VERIFICATION OF MY IRISH HERITAGE
I became interested in my family’s history only later in life. The prospect of retirement at the age of 65 brought on feelings of my own fragility. It may sound morbid, but I didn’t want to go to my grave without receiving answers to certain questions concerning my background: my alleged Irish heritage and my unknown father’s details. This was something I had put off for many years. 

The ascent of genealogy search sites on the internet such as Ancestry – coupled with the wherewithal to fund research on them – made my decision to commence investigations so much easier to make. Besides, the RAF had made me an officially trained intelligence analyst. Surely now was as good a time as any to put this training into action?

Like most beginners in family history research, I started with the people I knew best – my grandparents. I had one advantage at the start; I was only looking only at one side of my tree. I had never been told anything about my biological father, so I looked only at records for my mother’s branch of the family. I knew my grandfather, James Owen Leonard, had connections with Liverpool, so that’s where I started.

Having dug around unsuccessfully on the free Church of Latter Day Saints internet site, I took the plunge and paid for membership of the Ancestry website. This brought immediate results.

I first located my grandfather’s baptism details from Liverpool Catholic Records. This showed that he was born in Liverpool on 2 December 1893: 

At this point I made a fundamental error, which was to lead to me barking up the wrong tree, literally. I allocated the incorrect Thomas Leonard to my ancestry tree on my first attempt. 


BACKGROUND TO INCORRECT CONCLUSION IN GENEALOGY RESEARCH


To explain my mistake, for the benefit of others who may be ploughing through similar records in future, I repeat copies of the records I unearthed below:


1.  Extract of 1871 Census for 21 Beckworth Street in Everton, Liverpool:


2. Extract of 1851 Census for 12.1 Paul Street, St Bartholomew, Liverpool:



Both census records show an entry for a Thomas Leonard in Liverpool.  Extract 1 shows a Thomas born around 1860, recorded with the name version “Lenard”, whilst Extract 2 shows a different Thomas born around 1847.  My first reaction – encouraged by the knowledge that I had spotted it, even though the surname had a  different spelling – was that the 1871 Census version was correct.  (As it was probable that they were illiterate at the time, the alternative spelling of the surname is not unusual.  They would probably have depended upon the judgement of the census recorder to copy out his version of what he heard). 


I knew for certain that my grandfather was born in 1893.  In my opinion, it was more likely that his father would be aged in his thirties (i.e. the Thomas born in 1860) rather than in his late forties (i.e. the Thomas born in 1847) at the time of my grandfather’s birth.  I just needed further evidence to confirm my findings.  I found this in the form of a baptism record for the Thomas born in 1860:


Note here that the Latin name given for his father is Gulielmus = William (for the pedantic reader, the above form is in the Genitive Case, translating as “of William”, giving the Gulielmi spelling of the word).  This version of the father’s name was to be crucial in future research.


Having made this connection, I then progressed quickly into research of the Thomas Leonard born in 1860 in Liverpool.  From the details given in the 1871 Census it could be seen that his parents – William & Mary (née Ryan) – were born in Ireland.  In Clonmel, County Tipperary to be precise.  I then eagerly followed their path using various English and Irish genealogy research sites.


I was so convinced of the validity of my findings that, in 2012, we took a family holiday break to Clonmel.  A homecoming, so to speak.  Our group ­– consisting of me, my wife, my sister, her partner and their teenage son – had a memorable visit, discovering interesting information about this branch of the Leonard family, due in no small way to the great assistance of a researcher at the Tipperary records collection at Thurles Library.  Alas, for all our efforts, this chosen path was incorrect.  It would have been a heritage to be proud of.  But it wasn’t ours.


END OF EXPLANATION OF INCORRECT INITIAL CONCLUSION


Jumping forward to late March 2021, I received a copy of the marriage certificate for Thomas Leonard and Catherine O’Malley from my cousin’s daughter Caroline Lightowler who lives in Canada.  She had ordered it from the General Registry Office.  A copy is shown below:

As can be seen in this document, the name of Thomas’s father is clearly stated as Owen.  Therefore, my version with the father’s name William appeared incorrect.  Then I remembered that I had seen a church register copy of this 1887 marriage in my research.  I looked this up, as shown below:



Here the father’s Latin name is shown as Eugenius, not Gulielmus.  (Once more in the Genitive case Eugenii).  When I had first encountered this church record, I had conveniently decided that the priest had made a mistake in allocating the Latin name of the father of the groom when recording the marriage.  In my judgement, he had added Eugenius, instead of Gulielmus.  At the time, in my overriding conviction that I had already found the right ancestor, I didn’t think to look up the English form of the Latin name Eugenius, otherwise I would have spotted the error earlier.  English versions of the Latin name Eugenius – apart from the obvious Eugene – include the name Owen.


