Sheelagh? Sheedagh? Sheedy? McNamara ... It's A Brick Wall!

Brick walls pop up on my family tree when researching Irish-born ancestors born before 1800.  Irish civil and parish records can take you back to the second quarter of the 19th century, but before that there are very few records still in existence.  

Civil registrations of births, marriages and deaths did not begin in Ireland until 1864. Prior to that, there were Church records in the form of registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, but you need to know the relevant parish for your ancestors before attempting to access these records.  Even then, not all these registers survived and there can be large gaps in many of the parish registers that did survive.

If you're lucky, you might have oral history that's been passed down through the generations, but I've found that even that is not always based in fact.  Researching ancestors and their families living in Ireland before the 19th century is such a hit-and-miss affair. 

One of the brick walls on my paternal side is the parentage of my 3x great grandmother, Margaret McNamara.  The only clues I've been able to use during my research are the names recorded on Margaret's assisted immigrant record when she emigrated here to Australia in 1840 with her husband James Hickey and seven children.  

Assisted immigrant records, for those who were making the voyage to Australia, were completed before boarding, at the point of departure.  These records provided quite a bit of information about the people who were about to set foot on a particular ship.  For my 3x great grandmother Margaret and her family, these records were completed at the port of Cork in 1840 before they all boarded the ship named Adam Lodge.

New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896
- Passenger:  Margaret Hickey   Arrival date: 14 Feb 1840

There is a section for the recording of the names of the immigrant's parents, as well as their place of origin.  In that section, this is the information recorded at the point of departure for Margaret:

When I enlarged this entry and looked at it very closely, it appeared to say:

"Da of  (daughter of) Sheelagh McNamara and Ellen Hogan, his wife there".  At least, that's my understanding of the handwriting.  

It was interpreted in exactly the same way when transcribed many years later in the state's record office:

To my mind though, there is a problem with Margaret's father's name recorded in this way.  To me, "Sheelagh" is a women's name, and when I've googled it, the results are always the same:  feminine.  Surely "Sheelagh" would not be the first name of Margaret's father!  

This name must have been misspelt by whoever recorded the information at the port in Cork.  Of course we have to remember, it's likely that Margaret was illiterate and didn't know what the registrar was writing down, and perhaps Margaret didn't even speak English very well and the registrar interpreted what she said inaccurately!  

Other members of my extended family who have undertaken lots of research, have hinted that the name was definitely misspelt, and should be something more like "Sheedagh", which sounds more masculine!  Looking closely at the handwriting, that letter after the double 'ee' does not look like the letter 'd' to me though.

I did google the first name 'Sheedagh', but that led to the name of a lake.  There is apparently a Lough Sheedagh near Connemara in County Galway; but I doubt that Margaret's father was named after a lough, or the other way round!

I've checked Margaret's death certificate, hoping there might be clues on that, but the informant (her grandson) did not appear to have any knowledge of his grandmother's parents, as the column for recording parent names has "not known" written there.

In an effort to clarify Margaret's father's first name, I have used websites like Ancestry.com, Find My Past, Family Search and Roots Ireland to search for a baptism record using just the details of Margaret's name - Margaret McNamara - and her mother's name - Ellen Hogan.   

I've searched for a Margaret McNamara who was likely born around 1802 in either County Clare or County Limerick, deduced from dates & places on records like the immigrant passenger list and the death certificate. 

I've also searched for a record of the marriage between Margaret McNamara and James Hickey, to see if that provided any clues.

Sadly, this all led nowhere.  No luck whatsoever!

Other extended family members' research has come up with the train of thought that perhaps Margaret's father's name was recorded as two surnames - the first indicating which particular clan of McNamaras he was descended from.  Let me explain further ...

According to a 4th cousin of mine who travelled to Ireland to research the Hickey line (remember Margaret McNamara married a James Hickey), he ended up having a conversation with a McNamara descendant during that visit.  This descendant told my cousin that the surname was actually "Sheedagh or Sheedy McNamara", and that Sheedagh / Sheedy was not a Christian / first name at all in this case.

According to this source of information, my McNamaras are of the Sheed or Sheedy branch of the McNamara clan.  That set me off searching sites once more for a baptism record for a Margaret Sheedy with Ellen Hogan as her mother.  No luck once again.  

It's been a wholly unsuccessful enterprise and I'm no closer to finding out whether or not my 3x great grandmother Margaret's father is actually Sheelagh, Sheedagh or Sheedy McNamara.  How is it spelt? 

One positive gained after all this effort however, is that I've discovered quite a lot about the history of the McNamara surname.

