The Caffrey Family of Blackburn



The Caffrey Family of Lancashire and Roscommon, Ireland

Research began on the Caffrey family on the basis that Bernadette Caffrey, born ca 1934 to 1935, was the mother of Michael Peter Gregory, and the daughter of Thomas Caffrey, born in Blackburn, Lancashire. Thomas was the son of Thomas Edward Caffrey and the name might have been Caffery or McCaffrey in previous generations.

The first task was to find the birth certificate of Bernadette Caffrey. It was found that she was born on 13 April 1934 in 77, Daisy Lane, Blackburn:

Birth

Registration District Blackburn

Sub-District Blackburn Northern

County of Blackburn

13 April 1934 Bernadette [Vernadette] dau of Thomas Edward Caffrey Cotton Mule Spinner [of] 77 Daisy Lane, Blackburn [&] Elizabeth Caffrey formerly Ashworth

The next search was for the marriage of Thomas Edward Caffrey and Elizabeth Ashworth. Bernadette[1] was the fourth child of the marriage, with elder siblings James,[2] Ellen[3] and Thomas.[4] The search for the marriage certificate therefore was a long one, as the couple married in 1915:

Photograph of Bernadette (known as ‘Bernice’), taken in Blackburn in 1979

Marriage

St Alban’s Catholic Church

District of Blackburn

Counties of Lancaster and Blackburn

20 Nov 1915 Thomas Edward Caffrey 24 Bachelor Private 1st/4th East Lancashire Regiment (Cotton

Spinner) [of] 44 John Street, Blackburn [son of] Thomas Caffrey Cotton Mill Engine Tenter &

Elizabeth Ashworth 21 years Spinster Cotton Ring Spinner [of] 40 John Street Blackburn [dau] of Richard Ashworth (deceased) Unknown

Roman Catholics by Certificate

Witnesses: William Francis Chappell (Sgt), Margaret Chappell

Elizabeth Ashworth’s father’s name was Richard, and he was no longer living[5]. He had probably been dead for a long time, since Elizabeth did not know what his occupation had been. Thomas Edward was serving with the East Lancashires in the First World War[6] but his peacetime occupation was in the cotton industry, as were the occupation of his father and his bride. Both bride and groom lived in the same street, a few doors away from each other.

The Lancashire Family History Society undertook in 2003-2004 a transcription project of Catholic Church records in the Blackburn area. The record of Thomas and Elizabeth’s marriage was found during this process, and it was possible to obtain the Christian name of Elizabeth’s mother:

Marriage

St Alban’s RC Church Registers, Blackburn

20 November 1915

Thomas Edward Caffrey [son of] Thomas and Helen and Elizabeth Ashworth [dau of]

Richard and Margaret Alice

Witnesses: William Francis and Margaret Chappell

From his age on the marriage certificate, Thomas Edward Caffrey was born in 1890/1, and on searching the quarterly indexes it was found that he was born in July 1891. As on his marriage certificate, his father’s name was given as plain Thomas, not Thomas Edward:

Birth

Registration District Blackburn

Sub-district Witton

Counties of Blackburn and Lancaster

15 July 1891

Thomas Edward [son of] Thomas Caffrey Grinder in a Cotton Mill [&] Ellen Caffrey formerly Ferdinand[7] [of] 8 Aspden Street,

Livesey

Photograph of Elizabeth Caffrey (Ashworth),

Ellen (known as ‘Nellie’) Caffrey and Thomas

(‘Tommy’) Caffrey, taken in 1979, Blackburn

Livesey is three miles south west of Blackburn. Now that the name of Thomas Edward Caffrey’s mother was known, it was possible to search for the marriage of Thomas Caffrey and Ellen Ferdinand. Before March 1912 the quarterly marriage indexes do not cross-reference brides and grooms, who are listed alphabetically under their respective surnames. The only information given in the indexes is the name of the bride or groom, the registration district and the reference number. To locate a particular marriage it is therefore necessary to check the various entries for the two names until a matching pair is found. In this case, the relevant match was found and the marriage certificate was obtained:

Marriage

St Mary’s Catholic Church, Islington

District of Blackburn

County of Lancaster

10 Apr 1887 Thomas Caffery [X] 22 years Bachelor Cotton grinder [of] 23 Mosley Street Blackburn [son of] Thomas Caffery Cotton Spinner & Ellen Ferdinand 23 years Spinster Cotton Rover [of] 30

Infirmary Street Blackburn [dau of] James Ferdinand Cotton Spinner

Roman Catholics by Certificate

Witnesses: John Sutcliffe, Anne Ferdinand

The family was still firmly entrenched in the cotton industry, and Thomas’ surname was here spelled Caffery: since he was unable to sign his name, he would have had no say in the matter. Ellen Ferdinand, however, was able to write hers. One of the witnesses was presumably a relative of hers. It was also found that Thomas Caffery/Caffrey was the son of another Thomas Caffery/Caffrey.

(Right: Photograph of 30, Infirmary Street, taken in 2003)

At this stage, the research moved onto the census returns. The British 1881 census has been indexed full by surname and, using this index, it was possible to identify Thomas Caffrey senior living in Blackburn with his son Thomas, who was not yet married. Thomas senior, who was a widower, had not yet entered the cotton industry but was working as a general labourer, and he was born in Ireland. Two other children were living at home and, from the gap in the ages, it could be guessed that there were several more children born between Thomas and Mary A, and who had left home by 1881. The entry in the actual census was checked, as sometimes the index is found to contain errors:

Census 3 April 1881

Blackburn

RG 11 4182 fol 20 page 34

Entry 171: 4 Union Street

Occupation Where born

Thomas Caffrey Head W 44 General Labourer Ireland

Thomas Caffrey Son U 17 Cotton Piecer Blackburn, Lanc’s

Mary A Caffrey Dau 9 Scholar Blackburn, Lanc’s

Margaret A Caffrey Dau 7 Scholar Blackburn, Lanc’s

The family’s address in 1881 was 4 Union Street, Blackburn; this address was searched in the unindexed 1871 census returns, but the family was not living there, nor in the rest of the surrounding enumeration district (the district into which the area was divided for the purpose of the census administration). The street listed as ‘Back of Union Street’ was also tried, and the surrounding enumeration district, but again with negative results.

