Irish in Spain (XIII): Two C18th O'Brien Baptisms in La Coruña

At La Coruña's parish of San Jorge on 4 May 1745, the baptism of Elena Mónica María Luisa O'Brien took place. Her parents were Don Luís O'Brien and his wife Doña María Geraldino. The infant's godparents were Don Pedro Estafort and Doña Elena Estafort, (Stafford, I presume) both unmarried and residents of La Coruña's parish of San Nicolás.

This couple also had at least one more child baptised at the same church: a daughter, María Tomasa Catalina, christened on 7 March 1748. Her godparent was one Don Tomás Geynan, resident of El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz).

SOURCES: Diocesan Archive of Santiago de Compostela, Baptisms of San Jorge in the city of La Coruña: register 1733-1747, P. 421V and 1747-1760, P. 32V

Genealogical Oddities (LXIII): A London Family's Child Baptised in C19th Asturias, Spain

At Mieres on 18th Feb 1847 was baptised Diego Ricardo, born 27th January preceding, legitimate son of Don Diego Williams and Doña Carlota Dove, residents of Oñón. Paternal grandparents Don Gabriel Williams and Doña Isabel Richards, stated to be natives of Lambeth, like the infant's father: maternal grandparents Juan Dove and Carlota Martin, parishioners - like the mother - of St Bride's Church, London.

Everyone in this record was accorded the polite form of address, Don/Doña. Their names are given in Spanish; in English they would be, I believe, James Richard Williams, James Williams, Charlotte Dove, Gabriel Williams, Elizabeth Richards, John Dove and Charlotte Martin.

Familysearch shows what seems to be the marriage of this couple: on 10 May 1843 at St Andrew's, Holborn, James Richard Williams, then aged 25, married Charlotte Dove, also aged 25.

James' presence in Mieres probably had something to do with the Asturian Mining Company, established in 1844. I wonder if the younger James has descendants and if they are aware of his 'Spanish origin'?

SOURCE: Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Oviedo, Mieres-San Juan Bautista, Baptisms 1839-1851

Irish in Spain (XII): Some Irish Marriages in C18th Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Until recently I was unaware that Sanlúcar de Barrameda was among the Spanish localities that hosted large Irish expatriate colonies in the early 1700s. I spotted the following entries in the course of some recent work in its parish registers:

Marriages 1715-1724:
P. 9V, 10 Dec 1715: Pedro Eston, native of the city of 'Dublino' in Ireland, son of Juan Eston and María Thaf, to Doña Catalina Narcisa de Ávila, widow of Bartolomé Álvarez, resident of this city.

P. 231, 31 May 1722: Don Ricardo Nugent native of Dublin, son of Don Thomas Nugent and Doña Isabel Nugent; to Dª Francisca Ortiz Marujan, legitimate daughter of Don Luis Jose Ortiz & Dª Andrea Marujan Contreras, natives and residents of this place.

Marriages 1724-1732
P. 143, 9 Aug 1728 Patricio Walsh legitimate son of Thomas Walsh & Margarita Walsh, to Catalina Fare d. of Gerardo Fare + Catalina Guarde natives of Ireland and residents of this city. Witnesses P. Fr. Carlos French of the Orden de Predicadores and Don Pedro Pichardo.

P. 211, 19 Jul 1730 Don Patricio French native of the city of 'Galbia' in Ireland, legitimate son of Don Gerónimo French & Doña Susana Ormsby; to Doña Mariana Croquer Daughter of Don Juan Ignacio Croquer y Luisa Alvarez, native and both residents of this place.

P. 116, 28 Aug 1727 Diego Esmith, son of Thomas Esmith and of Cathalina Brum, to Margarita Lorenza, daughter of Guillermo Lorenzo and of Ana Guinsi, native of the city of Dublin and all residents of this place. Witnesses Don Carlos French and Don Juan Grove, both Irish, clergymen.

