Plea for help - Bairds of Kilkenny

[Sam Baird]

Hello Roots,

I am very new to Roots and family tree searching, I'm hoping for some help please.

I'm looking at my husband's side of the family, his grandad Edward Baird born 2.11.1903 Kilkenny to Thomas and Mary Baird Nee Phelan. I'm stuck at Thomas Baird. I don't know how to find his birth or marriage, or death even. All records have different ages.
Ancestry keeps sending my hints for Thomas Baird married to Sophia Smith, how do i know if he was married before?

Any help is very much appreciated
Kind regards
Sam Martin-Baird 

[Kiltaglassan]

Edward BEIRD born 2 November 1902 at Irishtown in Kilkenny town. His father Thomas, a tailor and his mother Mary MN Whelan.
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1902/01888/1734150.pdf

In 1911 census
House 3 in Irishtown (East Side) (Kilkenny No. 2 Urban, Kilkenny)
https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Kilkenny/Kilkenny_No__2_Urban/Irishtown__East_Side_/525680/

Marriage of Thomas BAIRD to Mary PHELAN - 8 January 1900 at St Mary's RC Cathedral, Kilkenny.
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1900/10337/5763492.pdf

Death of Thomas Baird, aged 44 years in 1918 at Kilkenny town.   #263
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/deaths_returns/deaths_1918/05186/4432177.pdf

[Sam Baird]

Fantastic!! Thank you for taking the time to help, it is very much appreciated.
How? Any tips on how i go back another generation?

Thank you
Sam 

[heywood]

You can look at 1901 census for Thomas and see that he has a brother Patrick living with him. Also a brother in law if you are chasing the Phelans too.
https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kilkenny/Kilkenny_Urban/Lees_Lane/1451247/

Using Irish genealogy site, a likely birth for Patrick Baird with parents named
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1865/03572/2316333.pdf

You will see that his age doesn’t quite match but that is not unusual.

Thomas Baird’s witness on marriage was James Baird - that could be another clue to follow up.

[heywood]

Interesting information here. You know that Thomas’ father is William from the marriage certificate.
Here is a birth for William Baird, 1870 to parents William Baird and Catherine Cullen.
Note father’s residence - New Orleans, United States.
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1870/03322/2217784.pdf

[heywood]

You will not find a civil record for Thomas’ birth as civil records only begin in 1864.

You can search baptisms on paysites, Ancestry and Find my Past and I think Family Search has indexes.

If you know the date or at least the year, you can try here - https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0990?locale=en

You can find Thomas’ baptism here - 31st March 1861
One of the variations of ‘Baird’ - looks like ‘Beard’.

[Sam Baird]

Thank you so much for this help.

I have a lot to go on because of your help.

[heywood]

It is a case of just trying various sites to see what turns up. The spelling of Baird will be difficult at times.
I did find a marriage abt 1856, I think, for William and Catherine Cullen at St Canice. So that is something to follow up.
You won’t find parents details though on parish records.

Their son William looks to have died in USA. If you search Family Search and enter parents names - Cullen for Catherine- in US search, it brings a death up for William. Again the age is out a few years.
You may then be able to get him in US census etc.

[heywood]

It looks as though Thomas’ brother, James is living in Cullahill, Queens County in 1901 and 1911.
His mother Catherine Baird is with the family.
Her age is given as 55 yrs which is unlikely but it states she is a widow.

From the children in the census, you can look up births and get their mother’s name and then find James’ marriage. Names again are a problem - Maher /Meagher.

I was ‘t going to post links, thinking you may want to search yourself but please ask if you need guidance.

However, here is that marriage and I can’t decipher James’ occupation and there seems to be something written under his father’s name - a name beginning with ‘Mc..’ I am posting that as someone may be able to help.
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1887/10812/5943586.pdf