Thomas McNamara (abt. 1820 – 1888), Stone Mason (also called Tradesman)

Genealogy, Archaeology, History, Heritage & Folklore

Moderators: Clare Support, Clare Past Mod

Post Reply
Sduddy
Posts: 1819
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Thomas McNamara (abt. 1820 – 1888), Stone Mason (also called Tradesman)

Post by Sduddy » Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:06 pm

The trade of Stone Mason was passed on to four of Thomas’s sons, Michael, Patrick, James and John, and to three of his grandsons, Thomas, Patrick and James.

Thomas McNamara died on 27 Jul 1888 at Causeway, Ennis, aged 68; occupation: Mason; informant John McNamara, son, Causeway: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 761992.pdf
Thomas was a widower. His wife, Anne had died the previous January, aged 67; occupation: wife of a mason; informant: John McNamara, son, Causeway.

The Drumcliff (Ennis) parish records show the marriage of Thomas McNamara and Anne Daffy on 16 Feb 1841; witnesses: John McNamara, Michael Flaherty: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 3/mode/1up
Their first child, Michael, was born on 30 Nov. of that year (1841); sponsors: Denis Neylon, Anne Flaherty. They went on to have at least seven more children:
Mary baptised 11 Jan 1845, sponsors: Dennis Daffy, Bridget Cullinan.
John baptised 13 May 1847, sponsors: Patrick Mack, Cath Roughan.
James baptised 11 Jul 1848, sponsors: Michael Daffy, Ellen Neylon.
Patrick baptised 29 Apr 1851, sponsors: John Flaherty, Cath Keeshan.
Eliza baptised 25 May 1854, sponsor: Catherine O’Mara.
John baptised 14 Jan 1856, sponsors: John Neylan, Margaret Nestor.
Thomas baptised 11 Nov 1858, sponsors: William Shorebottom, Eliza O’Loughlin.
The address at baptism of the last four is Clonroad. The first John must have died in infancy.

Thomas’s sons who were Stone Masons: 1. Michael McNamara (1841–1922); 2. James McNamara (1848 – 1901); 3. Patrick (1851-1896); 4. John McNamara (1856 – 1922):
Three of these, Patrick, James and John, died without issue:
28 Feb 1901: At Ennis Workhouse: Death of James McNamara, Clonroadmore, bachelor, Mason, aged 60: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 615321.pdf
18 May 1896: At Clonroadmore: Death of Patrick McNamara, unmarried, Mason, aged 45; Information from FF Cullinan, Coroner, Co. Clare: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 672785.pdf
Clare Champion obituary: 11 Feb 1922: Mr Jack McNamara, Clonroad, Ennis: https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... mce_mi.htm

So we are left with Michael to give us the next generation. He married Catherine Savage on 22 Feb. 1868: Marriage of Michael McNamara, Tradesman, Ennis, son of Thomas McNamara, Tradesman, to Catherine Savage, Creevagh, Quin, daughter of Edmund Savage, Farmer, in Quin Chapel; witnesses: Daniel McNamara, Jane E. Hennessy: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 207447.pdf

Michael is aged 70 in 1911 and must the Michael McNamara, son of Thomas McNamara and Anne Daffy, who was baptised in Ennis on 30 Nov 1841. Thomas McNamara and Anne Daffy were sponsors at the baptism of Michael’s son, Patrick, in Quin parish, on 20 Oct 1879.

Michael and Catherine lived in Cahercalla, Quin, at first. After some years they lived in Creevaghbeg. They had 8 children:
Margaret baptised 21 Nov 1869; sponsors: Daniel Mack, Margaret Miller;
Anne baptised 18 Jun 1871; sponsors: Patrick Dillon, Bridget Dillon;
Thomas baptised 15 May 1872; John McNamara, Margaret Savage;
John baptised 5 Dec 1874; sponsors: John McNamara, Margaret Savage;
Patrick baptised 20 Oct 1879; sponsors: Thomas McNamara, Anne Daffy;
plus 3 others including a James* (according to the 1911 census, 8 children were born, 5 of whom were alive in 1911).
In 1901, Michael, aged 60, and *James, aged 28, were working as Masons at the house of Patrick Guthrie in Knockaunvickateera (Lisdoonvarna DED): http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... a/1067184/. In the meantime Michael’s wife, Kate, was in Creevagh Beg in Quin:
1901 census: Kate MacNamara, aged 56, and her children: Thomas, aged 27, Mason; Patrick aged 19, Mason, Margaret Butler, aged 30, and Margaret’s children: Theobald aged 7, Frances aged 5, John Joseph aged 2, and Michael aged 1: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... g/1086991/

1911: Michael McNamara, aged 70, Stone Mason, and Catherine, aged 71, are living in Creevagh Beg (Quin, Clare) with son Patrick, aged 28, Mason, Margaret Miller, sister-in-law, aged 72, Marcella Butler, Grand Daughter, aged 6 and Patrick Butler, Grand Son, aged 4 (both from Co. Limerick): http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... eg/370112/

7 Jul 1907: Marriage of James McNamara, Mason, Quin, son of Michael McNamara, Mason, to Margaret Neylon, Quin, daughter of Patrick Neylon, Steward, in Ennis Cathedral; witnesses: Michael Neylon, Ellen O’Donoghue: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 675064.pdf

1911: James McNamara, aged 28, Mason, and wife Margaret, aged 28, two children, living in Cahercalla, Quin DED: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... la/370094/

30 Jul 1910: Marriage of Thomas McNamara, Mason, Creevagh, son of Michael McNamara, Mason, to Lizzie Donnellan, Farmer, Cragataska, daughter of Michael Donnellan, Farmer, in Quin Church; witnesses: Martin Donlan, Bridget O’Loughlin: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 637943.pdf

1911: Thomas McNamara, aged 37, Stone Mason, and wife Lizze, aged 30, living in Corbally, Clooney DED: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... ly/369857/

31 Jan 1922, at Creevagh: Death of Michael McNamara, aged 80, widower, Mason; informant James McNamara, son, Hazlewood.
21 Oct 1919, at Creevagh: Death of Catherine McNamara, aged 78, wife of a mason; informant: Michael Butler, Grandson, Creevagh.
-------------------------------

Michael’s brother, John, who died without issue, had married Maria Corry in 1881: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 019852.pdf. The 1901 census shows John and Maria McNamara living in Clonroadmore; John’s occupation: Stone Mason: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... e/1069942/. In 1911 he is described as Mason (builder), aged 56: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... n_/353687/
An obituary for Jack McNamara was published in the Clare Champion of 11 Feb 1922, but I haven’t had an opportunity to read it yet.

Sheila

Post Reply