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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Topic started by: babyboomer on Sunday 02 July 06 10:13 BST (UK)
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My great grandfather was Thomas Prendergast born !! Ireland !!Born 1843
Was a Navvy when he moved to England and married Ellen ?
Lived at Whittle-le-woods Chorley Lancs
All children born to them where born as the canal was built
Has anybody any info or any idea how I would go about finding where in Ireland
he would have come from. Cheers from an aussie ::)
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Hiya Babyboomer,
Welcome to the Resource board at Rootschat.
There were lots of Prendergasts in Ireland at the time Griffiths Valuation
was taking place in the country (1848 - 1864) http://www.failteromhat.com
All the Best, Christopher
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Onya christopher, I am afriad I am only just beginning the Irish trail.So it looks as though I will have to find the needle in the haystack. Kindest Regards for your comments. Vivian
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G'Day Vivian!
Welcome to the Prendergast hunter's club! Not forgetting the Irish trail.
Nothing specific on your rellie's but will take a squizz at my old notebook's,IF,IF,anything relevant comes up I'll give you a shout .
Goggy. ;) ;D
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Hi Goggy, Thanks for that, you know we need all the help we can get. Cheers Viv
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Viv.
Just a quick squiz in my scribble's show's more P'gast's in that area than you can poke a stick at!
Is there,hopefully,an unusual child's name for instance to focus on?
Familiar "fellow traveller's" name's? A lot of the Navvy's and familie's travelled in group's.
Any chance of the Employer's name,could be more than one!
I'm now looking for the lovely Ellen's.
Goggy. ;) ;D
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Hiya Vivian,
What do you mean all the children ??? How many were born to Thomas and Ellen. What were their Christian names? There'd be no harm in listing them all though as goggy says look out for the unusual names too. Those Christian names may heip to pinpoint the family in Ireland.
Chris
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Hi Chris, Thomas & Ellen had 5 children Mary eldest born Pendleton,Thomas born Salford,Florence, my grandmother,born Manchester Ellen, born Gorton and William, born Pendleton. My brother is NZ seems to think he came from County Wicklow.
Sorry I have been so long, but just got back from Uk and Lemnos Island were my husbands grandfather is buried from injuries in Galipolli. It was very moving and the graves are tended to beautifully. We buried a piece of carved Wigan coal. Appropriate, as he was a miner even though he was only 22yrs.
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Hi Goggy, Thank you for your interest, I have not got the name of his employer. Is there a list of people who employed the navvys ???
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G'Day Vivian!
Sorry for late answer,lost in space most of the time.
Don't know of employer's in that area or time,and really doubt Navvy's would have rated a mention anyway.
As I said earlier,there's a lot of them,have you found any 'fellow traveller's',like other name's in a group?Work available new's was spread by 'bush telegraph'then,as it was in my(later)day's.
Most of this new's was also obtained over a pint or two!
Keep on digging Digger!
Goggy. ;) ;D
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Hi Goggy, Thank you for your interest, I have not got the name of his employer. Is there a list of people who employed the navvys ???
Hiya Vivian,
You have the right idea. Some of the large building contractors of today may have built canals. As Goggy says there will be no lists of Navvies (http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/stories/the_age_of_the_engineer/01.ST.04/?scene=9) but there'd be no harm looking at the history of some of the contractors. If the founder of one of these companies came from Ireland it is possible men from the area where he was born and reared went to work for him. I regret my first guess was not too good. I guessed McAlpine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Robert_McAlpine%2C_1st_Baronet). Unfortunately for us Robert McAlpine was a Scot.
Chris
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'Evening Christopher!
Trade directories,newspaper items 'reports of drunken behaviour,etc;etc;!
We also had Wimpey's,Taylor-Woodrow,at one time in Liverpool there were certain pub's where the Navvie's relaxed,most if not all in the company issue donkey jacket and wellie's!!
Sartorial elegance.
Goggy. ;) ;D
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BB....... Do you know what canal he worked on? With the children being born in the Manchester area maybe the Manchester Ship Canal (1880s / 1890s), the Leeds Liverpool Canal would have been too early I think.
There are historical societies attached to most canal systems who may be able to give you some information, but names of navvies probably not & where they came from even less chance I suspect.
It could be an interesting bit of research to identify the possible canals (there is plenty to google for), even if you don't find your chap.
Happy hunting.
terry
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Hi Guys, You are an inspiration, I think it maybe the Manchester ship canal. That is were I shall start anyway. I know he did live at Whittle-le-Woods and when I came over last month we went to the canal there and the pub right on the canal was "Top Lock" and just across was Copthurst Cottage where he lived and was a boater. So maybe before the cottage he lived on the boat and that is why the children are born along the canal. Thank you once again for your continued interest. It is good to bounce off others ideas. Onya
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Birth places mentioned;
Salford is a borough of Manchester.
Pendleton is in Salford.
Gorton is within central Manchester
Early BIG Contractors were Mc Alpine; Murphy; Whimpy; Taylor & Woodrow.
Many Irish from Leinster (includes Wicklow) settled in Manchester.
Pendergast name is very familiar to me V friends and relatives around Wicklow & Kildare in Ireland.
All Irish construction workers were referred to a Navies.
Hope this is of some help.
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Thank you Billiejo for your information and interest, I will try and find out more, will be busy with the mudane things in life for the next couple of weeks my daughter is pregnant and I am going up to Perth to give her a hand with spring cleaning (thats what mums do) But can't wait to get stuck into the Irish part of my history. Cheers from an aussie
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Babyboomer.
Just ask who has green eye's!You actually saw the place he lived in?Terrific.
Now you can race ahead to the next problem!!
Goggy. ;) ;D
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Billiejo.
Come in,have a chair,the kettle's on.Now,when your'e comfy,can you explain why a PRendergast suddenly becomes a PEndergast,or any of the other versions or abbreviation's of the name!!
Goggy. ;) ;D
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Hey Goggy, It was wonderful to see the old cottage it is a bit more modernized and probably worth a fortune now but the ivy growing up the wall which my mum talked about when a little girl was still there and the farm in the fields where she had to go for milk. the Top Lock Pub where my grandfather must have had a pint or two, I sat inside and just had the feeling of closeness of belonging. wish he could have walked in the door we could have sung a few Irish songs.........
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baby boomer,you know,I feel really happy reading that,there's so little coming out about these b***g*rs!
Goggy. ;) ;D
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Billiejo.
Come in,have a chair,the kettle's on.Now,when your'e comfy,can you explain why a PRendergast suddenly becomes a PEndergast,or any of the other versions or abbreviation's of the name!!
Goggy. ;) ;D
Geeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
A blast from the past!! Magnified visions of a trip to the infirmary...Both hands inflammed...wow! Red welts up to elbows. Before I knew it was dislexia. The teacher with the leather belt would never know.
And here was I living on cloud nine. Thought I had climbed the mountain. SAD.