Ballyhed” tithe entry John Dillon paid 11 Pounds, 13 Shillings and 1 Pence for rent, and 12 Shillings and 1 Pence for tithes.

For the fourth “Ballyhea” tithe entry, which is the last entry, John Dillon paid 11 Pounds, 13 Shillings, and 1 Pence for rent. He also paid 5 Shillings and 10 pence in Vicarial Tithes, and 12 Shillings and 2 Pence in Rectorial Tithes.

Once again Ben I don’t know which of the landholders named John Dillon would be your ancestor. But it is possible that one of them is. It is also possible the tithe records pertain to the same individual named John Dillon. There is that possibility too that neither John Dillon in the Tithe Applotment Books is your ancestor. I just do not have enough evidence to conclusively prove that either John Dillon is your direct ancestor based on the Tithe Applotment Books alone.

A Google Map shows that Carnane in the north and Balyea in the south are only 3.5 miles from each other, with Fedamore in between: https://is.gd/l33rcY

For Google Street View looking torward Ballyea, see: https://is.gd/23fkPR

For a Google Street View of Carnane go to: https://is.gd/GGoMkD

For an Ordnance Survey Map of Carnane from the 1837 to 1842 time period go to the GeoHive Link at:
http://bit.ly/3aQT7dk

THE TITHE APPLOTMENTS FOR THE BRUFF CIVIL PARISH

I also wanted to see if the surname Meany/Meaney had been enumerated in the Tithe Applotment Books for the Bruff Civil Parish. If so this landholder may have been related to Sara.

I found only one landholder named Meaney in the Bruff parish. His name was Michael and he is indexed twice, but recorded once in the Tithe Applotment Books for Crawfard Lane, in Bruff itself. The tithe record was recorded in Bruff in 1833.

The index for Michael Meaney can be found at the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/ABdXSv

If you click on either of the index entries for Michael you’ll come to a copy of the original Tithe record, which is very faded and difficult to read, but at least we know that there was a landholder named Meaney who was residing in Bruff. As mentioned above, Michael could have been related to Sara. Also, John and Sara named one of their sons Michael, who may have been named after the Bruff Michael Meaney.

Crawford Lane today (the R516 road) is named Crawford Street, and runs into the town centre from the east. See the Google Map at: https://is.gd/kejpAc

Also see the modern map from the Buildings of Ireland website for “Crawford’s”: http://bit.ly/38PJqKK

For a Google Street View of Crawford Street from Main Street in Bruff, go to: https://is.gd/pBg71i

On an ordnance survey map of Bruff from the 1837 to 1842 time period, Crawford Lane is not labeled, nor is Main Street. The “School” however, is noted along Crawford Lane on the map: http://bit.ly/33hHkSH

CONCLUSION

Ben, indications are that your Dillon/Dillane and Meany ancestors came from two different but nearby locations in County Limerick. Based on the 1817 marriage record for John and Sara, it is very likely that Sara’s Catholic Parish as well as her Civil Parish of birth was Bruff. This would also likely be the parish of her parents and siblings. She may have lived in the area of what is today Crawford Street, but was called Crawford Lane in the 1800s.

A year after the marriage John and Sara were in the Fedamore Catholic Parish and the Fedamore Civil Parish. This is an indication that John and his family were residents of the Fedamore area of County Limerick before John married in 1817. On modern Google Maps Bruff and Fedamore are about 7 miles from each other.

I only wish I could have conclusively uncovered the townlands where John and Sara had lived both before and after they married. Based on the Tithe Applotment Book records however, it is feasible that your Dillon family had lived in Ballyea or in Carnane, or maybe farmed the land in both nearby communities. It is also a distinct possibility that Sara Meany and her family lived in what was called Crawford Lane, but what today is Crawford Street.

With Kind Regards Ben,

Dave

That is extraordinary!!

A million thank yous! We'd followed the path to a similar place - but that is a tremendous amount of additional information to fill in the blanks and close the door on some others. I'll work on collating all that and piecing together with what we already know from here in Australia. I'm curious to know now where Martin and Timothy ended up - if they came to Australia also or somewhere else.

I really appreciate the time and effort you've gone to mapping this out, I'd love to make a donation to your chosen charity in your name if that is okay? Just let me know who you'd like us to support.

