Hello Tara and AGHadowey,
If you read nothing else, please read the last paragraph as I want you to know your help really has made a difference.
I have just gained confirmation from my elderly grandmother that
Alexander was unable to gain papers relating to his birth because they were destroyed in a fire, so that is in line with what you both stated. I'm not too worried about that though as
John's father is named on his marriage registration - as
William. Of course with a few Williams in the area, that is where it gets vague and as I am only adding entries to the family tree once I feel 99% certain about them, the trail has gone a bit cold.
That said, the fact that
John and
William appear on the
Griffiths Valuation (1857) is really quite convincing that they were living near each other in
Meenacally, and certainly the area is ringing bells with my grandmother even though she never actually visited there due to a family rift which began before she was even born.
The
1837 Tithe Applotment Book's reference to both
William and a
Robert living in
Meenacally (North and South) is interesting because it raises the question of who Robert is in relation to William. I would be thrilled if this was William's father and thus another generation back, but who knows? I will have to keep searching for clues ... Another bit of possible confirmation is that William's grandson
Alexander named one of his sons
Robert alongside a
William,
Alexander Jr., alongside a
Tom / Thomas and if I recall correctly a
John also. The same names seem to repeat across the generations.
Tara, in response to your question about no William being listed among the early children of
John Love and
Anne Richey/Ritchie, this does seem to parallel my grandmother's recall too. She doesn't recall any Uncle William being mentioned, but Uncles
Andy and
George plus an Aunt
Anne were mentioned. So it could just be that they really did omit the name William for a generation.
Edrim Glebe I will ask about ... it does come up here and there with the names doesn't it!
The main thing though is to thank you both for your helpfulness ... and Tara you really did locate some gems there! You have both helped so much and I am truly grateful. It is wonderful that I can fill in blanks for my grandmother ... and finally I can show my elderly England-based grandmother where her grandfather appears to have farmed and lived in Meenacally - especially since it can be seen on Google Streetview. Amazing that technology can make that possible as it would have been unthinkable to her at her present 90+ years of age! That will mean so much to her and her single remaining sister.
So a big THANK YOU. You have helped some wonderful ripples to move through our family
Cary