Having now accepted that I had made a huge error in my analysis, I then backtracked on earlier research and found that I had already saved – and dismissed from my findings – the following detail extracted from the 1891 Census for the address of 8 Burke Street:

In retrospect, even in my early eagerness to accept my firmly embedded theories, I should not have overlooked this major clue to the correct ancestry path. This entry – made a couple of years before the birth of my grandfather James Owen Leonard – had two significant factors: the age of the head of the family and the name of his wife. Thomas was shown as 44 at the time of the census. His wife’s name – incidentally 20 years his junior – was Catherine (shown as Kate in some records). I really should have questioned my earlier findings at this time. After all, I had enough evidence already to show that my great-grandfather Thomas Leonard could not be the son of William and Mary from Clonmel, even before it was openly brought to my attention by the provision of his marriage certificate from my Canadian cousin. As someone who was trained in military intelligence analysis, this was by no means my finest hour. I shame to be found guilty of the one thing I was taught to avoid, a rush to judgement.


What was the factor that eventually convinced me that I now had the correct details of my great-grandfather? The sudden realisation of the significance of one entry on the supplied marriage certificate – that of the name of the father of Thomas Leonard. He was called Owen. I often wondered why my grandfather had been called James  Owen Leonard. Owen was an unusual name, particularly from Irish heritage. Now I knew why. Following traditions of the time, he had been named after his grandfather. Interestingly, I even considered giving my son Paul the second name Owen when he was born. In the event, we decided to call him Paul James, but a connection to my grandfather was maintained.


Armed with this information, I was now able to complete a correct version of my maternal branch of my family tree, shown as follows:

 

The revised version still showed the sought-after Irish heritage, although this time the only confirmed location entry (that of Catherine Latchworth) was shown to be Sligo, not Clonmel.  Remarkably, this fact also answered another query which had emerged from my ancestry research.  In 2017 I took a DNA test.  The results showed two distinct heritage areas: Devon (from my paternal side) and Ireland (from my maternal branch).  The 31% Irish share was shown to be predominantly from the Connacht region.  Connacht province is on the west coast of Ireland; Sligo is a constituent county.


Viewed in retrospect, I now know that I already had ancestry origination clues in my possession: the surnames in the Irish branch of my tree.  I simply hadn’t explored them.


First, the name Leonard.  There are two versions: one meaning “brave as a lion” from European sources and the other from Gaelic as O Leannain, which is possibly derived from the word “leann”, which denotes a cloak.  From the context of my ancestry tree, it is obvious that my surname comes from the Irish/Gaelic source.  Another possible Irish derivation is from the word “leanan”, which means paramour.  Variations on the Leonard name include Lennon [as in the Beatle John], Lannin, Lannon, Linnane, O'Lennon, Lennane, MacAlinion, O'Lennan and many more.  The important factor here: The surname Leonard was first found in County Galway, part of the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from ancient times.


Second, the name O’Malley (from my great-grandmother  Catherine).  The ancient O'Maille or O'Malley name is said to be derived from the Gaelic words “maille” meaning gentle or smooth, and “maglios” meaning chieftain, which is fitting as the O'Malleys were once the chieftains of the baronies of Murrisk and Burrishoole in County Mayo.  Even to the present day, over 80% of the O’Malley births recorded are in and around Co. Mayo. And where is Co. Mayo?  Also in the province of Connacht, as shown in green on this map of the Irish counties.


These findings served to calm my initial doubts of the DNA results, when I had been convinced my heritage lay in Co. Tipperary.  


Now all the jigsaw pieces had fallen into place.

As stated before, the history of the Leonard family I discovered following the false trail to Clonmel was interesting. However, I believe that the details unearthed about my great-grandfather Thomas Leonard and his family are even more fascinating. In presenting the outline details hereafter I am extremely grateful to Rachel Hanlon of Liverpool – a distant cousin – for her magnificent work in presenting the family’s history on the Ancestry website. In the short time that I have been in contact with her, I have also been able to provide her with items to fill out some details in her tree.



From the details obtained in earlier research, I already knew that Thomas Leonard was born in Liverpool in 1846. The circumstances of his young life, and subsequent choice of career, are extraordinary. Starting at the beginning, I ordered a copy of his birth certificate in April 2021, as shown below:

 

According to the received information, my great-grandfather Thomas was born 3 March 1846 in Farnels Court, Bent Street, Liverpool, the son of Owen Leonard, a labourer, and Margaret (née Latchforth). Although further research at Liverpool Library would be required to confirm the actual location of his birthplace, it appears that long since demolished Bent Street was in the modern Everton area of the city, situated in a slum area off the main Scotland Road. The conditions in this crowded, deprived area were notorious even at that time, populated mainly by Irish immigrants.


