FITZMAURICE/MEADE

[Essie]

Hi Helen

It does seems as if your Mary Agnes arrived with her mother. The spelling of Kathryn may be an error?

I looked for a death of Kate FITZMAURICE  in NSW but did not find one.  However . . .  I did see this death
V1855817 120/1855 
MEADE  CATHERINE  AGE 37 

Perhaps a teenage Catherine MEADE had Mary Agnes who likewise became a teenage mother with illegitimate children, and the subsequent family stories were a coverup.  Such a situation may be from  a "below stairs" relationship with the mother and daughter sent to the colonies by the father's family. Or the FITZMAURICE chap was a married man?

EDIT
Further searching eliminated the above Catherine death as a remote link.   Was a  marriage in 1841 at Campbelltown of Richard MEADE and Catherine RILEY.


Essie

[shimitras]

I now believe Mary Agnes Fitzmaurice was actually born Agnes Williamson, baptised 26 November 1838 in St Mary's C of I, Limerick. Her father was a Robert Williamson and mother Catherine but no surname provided. His occupation was 'Employed in the Surv'. Mary Agnes had actually put on the birth certificate of her first daughter, Robina Marie Josephine, that her maiden name was Williamson. Robina was born in August 1856 in Sydney. I can't find any marriage certificate for Robert Williamson and Catherine. Catherine Meade, Mary's mother was baptised on 26 May 1794 in St Mary's R C Church Limerick. That would have made the Catherine, mother of Mary Agnes 45 years old when she had her in 1838. Could she have been married to a Henry Fitzmaurice before then and Mary Agnes, preferring to link herself to the Fitzmaurices rather than the Williamsons? Catherine's brother, Roche Meade's estate current account document shows money sent to Sydney on 29 April 1850 102.2.6 pounds) and another lot on 24 May 1851 for 53 pounds, one and six). The current account document was  'Mrs Kate Fitzmaurice with John Chalmers.  Can you suggest where I might find a copy of the Last Will and Testament of Roche Meade. The Credit side of the document says 'By Share of Est. Roche Meade 855.14.9' so it was quite substantial.

[cando]

Newspaper snippets for Roche MEADE - is this one her brother?
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0kak/

Where did Roche MEADE die?

Cando

[shimitras]

I have evidence now that Kate Fitzmaurice was indeed married to a Fitzmaurice as she is referred to in the estate administration of her brother, Major Roche Meade, as 'Kate Fitzmaurice - Widow, Catherine Street, Limerick'. This was in December 1849. Roche Meade died in November 1849 and his estate went to his only next of kin being his two sisters Kate Fitzmaurice and Mary Anne Burgess, both widows and his half brother Stephen Meade who was appointed joint administrator of Roche Meade's estate. Mrs Kate Fitzmaurice is the mother of Mary Agnes (Williamson) Grant (first marriage?) and then second marriage Powell. Quite a few items of memorabilia belonging to Roche Meade (forage cap for instance) were in our family's possession. The Meade family (apart from Stephen Meade who married a Maria Burgess in 1826) appear to disappear from Ireland. John Meade Thomas and Edmund Fennell appeared in the Court of Chancery in London in 1819 on charges relating to the misadministration of an estate for which they both were executors. I wonder if the disgrace of this forced them to leave Ireland. However Mary Agnes seems to be certain she was born in Ireland somewhere.