The Story of James Burke

This post tells the story of my maternal Great Great Grandfather, James Burke (1811 - 1878).  

James was born in 1811 in southern County Tipperary to father David Burke and mother Mary Whelan.

Catholic Parish Register 1811

The area shaded in red depicts the Parish of Powerstown

He was baptised on March 10th 1811 in the Parish of Powerstown (also known as Powerstown & Lisronagh) of the Waterford and Lismore Diocese.

This parish is very close to Clonmel and Kilsheelin, both of these places have been mentioned in oral family history as homes for members of the extended Burke family.

My great great grandfather's name was recorded as 'Jacobum' and his sponsers were Michael Power and Ann Rieley.

I have found scant details about his childhood unfortunately, other than the fact I have found evidence that a brother William was born two years previously.  I can find no other records of children born to David Burke and Mary Whelan.


In early 1833, at the age of 22, James married Catherine Crotty in the Newcastle Parish in County Waterford.

Catholic Parish Register 1833

Usually weddings occurred in the parish of the bride and her family, so I'm assuming the Crottys were living in the Newcastle Parish at that time.  Witnesses were Thomas Condon and John Nugent.

James and Catherine went on to have seven children over a period of nineteen years.  I have found records for:

David born in 1835.  James was aged 24 at this time.
William born in 1841.
Tobias born in 1843.
Maurice born in 1846.
John born in 1848.
Bridget, my Great Grandmother, born in 1851.  James was now aged 40.
James born in 1854.

All children, except their last born, were registered as having been born in the area known as Three Bridges, close to Carrick-on-Suir in County Waterford; so it appears that James and Catherine moved there not long after they were married.

Then sometime between the birth of my great grandmother Bridget in 1851 and the birth of their last born son in 1854, it appears that my 2x great grandfather James, then aged 43, his wife Catherine and their six children had moved to farmland in Killonerry, County Kilkenny.  The birth record for their last born son had Killonerry recorded as his place of birth.

My research led me to the 1850 Griffith's Valuation records for Killonerry, County Kilkenny, where I found there was a Thomas Whelan, along with tow other gentlemen, listed as persons holding land in Killonerry in the exact position where the Burke family farm was (and still is) located.

This is where my great great grandfather James Burke and his family moved to just before the birth of their last son.  It appears likely that Thomas Whelan was a relative of James's mother Mary whose maiden name was Whelan.  This may explain the move from Three Bridges to Killonerry, if indeed Thomas Whelan took over the entire holding and then passed it on to a descendant of one of the Whelan clan.

My great great grandfather James Burke and his wife Catherine were to spend the rest of their lives, working and living on that farm in Killonerry.

Their eldest son David, moved away around 1863 to begin his own life.  Second born son William migrated to Australia sometime in the early 1860s.  I can't find any information about what happened to Tobias.

Maurice, the fourth born, appears to have moved away briefly in 1875 when he became a father, but then moved back onto the farm in 1876 when he married.  He went on to have a family and raised them all on the family farm.  Fourth born John married in 1873 and moved away.

In 1873, James's wife Catherine passed away.  They had been married for 40 years.  James was 62 years of age by then.

James himself died just five years later, in 1878, aged 67.

At the time of James's death, it appears that son Maurice, Maurice's wife Anne Prendergast and their two children, as well as my Great Grandmother were still living on the family farm.

My Great Grandmother Bridget Burke remained on the farm with her brother and his family for a period of five more years, and then she migrated to Australia.  Maurice then became the owner of the family farm, worked the farm, raised his family for another 14 years until his death.