James Tobin & Margaret Dunbar

[ken murphy]

Thanks for your help, Wexflyer

[Wexflyer]

With regard to the Baptisms - Coolbawn was the residence for Thomas (1832); no residence recorded for Sarah (1833); Crory was the residence for Margaret (1836).

From that it is clear that your James Tobin was an itinerant laborer - that is a laborer who moved from farm to farm for work, as opposed to having a fixed employment at one farm.

That being so, he could only be the James Tobin of the 1824 tythe valuation if he had lost his land holding in the 1824-1832 period. Which is of course possible but unknown.

[ken murphy]

I wouldn't disagree with your conclusion, Wexflyer.
Thanks again for your help 

[Wexflyer]

Some final comments to OP:

Are you relying on commercial transcriptions and indexing of the parish registers to look for Ferns baptisms and marriages, or did you look in person?

Commercial indexing can be quite unreliable - they tend to misread difficult entries, or unfamiliar names. Once I know a location for one of my own families, i always consult the originals myself.

Also, as James was obviously moving around, there may have been children earlier than 1832, or in the gaps, etc. Have you looked for other later Tobin marriages with father James? Just as a possibility.

[ken murphy]

The source of my information is the NLI Parish Registers.
I have checked Marriages in Ferns from 1819 & Baptisms from 1819 to 1844.
I think it is unlikely that I have missed any Baptisms, especially given that the family was still resident in the Ferns area, at the time of Sarah's marriage in 1857.

I would say that my research has hit a dead end, and I am unlikely to discover when/where James & Margaret were born. With regard to their marriage, I have to assume that the priest failed to record it in the Register. As it wasn't mandatory to register a death, then it is unlikely I will discover when/where James died.

[Wexflyer]

.... With regard to their marriage, I have to assume that the priest failed to record it in the Register....

I would have a different assumption as being the most likely: That the bride was from a different parish, and that they were married in her home parish.  This possibility is why I mentioned that children might have been born before 1832 or in gaps - children potentially born in other parishes.
Of course the records don't exist for those other parishes, but as the marriage records do exist for Ferns, and your James and Margaret aren't in them, this seems the most likely scenario to me.

[ken murphy]

Wexflyer, your assumption could be correct. I didn't discount that possibility, and I did investigate it some time ago, without any luck.
I can't think of anywhere else to investigate.
Once again thanks for your help & suggestions 

[Kencadoc]

I know I am a couple of years late in commenting on this thread, but I have only very recently discovered that this couple are my ancestors and then came across your post by chance. Have you managed to get any further with them? I have quite a lot of information on the Dunbars; I discovered that several of their descendants were my DNA matches.