Before addressing the life of Thomas Leonard in detail, it is worthwhile first looking at the information I have been able to find about his father Owen and mother Margaret (my great-great grandparents). The first mention found in records for both related to their marriage on 15 January 1843 in St Anthony’s Chapel, a Catholic church (still operating) on Scotland Road in Liverpool. A recently ordered copy of their marriage follows:

It is worth pointing out at this time that different spellings of their two surnames – Lennard/Leonard & Latchworth/Ratchford – have been found at times during research. Perhaps the easiest explanation is shown in the signature section of this marriage certificate. Both signed with a ‘mark’, indicating that they could neither read nor write. This being so, they would not be able to spell out their names or even confirm the versions written down in the record. The registrar/priest would simply write out his version of what he heard without correction, hence the discrepancies. A copy of the relevant entry in the church records follows:

The two documents give the only indications of the names of their fathers – Thomas Leonard and Daniel Latchworth respectively – found to date.


It appears that Owen Leonard’s life was as short as it was eventful.  Consider the following extracts from the journal of Liverpool Workhouse in 1847:

Here it can be seen here that Owen was taken into the workhouse’s Fever Ward on 10 December 1847. This was a full century before the introduction of the National Health Service. At this time the workhouse was the only source of treatment for the destitute. His age given is given as 21 (indicating that he was born in 1826) and his place of birth Ireland. It is likely the "7 ans" comment shows that he had emigrated 7 years previously (i.e. arriving in Liverpool from Ireland in 1840 at the age of 14). He was discharged from the workhouse a month later, on the 10th of January 1848, "per Mr Evans' order".


There is no further mention of Owen in discovered records. Crucially, in her entry in the 1851 Census, Margaret is described as a widow. Her youngest daughter Mary was born in Liverpool Workhouse in November 1848, indicating impoverished circumstances for her family at that time. Is this because Owen had died at age 22 earlier in 1848? No record of his death has yet been found, but this seems the most likely outcome, particularly when his ill health noted earlier that year is taken into account.


Thomas Leonard’s story is now taken further by that of his mother Margaret, born Latchworth. After her marriage to Owen in 1843 she gave birth to two sons, James in 1843 and Thomas in 1846. (Interestingly, considering the indicated young age of Owen at the time of their marriage – 17 – it appears that this was not a ‘forced wedding’, as might be expected. James was born in October 1843, following his parents’ marriage in January of the same year). 


From late 1848 to early 1849 there are two separate entries in the journal of the Liverpool Workhouse at Brownlow Hill which record the sad situation of Margaret and her children. First, she and her two sons were taken into the  establishment on 25 November 1848 for “Classification”. She must have been highly pregnant at the time, as the birth of daughter Mary is recorded there on 10 December 1848. The group were then discharged on 29 December 1848, again “per Mr Evans’ order”, as follows:

 

Their time out of the workhouse did not last long, as Margaret and her now three children were readmitted to the Liverpool Workhouse on 15 January 1849, again for “Classification”. They were subsequently discharged from “Classification” on 13 February 1849 “at own request”.

Conditions in the workhouse were deliberately harsh, designed to encourage inmates to leave as soon as possible. For this reason, admission to the establishment really was a last resort. To have been taken in twice within two months is indicative of the pathetic situation in which Margaret and her children must have found themselves. [There are many publications, discoverable via internet searches, detailing the wretched lives of Irish immigrants and the activities of the workhouse in Liverpool in the 1840s. Their contents make depressing reading].


The next time Margaret and her family make an appearance in records is in the 1851 Census. By now Margaret – classified as a “widow” – and her children appear to have been joined by her niece Eleanor (Ellen) Farrell in their accommodation, where both their occupations are classified as “cap makers”. The important fact given here is that both Margaret and Eleanor were born in Sligo, Ireland.

The remainder of Margaret’s life is charted by Census returns, as follows:

1861 Census

In this return she is shown to be living with 14-years-old son Thomas, a whitesmith (a metal worker, usually tin), and niece Ellen, now shown as a lodger amongst other Irish residents at the address. Margaret was still shown as a cap maker, whilst Ellen was now a charwoman. Although 12-years-old Mary is not recorded, separate records show that she was still around, destined later to marry Andrew Doherty in Liverpool and raise a family of boys.


1871 Census

By 1871 Margaret Leonard was now living with son James. Separate records will show that my great-grandfather Thomas was already serving in the army, whilst his sister Mary was to re-emerge the following year, once more at the Brownlow Hill Workhouse, where she was to give birth to her first son William Doherty in the very same establishment where she herself was born. Mary went on to marry the apparent father, Andrew Doherty, in 1874.


1881 Census



Margaret Leonard had returned to the workhouse in time for the 1881 Census. Interestingly, she was shown as the widow of a plasterer. This must have been Owen’s occupation.


