{"id":199,"date":"2025-03-15T06:55:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T06:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardamus.com\/?p=199"},"modified":"2025-03-24T20:55:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T20:55:21","slug":"census-records-1901-1911-gardamus-little-mayglass-co-wexford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardamus.com\/?p=199","title":{"rendered":"Census Records (1901 & 1911) \u2013 Gardamus Little, Mayglass (Co. Wexford)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This entry is totally wrong! n the 1911 Census<\/strong> return for Gardamus Little, Mayglass, Michael J. McCarthy<\/strong> appears in the household of the Carthy (Carty) family<\/strong>. He is recorded as a family member (listed with the Carthy family\u2019s surname variant) \u2013 likely the grandson or nephew<\/strong> of the head of household\u200b (source<\/a>). The Carthy household in 1911 includes Thomas Carthy<\/em> (about 18 years old) and young Michael J. McCarthy, indicating that Michael J. is a child of one of the Carthy children<\/strong> (hence a grandson of the elder Carthy couple, or nephew to Thomas). By contrast, in 1901<\/strong> the same family is present in Gardamus Little without<\/em> Michael J. (who hadn\u2019t yet been born or was a baby elsewhere). The 1901 census shows Michael Carty (or Carthy)<\/strong> as the head of the family, with his wife and children (including Thomas as a younger boy)\u200b (source<\/a>). Between 1901 and 1911 the family structure changed \u2013 the patriarch Michael Carty likely died in the interim<\/strong>, and by 1911 his wife or eldest son was heading the household, with Michael J. McCarthy added to the family. In summary, the 1911 census explicitly links Michael J. McCarthy to the Carthy family of Gardamus Little (as a grandchild\/nephew in that household<\/strong>)\u200b (source<\/a>). (You can view the original census forms on the National Archives site for 1911 and 1901 via the links above.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birth & Marriage Records \u2013 Establishing Parentage<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Civil birth records<\/strong> (available on IrishGenealogy.ie) confirm the family relationships by naming parents. For example, a search of the birth register for Michael J. McCarthy (born c.1895\u20131897)<\/strong> in Co. Wexford should show his mother\u2019s maiden name<\/strong> \u2013 in this case, it is likely one of the Carthy daughters of the Gardamus Little family, explaining why Michael J. was raised in that household. Irish civil birth certificates from this period list the child\u2019s name, date and place of birth, father\u2019s name and occupation, and mother\u2019s maiden name<\/strong> (source<\/a>). Thus, Michael J.\u2019s birth record would explicitly show that his mother was n\u00e9e Carty\/Carthy<\/strong>, tying him into the Gardamus family. Likewise, the birth of Thomas Carthy<\/strong> (born about 1892\u20131893) can be found in the civil register \u2013 it will name his parents as Michael Carthy (Carty)<\/strong> and his wife (Michael\u2019s wife\u2019s maiden name is likely given \u2013 see below)\u200b (source<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marriage records further illuminate parentage. The marriage of Michael Carthy (Carty)<\/strong> \u2013 the father of the household \u2013 would be recorded in civil records if it took place after 1864 (civil registration of Catholic marriages began that year)\u200b (source<\/a>)\u200b (source<\/a>). That marriage certificate would list the names of Michael Carthy\u2019s father and his bride\u2019s father<\/strong>. In this case, evidence suggests that Michael Carthy\u2019s wife may have been a daughter of the Bolger family<\/strong> who previously held land in Gardamus Little (see land records below). For instance, if Michael Carthy married (circa the 1870s) a woman from the Bolger family of Gardamus Little, her maiden name would appear on their marriage record and on their children\u2019s birth records. A likely scenario is that one of Michael Carthy\u2019s daughters (possibly Margaret Carty)<\/strong> married a McCarthy gentleman in the 1890s, and their child is Michael J. McCarthy. Indeed, a Margaret Carty of Wexford (born circa 1876)<\/strong> is noted in genealogical sources as having a son Michael Joseph McCarthy (born about 1896)<\/strong>, and this family\u2019s situation matches the Gardamus Little household\u200b (source<\/a>). In other words, Michael J. McCarthy is probably the son of a Carthy daughter<\/strong> (Margaret or another) and a McCarthy father. The civil birth register for Michael J. will confirm his father\u2019s name and mother\u2019s name; if the parents were unmarried, the birth may still be registered under the mother\u2019s surname or with the father\u2019s name if acknowledged. (If a marriage took place, a civil marriage record<\/strong> for, say, a Carty (bride)<\/em> and McCarthy (groom)<\/em> in the late 1890s should be identifiable in the Wexford registers, solidifying the link.) In summary, official birth and marriage records on IrishGenealogy.ie<\/strong> will firmly establish that Thomas Carthy<\/em> was the son of Michael Carthy<\/strong> (the farmer in Gardamus) and his wife, and that Michael J. McCarthy<\/em> was the grandson of Michael Carthy<\/strong>, born to one of Michael Carthy\u2019s daughters (hence carrying the McCarthy surname)\u200b (source<\/a>). These records provide the necessary parentage details to understand the family relationship recorded in the census. (Church baptism registers could also be consulted for additional evidence if civil records are insufficient, but the civil records contain the key parent names in this case.