Possible names and surnames intended by some of the above entries include: Easton, Farrell or Farrill, Ward, Smith, Lawrence (Guillermo Lorenzo = William Lawrence), Quincy or Quincey (Ana Guinsi = Anne Quincey). Galbia is, I presume, Galway.

SOURCE: Diocesan Archive of Asidonia-Jerez, Parish Records of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Marriage Registers 20 and 21.

Genealogical Oddities (LXI): Englishman John Berman's 1770 Málaga Marriage

At Málaga's church of San Juan on 20 August 1770, Juan Berman, native of the town of Castar or Castur 'in the Kingdom of England, having joined our Holy Mother Church', the son of Francisco Berman and María Berman, was married to María Ana de Arenas, daughter of Francisco de Arenas and Teresa García, natives of Málaga.

I assume the English family's original names would have been John Berman, Francis Berman and Mary _____ ; Castor near Peterborough seems one possible place of origin for them, though there may be others.

SOURCE: Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Málaga, parish of San Juan, Marriages 1769-1780 (Legajo 462), P. 35 v.

Genealogical Oddities (LIX): John Peters of Bristol in C19th La Coruña

On 16 July 1825 at La Coruña's parish of San Jorge took place the baptism of Juan Carlos Peters, born on the 3rd of that month, a son of Don Juan Peters native of Bristol in England, and Doña María Tellet (or Fellet) of London. The paternal grandparents were named as Juan and Juana Peters; maternal, José Tellet (or Fellet) and María Stillman.

I cannot find any reference to him in Galician records after this, so assume that John Charles Peters, if he grew to adulthood, did so at home, whether that was Bristol, London or somewhere else across the Bay of Biscay. The English forms of these names are fairly simple - John Peters, Joan or Jane Peters, and Mary Stillman, but I am still puzzled by what the priest intended when he wrote Tellet or Fellet.

SOURCE: Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Santiago de Compostela, parish of San Jorge (La Coruña), Baptisms 1823-1832, P. 129 verso.

Genealogical Oddities (LVIII): Thomas Fowler Did Not Expect The Spanish Inquisition

Who was Thomas Fowler, an English merchant active in Spain during the reign of King Carlos II? A 'Don Thomas Fauler', stated to be an Englishman residing in the city of Seville, granted a power of attorney in Madrid on 21 May 1680 before notary Felipe Antonio González de Montalvo (which instrument was witnessed by one Alejandro Tromorton, or Alexander Throgmorton). Fowler/Fauler was caught up in the Inquisition's prosecution of Antonio Lemos or Lemús, whose assets were confiscated as part of the Inquisition's prosecution of him. Our English friend owed Lemos 17,000 reales, which debt the Inquisition now wished to call in, sooner rather than later. Suddenly Fauler found himself not in the placid enjoyment of a debt to a Spanish merchant, but rather on the receiving end of legal actions from the Inquisition. How unexpected!

He may or may not have been the same man as a Thomas Fauler whose assets in the Canary Islands were confiscated in 1657, as part of Spanish reprisals against Oliver Cromwell for Commonwealth attacks on Spain. In any case, the Fauler of interest to is is indicated by the Inquisition proceedings to have been a resident of Antequera by 1683. Perhaps some record in the National Archives at Kew would reveal his origin? Is anyone across the Channel missing a Thomas from their extended Fowler family tree?

SOURCES: Archivo Histórico Nacional, Madrid: Inquisición,4680,9 · For the list of English merchants with assets confiscated in 1657, "Guerra Económica Y Comercio Europeo en España, 1624-1674. Las Grandes Represalias Y La Lucha Contra El Contrabando", Ángel Alloza Aparicio [In: Hispania, LXV/1, num. 219 (2005)]

Genealogical Oddities (LV): Hampshire Gent in C18th Malaga Spain

Ceiling of Málaga Cathedral. Photo by Matthew Hovious

In 1776, "Don Guillermo Ybuelin" of "Southampton in the county of Hampshire, England" son of Don "Mateo Ybuelin" and Doña "Ysabel Sivers" married, at the Sagrario chapel of Málaga city cathedral, Josefa Mandly, a native of Málaga, daughter of Don Mathias Mandly and Doña Isabel Rosa de Rueda. The witness was one Guillermo Lovejoy.

