The search for our Boyle ancestors in Benmore/Ballyduff

The search for our Boyle ancestors in Benmore/Ballyduff

Based on just Benmore and Ballyduff entries in the Causeway parish register I have searched for Juliana’s siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews and other possible connections.  Listing the references provides me with target names and relationships.  There are generally many more Boyles in the Causeway register than Donoghues, so much harder task.

Recall

James Donoghue and Juliana Boyle (my generation’s ggggrandparents)

Thomas Donoghue and Ellen Connor (my generation’s gggrandparents)

Generation One

Juliana Boyle (b.1780s), wife of James Donoghue as above:

1819 – sponsor at baptism of Honora, dau. of John Connor and Ellen Donohue (probable mother of our Ellen Connor above).

1823 – sponsor at baptism of Ellen, dau. of Bartholomew Donohue (James’s brother) and Bridget Ferris

Possible brother - Daniel Boyle (b.1780s) married to Catherine Tuite:

1809 – baptism of dau. Ellen, sponsor Catherine Gunn; Gunn family known to be friendly with Juliana

1814 – baptism of dau. Margaret, sponsor Patrick Boyle, another possible brother

1810 - possible sister, Joanna Boyle marriage to Denis Kearney, sponsor John Boyle, another possible brother

            1818 – marriage of John Boyle & Margaret Leehy, brother as above

1812 - possible sister – Catherine Boyle, sponsor at baptism of Ellen, dau. of Thomas Chute & Dorothy Birch

In summary, Juliana’s siblings may have included Daniel, Patrick, Joanna, John and Catherine.

Generation Two: Juliana’s (and James’s) further children or nieces and nephews

1838 - Joanna Boyle, sponsor at baptism of Denis, son of Denis Hanifan & Eliza Connor; Ellen’s (see below) sister as other sponsor was James Connor, a probable brother

            1839 – Joanna Boyle married John Donoghue (Thomas’s brother)

            1841 – Joanna Boyle, sponsor at baptism of John, son of Thomas Donoghue and             Ellen Connor as above

            1842 – Jude Boyle (Jude short for Joanna) sponsor at baptism of Michael son of             Thomas Ryle and Mary Donoghue (Thomas’s sister)

1836+ – Baptisms of James Donoghue (Thomas’s brother) & Elizabeth Boyle’s children: Juliana (1836), Ellen (1839), Honora (1842), Mary (1844) with sponsor Julia Boyle (seems rather late for this to be our Juliana?), Patrick (1847)

1840 – Brian Boyle and Ellen Boyle, sponsors at baptism of Juliana, dau of John Donoghue and Joanna Boyle

1844 – Anastasia Boyle married to Patrick Donnoghue (probably son of Patrick Donoghue (son of James and Juliana) and Catherine Dee) had a dau. Mary for whom the sponsors were John Boyle and Jude Boyle

            1847 – Catherine Boyle sponsor at baptism of James, son of Anastasia and Patrick

            above

1850 – Mary Boyle and Simon Halloran had a son Samuel for whom the sponsors were John Boyle and Catherine Boyle

So we have Boyle names of Joanna (Jude), Elizabeth, Julia (Julia and Joanna were both derivations of Sibán in Irish so could be same person), John, Brian, Ellen, Anastasia, Catherine, Mary.

The degree of intermarriage between Donoghues and Boyles seems extraordinary in today’s terms, but one must remember that the social circle was very narrow in the first half of the 19^th century.

The next step will be to look at the nearby townlands and see if other Boyle families might be offer alternative theories.