Handebo in County Offaly or Westmeath

rrings

Hello I've run into a bit of a wall with my ggGrandparents. Their names are James Handibo (thats how it was spelled here in the US but alternatively Handebo, Handiboe) and Mary Walsh. They were married in Clara on 26 Sep 1832.

I have James' birthdate as 2 Aug 1802 (from his gravestone) and Mary's as Aug of 1812.

I've found several records of Handebo in and around the area in censuses (1901 and 1911) and Griffith's as well as a transportation record for a John Handebo who was sent to Australia for stealing sheep. John and James would have been contemporaries.

There are lots of family stories about James that he was running from the English due to some involvement in the ribbonmen. He left Ireland very soon after being married since their first child was born less than a year after the wedding in Canada. He never signed his name to anything and was hesitant to talk about the days in Ireland.

Anyway, I know Handebo is not an "Irish" name and as such isn't terribly common. I am planning a trip for later this year and amongst all the other plans would like to be able to see the area they came from and do some research as accessing records from here in the US is terribly difficult. Any help that could be provided would be tremendously appreciated!

shanew

your dates are very early for parish records.... RC marriages for Clara parish go back to 1821, and baptisms to 1845

what denomination was the marriage of James & Mary ?



Shane

rrings

They were Roman Catholic

shanew

there's are three entries on the Tithe records in King's Co. for the surname - two in Kilclonfert civil parish (possibly both for the same person), and one in Kilbride civil parish at Fairgreen in the town of Clara.

Tithes were a type of tax payable to the established church, i.e. Church of Ireland - and usually applied to just agricultural land, so didn't apply to everyone.

There are also a number of close matches on the Tithe listing for Co. Westmeath

These Tithe records are dated between 1824 and 1834.


Shane

shanew

rrings wrote: »

They were Roman Catholic

do you have a copy or transcript of the marriage ?

I dont see anything matching on the transcripts on RootsIreland...

shanew

There seems to be quite a few descendants of James and Mary in the US, and a number of trees online with the same details, but other than references to other trees, none seem to show any sources for details of James of Mary.

US death certs for James and Mary may give you the names of their parents, which may bring you a step back, as it might be possible to find possible links to Tithe records.


Shane

rrings

Thank you all for the quick replies! I have one or more of those family trees for them you find online

Unfortunately James died in 1858, well before it was law here in Ohio to keep death records (1867). Mary's may be available on film (she died in 1877) so I will have to try and make it up to Columbus to check for it although I have her parents as Adam James Walsh and Catherine McCormick.

There are quite a few of their descendants here. They had 9 children and the children were quite prolific as well. One of their grandchildren even played professional baseball for a bit

shanew

a relatively uncommon Christian name for Mary's father, if that's correct - 5 Adam Walsh listings in the Tithe record in Co. Offaly - including two close to Clara in Kilbride civil parish, and three in Kilmanaghan civil parish which also includes parts of Co. Westmeath

see : a*m w*lsh*, King's County

p.s. had a search of the marriage index for Clara, RC on RootsIreland and there is a Mary Walsh marriage listed in 1832.. but husband's surname doesn't appear to start with 'h'

p.p.s but his firstname does seem to be James...

Coolnabacky1873

If you know where they are from in Ireland and want to do some research when you get hear then one of the best places to go would be the the county library, specifically the local studies/family history dept.

For Offaly you can find all the info here.

If there was a chance he was involved with the Ribbonmen then court records, local/provincial newspapers and local history society journals might be fruitful.

Anything to do with Offaly would be at the county library.

shanew

If you are going to be in Dublin and you wish to check up on that marriage, then visit the National Library, as they have films of most of the historic RC parish records, in a self service system. The microfilm for Kilbride/Clara is Pos. 4174.

Forgot to mention that there are two Kilbride civil parishes in Co. Offaly - both quite close together. One in Kilcoursey barony which is where Clara town is located, and the other in Ballycowan barony, just south of Kilbride/Kilcoursey.

The Kilbride/Kilcoursey civil parish and Clara are right beside the Westmeath border.

p.s. after mention of 'Ribbonmen', had a quick look at the list of Tithe defaulters, but no Handebo listings that I can find...

rrings

Thank you so much! I have some hope now.

I wonder if James' possible criminal behavior would cause him to not use his real name in the marriage? Another story about them is that Mary was actually pregnant when they got married and James was running from Adam Walsh as much as he was from the law.

I do plan to spend some time in Dublin so will do my best to check up on it at the library.

It is quite frustrating to not have this information as the rest of my heritage is German through and through and quite boring. If I could verify the stories about James being a troublemaker that would be pretty exciting to several folks back here who are keen to be related to a rebel

shanew

The National Library also have an excellent collection of old newspapers - some microfilmed, some in binders. A while ago I researched the King's County Chronicle (published in Birr) for details some of my gtgtgt-Grandparents who lived near to Clara in Bellair and Leabeg townlands. Unfortunately the paper only goes back to 1845, which might be a little too late for your guy...

see : Newspaper database, NLI (Index of newspapers available)