James Merrin
James Merrin > John Merrin > Charles Merrin > Noreen Merrin
James Merrin was my great-great-great-grandfather. He was probably born in about 1814 and died in 1878 in New Ross, County Wexford Ireland.
Below is an 1845 valuation of land belonging to James Merrin, found this record via Ancestry.com
Below is an 1845 valuation of land belonging to James Merrin, found this record via Ancestry.com
According to the Griffith Valuation of that year, in 1853 James Merrin was a tenant farmer at a property in Saltmills as follows [1]:
County: WEXFORD
Barony: SHELBURNE
Union: NEW ROSS
Parish: TINTERN
Townland: SALTMILLS
Place Name: SALTMILLS
The landlord was Jane C Boyse.
Saltmills, is a small village located in the south-west of County Wexford, close to the border with Waterford County. The village takes its name from the renowned Iron Age salt mills that existed nearby.
The village of Saltmills was built across the stream from Tintern Abbey, replacing the old village of Tintern which was then demolished sometime after 1814. Today the village of Saltmills contains a pub, a shop and very little else. The 12th-century Tintern Abbey is a 10-minute walk from the village.
Note that there was also a John Merrin living in Saltmills at this time and that he was married to Catherine Larkin. It seems that John Merrin and James Merrin were brothers and that they married two sisters, Catherine and Maryann Larkin. On 7 April 1838, Catherine Larkin is recorded as godmother to Thomas Murphy, the son of John Murphy and Margaret Larkin. Margaret was probably a sister to Catherine and Maryann [2].
Based on the Griffith's Valuation entry, the property James Merrin occupied was site number 5 in Saltmill townland. His property consisted of about 10 acres of land, a house and offices, which is the term used for workshops, barns etc. This property is located slightly to the north west of the village of Saltmills. The property was shaped a bit like a 'W', see Buildings, Site 5, Saltmills townland. The site includes the area just above the 'Salt' in the townland name,with a house to the west adjacent to a road.
There seems to be no sign of the buildings remaining in 2016. There is now a bohereen or boreen, (small unpaved road - from bóthar which is 'road' in Irish) running past the property. See Google Street View [3].
Barony: SHELBURNE
Union: NEW ROSS
Parish: TINTERN
Townland: SALTMILLS
Place Name: SALTMILLS
The landlord was Jane C Boyse.
Saltmills, is a small village located in the south-west of County Wexford, close to the border with Waterford County. The village takes its name from the renowned Iron Age salt mills that existed nearby.
The village of Saltmills was built across the stream from Tintern Abbey, replacing the old village of Tintern which was then demolished sometime after 1814. Today the village of Saltmills contains a pub, a shop and very little else. The 12th-century Tintern Abbey is a 10-minute walk from the village.
Note that there was also a John Merrin living in Saltmills at this time and that he was married to Catherine Larkin. It seems that John Merrin and James Merrin were brothers and that they married two sisters, Catherine and Maryann Larkin. On 7 April 1838, Catherine Larkin is recorded as godmother to Thomas Murphy, the son of John Murphy and Margaret Larkin. Margaret was probably a sister to Catherine and Maryann [2].
Based on the Griffith's Valuation entry, the property James Merrin occupied was site number 5 in Saltmill townland. His property consisted of about 10 acres of land, a house and offices, which is the term used for workshops, barns etc. This property is located slightly to the north west of the village of Saltmills. The property was shaped a bit like a 'W', see Buildings, Site 5, Saltmills townland. The site includes the area just above the 'Salt' in the townland name,with a house to the west adjacent to a road.
There seems to be no sign of the buildings remaining in 2016. There is now a bohereen or boreen, (small unpaved road - from bóthar which is 'road' in Irish) running past the property. See Google Street View [3].
Children
James had at least four children with his wife, Maryann Larkin:
James (born April 1836; died 29 May 1836, aged 7 weeks). No parents mentioned. Could be their child or the child of James Merrin's brother, John.
John A (born 1837)
Michael (born about 1841)
Eliza (born about 1843)
Margaret (born 23 December 1850)
Margaret was baptised on Christmas Day in 1850. Her godparents appear to have been Peter Fitzgerald and A Cahil [4].
Michael and Eliza arrived in New South Wales on 22 October 1858 aboard the Golconda as unassisted immigrants. Their maternal uncle, Patrick Larkin, was their sponsor. The Merrin children had survived the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849 and joined the thousands of poor Irish men and women who left their country in search of better lives. I suppose Margaret was too young to immigrate with her siblings.
Note that Michael and Eliza's ages were listed differently on the passenger list of the Golconda and in the Immigration Deposit Journal. The passenger list shows Michael as being 17 whereas the Immigration Deposit Journal indicates that he was 15 and Eliza 17.
A fourth possible child of James and Maryann Merrin is Mary Anne Mernagh, born/baptised 31 October 1846. The name Mernagh may have evolved to Merrin. The parents for this child are listed as James Mernagh and Mary Anne Larkin and her godparents were Martin Henessy and Joanna Larken [5].
This Mernagh family lived in Ballygarret and there are at least five townlands named Ballygarret in County Wexford. One of these is located a little over 1km north-west of Saltmills, partly in Fethard civil parish and partly in Tintern civil parish.
Info about Irish parishes, etc is here.
James (born April 1836; died 29 May 1836, aged 7 weeks). No parents mentioned. Could be their child or the child of James Merrin's brother, John.
John A (born 1837)
Michael (born about 1841)
Eliza (born about 1843)
Margaret (born 23 December 1850)
Margaret was baptised on Christmas Day in 1850. Her godparents appear to have been Peter Fitzgerald and A Cahil [4].
Michael and Eliza arrived in New South Wales on 22 October 1858 aboard the Golconda as unassisted immigrants. Their maternal uncle, Patrick Larkin, was their sponsor. The Merrin children had survived the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849 and joined the thousands of poor Irish men and women who left their country in search of better lives. I suppose Margaret was too young to immigrate with her siblings.
Note that Michael and Eliza's ages were listed differently on the passenger list of the Golconda and in the Immigration Deposit Journal. The passenger list shows Michael as being 17 whereas the Immigration Deposit Journal indicates that he was 15 and Eliza 17.
A fourth possible child of James and Maryann Merrin is Mary Anne Mernagh, born/baptised 31 October 1846. The name Mernagh may have evolved to Merrin. The parents for this child are listed as James Mernagh and Mary Anne Larkin and her godparents were Martin Henessy and Joanna Larken [5].
This Mernagh family lived in Ballygarret and there are at least five townlands named Ballygarret in County Wexford. One of these is located a little over 1km north-west of Saltmills, partly in Fethard civil parish and partly in Tintern civil parish.
Info about Irish parishes, etc is here.
[1] Griffith Valuation, 1853;
jamesmerringriffithsvaluation.jpg | |
File Size: | 395 kb |
File Type: | jpg |
[2] https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634110#page/23/mode/1up
[3] From https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland/wexford/tintern/message-board/john-merrin-born-1837
[4] Parish Register, St James & Hook, page 31 (National Library). The record is about half way down the left page. Note that entries are out of sequence in this register;
[5] https://irelandxo.com/ireland/wexford/tintern/message-board/john-merrin-born-1837#reply399417
[3] From https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland/wexford/tintern/message-board/john-merrin-born-1837
[4] Parish Register, St James & Hook, page 31 (National Library). The record is about half way down the left page. Note that entries are out of sequence in this register;
[5] https://irelandxo.com/ireland/wexford/tintern/message-board/john-merrin-born-1837#reply399417