Thomas Cochrane (b abt 1835 d1895) /Comerford/Ryan/

 I  would like to know something about where my great grandfather, Thomas Cochrane, was born and something of his birth family. I know very little and I wondered if there is anyone who might know something of a family named Cochrane in KIlkenny. I am not even sure where he was born. I do know that he was married in Castlecomer in 1868.  

Here is a little of what I do know:

Thomas Cochrane, my great grandfather married my great grandmother, Anne Ryan (1839- 1877) in 1868 in Castlecomer. Anne was born in Castlecomer and she was the sister of Sir James J Ryan who became a famous railroad contractor in Philadelphia PA. 

 Anne's parents were Margaret Comerford (died in ~1853) and Laurence Ryan (died in ~1873). The Comerfords and the Ryans lived on Barrack Street in Castlecomer.

Anne and Thomas's 1868 Irish marriage record named 2 men, one was Laurence Ryan and the other was named Robert Cochrane. Laurence was Anne's father so I believe that Thomas’s father’s name was Robert Cochrane. Actually Anne and Thomas's  oldest child was Robert (1869- 1883), perhaps named after Thomas's father. 

I also know:

Thomas Cochrane and his wife Anne were Master and Mistress of the Castlecomer Workhouse. Anne died from childbirth (pre eclampsia) in 1877 at about 37 yo. Anne never came to America. Quite a while after his wife Anne died, Thomas came to America (specifically Philadelphia Pennsylvania) with his children Margaret Cochrane, Anna Cochrane, Laurence Cochrane, Ellen Cochrane Gillis (my grandmother) in about 1891. They stayed with James J Ryan (brother of THomas's late wife Anne Ryan Cochrane) and his wife Hannah Cusack Ryan. Thomas died and was buried in Philadelphia in 1895.

A few thoughts:

 I am wondering if there is some information about Thomas in some records from the Castlecomer Workhouse somewhere that might give me a hint as to when and where Thomas Cochrane was born, and who his parents and siblings were. I do not know if he was Master of the Workhouse before he and Anne married. Was the Master of the Workhouse normally a British subject or were they normally Irish?

I was also wondering where my great grandmother Anne Ryan Cochrane (died 1877) and her eldest child Robert Cochrane (died 1883) and other children who died might be buried and maybe knowing this might help me learn more about Thomas's family. I have done some investigation on the idea that Anne may be buried in the Workhouse graveyard but I learned that they only have the names of a very few of the many who were buried there.  The other thought is that she  (or her son) might be buried in the Castlecomer church graveyard. Is there a way you can find out if there is a Cochrane grave in the Castlecomer church yard?  

I did start to investigate a Cochrane family who came from Guernsey that met some of what I was looking for but was unable to confirm if this was his family.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Marge Gillis