RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Matt1979 on Sunday 05 February 17 16:29 GMT (UK)
-
I am trying to find information about a Denis Francis Kennedy who was my uncle's partner's grandad. My uncle asked me to research him for his partner's birthday as she knows nothing about her grandfather and her mom never talked about him at all. It was mentioned that he was originally from County Cork, possibly a village called Dundrum and he moved to England after the First World War and settled in Doncaster where he met my uncle's partner's grandmother although it doesn't appear that they married.
Their daughter's birth certificate has the father section as blank and she was registered in her mother's maiden name. The 1939 census on Find My Past shows Denis Kennedy in Doncaster and gives his date of birth as 26th July 1890. But after searching Irish birth indexes I haven't found any Denis or Francis Kennedy born in the July-August-September quarter of 1890. This is puzzling, unless some Irish records are lost. Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
-
No Irish vital records (births, marriages, deaths) have been lost but it's possible that
1) he was registered without Christian names
2) he was registered with other Christian names
3) he was registered under a different surname (and possibly also different Christian names)
Have you looked for him in 1911 and 1901 census?
I don't think there's a Dundrum in Cork-
https://www.townlands.ie/search/?q=dundrum
-
If you look at www.irishgenealogy.ie Civil records there are 4 births registered for a Denis Kennedy , 1. Lisburn Co Antrim, 2 1889 Bantry Co Cork, 3, Listowel co Kerry 1889, 4 Borrisokane Co Tipperary 1891.
You mentioned Dundrum as a possibility so I looked at Census www.nationalarchives.ie for a Denis Kennedy All Counties age 11. There is a Dundrum in Tipperary & in 1901 Census House 9 Clooninahy DED Terryglass) Tipperary Head John Cahalan Carpenter. Kaite Kennedy widow 50, Servant -Denis Kennedy a 10 .
The Civil Record for a Denis Kennedy in Borrisokane Tipperary has mother as Kate Kennedy - no father shown. I wonder are these them on the 1901 Census.
-
No Irish vital records (births, marriages, deaths) have been lost but it's possible that
1) he was registered without Christian names
2) he was registered with other Christian names
3) he was registered under a different surname (and possibly also different Christian names)
Have you looked for him in 1911 and 1901 census?
I don't think there's a Dundrum in Cork-
https://www.townlands.ie/search/?q=dundrum
I did look for Denis on the 1911 and 1901 censuses but I couldn't find him in County Cork which is where I originally believed he was from. Thanks for the link - I was also doubtful about a Dundrum being in Cork after I searched.
-
If you look at www.irishgenealogy.ie Civil records there are 4 births registered for a Denis Kennedy , 1. Lisburn Co Antrim, 2 1889 Bantry Co Cork, 3, Listowel co Kerry 1889, 4 Borrisokane Co Tipperary 1891.
You mentioned Dundrum as a possibility so I looked at Census www.nationalarchives.ie for a Denis Kennedy All Counties age 11. There is a Dundrum in Tipperary & in 1901 Census House 9 Clooninahy DED Terryglass) Tipperary Head John Cahalan Carpenter. Kaite Kennedy widow 50, Servant -Denis Kennedy a 10 .
The Civil Record for a Denis Kennedy in Borrisokane Tipperary has mother as Kate Kennedy - no father shown. I wonder are these them on the 1901 Census.
Thanks for all these details. I saw some of the Denis Kennedy's you mention, although they don't match the exact date of birth. But the Dundrum in Tipperary where there is a Denis Kennedy listed seems very possible to be right place. I will check the details more thoroughly but it seems like I am on the right track.
-
I have contacted the Irish General Register Office with the details on Denis Francis Kennedy born in Borrisokane, County Tipperary. They found that his date of birth was August 1891 and there is no Denis Francis Kennedy or Denis Kennedy with 26th July 1890 (or any similar date in 1890) as his date of birth. I have looked through the Irish GRO website and the only other Denis Kennedy born in July in the 1890s was born on 25th July 1897 in Dublin. I have also checked for Francis Kennedy but found no similar information.
The 1939 Census on Find My Past appeared to have Denis Kennedy's date of birth as 1890 at first glance - it appeared when I looked more carefully that the date might have been 1896, the 0 looked a bit scruffy and I thought it might have been a 6. However, when I was looking down the page, other 6's appeared to be written more clearly.
Does anyone have any other suggestions about how I can find a record for Denis Kennedy?
Thanks.
-
Have you searched for an un-named Kennedy boy with that birthdate? or a Denis Francis (without surname Kennedy)?
-
Have you searched for an un-named Kennedy boy with that birthdate? or a Denis Francis (without surname Kennedy)?
I hadn't searched yet, I had forgotten that he might have been registered without a first name or as Denis Francis.
Thanks.
-
I have searched for an in-named Kennedy boy and a Francis Kennedy but there are no matches. My uncle now thinks Denis Kennedy might have been born in Yorkshire and his parents were from Ireland. There is a Denis Kennedy on the England and Wales birth indexes registered in Leeds with July 1890 as his birthdate and the 1901 census does show that his parents were Irish but Dublin is given as their date of birth so I am not sure where the reference to Dundrum came from.
-
Dundrum is in County Dublin.
https://www.townlands.ie/dublin/rathdown/taney/dundrum/
-
Thanks for letting me know, but it appears the Francis Kennedy born in Leeds in 1890) (I accidentally called him Denis) died in 1892 - I found this a few minutes ago after noticing that he wasn't on the 1901 census, I also made a mistake there as I meant the 1891 census.
-
It's possible he wasn't registered with Kennedy surname.
-
It's possible he wasn't registered with Kennedy surname.
This would make the search very difficult. I now believe that the Denis Kennedy I am looking for was born in England to an Irish family. We have very little information on him and my uncle's partner's family have just briefly mentioned a village called Dundrum and no relatives ever spoke about him.
I have found a Denis Kennedy living at Castleford near Pontefract on the 1911 Census. Denis's common-law wife (they never married) was from a Yorkshire Village called Kirkby Malzeard and their daughter was born in in Doncaster which is where they are listed on the 1939 census.
The Denis Kennedy living in Castleford was born in Prescot near St. Helens in the July-August-September quarter 1888. Although my uncle's partner's grandfather's date of birth was listed on the 1939 census as 26th July 1890, could it have been that he might not have known his exact birthdate? I have heard that some people weren't always sure of what year they were born.
-
I have also found that a death certificate for the same Denis Kennedy is hard to find. I have searched with all the obvious criteria but no results appear for the Denis Kennedy born in 1888 in Prescot in the Jul-Aug-Sep quarter, unless of course he had left the country.