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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Donegal => Topic started by: ele002 on Saturday 18 November 23 13:13 GMT (UK)
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Hi. I've come across some Army Records from 1814 which show a soldier as being born in Tuam, Donegal/Co. Donegal about 1795/96. However, when I searched for Tuam it comes up as being in Co. Galway.
Can anyone throw any light on this for me please.
Thanks, Eric.
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Tuam is both a civil parish and an electoral division in Co Galway.
https://www.townlands.ie/galway/tuam/
https://www.townlands.ie/galway/tuam-rural/
https://www.townlands.ie/galway/tuam-urban/
Tuam townlands are situated in counties Cavan and Roscommon.
Can you attach a snip of the relevant area of the form, so that we can also have a look ourselves?
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That's pretty much what I found.
I've attached a bit of one of the items, I hope.
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Indeed it says….born in the Parish of Tuam in, or near the Town of Tuam in the County of Donegal ??? ???
Two other villages, starting with 'T' that come to mind are Teelin in the SW of County Donegal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teelin
....and Termon north of Letterkenny.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termon
Good luck!
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Please can you tell us the full name of the soldier?
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I have relatives born in what I am told is sub- Townland that has a variety of spelling, e.g. Toome, Toam, Toame, Toomb, Toombe all the same place in Mevagh County Donegal It is near the village of Glen. difficult to find on a modern map but is on the Tithe and Griffith Valuation.
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Please can you tell us the full name of the soldier?
James Finlay served for 9 years and 340 days.
...born in what I am told is sub- Townland that has a variety of spelling, e.g. Toome, Toam, Toame, Toomb, Toombe all the same place in Mevagh County Donegal
https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/kilmacrenan/mevagh/rosguill/mevagh/
https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/5505693#map=13/55.1919/-7.8171
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What about Toome in Lettermacaward CP, the Irish is Tuaim?
https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/boylagh/lettermacaward/lettermacaward/toome/
Edited to add: It is a documented spelling in various BMDs, for example, a Hugh Trimble recorded as living in Toome on 2 April 1911 ...
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Lettermacaward/Toome/487783/
... was recorded as living in Tuam when he got married on 23 May 1911:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1911/09948/5616549.pdf
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Many thanks for the replies. Plenty of food for thought.
The soldier is James Finlay and according to the 1861 Census in Scotland, was born c1785 Donegal, Ireland. I'm not even sure that this soldier is the same person, but need to start somewhere.
The info has been supplied by a cousin (which means this is all foreign to me...pardon the pun) who believes that JF was born c1785 Donegal and he married a Sarah Hunter around 1813/14 in Donegal. I did find a reference to his enlistment in 1804, which I'm trying to find again, but I think it gave him as born in Donegal.
At the moment, I'm just trying to solve this Tuam puzzler.
Thanks, Eric
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Hi
The National Archives Title Applotments lists Parishes in Co. Donegal. In Lettermacaward Parish, a list of its townlands is shown - and "Tuam" is mentioned.
See
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/pagestab/Donegal/Lettermacaward/
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Thanks LH. Something else to look into.
Do you know if the Tuam that's mentioned would be a small settlement, especially in the early 1800's?
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Do you know if the Tuam that's mentioned would be a small settlement, especially in the early 1800's?
Toome townland in the OSi National Townland and Historical Map Viewer. No Toome settlement.
Click 'Accept' and 'OK'. Click 'X' in the black band (if present).
Select MapGenie 6 Inch First Edition (in Colour) (1829-1841) in Basemap Gallery.
Enlarge by clicking '+'. Pan in all directions.
https://arcg.is/1WG0iH
OpenStreetMap
https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/5580323#map=12/54.8685/-8.3167
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Hi ele002
Yes there are only 20 names listed in Tuam, Donegal, according to the National Archives Tithes (1823-1837), so a small townland.
Happy hunting
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Many thanks to you all for solving the mystery of Tuam, but, of course, it's of no value if my Jas Finlay wasn't from there.
The hard bit now will be establishing where the Finlays were from. There were 6 children all born Donegal and I'm hoping if I can find them on Censuses through the years that one of them will have put a town instead of just Donegal. Easier said than done. I've done 3 with no success.
Are any Parish Records for the area available? The last 2 were born 1833/37.
Thanks again, Eric
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I had a glance at RootsIreland and the only two baptisms I could see for a father called James Finlay back in that era were Presbyterian ones ('Dunfanaghy' district?) for Margretta born and baptised in 1831 and William born and baptised in 1833, the father James Finlay was recorded as a policeman / sergeant and the mother was recorded as Sarah Hunter. The location was 'Lisfannan' and 'Lesfannan' and the only two possibilities I can see for that are townlands in Burt CP and Fahan Upper CP... which are nowhere near Dunfanaghy.
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Gaffy...that's very interesting. This Jas Finlay was supposed to have married a Sarah Hunter, but Margretta or even Margaret doesn't appear on the Censuses in Scotland, but she may have died young. There is a gap of about 5 years in the children at that time.
I need to have another good sit down with my cousin and try to find out where he's got his info from.
Interesting though. Thanks, Eric.
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Hi again
The Title Applotments I referred to earlier show just three Finlay names in Donegal - Robt, Robert and Jas (James). See:-
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/results.jsp?surname=Finlay&firstname=&county=Donegal&parish=&townland=&search=Search
What religion was your Finlay guy?
No need to provide links to these areas until you decide whether any are likely candidates.
Regards
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Finlays do seem a bit thin on the ground in the area.
As for religion, I'm not sure, but I don't think any were Catholic at any time.
As I said earlier, I need to have a good chat with my cousin to find out where he got his info from. The William baptism with Sarah Hunter as the Mother looks very promising, although the Father as a Policeman is news. But, if he was a Corporal in the Army, then maybe going on to be a Policeman may not be too much of a stretch.
Thanks, Eric.
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One of the military records for James Finlay of the 9th Dragoons shows him having died on 16 January 1864, the relevant death record shows place of death as 34 Cook Street, Glasgow, his reported age was 81, his occupation was something in Customs (I can't make it out) and there's a comment to say 'married to Sarah Hunter', in addition, James' parents were identified as James Finlay a farmer and Sarah Hutton, both deceased.
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Very interesting Gaffy.
As I said I need to speak with my cousin, but he did die about that time, as far as I know, he did live in Glasgow in 1861. In the late 1840's/50's he was a Tidewaiter, so things seem to be fitting together.
Can I ask where this Military Record can be found. I found some, but not this one.
Thanks again, Eric.
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Tidewaiter, of course, 'Tidewaiter Customs' is what it says on James' death record, it looks so obvious once one knows what to look for. Wm. Finlay the son was the informant and the district that Cook Street was in was written as Tradeston.
James' date of death came from the 'Ancestry' website's collection called 'UK Royal Hospital Chelsea Admission Books, Registers and Papers, 1702-1980', under the page headed 9th Regiment of Dragoons, it lists his name, an admission date of 22 September 1814, a residence of Glasgow and the comment 'Died 16/1' in the column marked '1864'.
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Thanks Gaffy. Thought I'd looked in that lot. However, you all seem to have cracked it. J F did die in 1864 in Glasgow and in 1861 was in Tradestown area.
All the bits fit together; his death, job, wife and the Baptisms. Easy when you know where to look. And, we all now know where Tuam is in Donegal.
Many thanks to all of you. Regards, Eric.