View Thread

Coastguards of Yesteryear » CoY Talk » Genealogy
 Print Thread
William Henry Harris - Clontarf Station
Leslie Thompson
Top  #1 Print Post
Posted on 25/09/2010 09:35
My gt gt grandfather, William Henry Harris son of Edward Harris, married Anne Bowen, dayghter of George Bowen, in Clontarf Parish Church in 1857. Nearby was the old Clontarf Station where I presume William Henry was posted.

Could Edward Harris or George Bowen also have been coastguards ?

Any information, including that of the Station itself, would be much appreciated.
 
crimea1854
Top  #2 Print Post
Posted on 25/09/2010 12:35
Hi Leslie, and welcome to the Forum.

I can confirm that William H Harris was a Coast Guard. Using Clontarf Station as a starting point I checked the ADM 175 CG Establishment Books, and found that this was William's first posting, having previously served on HMS Cambridge, this was on 15 June 1857.

Using the same records I then traced his career until 1865. On 31 January 1860 he was removed to Cappa, then on 27 July 1860 to Arklow, from where he was transferred to Wicklow on 8 June 1865, following his promotion to Commissioned Boatman.

I did find him in the later CG Ships Establishment Book for the Kingsdown District. From this I found that he was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire on 28 May 1831. Using this date I checked the online Seaman's Service Records on the National Archives website and found that William had enlisted for Continuous Service, Official Number 76501. However, this record will only have his service from 1873.

To find out about his service prior to 1857 you would need to consult HMS Cambridge's Description Book (ADM 38/7743 or 7744) at the NA. This should provide a physical description, and a list of all his previous ships and the dates when he served on them.

On the question of George Bowen, I could not find him at this or any other adjacent CG Stations, so would assume for the time being that he was not a CG.

Martin

.
Edited by crimea1854 on 25/09/2010 12:38
 
Leslie Thompson
Top  #3 Print Post
Posted on 26/09/2010 06:52
Martin,

Thank you for your quick reply. The information is most useful.

Leslie

Merged on 02/05/2011 20:03:41:
Martin,

Since your reply I have been checking my family histiry notes and I now have difficulty in deciding which William Henry Harris was my ancestor.

I had thought that he was born about 1830 and you found a William Henry Harris born 28th May 1831 in Sheffield, England, which would sound about correct. You said that he had been in the Royal Navy prior to joining the coastguards.

I have found a headstone in Mount Jerome Graveyard -

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/dublin/photos/tombstones/mt-jerome-18/images/2557_harris.jpg

which shows a William Henry Harris, R.N., Assistant Harbour Master Kingstown with the same birth date as you have already given me but with a death date of 7th October 1901.

I have checked the Ireland Census for 1901 and could not find him, although I do not know what month that census was taken. A friend who is also researching our family history thinks that our William Henry Harris died in 1888 at Ardbear House, near Clifden, County Galway.

My William's four children were all baptised at Spiddal, Parish of Kilannan, County Galway although they may not have been born there, of course.

Is it possible that there might have been two William Henry Harris's in the coastguard servive at that time ?

Leslie
Edited by Leslie Thompson on 02/05/2011 20:03
 
bpa
Top  #4 Print Post
Posted on 02/05/2011 22:46
I have checked the Ireland Census for 1901 and could not find him, although I do not know what month that census was taken.


The Census was taken around April.

There is a Wm H Harris in 1901 Census Asst Harbour Master b Yorkshire see
http://www.census...ad/1320741

It include info on wife and daughters (b Wicklow and Dublin) which should help verify family connections.
 
Leslie Thompson
Top  #5 Print Post
Posted on 03/05/2011 07:09
Thank you for the link to the correct Census page.

I see that it states that his wife Ann was born in Cromwell, but I think that this should be Cornwall.

This gives me more food for thought.

Leslie
 
bpa
Top  #6 Print Post
Posted on 03/05/2011 09:05
Not sure if this is your Wm Harris or not. There is a report where Wm. Harris who was coxwain of a lifeboat stationed in Arklow had a case in Court of Admiralty to get salvage for an incident in 1868.

http://books.goog...mp;f=false

There is an online 1888 Death/Burial record for the William H Harris in Parish of Ballinakill (Clifden) Galway in www.rootsireland.ie . If it is a burial record then it may give the cemetery or perhaps a name of who buried him which may also confirm / refute a family connection.
 
Leslie Thompson
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 03/05/2011 19:58
Hello bpa,

Thank you for your reply.