A search was made for the birth of Thomas Caffrey or Caffery, born between 1863 and 1865 in Blackburn, the son of Thomas Caffrey, and he was found to have been born in 1865. The surname here was spelled Caffry:

Birth

Registration District Blackburn

Sub-district Blackburn

County of Lancaster

1 Feb 1865 Thomas [son of] Thomas Caffry Labourer in a Foundry [&]

Margaret Caffry formerly Taylor[8] [X] [of] 4 Sharples Street, Blackburn

Thomas was working in a foundry in 1865 and his wife Margaret, whose maiden name was Taylor, was illiterate. It was hoped that the couple might have married in England. There was no indication that they had children earlier than Thomas, and so the quarterly marriage indexes were searched back from the March quarter of 1865 to the March quarter of 1855 for a marriage of Thomas Caffry/Caffery/Caffrey and Margaret Taylor. If the 1881 census was accurate, Thomas was born in 1836/7, and so he was fairly unlikely to have married earlier than 1855. There were no Thomas Caffrey (etc) marriages in Blackburn in this period, although there were several Margaret Taylor marriages, the name being a common one.

Before extending this search, another attempt was made to find the family in earlier census returns, since this would help to narrow down the date of the marriage. There was a new address for the family in 1865 (4 Sharples Street, Blackburn), and so this address was tried in both 1861 and 1871, searching the surrounding enumeration districts in both years, but the result was negative (however, see below). Thomas Caffrey was found however, by a descendant and amateur family history researcher, in the 1861 Census in George Street West[9], and he was indicated as having been born in Roscommon, Ireland. There is a surname index to Blackburn for the 1851 census and so this was also consulted.

Two Caffray households were found, one of which included a Thomas aged 21, born in Ireland, but this was a little earlier than would have been expected for the ancestor.

Census 30 March 1851

Blackburn

HO 107 2259 ED 8 fol 380v

Entry 140: 37 Eccles Street Occupation Where born

John Caffray Head M 60 Butcher Ireland

Hannah Caffray Wife M 59 Ireland

Thomas Caffray Son Un 21 Spinner cotton Ireland

Catherine Caffray Dau Un 18 Frame Tenter Haslingden, Lanc’s

Hannah Caffray Dau 14 Cotton Weaver Haslingden, Lanc’s

+ 4 lodgers

The other Caffray household was next door, and so was almost certainly related. This consisted of a 27-year-old labourer at the Gas Works, Michael Caffray, born in Ireland, with a wife Bridget (22, born Ireland) and children Bridget (3) and James (1), both born in Blackburn. It could be speculated that Michael was the son of John and Hannah Caffray, although of course he might have been more distantly related.

Since Thomas Caffrey was born in Ireland he and Margaret Taylor might of course have married there. Unfortunately, there are no records of Catholic marriages in Ireland prior to 1864, but since their oldest known son Thomas was born in 1865 it was still worth trying the first two years of civil registration. There was, however, no relevant marriage from when records began up to the end of 1865.

It was decided to extend the search for the marriage of Thomas and Margaret in English civil registration records back to 1851, since Thomas’ age might have been given inaccurately in the 1881 census and he might have been older than thought. This search was rewarded with the following:

Marriage

The Parish Church of Blackburn

County of Lancaster

3 June 1854 Thomas Caffery 19 Bachelor Labourer [of] Blackburn [son of]

John Caffery ?Turner

&

Margaret Taylor [X] 19 Spinster [of] Blackburn [dau of] John

Taylor Brick maker

After Banns

Witnesses: James Gifford, John Pilkington

The occupation of Thomas’ father appears to read ‘Turner’ but might read ‘Furrier’ or ‘tinner’ (see below). Unfortunately, no specific address is given. Both bride and groom gave their ages as 19; Thomas’s age in the 1881 census implies a slightly later birth date and so he might have been as young as 17; his parents had probably been left behind in Ireland and the two witnesses were not apparently related. Margaret Taylor was indicated as English, born in Blackburn.

Research from the Ferdinand study found that Thomas Caffrey and Ellen Ferdinand had a large family, including the grandfather of Michael Gregory, Thomas Edward, born in 1891:

Census 31 March 1901

PRO Ref RG 13 3916 page 14

Blackburn, All Saints Parish

14 Pomfret Street

Occupation Where born

Thomas Caffrey[10] Head M 34 Cotton Mill Stoker Blackburn

Ellen d[itt]o Wife M 34 do

James do Son S 15 do

Maggie do Daur 11 do

Thomas[11] do Son 9 do

Willie do Son 7 do

Robert do Son 5 do

Nicolas do Son 1 do

Mary A Daur 6 mo do

Mary Ferdinan [sic] Mother Wid 51 Ireland

At this point, research on the Caffrey Family of Blackburn was halted, but further work is feasible. The birth certificate for Mary Ann Caffery (etc) born 1871/2 could yield more details, assuming her birth was registered. This might include an address for the family in the 1871 census. Although there was no requirement to state the exact birthplace in Ireland, another census might provide this.

A second stage of research on the Caffrey line was aimed at a) attempting to find John Caffrey and b) to locate other family members in the 1800’s.