The surname McNamara is the anglicized version of an ancient Irish surname - Mac Conmara.  The Gaelic Mac Conmara means "son of the hound of the sea" . 

 

The MacNamara clan are descendants of the 10th century chieftain Cú Mhara, of the Dál gCais tribe from County Clare.  His name was derived from "cu" meaning a hound, and "na mara" meaning of the sea.  His son Domhnall  adopted the surname Mac Conmara, or son of Cu Mara, around 1099, becoming the first MacNamara.   

 

The MacNamara family were one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom of Thomond  (roughly Counties Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Waterford) as Lords of Clancullen.  County Clare was their stronghold. 

 

They held the hereditary position of chief functionary to the only other powerful family line, the O'Briains.  One of the McNamara's most prestigious duties was to preside at Magh Adhair during the inauguration ceremony of the Kings of Thomond.  

 

The MacNamaras built dozens of castles or tower-houses, abbeys and forts in County Clare during the 14th and 15th centuries.  Many are still standing today, including Bunratty Caste (built in 1425), Knappogue Castle (built 1467) and Quin Abbey (built 1433). 

 

The MacNamara clan split into two distinct septs or branches.  There was the MacNamara Fion who held the Chiefdom of Clancullen / Cuiléin West (Barony of Bunratty), and the MacNamara Reagh who ruled the East (Baronies of Upper and Lower Tulla).

MacNamaras ruled their territories until the 17th century when Oliver Cromwell's men overpowered them.  They lost their power and their titles and many fled Ireland at that time, settling in France.  It has been calculated that of 293 families of the name living on their lands in 1654, only 6 were allowed to retain part of their estates.

The Sheedys were descended from the great house of the McNamaras. It's possible that the Sheedy line began with Sioda / Siodha McNamara (apparently the Gaelic Síoda means 'silken', 'soft-spoken' and is pronounced SHEE ugh da) who began the building of  the present structure of Bunratty Castle back in the 1400s.  His son was known as Ó Síoda, son of Sioda, and this form became a surname.  This later became anglicized into MacSheedy or Sheedy. 

 

Apparently, the surnames Sheedy and McNamara were used interchangeably or even together as one surname.  In the 1840s there were specific family members who were appointed leaders of the regional clans.  Their first name would be dropped, and they would just be known as Sheedy McNamara.  

It's fascinating stuff, but unfortunately has not led to a clarification of my ancestor's name.  I will however continue my quest, researching all the various spellings, and continue chipping away at this particular brick wall. 

The Story of Mary Ayears (Airs)

My post this week tells the story of my paternal Great Great Great Great Grandmother, Mary Ayears  or Airs  (1770 - 1858).

Before proceeding with Mary's story, I'll add a cautionary note ... she has been a troublemaker when it comes to my ability to uncover loads of definitive, accurate information about her life.  

First of all ....

Researching an ancestor who was born in England the same year as Beethoven and Wordsworth can be a very hit and miss affair, as civil registration was only introduced in 1837.  

The period before 1837 is often referred to as the pre-Victorian era (as Queen Victoria ascended the throne mid-1837) and anyone attempting to trace their English ancestors during this period basically needs to rely on church registers.  

Unfortunately these church records contain far less genealogical information than the civil records and were handwritten, making them quite hard to decipher most of the time.  

Second of all ...

I've found that the surname Ayears appears to have different variations, spelt in a few different ways including 'Ayers' and 'Airs'.  This has led to a long, long road of assumption and guessing when it comes to records relating to my 4x great grandmother!  I've spent many, many, many months trying to cross-reference with family trees on Ancestry.com and as many records as I could find on several sites such as Family Search and Find My Past.  It's been a messy and confusing journey.

Thirdly ...

I've found that researching female ancestors going back two generations and more is always a little troublesome.  The details of their lives are rarely captured in the records that are available, unless you're fortunate enough to have treasures such as diaries or family stories passed down.  All I've managed to uncover are a few facts from a couple of very short periods of time - between 1797 and 1808, and then between 1851 and 1858.  So here's what I think I know about parts of Mary's story!

When Mary Ayears was born around 1770, her father Samuel Ayears was around 20 years of age, and her mother Mary Vicary was about the same age.  

Old Church of St Mary Major - with the square tower
By Beatrix F. Cresswell (1862-1940) - httpwww.archive,orgdetailsexeterchurches00cres, 
Public Domain, httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid=41190059

My research led me to a baptism record showing a Mary Airs was baptised at the Church of Saint Mary Major in Exeter, Devon, England in August of 1770.

I don't have an exact date of birth for this Mary, and I admit I followed information from family trees on Ancestry.com to track down this record.  

