Elizabeth McNamara appears to have converted by 1856 as "Elizabeth M.A. Demerra, wife of John D. Hornbeck" appears transcribed on the Reformed Dutch Church 1856 listing of "Members Received in Communion with the Reformed Dutch Church of Wawarsing". However, I could not find their marriage record or baptism records for their three children in the Reformed Dutch records. John D. Hornbeck was over 40 years old when he married Elizabeth McNamara, who was likely not even 20 years old. Frankly, Sheila, I don't reckon John D. Hornbeck really cared what his neighbors or church elders thought of the situation.
Nicholas Kelly and Catherine Bowles had a daughter "Ally Margaret" baptized at St. Michael's Church in Limerick on 7 October 1837; the sponsors were Denis O'Flaherty and Bridget Sheehan. The priest who performed the ceremony was the Reverend James Synan, a curate. St. Michael's Church is just around a corner from Robert Street where Nicholas Kelly was recorded as a "Iron, Coal, and Culm dealer" in the Triennial's 1840 Limerick City Directory and where he was living in 1845 when he died.
A modern building on Robert Street has a historical marker of a man whose tools might have something to do with Iron. But not sure and the historical sign is not legible using google street view, which for privacy reasons has also blurred the face of the man:
At the Rathkeale Repeal banquet, the newspaper reported that Nicholas Kelly was wearing the uniform of the '82 Club. Thomas Keneally, in The Great Shame, provides a good description of the '82 Club and its uniform:
At the Rathkeale Repeal banquet of the 22nd of October 1845, a ladies gallery had been erected, but sadly Catherine Bowles Kelly was not one of its "fair occupants". From probate records for Nicholas Kelly, it appears that his wife Catherine Bowles had predeceased him, perhaps also explaining why they had just the one daughter.Young Ireland wished to create a meeting ground away from the Liberator's 'rough demagoguery.' So the '82 Club was founded, in part as a social group where ideas could be uttered without the rancour that now typified Repeal meetings, and in part as if to create a highly informal officer corps for some coming national resistance. A uniform was devised for members, for in its name the club looked back to the Volunteers of 1782, predominantly Protestant gentleman who had mustered on College Green and successfully demanded an Irish Parliament. Even sober Smith O'Brien wore the '82 Club uniform. He declared in a Kilkenny speech, "I am not sorry that the Government should feel that the dress we wear wants nothing but the sword attached to it to constitute us as officers of the Irish people.'
The marriage announcement for Letitia O'Kelly in 1821 provided the name of their father, "Mr. James Lysaght, of Limerick, to Letitia, second daughter of Mr. Patrick O'Kelly. (The Freeman's Journal, 25 July 1821). Nicholas Kelly also had an older sister in 1821 who was not named in his 1845 will.Nicholas Kelly, late of Robert-street, in the City of Limerick, Merchant:
Provided also, that in case my daughter shall die before attaining the age of twenty three years, or day of marriage, then my will is, that one moiety of all the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate and effects shall go and be paid to and amongst the children of my sister, Letitia Lysaght, share and share alike, and that the other moiety thereof shall be applied to the relief of such charitable institutions of the city of Limerick, and in such share and proportions, as my executors shall, in the exercise of their discretion, think proper. Parliamentary Papers, Volume 42 (1845)
In the Pigot's 1827 Limerick City Directory, under the category "Ship Chandlers" were three men, including: "Lysaght, James, (and iron monger), Merchants-quay". In the Triennial's 1840 Limerick Directory, Letitia Lysaght was listed as "Importer of Rod and Bar Iron, Merchant's-quay".
The 1855 (or thereabouts) Griffiths Valuation for St. Michael's Parish reported on Robert Street, No. 1, a house and store, leased by Richard J. Scott, with the lessor as "In Chancery for Reps. Nicholas Kelly" with the annual lease of £34.
Ally Margaret Kelly would have been 17 or 18 years old in 1855, and either had to marry or reach 23 years old to inherit her father's fortune. Not sure what happened to Ally Margaret Kelly. Her many Lysaght first cousins, who would have benefitted financially from her early demise, included Letitia Mary (1823), James (1827), Mary (1828), Daniel (1830), Matilda (1833), and Teresa Frances (1834).
In the Tulla Parish baptism records, a Catherine Bowles was a baptism sponsor for Mary McNamara, on 17 December 1825, the parents were "John McNamara" and "Mary McNamara" of Glandree.
Was this Catherine Bowles the mother of Ally Margaret Kelly? There is no record to determine the age of the Catherine Bowles who married Nicholas Kelly. But she married in June 1834, so assuming she was at least 18 when married, she was born prior to 1816. But she was likely a bit older in 1834, and thus perhaps old enough to be a baptism sponsor in 1825.
