Share This:

I am seeking any information on my great grandmother Sarah Hickey who was born in about 1832 in Nenagh and who worked as a kitchen maid before departing Ireland 1848 or 1849 as an "Irish famine orphan" as part of the Earl Grey Scheme for resettlement in Australia. She was Roman Catholic and departed from the workhouse in Tipperary town. She sailed from Ireland on the Pemberton out of Plymouth, arriving in Melbourne, Australia on May 26, 1849. She was married twice in Australia. She first married Scottish-born James Hamilton and then later, in 1864, she married English-born William Godbold in Victoria in 1864. She died of rheumatic fever on the Victorian goldfields at Smythesdale, Victoria on December 26 1874. Her parents names are given as John Bennett and Mary Ann Gleeson. Our family would love to discover some more information on what her situation might have been in Nenagh or Tipperary town before leaving for Australia, or indeed any other information surrounding her life. One of her children, Almeda Godbold, was my grandmother.

Tony Fawcett

Wednesday 1st May 2019, 12:21PM

Message Board Replies

  • Tony:

    Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

    Unfortunately, there is a large gap with the Nenagh baptismal records from 1809-1830 https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0804  so when I searched the subscription site Roots Ireland, I did not locate a baptismal record for Sarah Hickey or Sarah Bennett. I also searched for any Hickey or Bennett or Beckett baptismal record in Nenagh where the mother was Mary Gleeson and again, no record.

    You may want to add Sarah's emigration story to our XO Chronicles site and possibly someone will see a connection https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy/ancestor-database

    Roger McDonnell

     

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Wednesday 1st May 2019, 03:56PM
  • Many thanks for your searching, Roger. Really appreciated! I have taken your advice and posted on XO Chronicles.

    Tony Fawcett

    Monday 6th May 2019, 09:43AM

Post Reply