Person talk:James McMahon (9)

Identification of James' Birth Family [30 January 2014]

Date context: James McMahon married Mary Dwyer in St. Patrick's parish in May 1842. Therefore, examining baptisms during the period 1805-1825 cover a comprehensive range which would make James aged 37 at the oldest to 16-17 at the youngest at his marriage.

Geographic context: St. Patrick's parish is one of the Limerick City parishes; the other immediately adjacent parishes are St. Munchin's, St. Mary's, St. Michael's, and St. John's. One remove distant or outside the historic city parishes are: Castleconnell, Murroe & Boher, Monallen, Ballybricken, Donoughmore, Mungret, Patrickswell and Cratloe, which, while in County Clare, it is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick. There is strong geographic context placing the James McMahon and Mary Dwyer family in the specific St. Patrick's townland of Reboge in the 1840s and 50s. The 1852 Griffiths Valuation places James McMahon, neighbour of Patrick Arthur and John Hickie, who are presumably the same as witnessed the 1842 marriage, at map reference 1 7 in Reboge. The 1825 Tithe Applotment Book has an entry for James McMahon in Reboge (as head of household, this would have to be James' father, not James). However, listed on the same page of the book, in the townland of Singland, is Michael McMahon.

Name context: There is an extensive group of witnesses and sponsors identified in the record of marriage and baptism associated with James' marriage to Mary Dwyer:

• Patrick Arthur and John Hickey, May 1842 (witnessed marriage)
• John Clanchy and Mary Dwyer, July 1842 (Michael)
• Stephen Harris and Bridget McMahon, May 1843 (Mary)
• Martin McMahon and Bridget Dwyer, September 1845 (Michael)
• Michael McMahon and Mary Clancy, December 1847 (Thomas)
• Michael Clanchy and Bridget Clanchy, November 1849 (Patrick)
• M. McMahon and Mrs. Mary Mack, March 1852 (Bridget)
• Bridget Mahon, June 1854 (Ellen)
• Martin McMahon and Kate McMahon, January 1857 (Ellen)
• William McMahon and Hanora Arthur, January 1859 (James)
• John Hickey and Mary McMahon, January 1862 (Martin)

Of the males, it is reasonable to assume that one or more of Martin, Michael, and William are likely brothers to James. Martin is mentioned at least twice and must have been of an age to be godparent by 1845. There are only five Martin baptisms in the rootsireland Limerick database that fit those parameters. Only one shares parents with the list identified to date in the table below:

• 1802 Martin McMahon, son of Denis McMahon and Margaret Timmons, St. Mary's, Co Limerick
• 1812 Martin McMahon, son of Michael McMahon and Bridget Healy, Cratloe, Co Clare
• 1814 Martin, son of McMahon James McMahon and Maria Molony, Cratloe, Co Clare
• 1819 Martin McMahon, son of Dan McMahon and Margaret McEnemy, Cratloe, Co Clare
• 1825 Martin McMahon, son of Patrick McMahon and Mary Roche, St. John's, Co Limerick

Additionally, James McMahon and Mary Molony named their first son Michael (and again when the firstborn presumably did not survive). While a son named William has not been identified for this couple, a William was born to James McMahon and one Mary Dillon in 1838, making him just old enough to be godparent to James's son James in 1859 and introducing the possibility that Mary Moloney had died by 1838 and James Sr. remarried (James McMahon and Mary Dillon had only one child), making William a much younger half-brother to James. Or, he could be a nephew.

Conclusion The identification of James' parents as James McMahon and Mary Molony is therefore contingent on the theory that brothers, particularly Martin, are among the godparents, that there are no atypical ages at marriage, and that the IFHF record-set and the baptismal records underlying it are sufficiently complete (1820 is the beginning of dropping off in record integrity).

--Artefacts 04:33, 6 January 2014 (UTC)