Whether or not it's really my 4x great grandmother is probably debatable, but other information leads me to believe it's quite likely.

Later records, which are definitely more reliable,  indicate that Mary was likely born around 1768, so that places the Mary Airs from this baptism record at approximately the right time.  Records of Mary's marriage later on and the baptism records for her children show that all these events happened in Exeter, so again I think it's highly likely that Mary herself was born and baptised in that same town.




Around 1770, Exeter was a economically powerful city with a very strong trade of wool.  The reigning monarch at this time was King George 111, and it was in August of 1770 that Captain James Cook claimed the entire east coast of New Holland for Great Britain.  It was of course later to become Australia, and the home for descendants of one of Mary's daughters Anne (known as Nancy) my 3x great grandmother, and for descendants of her grandson Joseph Hutton.


Apart from a possible birth year, baptism date, baptism place, and parent names, I have no information at all about Mary's childhood.  The next fact I do know, and am sure about, is that Mary Airs/Ayears married John Littlejohns in December of 1797 when she was around 27-29 years old.  On the marriage record, Mary's maiden name was spelt as 'Ayears'.

According to information sourced from other descendants' family research, Mary and John already had three children before they married.

Well, the assumption is that these are John's children as well as they were given the surname of Littlejohns.

Son Henry was born in 1794, but sadly died when he was less than a year old.
Daughter Frances, known as Fanny, was born in 1795.
Daughter Mary Ann was born in April of 1797.

Interestingly, Mary's father, Samuel Ayears, died on the 14th of December 1797; and Mary married on the 19th of December.

I could make all sorts of assumptions about this fact, one of which would be that Mary had been living out-of-wedlock with John for a number of years likely as a result of her father's objection to the match.  Mary was however old enough to marry without her father's consent, so I'm not sure that would be an accurate assumption.  Anyway, very shortly after father's death, Mary seems to have married the father of her children.

After the marriage of Mary and John in December that year, the family grew.

Jane was born mid-1800, but unfortunately passed away in September.
Anne, known as Nancy, Littlejohns (my 3x great grandmother) came along in November of 1801, when Mary was aged around 31-33.
John was born in May of 1803, but he died in February the following year.
John Edwin was born in 1807.  Mary was now around 37-39 years old.

By the year 1808, out of the seven children that Mary gave birth to, there were three daughters and one son who had survived their infancy.  

It's very difficult to glean information about Mary's adult life around the time of and after the birth of her children, but clues from records later on point to the fact that it's likely Mary, her husband John and their family of four, had a hard life and were probably amongst the poorer class in Exeter society.

John worked as a 'fuller', often referred to as a 'tucker', which was not a well-paying job and the conditions of employment were very tough.  A fuller (tucker) worked long hours every day.  It was their job to clean wool cloth during the cloth making process to eliminate dirt and oil, and make it thicker.  Before the cloth got to the fullers (tuckers) it was soaked in urine!  John's job would have been back-breaking and extremely unpleasant.

I imagine Mary worked in some lowly, poorly paid job in the mills of Exeter as well, but I have not yet found any proof of that, and likely never will. Records of women's working life from that era are rare.

Mary and John were married for about 44 years until John died sometime around 1841.  Mary was aged around 71-73 at that time.

By then, Mary's eldest daughter Fanny was a widow as well.  She had married Joseph Perkiss Hutton, and had given birth to three children, but only two had survived into adulthood.  Fanny's son Joseph, Mary's grandson, had been transported to the colonies ten years earlier at the young age of 17.  He had in fact been sentenced to death, but his conviction had been commuted to transportation for a period of 14 years.  In reality, transportation to Australia really was a life sentence.  He lived out the rest of his life in Australia and probably had very little contact with either his mother or his grandmother Mary.

Mary's youngest daughter Anne (known as Nancy) had married William Henry Browning almost twenty years before, in the same church as Mary and John.  By 1841 though, Anne was in Australia, having migrated with her husband and six children.  She lived the rest of her life in the colonies, far away from her mother.

By 1851, ten years after the death of her husband, Mary was living in the Almshouses in Exeter, with another daughter Mary Anne Harris (nee Ayears).

1851 Census - St David's, Exeter, Devon, England

Mary was recorded as being an "Almsperson / Tucker's Widow".  Almsperson basically meant "one who is dependent on the receipt of alms", a "a pauper". The census record indicates she was now aged 83.  She was living in the Atwills Almshouses on New North Road in Exeter, with her daughter Mary Anne who was listed as an "Upholstress".  It seems that daughter Mary Anne's husband had died by this time, as she was now living with her mother.

