I have found a possible record for my ancestor in a 1821 census copy. My ancestor's name is Bryan Kiernan, and the only confirmed records I have of him are two court records from Dunshaughlin, where he is listed alongside his presumed son, Hugh. Hugh never married and was listed as a sponsor for baptisms. Hugh was most likely the son who took care of Bryan.
In the 1821 census copy, Bryan is listed with his wife Mary, his nephew Nicholas Martin, and Nicholas's wife Mary. This was in the townland of Tullaghanogue, between Trim and Athboy. There are also servants listed, and they owned 20 acres, so this Bryan Kiernan was most likely above peasantry status.
As I have been unable to find any contemporary records of Bryan Kiernan that could explain his movement to Dunboyne parish, I have decided to focus on the nephew listed. Since Nicholas Martin is Bryan's nephew, Nicholas must have been born to a mother whose maiden name was Kiernan. As he was listed as 26 years old, this would mean he was born circa 1795.
I searched for any variants of the surname (matching at least krn) and found one singular match: a Nicholas Martin born to parents James Martin and Mary Kiernan (Kearney), baptized in Rush, Dublin, on September 21, 1791. If they are the same person, there is an age discrepancy to consider. The Irish census was taken around May 28, 1821, and if his baptism took place within a week of his birth, he would have been 29 years old—which is 3 years off from the census age. I'm not sure what to make of this. Is it possible the census taker estimated the year and based the age on that estimate?
The Nicholas Martin listed in the 1821 census also appears in the Tithe Applotment Books in Stonestown for the year 1824, a townland adjacent to where the 1821 census was recorded. After this, he completely disappears from records.
Now, the other Nicholas Martin I presume may be a match appears in Ratoath, where a son named Bernard was born to Nicholas Martin and Mary King, baptized on September 14, 1825. That is the only record I was able to locate where Nicholas Martin has a wife named Mary. I found a forum post here (
https://irelandxo.com/ireland/cavan/message-board/bernard-martin-james-martin) where it was discussed that possibly other baptisms were recorded under the mother's name as Catherine or Bridget, but these could also be other couples.
This Nicholas Martin is listed as an occupier in the townland of Flemingtown, holding land under the landlord William Parkinson Ruxton, Esq., for the year 1825. This Nicholas Martin later died in 1866 and left a will in which a son named John is mentioned.
My question is: are these two Nicholas Martins the same person? Please let me know what you think. Thanks in advance.