Using the service[12], it is possible to search, retrieve, store and print the Births, Marriages and Deaths Index for England. All births indexed between January 1870 and December 1900 were searched under the Caffrey/Caffery/Caffry names. It was interesting to note that other variations of the name appear regularly. These included: Caffaray (quite often in the far north of England), Caffrie (an isolated instance in Blackburn, which could be a transcriptional error) and Caffray (already referred to in findings in previous searches), Cafferey, Caffrae and Cafferry. There is also a strong Cafferty line in Blackburn through the late 1800’s; but there is no evidence yet to suggest a family linkage. It was decided initially to seek confirmation of siblings of Thomas Edward Caffrey. It was felt that these would be probably, although not necessarily, located in Blackburn. 41 entries were found in the Index for Caffrey/Caffery/Caffrie names, as follows:

| | | | | | | | |

|EVENT |QTR |YEAR |FORENAME |SURNAME |DISTRICT |VOL |PAGE |

|Birth |OND |1870 |Honora |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |310 |

|Birth |JFM |1871 |Patrick |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |316 |

|Birth |AMJ |1872 |John |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |333 |

|Birth |JAS |1872 |Mary Ann |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |401 |

|Birth |OND |1872 |Andrew |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |331 |

|Birth |JAS |1873 |Ellen |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |359 |

|Birth |OND |1873 |Joseph |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |321 |

|Birth |OND |1873 |Margaret Ann |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |351 |

|Birth |JFM |1874 |Elizabeth Ann |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |327 |

|Birth |AMJ |1874 |Thomas |Caffrie |Blackburn |8e |390 |

|Birth |OND |1874 |Mary Alice |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |398 |

|Birth |JFM |1875 |Margaret Hannah |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |412 |

|Birth |JAS |1875 |Thomas |Caffery |Blackburn |8e |352 |

|Birth |JFM |1876 |James |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |412 |

|Birth |JFM |1877 |Mary Jane |Caffery |Blackburn |8e |389 |

|Birth |AMJ |1878 |Mary Jane |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |390 |

|Birth |JAS |1878 |John Thomas |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |453 |

|Birth |JAS |1879 |Catherine |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |383 |

|Birth |JAS |1879 |John |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |356 |

|Birth |AMJ |1880 |Andrew |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |428 |

|Birth |AMJ |1880 |Nancy Alice |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |380 |

|Birth |OND |1881 |Thomas |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |401 |

|Birth |OND |1883 |Lily |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |400 |

|Birth |OND |1884 |John Taylor |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |383 |

|Birth |JAS |1886 |Thomas Edward |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |423 |

|Birth |AMJ |1887 |Thomas |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |435 |

|Birth |JFM |1888 |Elisabeth |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |419 |

|Birth |AMJ |1888 |Jeremiah |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |442 |

|Birth |OND |1889 |Margaret Ellen |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |477 |

|Birth |JAS |1890 |Catherine |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |421 |

|Birth |JFM |1891 |Margaret Ellen |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |424 |

|Birth |JAS |1891 |Thomas Edward |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |495 |

|Birth |JFM |1892 |Lily |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |425 |

|Birth |OND |1892 |Nicholas |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |418 |

|Birth |OND |1893 |William |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |466 |

|Birth |AMJ |1895 |John |Caffrey |Blackburn |8c |444 |

|Birth |OND |1895 |Robert |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |876 |

|Birth |JFM |1896 |Thomas |Caffrey |Blackburn |8a |849 |

|Birth |AMJ |1897 |Matthias |Caffery |Blackburn |8e |417 |

|Birth |JAS |1898 |Nicholas |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |426 |

|Birth |OND |1900 |Mary Ann |Caffrey |Blackburn |8e |391 |

From the above, all of the siblings of Thomas Edward in the 1901 census were found in Blackburn, except his elder brother James who was indicated to have been born ca 1885. These included Margaret Ellen (born 1891), William (born 1893), Robert (born 1895), Nicholas (born 1898) and Mary Ann (born 1900). Matthias Caffrey (see above, born in 1897) is noted in the Roll of Honour for Blackburn as having died in the Great War. This Matthias is in fact the son of Nicholas Caffrey, a brother of Thomas Caffrey, the great grandfather of Michael Gregory.

Four James Caffery/Caffreys were found:

Registration of Birth

James Caffery born in Hartlepool in April qtr 1884, 10a, 176

James Caffrey born in Nottingham in December qtr 1885, 7b, 311

James Caffery born in Sunderland in September qtr 1886, 10a, 664

James Caffrey born in Liverpool in April qtr, 1887, 8b, 112

One of the above could conceivably be the James being searched for, and birth certificates would need to be obtained to verify this.

The search also confirmed the births of Mary Ann Caffrey (born Blackburn 1872, Jan qtr, vol 8c, page 401) and Margaret Ann Caffrey (born Blackburn 1873, Dec qtr, vol 8e, page 351).

Next, a search was made for the death of Margaret Taylor (Caffrey). An entry was discovered for a Margaret Caffrey who died in Blackburn. The death was reported in the BMD Index for the January quarter of 1879, ref 8e, 205. The death certificate may provide further clues on her birth.

