MARGARET BRANNAN b. circa 1840 in Ireland

[Joerge]

I've been looking into my ancestor MARGARET SMITH née BRANNAN for a few months now and don't know how to get any further.

I first came across her in Tamerton Foliot, Devon, in the 1891 census.
JAMES SMITH; Head; 52; Gardener; Cheeseworthy, Devon [Holsworthy]
MARGARET SMITH; Wife; 51; Ireland
RICHARD SMITH; Son; 27, Driller, H.M. Dockyard; Tamerton Foliot, Devon
ELEANOR SMITH; Daughter; 19; Tamerton Foliot, Devon
FREDERICK SMITH; Son; 11; Scholar; Tamerton Foliot, Devon
MARY SMITH; Daughter; 8; Scholar; Tamerton Foliot, Devon

The 1871, 1881 and 1901 censuses all list her birthplace as Ireland as well and all would indicate that her birth year is about 1840.

I bought JAMES and MARGARET's marriage certificate, which says:
4th of December 1862. St. Budeaux, Devon
JAMES SMITH, Full Age, Gentleman's servant, Father: RICHARD SMITH (Labourer)
MARGARET BRANNAN, Full Age, Domestic servant, Father: THOMAS BRANNAN (Labourer)

I could find neither THOMAS nor MARGARET in the 1861 census, and as far as I'm aware there is no way to establish when they left Ireland.

The most likely death for MARGARET SMITH is Oct-Nov-Dec 1903 in Plympton registration district. Would I be likely to get a more specific birthplace by getting her death certificate?

[Elwyn Soutter]

Tracing this lady’s origins will be difficult. There have never been passengers records for people traveling between Ireland and England (and in the 1800s it was a domestic journey anyway). Her birth c 1840 is long before the start of statutory registration of births in Ireland (1864) so you won’t find a birth cert for her. You might find her baptism, if the records have survived, but you need to know her parish. And that of course is what you are trying to find in the first place.

As far as I am aware an English death certificate will not give you the deceased's place of birth.

I searched on RootsIreland for Mgt b 1840 +/- 3 years, father Thomas, and got one match in 1843 for Co Westmeath. (However they do not have all Irish parish records so that’s not conclusive). It’ll cost you €5 to see the full record (which must be just a baptism but would give you a parish to search further in).

[Joerge]

Thank you your help; I'm glad you confirmed that it would be difficult to find a birth/baptism for her. I thought it would be, where Margaret is such a common name for that era, along with the possibility that Brannan may have been spelt completely differently on any other records than her marriage. Still, I'll keep that baptism in mind.

[JNicLiam]

My only other thought is that if she is a servant -do her employers have any Irish estates? If so this may suggest an area / parish to consider in Ireland. Many wealthy families had servants who moved from one to another of their properties. If she is Roman Catholic many Irish RC parish records start at best in the 1820s and often decades later.

[Joerge]

My only other thought is that if she is a servant -do her employers have any Irish estates? If so this may suggest an area / parish to consider in Ireland. Many wealthy families had servants who moved from one to another of their properties. If she is Roman Catholic many Irish RC parish records start at best in the 1820s and often decades later.

Unfortunately her employers are not listed on the marriage certificate. Her residence and that of JAMES is 'Ford Hill St. Budeaux', so looking up the local land owners in 1862 may provide the answer. Thank you for your help, JNicLiam.