I was not able to access the Google books website but that one seems to be the Harris that crimea1854 found as he had served in Arklow around that time.

I did go into the rootsireland website and printed off a copy of the other Harris's burial record. Unfortunately it does not give the name of a graveyard nor an informant. He was Church of Ireland and died 20th June 1888 aged 53 years, therefore born in 1835. His address was Ardbear Lodge, Clifden which is a few miles/kilometres from where my great grandmother lived and I had assumed that he must have been her father.

She was Laura Alberta Matilda Harris born 5th April 1864 and her sibblings were Mary Fanny Honora b. 1861, Elizabeth Anne b. 1862, John Charles b. 14th Oct 1865 and Emily Florence b. 1867.

The 1901 Census page which you pointed me to shows an Elizabeth A, born 1867 and an Ann Jane, born 1873.

I apologise for labouring on about my family history but it would seem that there may have been two or three William Henry Harris's, one who died in 1888, another on 1891 and the other who died in 1901.

These things are sent to try us Shock

Leslie
 
bpa
Top  #8 Print Post
Posted on 04/05/2011 10:02
Following the children since they were all baptised in Spiddal between 1861 and 1867. A minor point but on the baptisnm records the mother's name is Mary not Ann as you indicated in your first post except for Emily whose mother name is Mary Ann

There was a William Harris at Costello Bay Galway (which is not far from Spiddal which has the nearest CofI church ) from 1859 until at least 1866. (ADM 175/21 page 126 of the pdf) . It look like he came from the cutter Desmond ?

CG Map http://www.nmm.ac...1/#content
Ruins of Costello Bay station http://maps.googl...9,,0,-6.93

It needs some followup to track him backwards to see if he look suitable.

edit:
From an account of thr Royal Western Yacht Club (was based in Queenstown) regatta of Ireland 1862

During the time occupied by the sailing match several rowing matches took place between the local whale-boats and the men-of-war's boats, the Mayflower (of the whale boats) beating the Rose, and Duke of Magenta. A spirited contest between the cutters of H.M.S. Hawke and Ferret ensued, which ended in a foul, and the race will have to be rowed over again. A race between men-of-war's cutters followed, when the boats of H.M.S. Gipsy, Desmond, Hawke, Advice, Eliza, Ferret, Sandfly, Griper, and Rose were entered; the Gipsy's boat took the lead until abreast of the Gipsy on the second round, when, in consequence of a mistake of the coxswain's, the Hawke's boat was declared the winner the Ferret's being second. The race between the six-oared men-of-war galleys came tiext, for a prize of £5 for the first boat and £1 for the second, for which were entered the galley of the Emerald, Admiral Jones' green and black galleys, and the Revenge's galley.
Edited by bpa on 05/05/2011 10:11
 
Leslie Thompson
Top  #9 Print Post
Posted on 05/05/2011 17:54
Thank you bpa for your reply and helpful notes. It is much appreciated.

I think that my William's wife must have been Mary Ann rather than just Ann.

Leslie
 
crimea1854
Top  #10 Print Post
Posted on 05/05/2011 19:46
The William Harris stationed at Costello Bay was born in Plymouth on 5th May 1833 - ADM 175/61 pdf 20 of 230.

Martin
 
Leslie Thompson
Top  #11 Print Post
Posted on 05/05/2011 20:23
Martin,

Thank you for a quick response to this thread.

I had originally been told from a family member that my William Henry Harris had come from Cornwall, but Plymouth is near enough.

It would seem that the grave in Mount Jerome Cemetery for William Henry Harris, R.N., who died 7th Oct 1901 was not that of my William who was CoI [rootsireland states that this one was RC]and he was probably not the Assistant Harbour Master in Kingstown so I must assume that his death was in the Parish of Ballinakill near Clifden where his daughter Laura and her family were living in Ballyconneely.

My search is beginning to get more interesting.

Is it possible that there were two William Henry Harris's in the Coastguard service in Ireland around the same time ?

Thank you.

Leslie
 
crimea1854
Top  #12 Print Post
Posted on 05/05/2011 20:48
Leslie

If you download the ADM 175/61 file you will see that there were three William Harris' in the Lough Swilly District (there is a name index at the back of the file), and I would guess that there are others in the Kingstown and Limerick Districts during the same period. It's really a case of trying to find the best match for locations in terms of the birth of children, or of marriage, which is what you and bpa have already tried to do.

Martin
 
Leslie Thompson
Top  #13 Print Post
Posted on 05/05/2011 20:59
Martin,

Thank you, I shall try that route.

Leslie
 
Jump to Forum: