When we visited Drumsna back in 2011 (see previous posts here and here), we took some photos in the local graveyard at Kilmore and here is one of the gravestones. There were many Carroll's there but this one was of interest because it looks like he took over as Post Master upon the demise of Hugh Dockery. And given that he has the surname Carroll, this begs the question: was he related to our Carroll's?
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| Thomas Carroll, subsequent postmaster, is buried in the graveyard of the Church of Ireland church at the other end of the village |
I couldn't find a death record for Thomas (d.1962) or his daughter May (d.1932), but I did find one for his wife Rebecca (d.1947). She died from TB which was still very prevalent in Ireland at that time. I then found them in the 1926 census via John Genham's user-friendly website.
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| 1926 census - the family of Thomas & Rebecca Carroll |
Given they had a 13 year old son, they had to have been married prior to 1913, and sure enough, I then found their 1911 marriage record. This gave his profession as "shopkeeper", which fits with what we know about the house where the Dockery's operated the Post Office - it was also a grocery shop and a bar - very multifunctional! Rebecca's maiden name was Beirne, and Thomas' father was Roderick Carroll, a shopkeeper, who was deceased.
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| 1911 marriage record |
I then found a probable 1883 birth record for Thomas in Kilmore, which gave his father as Roger Carroll (Roger and Roderick were forenames that were frequently interchangeable) and gave his mother as Eliza McCormack. I double-checked this against RootsIreland (best for church records) and I found a corresponding baptism record (with the mother's name as Elizabeth rather than Eliza). Interestingly, the civil birth record was registered in Co. Roscommon and the baptism in Co. Leitrim (Kilmore is close to the border of both counties).
I searched RootsIreland, for other children born to the couple and came across:
- Mary Margaret Carroll 1979 ... baptism & birth record
- Elizabeth Carroll 1881 ... baptism & birth record. She later married Patrick Stitch (according to a note on the baptism record).
- In all these records, Roger Carroll is described as a baker, living in Kilmore.
I then found them in the 1901 census, which confirmed that Roger was a baker, and revealed that his wife (Eliza) was the Postmistress. It also gave their ages - 46 & 41 - so he was born about 1855 and she was born about 1859. Interestingly, an 8-year-old Lizzie McCormac was described as a "Visitor" and I wonder if this was Thomas' future wife. There was a James McCormac boarding with them but he is unlikely to be Lizzie's father as he is described as "Nt Married" - maybe he was her uncle.
I next found the 1875 marriage record for Roger & Eliza McCormack, and this gave their ages (21 & 17, so she was a minor). These ages further supported their previous age estimates. Roger was a baker, but his father Thomas was a Landholder - so he might appear in Griffiths Valuation and we can see where they had the land and how much. Of note, Roger signs his name with a D, as in Rodger.
I next searched RootsIreland and found an 1853 baptism record which is probably Roger's. His father is recorded as Thomas and his mother as Brigid (but no surname). I found a possible 1844 marriage record for a Thomas Carroll & a Bridget Beirne, who may be his parents. They were married in Kiltoghert Catholic Parish (which is about 12 km / 7 miles from Kilmore.
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| Catholic Parishes of Aughrim & Kiltoghert from Irish Roots |
But there was also an 1842 marriage record for a Thomas Carroll & a Brigid Healy. They were married in the Catholic Parish of Aughrim which is where the later generations were born, so this may be a more likely couple for Roger's parents. Unfortunately on both marriage records, none of the parents of the bride & groom are recorded.
Thomas Carroll & a Bridget Beirne had two children (in the available records), both born in the Catholic Parish of Kiltoghert (Charles & Biddy). Thomas Carroll & a Brigid Healy also had two children (in the available records), both born in the Catholic Parish of Aughrim:
And in fact, a Bernard Carroll was a witness at the marriage of Roger Carroll & Eliza McCormack, so this is a further suggestion that Thomas Carroll & a Brigid Healy were the parents of Roger.
I looked at Griffiths Valuation and I found a Thomas Carroll living in the townland of Fearagh (Mahon), which is about 4 km southwest of the townland of Kilmore. This is in Kilmore electoral division, Kilmore civil parish, Ballintober North barony, County Roscommon. And the corresponding Catholic Parish is Aughrim (Elphin).
Thomas Carroll lived in a modest house / cottage (given the ratable value of 15 shillings). Of note, several of his neighbours were called Healy, so they may have been relatives of his wife. However, Thomas is described on his son Roger's 1875 marriage record as a "Landholder", and the amount of land that he "owns" in Fearagh (Mahon) in 1858 appears to be a mere 7 acres, which represents a relatively small holding. So did he own/rent land elsewhere?
There are 7 entries for a Thomas Carroll in Griffiths Valuation, and the only one close to the civil parish of Kilmore is the Thomas above. In the townland of Kilmore, there are no Carroll's but I recognise my Dockery ancestors (of whom I have written about previously). So the Thomas Carroll identified above is the most likely candidate for the father of Roger Carroll, born 1853. And a best guess for his birth year (based on the fact that he got married in 1842) is 1810-1820, and the baptism records for Aughrim parish start in 1816.
The direct-male-line pedigree of this family now stands as follows:
- Thomas Carroll c1815 > Roger Carroll 1853 > Thomas Carroll 1883 > 6 children (1910s)
- wives: Brigid Healy Eliza McCormack Rebecca Beirne
So we have gone back to the early 1800s ... but we still do not know if there is a close connection between their EKA and ours. The circumstantial evidence suggests that there is:
- they were called Carroll
- they lived in the same area as our family
- Thomas took over as Post Master in the Post Office run by Hugh Dockery (my 3x great grandfather)
- the forename Thomas is common to both families
Next Steps could include the following:
- check the Cancelled Land Valuation Books to see if this Thomas Carroll acquired more land during the period 1858-1875, which could explain why he was described as a Landholder on his son Roger's 1875 marriage record.
- check my DNA matches to see if I match the descendants of any of the Carroll family above.
- check trees on Ancestry - a) flesh out my own tree with new information and b) check for living descendants who could be approached to do the Y-DNA or autosomal DNA test
- search for death and marriage certs and flesh out the tree - a) is Thomas' wife Brigid's maiden name mentioned on any marriage records? b) check who were sponsors / informants
- check the House Books to see if there are any earlier / preliminary valuations before 1858
- check Tithe Applotment Books for evidence of what Carroll's were living in the townlands of Fearagh (Mahon) and Kilmore
- check John Grenham's website for rarer sources for this area
Maurice Gleeson
Nov 2026