An excerpt from the book 'A Topographical Dictionary of England' published in 1833 states:

"Atwill's almshouses were founded and endowed by the corporation, with the arrears of Mr. Atwill's charity in 1717, for fifteen aged woollen manufacturers, appointed by the corporation:  the annual income of this charity amounts to about £320."

Almshouses were generally houses or property left to a parish by a community-minded benefactor who was acting philanthropically, and were outside government control.  People who were accepted into these almshouses were approved in some way.  They would no have been vagrants or outcasts, but were likely to have been regarded as respectable and part of a network of obligation which ensure their admission.  

In Mary's case, she was the widow of a 'tucker', another name for a fuller, and the Atwill's Almshouses were by that time earmarked for "poor and aged" woollen trade workers as mentioned in the excerpt from information on the website Genuki: Almshouses, Devon, Exeter, 1850:

ATWILL'S ALMSHOUSES, in New North road, are neat stone dwellings on an elevated site. In 1588, Lawrence Atwill left about 320 acres of land, and several houses, &c., in the parishes of St. Thomas, Whitstone, and Uffculme, to the Corporation of Exeter, upon trust to apply the yearly profits thereof in setting the poor to work. As the charitable intentions of the testator could not be strictly or beneficially carried into effect, a new scheme was sanctioned by the Court of Chancery in 1771, directing that in future the rents and profits of the charity estate should be applied in the erection and support of almshouses for the reception of poor aged woollen weavers, &c., of the city, who should be provided with looms, &c., and small weekly stipends. Accordingly, 12 almshouses were built in 1772. In consequence of the increased income of the charity, these almshouses were enlarged in 1815, at the cost of £425; and again in 1839, at the cost of £160. They are now occupied by 24 almspeople, who are provided with coals in winter; but only 16 of them have weekly stipends of 2s. 6d. each, and none of them are provided with looms. The charity estate is let to fifteen tenants, at rents amounting to about £250 per annum, and large sums are occasionally received for the renewal of leases and the sale of timber.

I believe that Mary and her daughter Mary Anne were two of the 24 almspeople mentioned as living in the Atwill's Almshoues in 1850, and it's likely neither of them were receiving the weekly stipend.  It's more likely that Mary was relying on the income of her daughter to provide food and other essentials.  On a positive note though, at least they had a home, more or less guaranteed, and were provided with coal in winter!

This is photo of the almshouses from around 1900, which is a little while after Mary was living there but certainly gives an idea of what the almshouses looked like during Mary's time as a tenant.

There were 24 houses (more akin to flats) in 3 blocks that were designed in a gabled Tudor style.

The 'houses' were likely to have consisted of one or two rooms with a fireplace.  It would have provided Mary and her daughter with a private space so they would have been able to live quite independently, despite their economic dependence.

Mary died at the Almshouses in April of 1858 at the age of 90, as indicated on her death certificate.  The cause of death was listed as "natural decay", so it sounds as though she was not ailing in any way or suffering at the end of her long tough life.

She was buried five days later in the Parish of St. David and her death notice, albeit brief, does describe her as "greatly respected by all who knew her".

Mary was survived by her three daughters, Frances Hutton nee Littlejohns, Mary Anne Harris nee Littlejohns, Anne (known as Nancy) Browning nee Littlejohns; and her son John Edwin Littlejohns.

The Story of John LittlejohnS

First of all ... what a fabulous name!  This is the story of my paternal Great Great Great Great Grandfather, John Littlejohns  (1772 - 1865).

I'll start by talking about that surname!  In the long list of my ancestors' surnames, this particular one certainly stands out.  Compared to all the other surnames in my family tree, this one does feels out of place.  There's an immediate association that comes to mind when hearing this surname ... Robin Hood's rather large companion!

Little John was Robin's lieutenant, his second-in-command, and his name was one of three mentioned right at the start of the story-telling, in the earliest ballads about Robin Hood.  His surname was simply a whimsical reference to his size.

So what about the surname of my ancestor, and his father before him?  The information is scant on the topic of the origin of this surname, other than mentioning that it's one of a large number of surnames dating from the Medieval Period with the prefix 'Little'.  It supposedly was used as a means of endearment or explanation, to suggest a younger son or daughter who was much loved.

Another interesting point is that apparently those with the surname Littlejohns (with an 's') lived mostly in the West Country of England; whereas those with the surname Littlejohn (without the 's') resided in Scotland.  My ancestor has the 's' on his surname and did indeed hail from the west country.

