dixons from Meath Kildare ireland

My email is eddiebyrne52@eircom.net

Hi Edward

I have just come across your enquiry dated 6th August 2013.
I am Michael Dixon, perhaps the Michael Dixon?

My family came from Killyon, Longwood, and I and my late father commenced a family tree based upon material collected by my Grandfather Michael John Dixon, and Great Grandfather Michael Dixon, who was born 10 Sep 1848 in Clondalee Beg, Killyon.

I have posted the majority of the Dixon material on Geni.com, and you can view it at:

http://www.geni.com/share?t=6000000024155126744

Best Regards

Michael

Hi there,
I've been researching my Dixon family tree for some time and have family history based in Kildare and Meath.

My great-grandmother was Lizzie Dixon, born 1903 in Kilcock, daughter of John Dixon (born England) and Mary Minor (Meath). I have details on her extended family tree which is based in Kildare and England.

Best wishes.

Hi LJD

As you push your Tree backwards you will most likely find that it runs into the Ballyonan/Longwood Tree, which will in turn will take you back to de Keith in Scotland.

The Meath and Kildare parish records are reasonably good, and of course you also have the advantage of Civil Registration in Ireland. The fact that John was born in England and came to Ireland means that you can use Civil Registration [FreeBMD] and Census returns for England.

Remember too that local newspapers in Kildare or Meath might carry news items concerning your folk, even just births or marriages, and digital editions can be sourced thru many libraries or universities who subscribe to this service.

The indexation of these digital papers is a bit hit and miss, so you will end up searching 'Kilcock' or 'Dixon', for your chosen time.

It can be a bit disappointing, but you will find the strength to search onward when you strike lucky and get a little piece of information or two.

I notice that John suffered 'accelerated' aging between the 1901 Census and the 1911 Census, being 47 and 64 during the actual elapse of just 10 years.

Again this is not unusual at a time when birth certs were only of consequencce at birth and marriage. At other times people often just took a stab at an approximate age! Just allow for this when searching the UK records.

Remember too, to make yourself saleable on the Labour Market in those 'good old times' you often had to shave years off your real age. Just as 1920's Ford Production workers used to dye their hair, as 'grey' appearing on their head meant being 'pink-slipped' the following week!

Good Luck
And Good Hunting!

Michael

Hi Michael,

Thank you for the response! Yes I've been scrutinising the census, bmd and newspaper records....but it's slow going. My Mum began researching our family in the 70s (pre-internet) and I took up the job a few years ago. We've managed to get to Kilcock and Dublin once, but most probably could do with going back again.

I've managed to get as far back as John's Father (so my great-great-grandfather). John was born in England to Michael Dixon, who himself was born in Kildare in around 1815. I know his Father was called Patrick but there the trail goes cold. So it seems Michael was born in Kildare and went to England, where John was born. John returned to Ireland and settled there. My great-grandmother (Lizzie) was born in Kilcock but came to England and settled. So lots of back and forth.

I'd like to interrogate the newspapers in Kilcock a little more, and also the court records (I know that Lizzie's sister Annie spent time in Mountjoy prison). Do you have any recommendations?

And thank you for the note about accelerated aging and the reasoning - that's fantastically interesting and something I hadn't considered.

All the best.

Now, let me see how I can help you.

Well, when facing a genealogical black hole look at your family naming pattern. In Ireland, on average, a particular order of naming children was used.

Traditional Irish Christian Name Sequence.

Male Children:

First born son named after his father's father
Second born son named after his mother's father
Third born son named after his father
Fourth born son named after his father's oldest brother
Fifth born son named after his father's 2nd oldest brother
or his mother's oldest brother

Female Children:

First born daughter named after her mother's mother
Second born daughter named after her father's mother
Third born daughter named after her mother
Fourth born daughter named after her mother's oldest sister
Fifth born daughter named after her mother's 2nd oldest sister
or her father's oldest sister

If you sit down, and discard the recent generation, you ordinarily discover a pattern or sequence like the above. But remember to include in those little ones lost in the first few weeks of life, a fact too common in those 'good old days'.

Its like being back at school and being asked to discover the next number of a sequence!

But if a pattern emerges it can fill in otherwise lost names in your family, particularly useful where baptism records have annoying gaps, and you suspect that a later marriage relates to one of your family.

The Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society is one of the most respected publications in the country. The Journal has been indexed, and this index is available at:-

http://kildare.ie/Heritage/Journals-Kildare-Archaeological-society/...

When researching remember to use a wide net, include in place names and families of spouses too.

Next there is the Griffith Valuation, dating to 1848/1858 which lists land and property holders for tax purposes. Search it free at:-

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

Although the vast majority of the population were not members of the Church of Ireland they still had to pay a 'tithe' for its upkeep until it was disestablished in 1869. You can search the Tithe holders indexed in the Tithe Applotment Books free at:-

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/

The Irish Government has put a lot of resources into free genealogy in the last couple of years. This is an ongoing project, so if the information you seek is not here today, look again in the future. Their free site is at:-

http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/

This allows you to search baptism records too, and because the Kildare/Meath Dixons are so close to Dublin often their marriages and baptisms appear in City Churches, like St Mary The Pro-Cathedral.

And of course there is the other free site:-

https://familysearch.org/

which you can use to trace family in England or Ireland.

Now for the more obscure records.

Rent Rolls where they survive gives you details of houses rented in country or city areas. If the Rent Roll has perished, all is not lost. Estate Maps often show houses and farms under the name of the occupant.

Of course the difficulty is to identify the Landlord. So go to:-

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=Kilcock&type=All...

and see what is available.

The same applies to valuation maps at:-

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/history-heritage/irish-g...

http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/estate-...

http://www.nli.ie/en/griffiths-valuation.aspx

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/records/land/estate.htm

http://www.findmypast.ie/articles/world-records/full-list-of-the-ir...

http://www.from-ireland.net/irish-estate-records-introduction/

If you find West of Ireland ancestors National University College Galway has a wonderful and free site at

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/

Regarding the prison records I should know more, coming from a long line of constabulary, but I seem to recall a case regarding a young servant girl being apprehended on a train bound for Kilcock? Prison records can also be sourced in basic detail on the familysearch.org site. But a Pay Site controls the full record content.

I think I have given you sufficient sources for the next year or so of research?

And a basic rule is use Free Sites as first option.

Good Hunting

Michael

Hi LJD

I just realised I have a Michael Dixon = Anne Hanway or Hannaway

Their children were:-

Christina b. 26 Dec 1864, Kilcock
Michael b. 14 Aug 1868, do
Laurence b. 27 feb 1871 do
Christopher b. 11 Dec 1872 do
Patrick b. 3 Mar 1874 do
Richard b. 11 Aug 1875 do
Laurence ii b. 22 Sep 1877 do
Joseph b. 30 Apr 1879 do
Bridget b. 6 Jan 1881 do

This Michael, husband of Anne Hanway/Hannaway was born in Ballyonan, Ballynadrummy, Co. Kildare, Ireland.