.jpg){kind=link}
Hello
I'm looking for information regarding my maternal 3rd Great Grandmother Catherine Prendergast who married John Brickland (widower) on 26th Jan 1865 in Philipstown.
They had 2 children Elizabeth born 1865 and Peter 1869, Elizabeth married Bernard Feery and Peter married Mary Moore
From old newspaper articles it is claimed that Catherine Brickland, Rathdrum, Ballycommon was born in Geashill in 1813 and was between 120 and 123 years old when she died on the 1st February 1934. She is buried in Ballycommon Churchyard and my mother has a photograph of a newspaper article claiming that Catherine was Offaly's oldest woman.
There is one article that states that Catherine or Kitty Prendergast as she was known was at least 110 years old as documents had been found to prove that she was a servant at the Geashill Rectory in the early 1800's.
I have been unable to trace any record of Catherine prior to her marriage to my 3rd Great Grandfather John Brickland. I would really like to find out if she really was over 100 years old when she died as her death certificate only places her at 94 years old despite all the newspaper articles.
debj27
Wednesday 23rd Feb 2022, 08:55PMMessage Board Replies
-
Deb:
The RC baptismal records for Daingean parish start in 1820. I searched the subscription site Roots Ireland and the earliest Co. Offaly baptismal records for a Catherine Prendergast was in 1846. So it appears that church records will not help you with proving the age for the Catherine Prendergast who died in 1934.
I did not locate the 1934 death record for Catherine on the free site www.irishgenealogy.ie Can you share a copy of the record or a link to the record? Thanks!
Roger McDonnell
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Thursday 24th Feb 2022, 04:04PM -
Attached FilesCatherine Brekland 1934.pdf (311.16 KB)
Hi Roger
Thanks for replying and for searching for her, it's also possible she could have been a PENDERGAST and not Prendergast!
Her death record is on www.irishgenealogy.ie but they have misspelt her last name she is listed as Catherine Brekland, I've uploaded a copy of her death record.
Any other ideas how I can trace her is she's not on the Daingean Parish records? or is she destined to remain a mystery.
debj27
Thursday 24th Feb 2022, 05:52PM -
Attached Files
debj27
Thursday 24th Feb 2022, 06:00PM -
Deb:
Still no baptismal record for a Catherine Prendergast/Pendergast in Co. Offaly before 1846. She had to be baptized in a church which no longer has records back to the 1830s/early 1840s.
I found her in the 1901 and 1911 censuses. Ages in the 1901 census tended to be understated but 1911 was more accurate. The Old Age Pension Act was passed in 1908 and Catherine would have qualified assuming she could prove her age.
If she was 77 in 1911, Catherine would have been 99 or 100 in 1934 but 94 was close enough.
The 1928 picture looks like someone in her 80s rather than 100+.
Roger
1901 census http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/King_s_Co_/Ballycommon…
1911 census http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/King_s_Co_/Ballycommon…
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Friday 25th Feb 2022, 08:59PM