Thank you! Thank you!

Attached Files

Hello Ben,

Many thanks for your kind words and the offer of a donation. If you would like to make a contribution, any amount to one of the organizations that help the fire fighters and their families in the wake of the devastating bush fires in NSW and SA would be fantastic. Or a contribution to organizations that are helping all the wildlife that were affected by the fires would be first rate too. The newspaper, The Guardian, has a number of organizations in that could use donations. You can read about these organizations at: https://is.gd/Qtu3yh

Thank you again for that offer.

When I was researching the Dillon family in Fedamore, I had looked for the marriage and death records for Timothy and Martin, but didn’t find any records for them. But then, after receiving your reply, I decided to look farther afield. I have a subscription to Ancestry.com and accessed the Ancestry collection for the NSW Assisted and Unassisted Immigrant Passenger Lists for the years 1828 – 1896.

I found two passenger lists that record Patrick and Timothy Dillon as Assisted Immigrants. The name of the ship they sailed on was the Elizabeth, which arrived in NSW on 16 April 1850. The clincher however for this Patrick and Timothy most likely being your Dillon brothers is that the passenger list notes that their Native Place and Country was none other than, “Fedamore, Limerick.”

The passenger list is attached to this reply. Patrick and Timothy are Numbers 24 and 25 in the list. Patrick is shown to be 30 years old and Timothy 20 years old.

But, with a little more research I came across a similar Assisted Immigrant List for Patrick and Timothy, which shows that they arrived in NSW on the Elizabeth on 18 April 1850. See the transcription below:

New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896

Name: Patrick Dillon
Birth Year: 1820
Age: 30
Gender: Male

Dillon Timothy Dillon
Birth Year: abt 1830
Age: 20
Gender: Male

Arrival Date: 18 Apr 1850
Vessel Name: Elizabeth
Origin Location: Portsea, Southampton

State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood New South Wales, Australia; Persons on bounty ships to Sydney, Newcastle, and Moreton Bay (Board's Immigrant Lists); Series: 5317; Reel: 2461; Item: [4/4916]

Source Information
Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
____

Patrick and Timothy probably left Ireland from Queenstown, County Cork and first sailed to Portsea, Southampton, England, where they either got on board the Elizabeth or the Elizabeth had left Queenstown to pick up more passengers bound for NSW.

But the transcription does not tell the whole story for Patrick and Timothy. A copy of this second passenger list notes that Patrick and Timothy’s “Place of Origin” was Fedamore, Co. Limerick. The passenger list also asks, “Parents’ names and if alive their residence.” The answer for Patrick and Timothy is, “John and Sarah living in Fedamore.” And so, we now know that Patrick left NSW to go back to Ireland to visit his family, and returned to NSW with his brother Timothy. We also now know that as of 1850 John and Sara Dillon were still alive.

The passenger list also shows that the residence of Patrick and Timothy in NSW will be with their “Cousins” Johanna, and a person who appears to be Ellen, and another cousin named Michael. The residence of the cousins is very difficult to make out, but after enlarging the record, the place is Sydney.

This passenger list is also attached. Patrick and Timothy are at Number 24 and 25 in the list.

This means that Patrick had finished his penal servitude by 1850. One of the common time periods for people being transported from Ireland to Australia or Van Dieman’s Land, was 7 years. Patrick was transported in 1837. Ostensibly his sentence would have ended in 1844.

While at Ancestry.com I wanted to see if I could locate his “Ticket of Leave,” but in doing the search I found a record just as good I think. This is his “New South Wales, Australia, Certificates of Freedom, 1810-1814, 1827-1867,” the transcription of which follows:

New South Wales, Australia, Certificates of Freedom, 1810-1814, 1827-1867

Name: Patrick Dillon
Age: 31
Birth Year: 1816
Native Place: County Limerick, Ireland
Arrival year: 1837
Vessel: Calcutta
Certificate Date: 30 Jul 1847

Source Citation
State Archives NSW

Source Information
Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Certificates of Freedom, 1810-1814, 1827-1867 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
____

A copy of the original Certificate of Freedom for Patrick is attached to this reply.

This means that Patrick was free three years before the 1850 date when he and Timothy were recorded on the Elizabeth sailing into NSW.