Following this, a further search was made of the BMD Index using the service. This was for the years January 1837 to December 1869. The purpose was to try and ascertain the approximate period of time when Caffrey/Caffery families first began appearing in the Blackburn area. This data would help in subsequent research to put together the Caffrey (etc) family connections in Blackburn through the 1880’s and early 1900’s. The results are indicated below:

| |

|EVENT |

|Surname  Birth              Baptism      Given Name   Father   Mother      Nee          Godparents |

|Cafferty  24 Jul 1905    30 Jul 1905    Ann              Michael  Agnes       Airey         James and Ann  Cafferty |

|Cafferty  22 Jul 1895    23 Jul 1905  Auqustine     John       Mary Ann Holden      Michael and Mary Cafferty |

|Cafferty 28 Sept 1895  29 Sept 1895 Catherine                  Mary                          William Knowles and Hannah |

|Fletcher   |

|Cafferty 18 Jun 1904    19 Jun 1904  Cecilia         Michael  Agnes       Airey          John and Mary Cafferty |

|Cafferty 28 Jul 1908       2 Aug 1908 Cecilia         James     Sara          Waring      John and Mary Cafferty |

|Cafferty 22 Jan 1913      9 Feb 1913  Helen          John        Helen        Henrys     Patrick and Mary Clare |

|Cafferty  24 Aug 1911  10 Sept 1911  Margaret       John        Helen          Henry       Thomas Pilkington and Catherine Clare |

|Cafferty  30 Jan  1913    2 Feb  1913   Augustine     James    Sara           Waring       James Lyons  and Cecilia Cafferty |

|Cafferty  10 Aug 1908   16 Aug 1908   Leo              John        Mary Ann   Holden       James Cafferty and Selina Holden |

|Cafferty  27 Mar  1908  01 April 1906  William        James    Sara Ann    Wareing      Augustine Lyons and Helen Cafferty |

|Caffery   06 Jan   1906  13 Sept 1906  John                           Mary Alice                 Helen Caffery |

|Caffery  16 Feb   1910   27 Feb 1910   Jane            John       Helen          Henry         Thomas and Jane McGuinn  |

 

St Albans Marriages 1856-1879

 

23 Feb 1878 George Stones (father Thomas) and Catherine Cafferty (father Michael) 

                   Witnesses Frederick Dawson and Mary Cafferty  

?  Jul  1872   Michael Wallace (father Peter) and Margaret Cafferty (father Michael)

                    Witnesses John Cafferty and Alice A Wallace

07 Dec 1861 Thomas Brannan (father James) and Helen Caffery (father John) 

                Witnesses John Fizmaurice and Cath. Law

09 May 1863 John Fitzmorris (father Patrick) and Ann Caffrey (father John)

                Witnesses John Murray and Bridget Welsh   

Contact was made in 2004 with a family history researcher who was a distant cousin of Michael Gregory. Her research indicated the deaths of some of the ancestors of Michael Gregory, and the marriage of Nicholas Caffrey born in 1862. The details are as follows:

Nicholas Caffrey born 1863 Married Catherine Moore Blackburn

Nicholas Caffrey born 1863 Died 1907 Blackburn

Thomas Caffrey born 1865 Died 1935 Blackburn

In addition, she indicated that Thomas Caffrey (son of John Caffrey), born in 1834 in Ireland was born in Roscommon[16]. If this can be verified, it opens a potential opportunity to further explore the Caffrey line in Ireland. She also found a John Caffrey age 56 years living at 12, Friday Street, Blackburn in 1861. His occupation was given as Tinner, which she thinks is the same occupation as Thomas’ father; and believes this John was Thomas’ father, although this has not been proven.

The Caffrey family was found in the 1891 census living at 8 Appen Street, Blackburn. It was noted that the entries spelled the name Caffery:

Census April 1891

Public Record Office Ref: RG12/3418 folio 12

8 Appen Street, Blackburn

Occupation Where born

Thomas Caffery Head Mar 25 Cotton Winder Blackburn

Helen Caffery Wife Mar 25 Cotton Carder Blackburn

James Caffrey Son Un 5 Blackburn

Margaret E Caffery Dau Un 2 Blackburn

Clearly, at this time, Michael Gregory’s grandfather, Thomas Caffrey, had not yet been born. Both Thomas and his sister Margaret (Maggie) were listed in the 1901 census (see above).

Now that an Irish connection had been established, the origins of the name caffrey were researched. The website provides a useful summary of the Caffrey Coat of Arms and an explanation of the origin of the name. The name derives from McCaffrey. The McCaffrey’s are a branch of the MacGuires or Maguires of Fermanagh. The townland of Ballyrnacaffrey near Fivemiletown on the Tyrone border marks their homeland. The great majority of persons of the name today belong to families located in Fermanagh and Tyrone; a little further south in Cavan and North Meath there are a considerable number of Caffreys, ie the same surname but with the prefix Mac dropped. In Irish it is Mac Gafraidh (son of Godfrey). At one time this was anglicized MacGoffrey by some families which migrated from Fermanagh to Roscommon; and that of course is phonetically more correct than MacCaffrey. The name is derived from Gafraidh son of Don Carrach, first Prince of Maguire (1264-1303). From Gafraidh’s brothers continue the line of Maguire and also the families of MacGrath and MacAuley of Ulster.

By the close of the twelfth century, the Maguires were rulers of County Fermanagh in Ulster. The Mag Uidhir (uidhir means pale), had their fortress strategically placed at the gateway to Ulster, Upper and Lower Lough Erne. It has since passed through many centuries well preserved. The Maguires have been prominent in Fermanagh since at least AD 956 and are closely connected with the O’Neill kings of Ulster and with the O’Donnells. Although the princely Maguires have long since vanished, the summit of Culceagh Mountain, near Swanlinbar, and the hill of Cornashee, near Lisnaskea, are still associated with the ceremonial inaugurations which were held there for their chieftains. Towards the close of the thirteenth century, with the installation of Don Maguire (whose son, Gafraidh was progenitor of the Caffreys), the family began to feature in the records. Cathal MacManus Maguire (1439-98), a chief of the MacManus sept of the Maguires, was both a learned historian and a bishop. He was born on an island in Lough Erne, and, according to the Four Masters, he compiled the Invaluable Annals of Munster, which preceded their own great work.

Following the devastations by the armies of Cromwell and William of Orange, the Irish landed aristocracy, including the majority of the Maguires and their clansmen, MacCaffrey, MacManus, etc. fled, in 1691, with the “wild geese” to France and Austria. A regiment of infantry in James II’s army had been commanded by a Maguire, Baron of Enniskillen. James II also paid £2,190 a year “for our secret service” to Dominick Maguire. The best known of the Caffreys was Rev. James MacCaffrey (died 1875), the ecclesiastical historian, who was born in County Tyrone.

