A tale of three Henry Blackalls

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pwaldron
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A tale of three Henry Blackalls

Post by pwaldron » Wed Dec 28, 2011 10:49 pm

I once gave a talk entitled "Don't believe everything you're told", a maxim which all genealogists would do well to remember, and which applies even to what one reads in the newspapers (see http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~pwaldron/ClareRoots/ ). This tale illustrates the principle.

Limerick-born Sir Henry William Butler Blackall (1889-1981), affectionately known as Sir Hal, was a respected colonial civil servant and lawyer and an excellent genealogist whose work is widely published in various genealogical and local history journals, and on the Clare Library website, e.g.
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... utlers.htm
His papers are in the library of the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin.

In his earlier research, he had the advantage of frequenting the Public Record Office in Dublin before the conflagration of 1922, but he was also disadvantaged by living before the age of the internet and digitisation.

In his research in early nineteenth century newspapers, Sir Hal came across references to two namesakes, both of which must have perplexed him.

In his notebooks in the RIA, he notes that the Freeman's Journal of 16 Mar 1821 announced the marriage of Henry [sic] Blackall Esq. Revenue Officer at Cove to Cherry, third dau. of Eusebius M'Gillicuddy, Esq. of Killorglin. The Clare Journal of Mon 12 Mar 1821 had also announced: `married in Tralee, Henry BLACKALL Esq Revenue Officer of Cove to Cherry 3rd dau of Eusebius M'GILLICYDDY Esq of Kilorglan'. The Limerick Chronicle of 10 Mar 1821 had first reported the marriage: ‘In Tralee, Henry Blackall, Esq. Revenue Officer of Cove, to Cherry, third daughter of Eusebius M’Gillicuddy, Esq., of Killorglin.’ (See
http://web.archive.org/web/201107170846 ... m/geno.htm
and specifically
http://web.archive.org/web/201107170846 ... logies.pdf )
Having recently found and followed up on the report in the Irish American of 3 Apr 1852 of the death `At Upper Castle Street, Tralee, [of] Cherry, relict of Richard Blackall, Esq.', I am now satisfied that the Limerick Chronicle got the groom's name wrong and the other two papers copied its error.

However, I am still no nearer than Sir Hal to solving the puzzle of where, if at all, the Revenue Officer fits into the pedigree of the Clare Blackalls.

Sir Hal speculated that Richard (AKA Henry) Blackall the Revenue Officer of Cove who married in 1821 was probably a son of another Henry Blackall of Kildeema (Kilfearagh parish), who was born Abt 1784/5 and certainly after his parents' marriage in 1782, so was much too young to have a son married in 1821, when he himself was only in his mid-30s. Whether or not Sir Hal knew of the Revenue Officer as a distant relative before he found the marriage notice in the Freeman's Journal is not clear.

Henry of Kildeema was himself prematurely killed off by the newspapers in 1830, but eventually died at the ripe old age of 92 on 8 Mar 1877. The Limerick Chronicle of 30 Oct 1830 and the Ennis Chronicle of Wednesday 3 Nov 1830 had both reported Henry's death. The latter says `At Kildimo, in this County, Mr. Henry Blackall.' The Clare Journal 28 Oct 1830 also had the incorrect notice; the issue of Thu 4 Nov 1830 corrected this, confirming that the man who died was Mr George Blackall of Killard, father of Henry. I have not yet found the correction in any of the other newspapers which copied the original incorrect death notice.

If anyone can tell me the names of the parents of Richard Blackall the Revenue Officer, I will be most grateful.

Declan Barron
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Re: A tale of three Henry Blackalls

Post by Declan Barron » Mon Jan 02, 2012 2:50 pm

The Clare Journal corrected one error -
4 Nov 1830
" In announcing the death of Mr. Henry Blackall, of Kildimo, in this County, in our paper on Thursday last, it should be Mr. George Blackall, of Kilard, in said county. The latter was father of the former."

pwaldron
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Location: Ballina, Killaloe
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Re: A tale of three Henry Blackalls

Post by pwaldron » Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:27 pm

I gave a Zoom lecture about Sir Hal Blackall last night. My notes for the lecture are on my website.

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