I did not find a passenger list for Martin Dillon, which means it possible he never left Ireland and stayed behind, or perhaps he died during the Great Famine, as Patrick and Timothy had left Ireland just at the end of the worst of the famine, which actually affected Ireland well into the 20th century. There’s also the possibility I missed finding an immigration record for Martin, or a marriage and death record for him in Ireland.

I looked for information about Martin in Irish, U.S., U.K., Canadian, and Australian passenger lists and census records but could not tie anyone named Martin Dillon with the Martin Dillon from County Limerick, and whose parents were John Dillon and Sarah Meany. Once again however, I may have missed locating records for him.

Getting back to Patrick Dillon: I found a record that Ancestry.com calls a Convict Indent record. The left facing page of the record shows that Patrick arrived in NSW on the Calcutta on 4 August 1837 at the age of 21. The record also shows he could not read or write; was Roman Catholic; was single and from County Limerick. His occupation was Labourer. His crime was “Larceny in County House.” The indent also shows he was tried in Limerick City in the Spring Asizes 1837.

The right facing page of the indent shows that Patrick was sentenced to 7 years and that he had no former convictions. The indent than goes into Patrick’s physical characteristics. He was 5 feet 6 inches with a complexion that was “Ruddy and much freckled.” His hair was brown and his eyes hazel. In the Remarks column, Patrick is described with a “Scar left cheek bone, lost a part of a middle front upper tooth, small scar back of left thumb, scar near right arm pit.”

This indent record is typed, and must have been transcribed from the original. It may have been transcribed in the late 1800s or maybe early 1900s. I wasn’t sure if you had it in your own records. The indent for Patrick is attached.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JOHN AND SARAH DILLON

Knowing that John and Sarah Dillon had made it through the worst years of the Great Famine and were still alive as of 1850, based on the Elizabeth ship’s list on which Patrick and Timothy sailed into NSW, I redoubled my effort in seeing if I could find their death records, or if not their full death records, at least an index of their deaths.

They were likely born in the 1790s, maybe also in the 1780s, and so I looked for their deaths from 1850 to 1900 when they would have been in their mid 50s, or 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, etc.

Civil registration began in Ireland in 1845 when the government recorded civil marriages, as well as Protestant marriages. Catholic Church marriages were not recorded at this time.

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations began in Ireland in 1864. If John or Sarah had died in Fedamore or Ballyea after 1863, I figured there could be a record of their death.

Birth, marriage, and death records can be accessed for free at the irishgenealogy.ie website. The available birth and marriage records can be found as indexes as well as digitized copies of the original records.

For example, birth indexes and digitized copies of original births are available to access at irishgenealogy.ie from 1864 to 1919. Marriage indexes and copies for originals are available from 1845 to 1944.

Because irishgenealogy.ie are still compiling records, only death indexes, not digitized copies of original deaths, are available from 1864 to 1877. Digitized copies of death records are available from 1878 to 1969.

I looked for the deaths of John and Sara Dillon at irishgenealogy.ie, beginning with John. I found a death index that looks like it could pertain to him. The index shows that John Dillon died in the year 1866 at the age of 75, and that his death was recorded in the Kilmallock Registration District. The index is below:

Name JOHN DILLON
Date of Death 1866
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Kilmallock
Deceased Age at Death 75
Returns Year 1866
Returns Quarter 3
Returns Volume No 15
Returns Page No 213
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A copy of John’s death record is available from the general Register Office GRO) in Roscommon Town, County Roscommon. Ben, I’ve gone ahead and have already ordered a photocopy of the death cert online form the GRO. They will send it to me as an email though it may take several days before I receive it.

The death certificate will show where John Dillon died, his exact date of death, weather he was married or single, his occupation, the cause of death, and the person who was present at the death and who reported the death to the local Registrar for Kilmallock. If John didn’t die in a workhouse, but died say, in Fedamore or Ballyea, or a location close to Fedamore, it may refer to your Dillon ancestor.

