Harran Family, Cleenish Parrish, Enniskillan

Mary,

Statutory birth registration started in Ireland on 1.1.1864 so you should be able to find birth certificates for all the births after that date on this site:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp

Note that the father’s name was Hugh (not High). I found the following births:

Bridget Harren 9.4.1864 at Killycreen

Ellen Haran 25.5.1866 Killycreen

Rose Haran 21.10.1870 at Killycreen

Charles Joseph Harren 28th May 1878 at Killycreen, father was a farmer.

I did not see a birth for Teresa in 1878.  Charles wasn’t a twin. He was born in May so it wouldn’t really be possible for him to have had a sibling in that same year. All the births were at the farm in Killycreen. (Holywell which is evidently in some records is the name of the local registration district).

Hugh died some time between 1878 and 1901. I can’t see his death in the records.

This looks to be Bridget and son Charles Joseph in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Gardenhill/Killycreen_East/1352151/

There was another Harren family next door who are presumably related:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Gardenhill/Killycreen_East/1352152/

1911 census, Charles has married Alice Dolan (on 21.10.1907) and his mother’s age has become a bit more realistic (often due to the arrival of the old age pension in 1909 for over 70s):

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Gardenhill/Killycreen_East/518256/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Gardenhill/Killycreen_East/518257/

There was a death on 11.4.1905 at Killycreen of Hugh Harren, aged 38,  occupation draper. He was a bachelor. The informant was his brother John.

Griffiths Valuation for Killycreen East (1862) shows Hugh & Patrick Harney (sic) jointly on plot 5 which was a 91 acre farm.

Probate abstract from PRONI wills site:

Probate of the Will of Patrick Harran late of Killycreen County Fermanagh Farmer who died 28 December 1907 granted at Armagh to John Harran Farmer.

The above will is on the PRONI wills site and can be read there free. It mentions his wife Lucy and son John.

Hope this helps a bit.

Good Day Elwyn,

Many thanks for all the links, much appreciated.Is there not any information on Hugh's wife Bridget Dolan? 

Apologies for my typ Teresa was born in 1873.

Are there any surviving family members still in the area?

Regards Mary

Mary,

Birth of Teresa Haran 1.6.1873 at Killycreen. Death of Bridget Haran 28.11.1917 at Killycreen of chronic bronchitis. Son Charles was the informant.

I don’t know if there are any family in the area.   I did look at the farm on GoogleEarth.  It is/was off the Boho Rd near Belcoo. Looking at the old maps on Griffiths there was a track off the Boho Road up to the farm. Perhaps a quarter of a mile. However I can see no sign of it on GoogleEarth now, nor of any buildings standing today. It looks to be scrubby moorland now.  But you would probably need to go in person to see what remains. There looks to be a fairly large modern factory or farm on the Boho Rd now where the track used to lead off.

The Valuation Revision records show the farm remaining in Charles name until at least 1929 (which is when that series of records finishes). In 1928 his co-owner John Harran is deleted and replaced by Patrick Green. The farm had originally been leased but in the early 1900s the family purchased it under the Land Act (ie with a Government mortgage).

There’s a possible death for Charles Haren registered in Enniskillen on 15.2.1953 aged 75.  That’s not viewable free.  You can view the original certificate on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2.50 (sterling) to a view a certificate.

HI Elwyn,

Thanks for your email and research. 

I am trying to find out any more information on Bridget Dolan and her family.

I have been  on  geni.nidirect.gov.uk in the hope of finding Bridget Harrans death certificate, and not found it. I was wondering as you were able to quote a death date if you have found a record elsewhere?

I found a census record that may relate to Brridget Dolan in 1851, which I have attached. I have difficulty reading her mothers maiden name Judy McG? [possibly Mcguire} Looks like she may have had a brother Bernard, and a sister Mary.. it is not clear, and I am not finiliar with these documents.

I also found a baptism for a Hugh Harran on Find my Past, which makes sense as the son would be named after his father Hugh, unfortunately the top of the page where the date would have been is illegable.

Any information you can assist with would be greatfully appreciated.

Thank you

Mary

Mary,

The Old Age Pension was introduced in the UK & Ireland in 1909. To qualify you had to be 70 or over. Proof of age was required. However since birth certificates were only introduced in Ireland in 1864 (in contrast to 1837 in England), many applicants couldn’t produce one. Other documents were therefore deemed acceptable, namely baptismal certificates, marriage certificates (if they established your age satisfactorily) and military discharge documents (which normally contained the person's age). However if you had none of those, another approach was to check the 1851 (and sometimes the 1841) census. Obviously if a pension applicant in say 1917 was 4 or older in the 1851 census, then they’d be over 70 and so eligible. So there was a system whereby applicants without proof of age could complete a form stating where they were living (or thought they were living) in 1851, and where relevant, in 1841. This information would then be sent to the Public Record Office in Dublin and checked against the censuses. If their family was found in the relevant census and the age accurate, then they’d get their pension.

In this case the form seems to indicate that there were 3 applicants ie Bridget, Mary & Michael Dolan. Their parents were Bernard Dolan and Judy McGivern or McGovern married 1854/55. This application was dated August 1921. Clearly if the parents had only been married 65 or 66 years previously the 3 applicants weren’t yet 70 (unless they were all illegitimate) and so not yet eligible for a pension. Even if they were just 70 they wouldn’t have been recorded the 1851 census (which was taken in April 1851). Consequently the official in the Public Record Office wrote: “Say that the latest census returns available are those for the year 1851 and that being 70 years of age there would be no record of the information required. She should enquire for baptism certs from clergy of parish where they were baptised. If the children were born after 1 Jan 1864 she should apply to the Registrar General.” Return 3/6 means she got her fee of 3 shillings & 6 pence refunded.

Bridget’s address was Carricknagrow NS. NS stands for National School. Applicants often used an educated person like the local priest or schoolteacher to help them with their application, and so many are c/o a school or church.

Your Bridget Dolan was married by 1856, and was born around 1835 according to the 1911 census. She was eligible for a pension in 1909 and surely wouldn’t have waited till August 1921 to apply. The applicants in this pension application were born around 1851 and this looks to relate to some other Bridget Dolan.

I found your Bridget’s death in November 1917, so that confirms the pension applicant was somebody else.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

You are trying to find a date for Hugh’s baptism. Did the Findmypast site not have a year to go with the information? If not, all I can suggest is you go through the Cleenish baptism records on the nli site (which is free) till you find that page. Then go a page or two before or after it till you find a date. RC records are on-line on the nli site:

https://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

Elwyn,

Thanks so much, really appreciate the pointers you have provided plus your comprehensive answer on the document. I did not understand the context and thought it was a copy made in 1921 of the 1851 census. 

On the baptism  the transcript was not dated, I also tried looking back to find a date, I could not find a legible date. I think Find my Past had the same problem as the transcripts are usually very comprehensive. 

Once again thanks, your help has been immeasurable.