There is one other fascinating fact that I can't resist sharing.  The year of my 4x great grandfather's birth was the same year that Captain Cook began his second voyage aboard the ship The Resolution in search of Terra Australis ... the great southern continent where I was born!

A rare photo of the old Church of Saint Mary Major

When my 4x great grandfather John was born in 1772, his father Henry Littlejohns was 31 and his mother Sarah Cleave was 27.

John was baptised in February of 1772 at the original Church of Saint Mary Major in Exeter, Devon, England.  It no longer stands, as it was demolished in 1865.


There was only one sibling alive at that time of John's birth.
Elizabeth had been born in 1767.
Sally came along in 1769, but had died in 1771.

When John was aged 4, another sister Sarah was born in 1776.  Sadly, she died the following year.
In 1778, Mary was born, when John was 6 years old.
So it seems that John grew up with just one older sister, and a younger sister.

Exeter sits on the River Exe in Devon, south-west England.



At the time of John's birth, it was an economically powerful city based on a history of strong trade in woollen cloth.  This industry employed thousands of people.

In the early 1770s, Celia Feinnes (A Scotswoman who kept a journal as she journeyed on horseback around England) remarked on the "vast trade" and "incredible quantity" in Exeter, recording that "it turns the most money in a week of anything in England", between £10,000 and £15,000.  

Celia stated that the "whole town and country is employed for at least 20 mile around in spinning, weaving, dressing and scouring, fulling and drying of the serges (woollen cloth)."

This was certainly true for John.  By the age of 13, the U.K. Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures (1710-1811) record shows an entry for John Littlejohns in February of 1785.  He was apprenticed to a man named Edward Pim in Exeter, Devon as a 'fuller'.  John had followed in the footsteps of his father Henry, who was also a 'fuller', and (according to family stories) worked right up to the day of his death when he was aged 89.

According to Wikipedia:  "Fulling was a step in woollen cloth making which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and to make it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller."

https://www.tuckershall.org.uk/hall/history/processes/14-fulling-or-tucking

Fulling Mill 1764

A quote taken from the website 'Exter Memories: Exeter's Woollen Industry'.

The Fulling Mills
The finishing of the cloth was centralised at Exeter - the abundance of water power in a small area allowed the mills to finish the cloth, ready for export. Before fulling, the cloth was soaked in stale human urine, which contains ammonia and fuller’s earth to aid the process. This process would cleanse the wool of oils, dirt and other impurities and thicken the fibres by matting the surface texture. Every night, urine was collected from taverns, inns and houses by men from the 'piss cart'. The wool was pummelled with large square wooden hammers, or fulling stocks, tripped by wooden cams, directly driven by the water wheel. 


The more I read about the occupation of 'fuller' (sometimes referred to as 'tucker'), the more I became convinced that it would have been hard, laborious work in an environment that would have reeked with the stench of urine.

In 1788, when John was 16 years old, his mother Sarah died.  She was only aged 43 at the time.  It must have been a devastating blow for John's father Henry, as well as John's sisters Elizabeth (aged 21) and Mary (aged 10), and indeed John himself.  I imagine the small family became even closer.

It seems John was still apprenticed to Edward Pim (spelt Pym this time) in 1792, at the age of 20!  That does seem like rather a long apprenticeship, but perhaps that's how it was back then.  The record states that John Littlejohns was of the St. Edmund Parish in Exeter, Devon.

St. Sidwell's Church, Exeter

Just a few years later, John married Mary Ayears at St. Sidwell's Church in Exeter, on the 19th of December 1797.



John was 25 years old, and his bride was 27.



I have found records for, or evidence of (from other family descendants), seven children born to John and Mary.  I have also found records that show at least four were baptised at St. Sidwell's Church.






Henry was born in early 1794, but sadly died before he was one year old.
Frances (known as Fanny) was born in 1795.
Mary Ann came along in 1797.
Jane was born on the 15th of June in 1800, but sadly passed away a mere three months later.
Anne (known as Nancy), my great great great grandmother, was born in November of 1801.
John was born in May of 1803, but sadly, he too died in 1804 when he was less than a year old.
Another son, named John Edwin, was born in July of 1807.  At that time, my 4x great grandfather was aged 35.


I know very little of John's adult life beyond these facts.  I have not yet been able to find evidence of his year of death, or where he was buried; nor have I found out what happened to his wife Mary, or his only surviving son John Edwin.

His three surviving daughters included Anne (known as Nancy), my 3x great grandmother, who emigrated to Australia with her family in 1840, and the immigration record indicates that both her parents were alive at this point.  John would have been in his late 60s by that stage.


Special Note to any family members:  If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so.  Please use the comments box below or email me.  It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.