I found another death index for the same John Dillon at the free FamilySearch website, which gives the added detail that he died on 1 September 1866:

Name: John Dillon
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 1 Sep 1866
Event Place: Kilmallock, County Limerick, Ireland
Event Place (Original): Kilmallock, Limerick
Gender: Male
Age: 75
Birth Year (Estimated): 1791
Record Number:10

Citing this Collection
"Ireland Civil Registration, 1845-1913." Database with images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 11 March 2020. General Register Office, Southern Ireland.
____

I next uncovered what may very well be the full death record for Sarah Dillon at irishgenealogy.ie. The death record shows that Sarah died in “Fedamore” on 1 July 1887 at the age of 105 years. If accurate, this would place her year of birth circa 1782. At the time she died Sarah is shown to have been a widow. Her occupation was “Farmer.” The cause of death was, “Old age. Fourteen days no medical attendant.”

The person who was present at the death and who reported the death to the locale registrar was her son Thomas, whose residence was Fedamore. Thomas signed the death register with an X. The Assistant Registrar, H. Johnstone recorded Sarah’s death in the Croom, Limerick Registration District on 7 July 1887. Sarah’s death record is attached to this reply.

As you know I didn’t find a baptism record for John and Sarah’s son Thomas. If the attached death record pertains to your Sarah Dillon, Thomas Dillon may have been baptized in Fedamore in one of the years that is no longer available in the parish’s baptism records, as noted in the previous reply.

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

Because I knew that John Dillon was still alive as of 1850, I wanted to see if I could find an enumeration for him in an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation. Griffiths Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for Fedamore and surrounding townlands, was completed by the year 1851.

Unlike a census, Griffiths Valuation did not enumerate individual members of a family, such as husband, wife, and children in a household residence. Those named in the valuation were individuals who paid to lease property, such as land, houses, and outbuildings. Each person who paid to lease the property was called an “Occupier.” The other person listed in Griffiths Valuation was the person who owned the property, or who worked as the middleman for the owner. This person was called the “Immediate Lessor.”

You can access Griffiths Valuation transcriptions and original copies for free at the askaboutireland website link at:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

I specifically wanted to see if a John Dillon had been leasing property in Ballyea Fedamore, and Carnane, where we saw John Dillon in the Tithe Applotment Books. I did not find an Occupier named John Dillon in either place.

In the Tithe Applotment Books I did not find a John Dilliane, but the opposite is the case for Griffiths Valuation, where I found the name John Dillane enumerated twice, leasing property in Ballyea. I also found the name John Dillane leasing property in the nearby townland of Cloghadoolarty North.

Below is the first Griffiths Valuation for John Dillane in Ballyea, Village of Fedamore:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 15a
Civil Parish: Fedamore
Townland: Ballyea, Village of Fedamore
Occupier: John Dillane (Kerryorth)
Immediate Lessor: Colonel Windham
Description of Tenement: House, office, and land
Area of Land: 23 Acres, 1 Rood, 20 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 16 Pounds, 15 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 2 Pounds, 5 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 19 Pounds
____

To the right of John Dillane’s name you’ll see in parenthesis the word (Kerryorth). This is a convention used in Griffiths Valuation called an, “Agnomen.” Agnomen is the Latin for Other Name. There are several different agnomens used in Grififths Valuation to differentiate two people in the same town with the same name. Two of the more common agnomens are Junior and Senior, to differentiate father and son who are leasing property in the same town.

Other agnomens are used to tell the differences between different Occupiers with the same name in the same town. For example: Patrick Quinn (Thomas) and Patrick Quinn (John). These mean that the father of one of the Patrick Quinn Occupiers is named Thomas Quinn, while the father of the other Patrick Quinn is John.

The agnomen used with John Dillane is a mystery to me. Kerryorth could mean that John Dillane came from a place by that name, but I could not find any town anywhere in County Limerick, or county Kerry, or in any of the 32 counties of Ireland by that name. It could be a misspelling. The word does not seem complete. Could it be Kerryworth or Kerrynorth? I just don’t know. I also don’t know if Kerryorth may refer to someone’s name.

The above Griffiths Valuation transcription shows that John Dillane leased a house, office and over 23 acres of land in Ballyea, Village of Fedamore, Civil Parish of Fedamore, from an Immediate Lessor named Colonel Wyndham, who probably owned the land. The land was valued at 16 Pounds and 15 Shillings, while the house and offices were valued at 2 Pounds and 5 Shillings. The total value of the land, house, and office, is 19 Pounds. John Dillane would have paid a percentage of the value toward the tax.