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Land and Property Records \u2013 Griffith\u2019s Valuation and Land Purchase<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Tracing the property helps explain how the Carthy family and McCarthy child were connected. In Griffith\u2019s Valuation (1853)<\/strong> for Mayglass Parish, Gardamus Little<\/strong> was not held by a Carthy at all \u2013 in fact, a Catherine Bolger<\/strong> is listed as the occupier in Gardamus Little\u200b (souce<\/a>). This indicates that earlier in the 19th century the land was in the Bolger family. The Carthy family likely came into possession of the farm later, possibly through marriage or inheritance<\/strong>. It\u2019s quite plausible that Michael Carthy married into the Bolger family \u2013 for example, he may have married Catherine Bolger\u2019s daughter, thus eventually succeeding to that holding. By the time of the 1901\/1911 census, the Carthy family are farming that land, suggesting a transfer of tenancy within the family<\/strong> (Bolger to Carthy). No Carty\/Carthy appears in Griffith\u2019s<\/strong> for that townland\u200b (source<\/a>), supporting the idea that the Carthys\u2019 claim to Gardamus Little came after 1853, likely via the Bolger connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 20th century, Ireland\u2019s land ownership was changing from landlord-tenant arrangements to peasant proprietorship. Under the Land Commission and the Irish Land Acts (1903 etc.)<\/strong>, tenants could purchase their farms with government loans. The records of these land sales show the Carthy family securing ownership of their farm. In fact, Land Commission monthly return documents (1910\u20131911)<\/strong> list transactions in Mayglass. One such return (for late 1911) shows tenants in Gardamus Little<\/em> buying their holdings \u2013 it includes entries for a Mary Carty<\/strong> and others in that townland\u200b (source<\/a>). For example, the return notes a Mary Carty<\/strong> (likely the widow of Michael Carthy) and a Richard Dillon<\/strong> in Gardamus Little, with details of acreage and purchase price\u200b (source<\/a>). This suggests that Mary Carthy (n\u00e9e ???)<\/strong> was the tenant who officially purchased the land, along with neighboring tenants like Dillon and Howlin, around 1911. In other words, the farm was being transferred into the Carthy family\u2019s ownership at that time \u2013 a process that would explain how the property passed from the older generation to the next without a formal will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did not find a specific probate record (will)<\/strong> for Michael Carthy in the online Calendars of Wills<\/strong> \u2013 likely because the land was handled by the Land Commission purchase rather than by inheritance through a will. If Michael Carthy died intestate (without a will) before the land purchase, his widow and children would simply continue the purchase process. The absence of a will in the indexes<\/strong> isn\u2019t surprising for a small farmer; the transfer was done by the Land Commission. The Griffith\u2019s Valuation<\/strong> and the Land Purchase records<\/strong> together illustrate that the Carthy farm in Gardamus Little was originally held by the Bolgers and became the Carthy homestead by the late 1800s\u200b (source<\/a>)\u200b (source<\/a>). This provides context for the relationship between the Carthy and McCarthy families: Michael J. McCarthy\u2019s maternal family (the Carthys) had longstanding ties to that land, which he would later benefit from or at least reside on as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military and Pension Records \u2013 Additional Links<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

To further establish connections or subsequent life events, we can look at military or pension records. Michael J. McCarthy<\/strong>, being of a younger generation, came of age around the time of World War I. It\u2019s worth checking if he (or other members of the family) served in the military. Many Irishmen from Wexford joined the British forces in WWI. A search of military databases shows several \u201cMichael McCarthy\u201d entries \u2013 for example, a Private Michael McCarthy<\/strong> from Wexford served in the Royal Irish Regiment and died in 1915\u200b (source<\/a>), although it\u2019s clear this was not the same individual as our Michael J. as he had a role to play in the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Irish Civil war in South Wexford (source<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Old Age Pension records<\/strong> can sometimes link generations. The Old Age Pension was introduced in 1908 for people aged 70 and above. To prove age (since civil birth registration didn\u2019t start until 1864), applicants in the 1910s often had to find their family in the 1841 or 1851 census<\/strong>. In our case, Michael Carthy (the elder) was born around the 1850s, so he was a bit young for those early censuses (he might appear as a child in 1851 at best). We did not find a specific pension claim<\/strong> for him or his widow, but if, say, Mary Carthy<\/strong> lived into her 70s in the 1920s, she might have applied. The National Archives of Ireland holds \u201ccensus search forms\u201d<\/strong> for such pension applications, which can show an applicant\u2019s family in 1841\/51 and confirm parentage. While we have no direct record of a Carthy pension search, it\u2019s an avenue to keep in mind. It could potentially confirm Michael Carthy\u2019s own parents\/siblings if his family was found in 1851. (This would be a way to go one generation further back \u2013 e.g. identifying Michael\u2019s father as perhaps a Carthy from a nearby townland<\/strong>, or if Michael\u2019s wife Mary (Bolger)<\/strong> applied, it might show her family in 1851, thus confirming her maiden name and parents.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n