One hundred years ago the Caffrey name remained most populous in the Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone. Two centuries earlier MacCaffrey had remained a principal name of County Fermanagh. The name here on its traditional lands has retained the prefix Mac for the most part. The name is found as Caffrey, however, in Dublin, Meath and Cavan in the 1890 index. Several are found among the fighting men of Corcoran’s Irish Legion and Meagher’s Irish Brigade of civil war fame in the USA. The Mayo name MacCafferky called MacCafforty, has occasionally been corrupted to MacCaffrey. This is MacEachmharcaigh in Irish, formed from the word “each” a steed and “marcach” a rider. MacCafferty, also from the old spelling of Mac Eachmharcaigh, has also kept its ‘Mac’ prefix, except in County Cavan where Cafferty is numerous. This also has been corrupted to MacCaffrey and Caffrey.

In Heraldry terms, the Caffreys bore the arms of Maguire, which are Vert a white horse fully caparisoned thereon a knight in complete armour on his helmet a plume of ostrich feathers his right hand brandishing a sword all proper:

[pic]

Coat of Arms of the Caffrey Clan

Returning to more recent relatives, the military record of one of Michael Gregory’s great uncles – Nicholas Caffrey – was found in the ‘burnt records’ in the National Archives. He is described as the son of Thomas Caffrey and his place of residence was 44 John Street, Blackburn (the same house in which Michael Gregory’s grandfather was living in 1915). He signed up with the Lancashire Fusiliers on 2 June 1915, aged 19 years and 11 months, confirming his birth ca 1895/96. His army registration number was 36526. His record is not very detailed. He was in the 18th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers. At his attestation, his occupation was spinner and he described himself as unmarried. He was 5’ ½” tall. He survived the war, being discharged on 20 December 1918. He described his next of kin as Thomas Caffrey of the same address. He was posted to France on 29 January 1916 and discharged on 20 December 1918 as no longer physically fit for war service. He had spent some time at Ellerstein Military Hospital, clearly having been injured during his war service.

In previous research, it had not been possible to trace the military record of Michael Gregory’s grandfather, Thomas Caffrey. At his marriage in 1915, he had indicated he was a soldier in the 1/4th East Lancashire Regiment. From family stories, it was known he had been a POW during WWI, but that he had escaped. In 2006, a database of WWI POW’s was placed online on the Internet.[17] A record was found of Thomas Caffrey, a Private in the King’s Own Lancaster’s, (page 70-71). These pages refer to the location of the original report on Interviews in the publications of the Committee on the Treatment of British Prisoners of War, held at the National Archives in Series WO161. Thomas Caffrey was found in WO/161/98. It was not clear from the report, however, if this might be the grandfather of Michael Gregory as no biographical detail was given.

Nicholas Caffrey, referred to earlier in this report – a brother of Michael Gregory’s great grandfather – was found in various records. In the 1901 Census he was discovered living with his family in Blackburn.

Census 1901

29 Sharples Street, Blackburn

St Luke Ward

Occupation Place of birth

Nicholas Caffery 38 Hd M Worker Blackburn

Catherine Caffery 38 W M Cotton worker Blackburn

Mary A Caffery 18 Dau S Cotton worker Blackburn

Lily Caffery 15 Dau S Cotton worker Blackburn

Catherine Caffery 12 Dau S Cotton worker Blackburn

Nicholas Caffery 9 Son S Blackburn

John Caffery 6 Son Blackburn

Matthias Caffery 4 Son Blackburn

Bridget Moore 60 Moth in Law Widow Ireland

Nicholas’ wife’s maiden name was therefore likely to have been Catherine Moore. A marriage of Nicholas Caffery and Catherine Moore was found in the BMD Index for Apr, May, Jun 1901. A copy of the marriage certificate may yield further family clues.

Likely candidates for Bridget and Catherine were found in the 1881 Census.

Census 1881

1 Union Street, Blackburn

St Peter Ward

Occupation Place of birth

Bridget Moore 40 Hd Wid Cotton winder Ireland

Catherine Moore 19 Dau S Cotton worker Blackburn

Mary E Moore 13 Dau Scholar Blackburn

The family was found again in the 1871 Census.

Census 1871

2 Hargreaves Lane, Blackburn

St Peter Ward

Bridget Moore 30 Hd Wid No trade Ireland

Catherine Moore 10 Dau Lancashire

Mary Ellen Moore 3 Dau Lancashire

Thomas Moore 30 Brother Unm Labourer in mill Ireland

The names and ages fit well. If they are the correct family, then the father of Catherine Moore will have died somewhere between 1868 and 1871 and a search for this can be made in the BMD Index. Thomas Moore will have been Bridget’s brother-in-law.

Nicholas Caffrey and his family were also found in the 1891 Census. They were living at 17 Union Street, Blackburn.