The final entry for my great-great grandmother Margaret Leonard is on the Civil Registration Death Index, showing that she died in December 1883 at the age of 62. Considering the hardships she had been forced to endure – a trek across Ireland to the east coast departure port for emigration by boat to Liverpool, widowhood at an early age with a young family, and repeated workhouse confinement – she was obviously a survivor. To reach the age of 62 in the slums of Victorian Liverpool was a rare achievement.


THOMAS LEONARD


Information concerning the next stage of my great-grandfather Thomas Leonard’s life was discovered in the in-depth military records, now available for download from paid internet sources, which detail his career in the army. Copies of his service record, obtained recently from a military ancestry site, are contained in the following pages.


The first page of his army record shows that Thomas Leonard commenced his enlistment in the 87th Regiment of Foot (The Royal Irish Fusiliers) in Liverpool on the 14th of November 1866, initially for a period of 10 years. He was a 20-years-old labourer. He was recorded as being 5 feet 5½ inches, with fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. [His height was average for males at that time, just as my 5 feet 8 inches was exactly one hundred years later, when I too joined up. Otherwise, our descriptions were identical].


One intriguing fact recorded here was that he “had never been marked with the letter “D”. The following extract from army history records gives an explanation:  

Deserters from the army, which were marked with the letter D, not with hot irons but by tattooing with ink or gunpowder. The British Mutiny Act of 1858 provided that the court-martial, in addition to any other penalty, may order deserters to be marked on the left side, 2 inches below the armpit, with the letter D, such letter to be not less than an inch long. In 1879 this was abolished.

 

The second page, recording his complete attestation process from 14 to 26 November 1866, states that he was given £1 (a considerable amount at that time) and free kit. The reason for the long acceptance period may well be due to the in-depth criminal and health checks which were necessary to be undertaken at that time. His regimental number was given as 1289.


The third page gives details of his army record from 1866. In total Thomas spent 20 years 239 days in the military, of which 19 days’ pay was deducted as part of applied punishments. Close examination of the record shows that he was charged and punished four times – in 1868 (twice), 1876 and 1878. Two of the cases were for drunkenness. In 1877 he was promoted to Lance Corporal, then in 1878 to Corporal. Following the final drunkenness charge, he was reduced to the ranks (i.e. back to Private). Thereafter he maintained a clean sheet, receiving two good conduct pay awards and promotion back to Corporal in 1886, a rank he maintained until his discharge with pension in July 1887.


One personal observation. Bearing in mind that this was essentially an Irish regiment (even though he was recruited in Liverpool), his behaviour to attract drunkenness charges must have been extreme, given the hard-drinking reputations of these outfits. The fact that he was allowed to remain in service, and eventually succeed to a degree, is probably indicative of the unit commanders’ generally accepting approach to the results of over-indulgence.

 

The final sheet lists the postings during his army career and his general discharge report. 

 

He spent the majority of his service overseas, in locations including Gibraltar, Malta, Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada), Bermuda and the East Indies (see contemporary map of the area below).  

This was at a period when the British Empire under Queen Victoria was at its height, hence the worldwide spread of his postings.  For this  reason, Thomas must have spent a considerable time at sea, travelling to and from these bases.  Correspondingly, the location of his discharge – Gosport, Hampshire – was probably at the naval port on his return from the last posting to the East Indies.  It is also likely that the longer “Home” postings mentioned were at Renmore Barracks in Galway, Ireland, at least from the 1870s onwards.


Another note about this sheet: The name and address of his brother James is shown on the record.  It is not known when this detail was added.  Further information of James’s life after the 1871 Census, particularly with a reference to Burlington Street, is yet to be found. 


My great-grandfather Thomas Leonard died in Liverpool in 1895, at the age of 48, when my grandfather James Owen Leonard was only two years old.  But he had packed a most eventful life into those five decades, details which I would have missed if I had persisted with my original incorrect choice of ancestor.  I thank Caroline Lightowler once more for her timely intervention and guidance.


One final personal comment.  I recall that when I joined the RAF over fifty years ago, I did so almost on a whim.  I never had any firm plans previously to serve in the military.  Personal circumstances combined to bring about this quick decision.  Now, in retrospect, I see that military service is in my blood, although I didn’t realise this earlier. 


Thomas Leonard, my great-grandfather, served twenty years in the army (as above); my grandfather James Owen Leonard was in the Royal Field Artillery during World War 1 in Egypt; I now know that my biological father John Henry Putt retired as a company sergeant major after thirty years in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers during World War II and beyond.  Is it any wonder then that I completed twelve years in the Royal Air Force as a sergeant?  Genealogy throws up some wonderful surprises.  This is just one.

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