Sunday, March 2, 2014

Gadsden and Nash in Griffith's Valuation, Waterford


Griffith's Valuation Roll, that vital source for ancestors in Ireland, offers further enlightenment and a geographical backdrop to the Gadsden and Nash families in 19th c Waterford.

Mrs Mary Anne Gadsdin [sic] appears as the owner of two properties in February 1851. These were located in The Glen, Parish of Trinity Without, in the city of Waterford. One was a 'House and Yard' valued at 8 pounds 10 shillings, occupied by Richard Walsh, and the other a 'House, office and timber yard' valued at 8 pounds 5 shillings, where the tenant was Michael Connolly.




Not far from The Glen, Mrs Anne Nash owned a 'House, office and yard' in Thomas Street Upper, East side, valued at 28 pounds; in December 1850 this property was without a tenant. Thomas St was one of three or four streets leading up to The Glen. A four minute walk along The Glen would bring a pedestrian to Bridge Street, the address of Gadsden and Nash Provision Merchants as seen in various trade directories.






Map showing Parish of Trinity Without, Waterford:
a white star marks location of The Glen,
 at right Thomas Street is arrowed in white;
above and to the left of The Glen, Bridge Street,
where Gadsden and Nash Provision Merchants was situated,
 is marked with a white cross.


The plot thickens: on 30 May 1844 in Liverpool a Roger Gadsden* married (in the Catholic church, St Peter's) Margaret Welsh, daughter of John Welsh, 'pig dealer'. Roger's father is named as John Gadsden, merchant. Witnesses were Patrick Kelly and Betsy Connolly, both good Irish names. One of Mary Anne Gadsden's tenants in Waterford was Connolly. Her other tenant was a Richard Walsh (perhaps a confusion with Welsh?) and next door was Mrs Margaret Walsh (could she be the mother of Roger's bride?). Roger Gadsden's father-in-law the pig dealer would have been a useful contact for the bacon merchants' business (Gadsden and Nash) in Bridge Street. And sure, isn't Liverpool just the next parish?


* There's a Roger Gadsden mentioned in the 1851 UK Census (Leeds) born in Waterford  and age given is 26 so he was born about 1825. He could well be a son of John Gadsden and Mary Anne nee Bone and equally could be of an age to marry in 1844.

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