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Jeremiah O'Sullivan b 1825/6

By Andy J |
General Genealogy

I'm trying to tidy up yet another loose end, this time concerning Jeremiah O'Sullivan, born in Ireland around 1825/6. He was the father of Catherine O'Sullivan (sometimes Sullivan or O’Sullavan) born 29 Dec 1864 and baptised into the Catholic faith on 1 Jan 1865 at Our Lady of Reconcilliation de la Salette, Liverpool. She later married my great uncle John Johnstone on 20 June 1897 (as Catherine Cummins – another story).

However that is by way of background. I have a few details about Jeremiah, some of which don't quite match up and I’m hoping that fresh eyes will spot something I’ve missed.. The only census I can find him in is 1871, at 233 Vauxhall Rd, with wife Ann, 4 children including Catherine and a visitor from Ireland. Jeremiah and Ann Woodhouse married in the fourth quarter of 1858 in Liverpool. I’ve not found the family in the 1861 Census. At the time of the 1881 Census son Jeremiah (b 1861) and daughter Mary Ann aka Margery (b 1863) are recorded as having been born in Birkenhead however the family don’t show up there in the 1861 census. There is an O’Sullivan family living at 6 Harbord St, West Derby in 1861, with a Jerome O’Sullivan as head of the family born 1825 in Ireland but none of the rest of the details of family really fit so I have discounted them.

I think that Jeremiah died 11 Dec 1871 aged 46 (so year of birth 1825) at 67 Portland Street (which was just off Vauxhall Road, but now demolished). His occupation is shown as Club Collector, whereas at the time of the census earlier that year he was shown as a labourer in an iron works. The death was reported by a Frances Whalan. Nothing useful comes up in the 1871 census for Francis/Frances Whalan/Whelan. There’s nothing else on the death certificate to confirm his connection with the Jeremiah O’Sullivan who is Catherine’s father. However the geography seems to support the presumption that he is. His wife Ann then goes on to marry Patrick Scollins in the third quarter of 1873 in Birkenhead but by the time of the 1881 census she can be found in the Scollans (sic) household at 117 Hornby Street Liverpool (which used to lie at the end of the old Portland Street). The 3 addresses, Vauxhall Rd, Portland St and Hornby St are within half a mile of each other, and when Catherine (as Kate) married Patrick Cummins in 1883, her address was Limekiln Lane which ajoined Hornby St and Portland St at that time. Also the church of Our Lady of Reconcilliation where Catherine was baptised is just two streets away.

As for Jeremiah’s actual occupation, take your pick between labourer in iron works (1871 Census), club collector (death cert), time keeper deceased (Catherine’s first marriage), and schoolmaster deceased (Catherine’s second marriage).

Any supplementary information on the O’Sullivan family from directories or other sources would be much appreciated. Just to prevent any wild goose chases, I have discounted a Jeremiah Sullivan aged 15 tailor’s apprentice in the household of Hugh Evans in Lambert St in the 1841 census. This Jeremiah goes on to marry Agnes Youd on 11 Apr 1853 in a CofE church.

 

Occupants of the Four Horseshoes pub/hotel, Milnsbridge, Huddersfield on 2 April 1911:

Fred Auty Head Married Male 46 1865 Licensed Victualler Dewsbury Yorks

Martha Ann Auty Wife Married Female 46 1865 Assistant In Hotel Huddersfield Yorks

Nelly Auty Daughter Single Female 26 1885 Assistant In Hotel Huddersfield Yorks

Lilly Auty Daughter Single Female 21 1890 Assistant In Hotel Huddersfield Yorks

Florrie Auty Daughter Single Female 17 1894 Assistant In Hotel Huddersfield Yorks

 

Occupants 1901:

George Gledhill Head Married Male 50 1851 Licensed Victualler Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England 

Sarah Gledhill Wife Married Female 44 1857 - Honley, Yorkshire, England

Chloris Gledhill Daughter Single Female 13 1888 - Lockwood, Yorkshire, England

Frank Gledhill  Son Single Male 12 1889 - Lockwood, Yorkshire, England

Robert Gledhill Brother Single Male 42 1859 Barman Hanley, Staffordshire, England

Elizabeth Kendall Servant Single Female 35 1866 Domestic Servan Dodworth, Yorkshire, England

 

Thanks, Bert. William Parry Williams didn't have a brother named Robert, so I have no idea if that is a connection or coincidence. I can't find Chestnut St in the 1901 census via FMP. It has Mulberry St and Bedford St so it appears the parish census records weren't lost.

Andy,

 

It may have been a lock up pub and it wasn't occupied overnight, which is the criteria for being recorded on the census.

Alternatively, it was on the corner of Chesnut St and Peach St, if it had a door in both streets, it may have been enumerated in Peach St.  

Andy J

4 years 2 months ago

Permalink

Good suggestion, Bert. Nothing shows up in Peach St in 1901. It was something of a long shot anyway, so probably not worth any more time being spent on it. Just for completeness, it doesn't look like there's any close connection between William Parry Williams and Robert Williams:

1891 Census 25 Chesnut Street:

Eliza Williams Head Widow Female 83 1808 Publican Liverpool, Lancashire, England

Robert Williams Son Single Male 54 1837 Publican Assistant  Liverpool, Lancashire, England

Eliza Hodgson Daughter Widow Female 46 1845 Publican Assistant Liverpool, Lancashire, England

Louisa Ledder Servant - Female 18 1873 General Servant Liverpool, Lancashire, England

Since things are quiet on the forums at the moment I thought I might return to an issue we looked at much earlier in this thread, mainly in posts 32 and 36, concerning the marriage of Thomas Brown(e) and Frances O'Sullivan. Taking the details from the marriage certificate for Thomas, that is, age 26, occupation tailor, parents Thomas Brown, occupation trailor and Margaret Brown, and doing an England wide census check, only one candidate emerges who fits all these criteria, with the excerption of his surname not being spelt Browne.

