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Hi Paul

My greatgrandfather was James Beahan- older brother to Thomas. There were I think 3 sisters 2 of whom were also born in India. James was born on board ship in 1854 and left in Kensington in London where he was baptised and ended up at a school for orphans - he had one leg shorter than the other which is why he may have been abandoned. Somewhere along the line however he reconnected to his family and used to visit his father and brother Thomas in Dublin from Leeds where he settled. One of his sisters left her son with him at times. He kept a journal which I have in my possession. I have never been able to find out much about his parents - but my family do have James senior's crimean war medal.

Angela

That's fantastic bluehat. My stepgrandmother Hilda who married Jim Beahan after his wife died (before I was born) and who lived until 2003 (she was much younger than him) mentioned two sisters in Dublin - I wonder if it was your grandmothers???

This is so interesting....as soon as I have posted enough I will get in touch with you both. I am here in my sitting room with 2 sketches of James Beahan, my great grandfather, brother of your great grandfather Thomas, on the walls. They were done by my step grandmother who was the family lodger at the time! He is bald and bespectacled with a bushy little tache.

I will have to get the journal out again as I havent looked at it for ages. It is in copperplate handwriting and very difficult to read. I keep meaning to transcribe it and now it looks as though I must get round to that.

James Joseph (I believe he adopted this middle name as it is not on his certificate of baptism in London which I have) Beahan came to Leeds from London I think in the 1880s but I dont know why he ended up there. I couldnt find him on census records from his birth in 1854 till he was working in Leeds as an adult. He worked as a draughtsman in the Engineers dept at Leeds City Council. His eldest son, my grandfather James (Jim) lived in Leeds all his life and was a Headmaster. I remember him well. My Dad Patrick was born and brought up in Leeds. I was born in Leeds but my parents eventually moved near Sheffield and lived in the Peak District for 46 years. So the Leeds connection ends with me.