I wonder if someone familiar with Hampshire genealogies may be able to connect this man with his English family. He seems to have been the progenitor of the large Huelin family existing still today in Málaga and elsewhere, and as long ago as 1968 I find a Spanish researcher referring to him as William Welling, but have no way of knowing if this is actually the correct English form of his name.

SOURCE: Archive of the Cathedral of Málaga, Cathedral (Sagrario) Marriages 1776-1792, P. 9

Genealogical Oddities (LIII): A Somerset Family in early C19th Spain

The church of San Jorge, La Coruña

[photo: Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA]

On 13 May 1812 at La Coruña's parish of San Jorge, a boy named Juan Francisco Pedro Regalado Tark was baptised. His parents were named as Jorge Pedro Tark and Isabel Hovié, both natives of the parish of St Mary Magdalene in the English city of Taunton. His paternal grandparents were stated to be Roberto Tark and María Ilman; the maternal grandparents, Guillermo Hovié and Francisca Whitelock.

This couple had at least one more child, baptised at the same church on 18 Nov 1813: Antonio Román Tark, in whose record all the particulars given are essentially the same except that his mother and father are described as natives of 'a suburb of London', and the priest has had some difficulty with the maternal grandmother's name, which he renders as 'Huithiloefi'.

I assume the English names of the adults mentioned above would be: Robert Tark, Mary Ilman, and Frances Whitelock, but I cannot hazard a guess as to what surname was intended by 'Hovié', unless perhaps it was actually a French or Huguenot surname.

SOURCE: Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Santiago de Compostela, Baptisms 1806-1813 of the parish of San Jorge in the city of La Coruña, p. 268 verso; and Baptisms 1813-1818, P. 52.

Irish in Spain (IX): Plunkett and Macdonnell, 18th century Tarragona

On 7th July 1717 at the Cathedral in Tarragona, Balthazar Plunkett, 1st Lieutenant in Diego 'Magdonel''s company of the Vendome Infantry Regiment, a native of Gibstoun in Ireland and the son of 'Don Joan Plunquet' deceased and 'Doña Rosa Plunquet i Dilon', married Teresa Fitón of Tortosa, the daughter of Dr. Francisco Fitón, deceased physician, and María Fitón i Bisiano, deceased.

These names are rendered in Catalan format with phonetic spelling but I assume the persons referred to would have been known as James MacDonnell (or perhaps Jacob MacDonnell?), John Plunkett, and Rose Dillon; and the locality to which it refers is likely Gibbstown, Co. Meath.

SOURCE: Marriages 1717-1741, Tarragona Cathedral, p. 5 verso, at the Arxiu Històric Arxidiocesà de Tarragona.

Genealogical Oddities (LI): An English Gentleman in C17th Galicia

At La Coruña's parish of Santiago on 10 April 1613, Manuel, son of "Guillermo Salder", described as an English gentleman, and his wife "Doña _na" was baptised. The godparents' surnames were abbreviated as "Spta", and they were stated to be Manuel de "Spta", Veedor y Contador de la presente de guerra, and his sister Doña Francisca de "Spta". The witnesses were Captain Mesa, Captain Sigler and Ensign Hidalgo.

Not much to go on in terms of establishing the identity of this caballero inglés. Though his surname is written as Salder, one wonders if he may have been named William Sadler?

SOURCE: Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Santiago de Compostela, Baptisms 1601-1636 of the parish of Santiago in the city of La Coruña, p. 44 verso.