Census 1891

17 Union Street, Blackburn

St Peter Ward

Nicholas Caffery 29 Hd M Cotton spinner Blackburn

Catherine “ 29 W M Dof weaver Blackburn

Thomas Hy “ 11 Son Scholar Blackburn

Mary Agnes “ 8 D Scholar Blackburn

Lily “ 5 D Scholar Blackburn

Catherine “ 2 D Blackburn

Margaret Ellen “ 5 mnth D Blackburn

Although by 1914, Nicholas would have been elderly to serve in the theatre of war, the burnt records were searched. This was rewarded by finding his record of service. He was called up to the Royal Defence Corps, No. 36526. He was 52 years and 5 months at his attestation in 1916. He was enlisted on 18 September 1916 and demobilised on 16 March 1919. His residence was given as 29 Sharples Street, Blackburn. He gave his wife’s name as Catherine Caffery, formerly Moore. Their wedding took place in Blackburn in March 1887 at St Mary’s Church. His occupation prior to enlistment was given as Street Mason. The record indicated he had served with the 1st Battalion of the North Lancashire Regiment. He was with the 15th Brigade in India and the 12th Brigade in South Africa. His children were given as:

Nicholas Caffery b. Nov 1888

John Caffery b. April 1890

Matthias Caffery b. April 1892

Kate Caffery b. Dec 1894

Agnes Caffery b. Apr 1896

Lilly Caffery b. Jan 1878

The Muster Records for the 1st Battalion Loyal Northern Lancashire Regiment were searched to see if he could be traced. He was found in WO16/2851. These records extended from February 1884 to 31 March 1886. His regimental number was 3198. In January 1884 it was noted that the troop were sailing on board HMS Sirapis (?) from 15 January to 7 July 1884. Nicholas’ rank was private. He appeared again in the muster for September 1886 but not in 1887 or 1888. In the burnt record details, there appears a reference that he served 4 years and 264 days in the regular army. Perhaps he had left by the end of 1886, meaning he would have joined up sometime around 1881/1882. A search was made for his discharge papers at the National Archives for the years 1880-1899 and 1900 onwards. These are held in the Series WO97 and boxes 2437, 2438, 4476 and 6328 were thoroughly searched, but his papers were not found.

Returning to Thomas Caffrey, Michael Gregory’s grandfather. One brother, Nicholas had been enlisted in 1912 prior to WW1. Another brother was found when researching the burnt records held at the National Archives. This was William Caffrey. He was a private in the Lancashire Fusiliers, Regimental no. 63670. He transferred to the reserve on 16 February 1919. His height was 5’ 0”. He was aged 19 in 1912. His pre-war occupation was given as cotton spinner. He weighed 118lbs at his attestation examination. He had contracted malaria at Salonika and was hospitalized in 1918. His address was given as 44, John Street, Blackburn. His year of birth was given as 1895. He was transferred into the Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, No.2066. He embarked at Alexandria on 28 November 1915 and arrived at Salonica on 3 December 1915, serving there until 25 May 1918. He rejoined the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers on 16 August 1918 and was wounded by gas 11 days later, following which on 5 September 1918 he was returned to England.

Matthias Caffery, referred to above, the son of Nicholas and Catherine, also served in WW1, and unfortunately was killed. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website lists him as recorded on Panel 42/43 on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme:

Matthias Caffery

Private, East Lanc’s Regt

4th Battalion

Age 20

Died 21 March 1918

Service No 200515

Son of Nicholas and Catherine Caffery of 29, Sharples Street, Blackburn

Also served at the Dardanelles

His war medal card was also found and he was awarded the Victory Medal and Star.

In 2006, Michael Gregory was contacted through the GenesReunited website by Agnes Caffrey, the widow of Thomas Caffrey, Michael Gregory’s uncle. Their son Martin had married Tracey Swindlehurst (b. 1967) and they had three children, Luke (b.1997), Matthew (b.2001) and Joseph (b.2004). Unfortunately, Agnes had not retained any older Caffrey photographs, which are believed to have been given to a neighbour following the death of Ellen Caffrey around 2003.

In July 2007, contact was made with a living relative, Esther Steel (nee Leslie) who shares a common set of ancestors with Michael Gregory. These are their great great grandparents, Thomas Caffrey and Margaret Taylor, indicated in the genealogical chart below. Esther Steel had a photograph (reproduced below) of her grandfather Thomas Leslie (2nd from the right in the picture), and it is believed the other members of the group are some of his cousins, one of whom (2nd on the left of the picture) could possibly be Michael Gregory’s grandfather, Thomas Caffrey, although this is not proven.

[pic]

Attention returned to the Caffrey family in 2009, hoping to find details of his Irish ancestry. Thomas Caffrey and Margaret Taylor were known to have married on the 3rd June 1854 in Blackburn. Thomas was the son of John Caffrey, whose occupation was probably a turner, but might have been a furrier. It was known that Thomas was born in Ireland but no more specific birthplace had been recorded.

A distant cousin was believed to have found Thomas and Ellen Caffrey in the 1861 census, living at George Street West, Blackburn. Thomas had then stated that he had been born in Roscommon. In fact, Thomas and Margaret were found to be living at William Henry Street, Blackburn (RG9/3094, fol. 92, p. 23). Thomas’s occupation was a bobbin carrier in a cotton mill. His age appears to be 26, which would agree with the following census of 1871, when he was said to be aged 36. His age in 1881 was 44. In order to confirm that the correct couple had been located, a copy of the birth certificate of their oldest child, John Edward, aged 5 on the census, was obtained. He was the only child who was alive in 1861. Reference was found to the registration of the birth of this child on FreeBMD in the June quarter of 1856 (Blackburn 8e 269).

John Edward Caffrey was born on the 2nd March 1856 at 62 King Street, Blackburn. His father was Thomas, a cotton piecer, and his mother was Ellen, formerly Taylor. This confirmed that Thomas Caffrey believed that he had been born in Roscommon around 1834 to 1837.

A possible entry for Thomas had also been found in 1851, before his marriage to Ellen. He was then said to be aged 21, which was rather older than would be expected. This Thomas was the son of John Caffray, a 60 year-old butcher. Both father and son were born in Ireland, as was John’s wife, Hannah. Two younger children, aged 18 and 14, had been born in Lancashire, placing this family’s arrival in England somewhere between 1829 and 1833. This family were found to be living in Turner’s Square, Blackburn in 1841 (HO107/502/22, fol. 38, p. 30). No child called Thomas was present.

No other Thomas Caffrey with a father called John could be found in 1851. It is possible, of course, that Michael Gregory’s ancestors had not yet arrived in England by that time.