His is a Thomas Brown born December 1843,  baptised 9 Dec 1843 (CofE) in Aspatria, Cumberland. He is with his family in Aspatria in 1851, but missing from the 1861 census unless he's the person shown as coal miner living as a boarder in the Hood household in Seaham, Co Durham, which seems unlikely. And in 1871 he's a lodger in the household of George Armstrong, tailor, at 8 Brunswick Street, Pendlebury, Salford. Thomas's occupation is tailor, he is aged 27 and his place of birth is Aspatria, Cumberland. It's unclear what his marital status is, it could be either unmar or marr from the images available online. Then, by 1881 this Thomas Brown is back up in Cumberland, at Maryport, about 6 miles from his family's village (his father is still alive and living there but a widower). Thomas junior is recorded as a tailor, married and aged 37. He had married Annie Bowes on 11 Jan 1873 at St John the Evangelist Anglican church in Cross Canonby, a village between Aspatria and Maryport. Annie was born in Aspatria in Q3 1844, so since it was not a large village at that time (pop 1,123 in 1851) chances are they knew each other as children growing up there. I'm waiting for the marriage cert to see whether Thomas was shown as single or previously married.

So, if this is the right Thomas, he must have felt he was free to marry again in 1873. This suggests that his earlier marriage to Frances was annulled. This seems possible based on the lie about her age (the marriage cert says she was 16 while the census data indicates she was 14 years old) and may also relate to whether he had been properly baptised into the Catholic faith. However I can't find where any records of Catholic church annulments for the relevant time might be held. And assuming this is right person, I also can't find a baptism sub conditione for him prior to the marriage. There is one for a Thomas Brown at St Francis Xavier, Liverpool but it's in December 1869, so too late. Any suggestions on where to find Catholic annulments and any help in finding a relevant baptism sub conditione for this particular Thomas Brown candidate, would be much appreciated. Just for completeness, Frances's second marraige to Daniel Moylan was in an Anglican church (Parish of Liverpool) and since she was declaring herself to be a spinster at this second ceremony, maybe she squared this with her conscience as this would have been technically true in the eyes of the Catholic church if there had been an ecclesiastical annulment. Nothing shows up for a civil annulment/divorce.

 

There are Guides on the National Archives site, but not too sure that they are going to be very helpful in this instance.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-gu…; See  8.3 and 8.4 in particular

I'm not sure annulment due to age would hold water, just checked the timeline on our old forum, knew something had been mentioned.

1929 Legal age for marriage raised to 16 for both sexes (from 14 men, 12 women) parental consent still required up to age 21.

I think what you have found is a possibility. I doubt any annulment took place, like divorce very messy. It was easier just to walk away, more so if in agreement with the partner. It wasn't compulsory to be Catholic to marry in the Catholic church, so it's unlikely you will find a late baptism prior to the marriage.

1871 census, I'd go with unmarried.

Thanks Bert and Mary. My understanding of the Catholic church's approach to annulment, admittedly based on some limited research, was that if one party to a marriage was deemed to be unable to understand, say due to immaturity or mental impairment, the nature of the vows at the time they were made, that could be grounds for annulment. This from wikipedia:

  • Defect of will: Because of "mental incapacity, ignorance, error about the person, error about marriage, fraud, knowledge of nullity, simulation, conditioned consent, force or grave fear"."

I think Frances was capable of bigamy given her proven flexibility with regard to the truth in her later marital arrangements and her almost certain bigamous marriage to John Buck before Daniel Moylan's death, however it strikes me as odd that both parties (assuming that I have the right Thomas Brown) are prepared to commit bigamy without some sort of moral justification or the sanction of the Church.  I think I might contact the Archdiocese Metropolitan Tribunal to see if they could identify any records for a nullity. I just wanted to see if either of you knew of any church records in, say, the Liverpool archives, which I had missed.

And thanks Bert for putting me straight on an Anglican marrying into the Catholic faith. I had thought a course of instruction followed by a baptism was mandatory or else the church would not recognise the marriage as legitimate.

 

Addendum: The Code of Canon law applicable at the time says:

Can.  1086 §1. A marriage between two persons, one of whom has been baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it and has not defected from it by a formal act and the other of whom is not baptized, is invalid.

§2. A person is not to be dispensed from this impediment unless the conditions mentioned in cann. ⇒ 1125 and ⇒ 1126 have been fulfilled."

An invalid marriage would not need to be nullified as in the eyes of the church it never took place.  If Thomas was not a Catholic or had not been baptised into the faith he would have needed a dispensation from the bishop for the Catholic church to recognise the marriage. Alternatively it may be that Frances was never baptised, or couldn't prove it because it occurred in Dublin.  I'm not entirely clear how the situation of an invalid marriage from the church point of view would affect the civil (ie legal) status of the marriage.

 

If her marriage to Thomas Browne, 1869 was annulled, she would have no reason to tell porkies at her second marriage to Daniel Moylan, 1872.

She would have reverted back to Sullivan and had no reason to use a false name for her father.