Genealogical Oddities (L): Denbighshire Pritchard in C19th Spain

On 15 January 1809, Joseph Pritchard, son of Robert Pritchard native of 'Bicksan' in Denbighshire & his wife Anna Robinson, native of 'Lincon' in Lincolnshire, and said to be a parishioner of its parish of St Sebastian, was baptised at La Coruña's parish of San Nicolás. The record notes that the father was in Spain as a soldier helping defend the country during the Peninsular War. ("El padre era soldado que vino al auxilio de España".)

SOURCE:  Baptisms 1806-1813, Parish of San Nicolás (La Coruña), P. 126 verso, Diocesan Archive of Santiago de Compostela

Genealogical Oddities (XLIX): C19th Anglo-German Military Musician in Galicia

On 5 June 1806 at Ferrol's parish of San Julián, the chaplain of the Navarra Regiment of Volunteers christened a child Felipe Marcelino, the son of Don Maximilian Chase, musician of said regiment, and Doña Martina Pien. The child's paternal grandparents were stated as José Chase, native of Germany, and Ana María Ulbrich, from Corcubión in Galicia; the maternal grandparents, Pedro Pien and Paula Fernández - she possibly a native of Ferrol, though at this point the entry is unclear. This record was the subject of a delayed entry into the register on 19 September 1825, presumably at the behest of the father; or, perhaps, Felipe had followed in his father's footsteps and was then serving in the same regiment? The entry raises some interesting questions, not least of which is, how an Ulbrich family came to be in the Galician town of Corcubión, and also - assuming the entry is not in error, and that it genuinely was Maximilian and not Ana who was born in Germany - what Maximilian's origin was, given that to the best of my knowledge Chase is not a surname native to Germany.

SOURCE: Military Parish of San Francisco, Ferrol, Baptisms 1815-1835, Page 247 verso; Navy Museum Archive, Madrid

Irish in Spain (VIII): Two Irish Ladies Who Died in Cádiz in 1759

On 4 January 1759, Ana Donovan (also written once as Inés Donovan, so perhaps actually Agnes?) aged 54, native of Kilkenny, died in Cádiz, her burial taking place the next day. On 30 January 1759 Maria Dodd, aged 47, native of the parish de "Butifinensis" in County Cork, Ireland, the widow of "Guillermo Shee" (William Shea) was buried.

SOURCE: Cathedral of Cádiz (Sagrario), Burials, Book 16, Pp. 14 and 17 verso

Irish in Spain (VII): An O'Reilly-Dymock Family in C18th Málaga

On 18th November 1725 at Málaga's church of San Juan Bautista, Gabriel O'Reilly married Elizabeth Dymock. He was born at Troyes (France), the son of Michael O'Reilly and Mary Tallon; she was from "Dunan" (Doonan?), Ireland, the daughter of Francis Dymock and Catherine Quigly.

This couple had at least one child; a boy, Miguel Máximo, was baptised to them at Málaga's cathedral on 30th May 1728. That record simply describes their origin as 'of the Irish nation'; it states that they resided in Málaga's Espartería street and that the infant's godparent was Friar Prosper Colan, an Augustine monk. Names in these records are given in Spanish and surname spelling is inconsistent, so O'Reyli, O'Reylly, Dymoke; Miguel, María, Isabel, Francisco, Catalina.

SOURCES: Marriages 1722-1733, Church of San Juan Bautista, P. 93 verso; Baptisms 1720-1729, Cathedral (Sagrario), P. 257 verso. Both churches in Málaga, records now at the Málaga Diocesan Archive.

Genealogical Oddities (XLVIII): A Scots-Irish Physician In C19th Caracas

An entry in the baptism register for the Cathedral of Caracas (Venezuela) refers to the baptism in December of 1823 of Juan Jesús María, born on 30th May of that year, son of Dr Juan Geagan and Felipa Outlaw.

No particulars of Dr Geagan's origin are given in the baptism entry, but he must be the same J.F. Geagan, Doctor of Medicine, mentioned warmly in the Gaceta de Caracas newspaper on 13th December 1821 as having been a benefactor to Venezuelan exiles on the island of Trinidad, whom he treated there for free after the Battle of Golfo Triste against forces supporting Spanish control of Venezuela. In that article, he is stated to have been a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, and welcomed to the newly-independent country as a friend.