In 1861, another John Caffrey was living in Blackburn, at 12 Friday Street (RG9/3097, fols. 115 & 116, pp. 20 & 21). This man was a 56 year-old tinner, born in Ireland. He was a widower. His children, all born in Ireland, were aged 18, 16 and 13. This family must therefore have been in Ireland until at least 1847/8. John would have been born around 1804/5.

A search was made on FreeBMD for the death of any John Caffrey (including variants) in Blackburn from 1851 onwards. Only two were found who, by their ages, could be either the butcher or the tinner:

Mar 1866 John Caffry 64 8e 237

Sep 1868 John Caffrey 66 8e 250

Copies of both certificates were ordered. John Caffry, aged 64, died in Blackburn Union Workhouse on the 11th January 1866. He was described as an outdoor labourer. The cause of his death was dementia and paralysis and the informant was David Cuthbert. This man might be the father of Michael Gregory’s ancestor, Thomas. His age was slightly older than the man found in Friday Street in 1861.

John Caffrey, the butcher, died on the 6th September 1868 at 83 Penny Street. His death was caused by general debility and the informant was Michael Caffrey of 25 Lucknow Street.

Thomas Caffrey could not be found in the 1891 census in Blackburn. A probable death was found for him in the June quarter of 1887, aged 52 (Blackburn 8e 273).

In order to investigate the possibility of finding the Caffrey family in Roscommon, before they came to England, a search was made of Griffith’s Valuation. There are entries for 70 John Caffreys, using the exact spelling of the surname. They lived mainly in the counties of Meath, Dublin and Cavan. None was found in Co. Roscommon.

One householder with the surname of Cafferty was found in Roscommon. This was Patrick Cafferty of Aghaderry townland in the civil parish of Tibohine.

Tibohine contains the Catholic parishes of Lisacull and Loughglynn. The LDS Family History Library in London holds a film which includes baptisms at Loughglynn from 6th July 1829 to 24th November 1840 (0989753). A search was made up to the end of 1837, looking for any Caffrey entries, but in particular, any Thomas or any child of John. There were no Caffrey entries at all. There were a number of entries relating to families called Cafferty but none was for a child called Thomas and none had a father named John.

The parish appears to have been known later as Loughglynn and Lisacull and it was possible to search, on the same film, for deaths from 14th January 1850 to 18th Jun 1854. No Caffrey was found.

Report dated: 19 November 2009

Sources Consulted

English and Welsh Civil Registration

Office for National Statistics, London

Birth Bernadette Caffrey 1934

Marriage Thomas Edward Caffrey and Elizabeth Ashworth 1915

Birth Thomas Edward Caffrey 1891

Marriage Thomas Caffrey and Ellen Ferdinand 1887

Birth Thomas Caffrey 1865

Marriage of Thomas Caffrey and Margaret Taylor 1854

Birth Mary Ann Caffrey 1872

Nicholas Caffry 1863

Irish Civil Registration

Custom House, Dublin

Search for marriage Thomas Caffrey and Margaret Taylor 1864-1865

Census Returns

Public Record Office, London

1911 Census On line

1901 Census 14, Pomfret Street, Blackburn; 29 Sharples Street, Blackburn

1891 Census 8, Aspden Street, Blackburn; 17 Union Street, Blackburn

1881 Census British National Index

1881 Census 4 Union Street, Blackburn; 1 Union Street, Blackburn

1871 Census 4 Union Street, Blackburn and rest of Enumeration District 73

Back of Union Street, Blackburn and rest of Enumeration District 14

George Street West, Blackburn; 2 Hargreaves Lane, Blackburn

4 Sharples Street, Blackburn and rest of Enumeration District 14

1861 Census 4 Sharples Street, Blackburn and rest of Enumeration District 45

Stout Street, Blackburn and rest of ED 5

1851 Census Surname Index Blackburn (HO 107 2258, 2259)

1851 Census 37, Eccles Street, Blackburn

36 Eccles Street, Blackburn

WO 363/C11

WO 363/C11

WO 363/ (Mis-sorts)20

WO 364/2822, 4914, 5528 & 5803

Miscellaneous sources consulted



Transcription of Blackburn Roman Catholic Church Records by the Lancashire Family History Society, 2004

: Origins of the Caffrey name

National Archives

“Behind the Wire” database of British WWI POW’s, Series WO161/98: POW interview with Thomas Caffrey, King’s Own Lancaster Regiment, WWI

‘Burnt Paper Series’, National Archives, Service Records:

• Nicholas Caffrey, Lancashire Fusiliers

• William Caffrey, Royal Fusiliers

BMD Index

1846-1900 Births of Caffrey/Caffery

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Matthias Caffery of the East Lanc’s Regiment

The Caffrey Family of Blackburn and Relationship of

Michael Gregory to the Caffrey Line

John Caffrey = [---?---]

b. ca 1815

Turner (1854)

Thomas Caffrey = Margaret Taylor See: Taylor Family Thomas Moore [?] Moore = Bridget [?]

b. ca 1836 (Roscommon, b. ca 1834 History Report b. ca 1840 b. ca 1841 (Ireland)

Ireland) m. 3 June 1854 (Blackburn) (Ireland)

Labourer of Blackburn d. ca 1878 in Blackburn

(1854)

Foundry Labourer of 4

Sharples Street, Blackburn,

(1865

General Labourer of

4 Union St, Blackburn

(1881)

Cotton grinder (1887)

Thomas Caffrey = Ellen Ferdinand Mary Ann John Caffrey Nicholas Caffery = Catherine Moore

b. 1 Feb, 1865 dau of James Ferdinand b. ca 1871 Thomas Caffrey b. 1862 (Blackburn) b. 1865

Living atSharples Cotton spinner Margaret Ann Hugh Caffery 29 Sharples St, (Blackburn)

