Only one more day in Ireland, and I’m spending a few days in Dublin in a down-at-heel but friendly and perfectly adequate guest house where you share a toilet (not the bathroom as was advertised – I get a shower of my own!) I’m on the top floor so get lots of exercise. The linen seems clean, I get eggs and toast for breakfast, I can come down to the kitchen to fill my cup with boiling water for my bed-time herbal tea, and if the free wifi is playing up I can come and work down in the kitchen where it’s always good 🙂
As it happens, I’ve suddenly found out what I came over here to establish – in a way. We had hoped that our ancestor James Beatty of Aghavoory was the son of Archibald Beatty of Farnamullan. DNA testing had indicated that it was highly likely (our DNA being practically identical to a descendant of the Farnamullan Beattys). The Farnamullan James Beatty was born in 1807. At PRONI in Belfast last week I found that our James Beatty died in 1873 – when the Estate Manager wrote DEAD beside his name in the Colebrooke Estate rent book. Today I got his death record from GRO Dublin. Due to the number of James Beattys it took a couple of goes and he turned out to be 10 years older than I was expecting. Anyway, James Beatty, Farmer, aged 76, married, died of Bronchitis at Aghavoory 14 Nov 1873. His eldest daughter Matilda Robinson of Breandrum was the informant.
This means he was born in 1797 and is 10 years too old to be the son of Archibald Beatty of Farnamullan! Back to the drawing board. [4/5/2016 Not so sure about this now. See next post] We know that the families must be connected in the preceding generation or two, but how? One good thing about this is that it makes sense of something I was told while visiting Aghavoory and Agheeter . Tommy, who apparently knows the whole history of all the local families for ever, and who knew James’s grandsons, assured me that James Beatty had come from Breandrum. So now we’re looking for an Archibald Beatty of Breandrum mid to late 1700s. As Pete says: The hunt continues!
I don’t think I could stand the tension! Seriously though, I can understand the fun of the chase – at least, I do hope you’ve had fun!
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Yes. When you compare the expense and the tiny steps of research progress, it’s obvious that some of us family historians are NUTS. By the way Whispering, I’m sure you should be asleep 🙂
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You keeping tabs on our time zone, eh? I often don’t go to bed until the wee hours … As for family historians, you said it!
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Well done young Bushmaid. I guess it goes with the territory that you’ll follow some fruitless trails and dispel some family myths – and as Whispering says there is the thrill of the chase. I can think of “worse” pursuits.
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Thanks Swoald, One question is now answered and another is posed! It has been fun though.
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