SOURCES: Baptisms 1790-1862, Cathedral of Caracas, P. 118, Image online at www.familysearch.org; Gaceta de Caracas, 13 December 1821, Online at http://saber.ucab.edu.ve/bitstream/handle/123456789/29237/GC_18211213.pdf

Genealogical Oddities (XLIV): An American Sailor's C19th Spanish Burial

Juan Huldrich was buried in Málaga on 27 October 1836. Aged 25, unmarried, he was stated to be a native of Boston, and described as 'Anglo Americano', so presumably the city in question is that in Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire. He was said to have been a sailor on the frigate 'General' and to have died of a bilious attack. Huldrich seems to be an infrequent surname so I wonder if this was actually a John Hildreth?

SOURCE: Archivo Histórico Curial, Malaga Cathedral (Sagrario), Burials 1807-1837, P. 129

Heraldry in a Phantom Tube Station

Visitors to Madrid who tour the phantom tube station at Chamberí will find some artistic items of heraldic interest. As the guide explains, when the station was first opened in 1919 the firms who sponsored its construction were rewarded with space for permanent advertisements on the walls adjoining the platforms. In the remainder of the stations on Line 1 of the Madrid underground, such adverts have long since been covered over or destroyed, but when Chamberí station, closed in 1966, reopened as a museum in 2008, several of its original tile advertisements were restored to their full glory, as seen here.

The station is open for a few hours daily on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; its hours and other information may be found at the following link: http://www.metromadrid.es/en/viaja_en_metro/anden_0/index.html

Genealogical Oddities (XLIII): Hall of Milledgeville, Georgia in 19th Century Barcelona

On 17 January 1845 in the city of Barcelona, Felicia E.B. Hall (whose surnames are given in the Spanish style, Hall y Milbery) and her husband Ambrosio Oliveras y Estrada appeared before notary Josep Dardé. She is stated to have married under a dowry contract signed on 24 December 1840 before the same notary by her stepfather and legal guardian, José Miguel Ribot, by which dowry contract she transferred to her intended, Ambrosio, all the estate to which she was heir under the will made by George William Murray on 24 May 1836 in Milledgeville, Georgia, before notary B.P. Stubbs. By this 1845 instrument, Felicia and Ambrosio gave her brother William Hall (y Milbery) or, in his absence, Messrs. Bailey and Johnson, in trade in Milledgeville, power of attorney to deal with the executors of Mr Murray or any other authorities involved in winding up his estate.

SOURCE: Arxiu de Protocols de Barcelona, Notari  Josep Dardé Ravanell, Lligall 1231/13

Genealogical Oddities (XLII): A Flemish Gardener's 1807 Marriage in Catalonia

On 25 December 1807 at the parish of St Peter in the Catalan city of Reus, 'Benito' Vandenboske, a gardener, stated to be from Liedekerke in the Diocese of Mechelen in Flanders, married Francisca Girardi y Ripoll, native of Reus. The groom's parents were named as Judocus Vandenboske and Francisca Gilis.

I am unsure what the original form in Flemish would be for this surname: van den Bossche, Van den Bosch, van de Boske?

SOURCE: Parish of Sant Pere, Reus, Marriages 1805-1820, P. 125: Arxiu Històric Arxidiocesà de Tarragona.

Heraldry at Madrid City Hall's principal weddings room

Just found these pictures I took last year when a friend of mine married at Madrid City Hall's principal venue for such ceremonies, the ancient Casa de la Panadería in a square much loved by locals and tourists alike, Plaza Mayor. Perhaps surprisingly, only the Spanish arms - not Madrid's municipal coat - figure as fixtures in the room. The beautifully painted arms adorning the ceiling have obviously been there for a very long time, but I wonder if the heraldic tiles on one wall may have been brought there from elsewhere - the individual parts don't seem to line up very well!