Looking for family

Sharon:

I noticed from the 1901 census that Charles and the older children were born in England so did Charles marry Mary in England. I did find a civil marriage index record in 1883 in the Clogheen registration district (which includes Cahir) for a Charles West. (1883 makes sense with the oldest child being born around 1884). However, the index record does not mention a Mary as a possible spouse. I also attached a link to the The Bureau of Military History. You may want to look for references to James West in Tipperary.

Roger McDonnell

http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/

No, they were married in Ireland, I have their marriage certificate. I really want to find out if any of the West children stayed in Ireland and if I have family there now. Thanks for the link, I already searched this great site but to no avail - it may just be a rumour after all.

Sharon:

I don't know if Charles emigrated or not but if he stayed possibly there are relatives with the surname in the area. I checked the online Irish phonebook http://www.eircomphonebook.ie/# and there is a West listing in Clonmel.

Roger

Thank you! I'm not sure if Charles Jnr was killed in WWI, James was supposed to have emigrated to Canada. I need to find out who the girls married.

Sharon,

Can you scan the marriage cert to this forum please.  Or tell us all the information you have gleaned from that document.   Clonmel was a booming town in the early twentieth century with many people from villages and districts moving into the town.  However people seldom lost contact with their roots and were often married and buried in their own district.

I have searched www.clonmelgraveyards.com for any family by the name of West .  I only jfound one Joan Weste buried in 1994.  This would lead me to wonder where are Charles and Mary buried??

Please let me know in what parish they married or civil district.

Thanks ,

Anne

I can't upload the photos, the files are too big. Mary was from Knocknaconnerry, Carrick-on-Suir I believe. The West family were last settled around Clonmel/Cahir before my grandma emigrated.

Sharon,

I have spent the last hour searching the online records looking for any of the family.   As you say Alice was in an orphanage in Morton Street in 1911, but where was Agnes??  I would assume that the older girls were working at that stage.

In the 1911 census, I found a Kathleen West 19 who was a servant to an army family in Athlone Co Westmeath.  She lists her birthplace as Co Tipperary.  I know from the 1901 census that she was born in Cork, but it's not beyond the realm of posibility that she gave her growing up address as place of birth.

You are in a difficult posititon as the family were military and moved around so much.  They lived in Cork, and Clonmel (O Connell Tce is almost next to the barracks), they also lived in Cahir (where there was also another large barracks).

I found a James West in the 1911 census inBansha, Co Tipperary.  He was a lodger and coachbuilder.

It seems quite sad that the family seems to have fragmented after the second parent Charles died.  I can't find any buriel records for any of them.  the girls would have married at some stage and changed names.

I went to www.rootsireland.ie and found a marrige record for a Mary Kate West 1909 in the civil parish of Cashel, Co Tipperary.  It would be worth opening this record as it will contain her father's name and more informtion which may be relevant to your family.

I also found a marriage record for an Ann West in 1909 in Cahir but this is the Church of Ireland, and I believe they were catholics?  So it's your call if you want to spend the €5 to see her parentage.

I saw the birth record index for Agnes in 1896 in Clonmel Civil parish, but she seems to have just disappeared of the radar.  Why is she not with Alice at the orphanage?

Sorry that I can't be of more service to you,

Anne

That's very helpful, thank you. Oddly, I have a photograph of Alice and Agnes at the convent so I don't know why she's not listed. What's very sad is that Charles died from alcoholism leaving the children orphans, yet I have his army references which state that he was "strictly sober". I guess he couldn't cope as a single parent.