However, there was another Catherine Bowles in Glandree during this same time period. Catherine Bowles and Michael McMahon had many children baptized between 1825 and 1839. They moved around a lot according to the baptism records, including Glandree, Eyrehill, Kiltanon, Alogha, and Lochan . The baptism sponsors when the McMahons lived at Glandree were Andrew McNamara and Margaret McNamara. In the 1855 Griffiths Valuation, a Michael McMahon was living at House 58 in Glendree. In 1856, according to an Australia ancestry family tree, Michael and Catherine McMahon and several of their children left for New South Wales. Catherine Bowles McMahon died in Burwang NSW in 1860; the death record would indicate she was born about 1807. So this Catherine Bowles was also old enough to be a baptism sponsor for Mary McNamara in 1825. Not sure how this Catherine Bowles was related to the other Bowles family. One daughter Margaret who ended up in Cowra had a son named Ambrose.
Not terribly important which Catherine Bowles was the sponsor, but only that it led me to this baptism record, an important clue in the search for the missing Thomas McNamara. I reckon the parents of Mary McNamara born in 1825 were actually "John McNamara" and "Mary Kelly". The priest made a mistake by not using the maiden name for the mother in the baptism record. The other baptism sponsor was "Laurence Kelly", a likely sibling. There were no other baptism records for parents named John McNamara and Mary McNamara. Priests made many mistakes in the baptism records, and not correctly reporting the mother's maiden name was a common one. Here is the updated John McNamara family tree to reflect this new clue:
John McNamara (1800 ?? - ??) and Mary Kelly (1800 ?? - prior to 1840??) of Glandree:
............ 1.? missing baptism register (March 1822 through August 1825)
............ 1.1 Mary McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 17 December 1825, mother reported as "Mary McNamara", sponsors Laurence Kelly and Catherine Bowles.
............ 1.? missing baptism register (June 1826 through May 1827)
............ 1.2 James McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 22 November 1828, sponsors John McNamara, Anne Cavana.
............ 1.3 John McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 11 July 1830, sponsors Martin O'Dea, Honora Linane.
............ 1.4 Thomas McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 6 May 1832, sponsors John Nunan, Biddy Birmingham. - the missing Civil War soldier of Glandree??
............ 1.5 Bridget McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 24 February 1834, sponsor Bridget Kelly - the 2nd wife of John Hornbeck of Wawarsing NY??
............ 1.6 Johanna McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 8 November 1835, sponsor Cath Roughan. - the 2nd wife of John Hornbeck of Wawarsing NY??
....... POSSIBLE Marriage to Bridget Coffey (as discussed on page eight)
............ 1.7 Mary McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 28 January 1840, sponsor Sally Coffey - married to James Madigan (witness Andrew McNamara), to Barnsley Yorkshire??
............ 1.8 Anne McNamara, no location, baptized August 1843, sponsor Anne Couney.
............ 1.9 Pat McNamara, of Glandree, baptized March 1845, sponsor Bid Lambert.
............ 1.10 Michael McNamara, of Glandree, baptized 8 January 1847, sponsor Mary McMahon.
With the addition of a child born in 1825, I've shifted my estimate of when parents John McNamara and Mary Kelly were born to about 1800. This birth year would be consistent with most of the John McNamara's whose deaths were registered in Tulla between 1864 and 1878, including: a John McNamara died in 1866, aged 68; a John McNamara died in 1868, aged 67; a John McNamara died in 1869, aged 69; a John McNamara died in 1875, aged 80; and a John McNamara died in 1870, aged 92. These records are not yet available online.
Laurence Kelly as a baptism sponsor is an important clue. In 1855 Griffiths Valuation, in Caher (Power) townland in Feakle Civil Parish, there is a Laurence Kelly and Michael Kelly sharing plots 5 through 9. This Laurence Kelly, married to Bridget Hassett, died on 19 August 1885 in Cahir at the age of 53 years old. Thus, too young to be the baptism sponsor in 1825 for Mary McNamara of Glandree. The first born son of Larry Kelly and Bridget Hassett was baptized as "Patrick" in 1852 in Cahir in the Caher Feakle parish records — this Patrick goes missing. A "Laurence" Kelly surfaces in the census records, living in Caharpower, Derrynagittagh and was age 52 in 1901, and more accurately reported as age 58 in 1911, so born about 1852 or 1853. A descendant of this Laurence was searching for his baptism record in Ireland Reaching Out:
https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/messag ... ence-kelly
I reckon the baptism record of the "Patrick" in 1852 was actually for "Laurence". Again, priests make many mistakes. Or perhaps his parents named him Patrick Laurence, and decided later to call him Laurence. Under this theory, the father of Laurence Kelly (≈1832 - 1885) would be the same as his first born son, Laurence Kelly. And it was this Laurence Kelly who appeared as a baptism sponsor for Mary McNamara in 1825; Mary Kelly likely being the sister of Laurence.
Under this theory, the marriage of Mary Kelly and John McNamara would have been in her home parish of Caher Feakle, where the marriage records don't start until 1842. This would explain why the marriage record for this couple cannot be located in the Tulla parish records.
If accurate, and further evidence may prove or disprove this theory, Laurence Kelly (≈1832 - 1885) of Cahir was a first cousin of the missing Thomas McNamara of Glandree.
There appear to have been many connections between the McNamara's of Glandree in Tulla Parish with other families in Caher Feakle Parish and Feakle Parish.