St, Blackburn (1881) b. ca 1863/7 b. 1873 William Caffery Blackburn m. 1887

Cotton piecer m. 10 Apr 1887 at (Blackburn) (1916-19) St Mary’s Church

Coton grinder of St Mary’s RC See below Street Mason Blackburn

21 Mosley St, (Blackburn) Private in Northern

Blackburn (1887) Cotton rover of 30, See Ferdinand Family Lancashire Regt

Cotton mill engine Infirmary St, Blackburn History Report (ca 1881-86)

Tenter (1915) (1887) Defence Force

d. 1935 (Blackburn) (1915)

9

Thomas Edward Caffrey = Elizabeth Ashworth James Caffrey Margaret Ellen Mary A Joseph Bolton = Mary

b. 15 July 1891 (Livesey, dau of Richard Ashworth b.1886 (Blackburn) b. ca 1889 b.1889 b. ca 1902 b. ca 1896

Blackburn) b. 1893 (Blackpool) William Caffrey (Blackburn) Lilly

Private 1st/4th East m. 20 Nov 1915 b. ca 1895 Mary A b.1898

Lanc’s Regt St Alban’s RC (Blackburn) b. ca 1900 Catherine

(cotton spinner) of 44, (Blackburn) Private in Lancashire (Blackburn) b.1894

John St, Blackburn Cotton spinner of Fusiliers 1912-19 Nicholas Caffrey

(1915) 40, John St, Blackburn Living at 44 John St, b. ca 1888

Cotton mule spinner (1915) Blackburn (1912/1919) John Caffrey

Of 77, Daisy Lane, Robert Caffrey b.1890

Blackburn (1934) b. ca 1895 (Blackburn) Thomas Caffrey

d. 1971 (Blackburn) See Ashworth, Bond & Beck Nicholas Caffrey b. ca 1890

Family History Report b. ca 1895 (Blackburn) Margaret

Private Lanc’s Fusiliers Agnes

(1914-1918) Matthias Caffrey

Living at 44 John St, b.1892

Blackburn, (1915) Killed in WW1 (1918)

James Caffrey Malcolm Peter Gregory = Bernadette Caffrey Thomas Caffrey = Agnes Bolton

d. 1976 b. 1935 b. 13 Apr 1934 b.1932 b.1933

Cotton Mill Worker (Blackburn) (Blackburn)

Ellen m. 21 Jul 1956 d. ca 2002

b. 1 Aug 1929 St Peter RC

(Blackburn) Blackburn

d. 2003 (Blackburn) Cotton doffer of

Cotton spinner 12, Beaumaris Avenue,

Blackburn (1956)

d. 2001 (Blackburn

Michael Peter Gregory Martin Caffrey = Tracey Swindlehurst

b.1957 (Blackburn) See Gregory Family b. 1966 b.1967

History Report

And Genealogy

Chart No 2

Luke Caffrey Matthew Caffrey Joseph Caffrey b.1997 b.2001 b.2004

Esther Leslie: 3rd Cousin Hourglass tree

[pic]

-----------------------

[1] Bernadette died in 1999 of lung cancer.

[2] Died in c.1976. James was enlisted in WW2 in the Pioneer Corps, but his peacetime occupation was in the cotton mills. He was known as ‘Jimmy’. He never became married, and had no children.

[3] Born in Blackburn, 1 Aug 1929. Died in 2001. Ellen, known as ‘Nellie’ was never married and had no children. She was a cotton mill worker.

[4] Died in c.2002. Thomas left a surviving wife, Agnes and adopted son, Martin Caffrey (born c. 1966).

[5] In fact, further research on the Ashworth family has shown that Richard could not possibly have been Elizabeth’s biological father, as he died 11 months before she was born. See: Gregory, M.P., (2008), “The Ashworth, Bond and Beck Families”, Personal Family History Report.

[6] A researcher was commissioned to trace the military service of Thomas Edward, Private, 1915, 1st/4th East Lancashires. The East Lanc’s Regiment served in 1915 in Gallipoli, then saw action until 1919 on the Western Front, participating in most major battles. It was unlikely Thomas Edward saw action in Gallipoli, as he was still in England in November 1915. He probably shipped to the Western front soon after his marriage.

[7] See: Debrett (2003), “The Ferdinand Family”, Report No 6435D, Debrett Ancestry Research Ltd, December 2003, UK. This report is supplemented by additional notes in Gregory, M.P., (2008), “The Ferdinand Family of Blackburn, January 2004, Personal Family History Report.

[8] See: Gregory, M.P., (2008), “The Taylor Family of Blackburn” , Personal Family History Report.

[9] This needs to be verified.

[10] All of Thomas Caffrey’s sons would have been old enough to serve in WW1. It might be useful to search for and obtain their war service records if available. Family story is that Thomas (grandfather of Michael Gregory) had a number of brothers killed in WW1, although there is only one Caffrey (Matthias) listed on any of the Blackburn, Darwen or Greater Accrington Rolls of Honour.

[11] Michael Gregory’s grandfather.

[12] It should be noted that the database was complied from microfiche copies of the Births, Marriages and Deaths Index, and not all transcriptions are clear. They should be therefore checked against the original index prior to copies of certificates being ordered.

[13] Could John, the father of Michael, also be the father of Thomas Caffrey?

[14] However, see below. They were found at George St West by a descendant and amateur family history researcher, although the original record has not been verified.

[15] The IGI is an index to baptisms and marriages compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) from a combination of Parish Registers and family information. While neither are complete nor wholly accurate, it serves as a useful guide to the original records.

[16] Apparently, this information was gained from the 1861 census, George St West, Blackburn

[17] “Behind the Wire”; a database of 1914-18 Prisoners of War (POW’s).

-----------------------

Genealogy Chart

No 2

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download