An office can refer to a factory, mill, shop or farm outbuildings such as a stable, turf shed, cow barn, corn shed, a piggery, etc. The map reference number at the beginning of the valuation refers to the location of John Dillane’s leasehold on an Ordnance Survey Map compiled before the valuation took place. The Griffith Valuation Ordnance Survey Map is very similar to the 1837 to 1842 Ordnance Survey Map from GeoHive of Fedamore and Ballyea you saw in the previous reply.

The Griffiths Valuation Ordnance Survey Map for Ballyea, Fedamore, can be accessed from the askaboutireland website, but I have been unable to link or attach these maps from askaboutireland to replies like this. I think there is a lock on copying these maps, though I’m sure a person with enough computer knowledge could do so.

The Ordnance Survey Map from GoeHive however, does not have the map reference numbers on it the way the Griffiths map does.

I accessed the Griffiths Valuation Map from askaboutireland but could not locate map reference 15a in Ballyea or Fedamore. But if your recall from the last reply, the Buildings of Ireland site noted that St. John the Baptist Church was located in Ballyea, Fedamore. John Dillane would not have lived too far from the church.

Grifffiths Valuaton also shows that a John Dillane leased over 71 acres of land in Ballyea, Fedamore, from Colonel Wyndham at map reference 22. The land was valued at 61 Pounds and 15 Shillings, while the house and office were valued at 7 Pounds. The total valuation was 68 Pounds and 15 Shillings. He had the largest leasehold in Ballyea, Fedamore. There is no agnomen accompanying this John Dillane.

See the Griffiths Valuation transcription below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 22
Civil Parish: Fedamore
Townland: Ballyea, Village of Fedamore
Occupier: John Dillane
Immediate Lessor: Colonel Wyndham
Description of Tenement: House, offices, and land
Area of Land: 71 Acres, 0 Roods, 24 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 61Pounds, 15 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 7 Pounds
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 68 Pounds, 15 Shillings
____

The two occupiers named John Dillane may refer to the same person. If so, he survived the worst years of the Great Famine. If he leased both properties in Ballyea, he would have lived in one house, while family members of perhaps even friends had lived in the other house. Only those who paid to lease property were recorded in Griffiths Valuation.

The 3rd John Dillane enumerated in Griffiths Valuation leased property in the townland of Cloughadoolarty at map reference 5n. A Google Map shows that Cloughadoolarty is only 2 miles northeast of Fedamore: https://is.gd/UEEHjs

See the transcription for John Dillane in Cloughadoolarty North below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 5n
Civil Parish: Fedamore
Townland: Cloghadoolarty North
Occupier: John Dillane
Immediate Lessor: William Collins
Description of Tenement: House
Area of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 7 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 7 Shillings
____

John Dillane leased only a house but no land in Clougadoolarty North, which means he wasn’t likely farming at the time of Griffiths Valuation. He may have been a retired farmer, or he may have been in one of the trades such as blacksmith, wheelwright, cordwainer, cobbler, etc. He would not have paid a tax on the value of his house as only those leases valued over 5 Pounds were subject to the tax.

Because I try not to discount anything in genealogical research, there is the possibility this John Dillane could be your ancestor.

I found map reference 5n on the Ordnance Survey Map that accompanies the enumeration for John Dillane in Cloughadoolarty.

You can view Clougadoolarty North on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period at the GeoHive website link at: http://bit.ly/2TWro5l

In the very centre of the map you’ll see little oblong boxes. These are houses. John Dillane’s house would have been one of the houses you see.

The following is a wider view of Cloughadoolarty North on the Ordnance Survey Map: http://bit.ly/3d71rHx

There are 5 attachments with this reply. The are:

Patrick and Timothy Dillon passenger list 1
Patrick and Timothy Dillon passenger list 2
Patrick Dillon 1847 ticket of freedom
Patrick Dillon 1837 convict indent
Sarah Dillon 1887 death record
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Ben, many thanks again for the offer of the donation. It is very kind of you.

With Best Wishes and God Bless,

Dave

P.S. This reply took about 3 days to compile. I sent the request for Sarah’s death cert to the GRO three days ago, but have not heard back with a confirmation that the request was received. They may be closed due to the virus going around the world. I will resend the request for Sarah’s death record if I don’t hear from the GRO by the end of the week

Stay safe and healthy Ben.