Bridget Dowling Hitler

[mayoevie]

I heard some years ago that a relative married a half-brother of Adolph Hitler.
Her name was Bridget Dowling born about 1892 in Dublin.
Bridget met Alois Hitler when he was working as a waiter in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. They eloped to London where they married in June 1910.
Bridget was 18 and Alois was 27

Their son William Patrick Hitler was born in 1911.

If any reader knows who were the parents or siblings of Bridgets' father William Dowling, I will be very interested.

[shanew147]

there are some details on Bridget here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_Dowling



Shane

[mayoevie]

Thanks Shane,
I have seen all that, and I have the book which was written by Bridget, but it gives no information about her ancestors other than her father, William.
I am trying to find out how she is connected to my grandfather, Patrick Dowling.

[aghadowey]

Bridget's birth certificate should list her parents' names and their marriage certificate should list their fathers' names and occupations, etc.

[shanew147]

assuming that the birth date is correct on the Wikipedia page then I'd say this is the best match for her birth cert..

Name: Bridget Dowling
Registration district: Dublin South
Record type: BIRTHS
Registration date - quarter and year: Jul - Sep 1891
Volume: 2
Page: 568

her London marriage and birth of son William appear on freebmd

Marriages Jun 1910
  Hitler    Alois       Marylebone    1a   1115   

  Dowling    Bridget Elizabeth        Marylebone    1a   1115

Births Jun 1911
  Hitler    William P       Toxteth P.    8b   182   


Shane

[mayoevie]

Thanks Aghadowey and Shane,

I will order Bridgets' birth certificate.
The certificates for her marriage to Alois, and the birth of her son William Patrick are reproduced in her book.

[mayoevie]

Hello anyone who is interested.

Bridgets' birth certificate arrived today almost a month after I ordered it.

She was born in Kilnamanagh, Tallaght, South Dublin 3rd July 1891.
Father William Dowling, Kilnamanagh, labourer.
Mothers mark Eliza Renolds. (that name is usually spelled Reynolds)

I hope to find the marriage of William and Eliza in the Register Office when I go to Dublin next week, and try to find out if William was a brother of my grandfather Patrick Dowling.

Patrick had 8 siblings and 6 were still alive in 1911.
Alicia I think didn't marry.
Mary married a Mr. Purtell
Kathleen married a man whose name I don't know.
Jenny I think was unmarried.

I don't  know the names of the other 4 siblings, and would love to hear from anyone who might know about them.

Eve

[mayoevie]

Hello again.

I have been to the Register Office in Dublin since my last post and was unable to find the marriage of Bridget Dowling's parents.

I am still trying to find out if Bridget's father William was a brother of my grandfather Patrick Dowling.

I know from the 1911 census that my great-grandfather Richard Dowling had 9 children born alive and 7 still living. He lived in Essex St when some or all of his children were born.

Not sure if Patrick was the eldest but younger than him was Alicia unmarried and Thomas married to Bridget Buckley.  Mary married  Laurence Purtell and I think she died before 1911.
I also found a baptism record for Margaret but don't know what became of her.

The above five are the only children of Richard that I have records for, so still not sure if there was a William. I have no proof of Kathleen or Jenny.

Most of the family members were bookbinders or printers and Patrick was a commission agent, which I am told is another name for a turf accountant.

This is a shot in the dark but if anyone can fill in the blanks about the above family I will be very grateful.

Eve

[shanew147]

I am actually looking through directories for bookbinder for another poster at the moment... will keep an eye out for any Dowlings



Shane