1824 – Birth of Michael Baker

In 1824, Michael Baker was born in County Clare, Ireland.

1824/1828 – Birth of Margaret O’Neil

Margaret O’Neil was born in either 1824 or 1828 in Ireland:

  • 1824 – In 1862, Margaret was listed on the Lady Milton records as being 38 years old, indicating she was born about 1824.
  • 1828 – A baptism certificate has been located for Margaret O’Neil for 18 June 1828 in Tulla, County Clare, Ireland, the daughter of John O’Neil and Margaret Hogan.2

John O’Neil and Margaret Hogan

First Name(s)YearRegistration NumberFather’s Stated Given Name(s)Mother’s Stated Given Name(s)District
John O’Neil1805- 1871Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864- 1958, Registration district Tulla,
Volume 4,
Page 406,
FHL Film Number 101585		Tulla, County Clare, Ireland2
Margaret Hogan

The Children of John O’Neil and Margaret Hogan

Child No.First Name(s)YearRegistration NumberFather’s Stated Given Name(s)Mother’s Stated Given Name(s)District
1Margaret O’Neil18 June 1828Tulla, County Clare, Ireland1
2Anne O’Neil18 June 1828Tulla, County Clare, Ireland4
3John O’Neil28 January 1833Tulla, County Clare, Ireland5

Quin and Tulla are approximately 10 kilometres from each other.

~1841 – Relationship with Margaret O’Neil

About 1841, Michael Baker and Margaret O’Neil had a relationship. A marriage certificate has not yet been found, though Margaret was listed on the 1862 Lady Milton records (below) as being widowed, indicating that Michael and Margaret were married.

1842 – Birth of Mary Baker

On 8 May 1842, Mary Baker was baptised in Quin, County Clare, Ireland.6

The Census of Ireland 1901 identified that Mary Baker was 60, living in Crusheen, County Clare, was born in County Clare, and was widowed, indicating that this is one and the same person.

Census Summary:

NameMary Baker
SexFemale
Age60
Birth Year (Estimated)1841
BirthplaceCo Clare
Marital StatusWidowed
OccupationFarmer
ReligionR Catholic
Relationship to Head of HouseholdHead of Family
Relationship CodeHead
Event TypeCensus
Event Date1901
Event PlaceCrusheen, County Clare, Ireland
Event Place (Original)Carhookyle Beg, Crusheen, Clare, Ireland
Event Place Note1901-1901
Household Identifier2

Crusheen where Mary died, is approximately 16 kilometres north of Quin where she was born.

1843 – Birth of Patrick Baker

On 26 December 1843, Patrick Baker was baptised in Quin, County Clare, Ireland.7

Patrick is recorded as being 15 on the Lady Milton ship record, though his baptism certificate indicates he would have been 19 at the time. It is currently unknown why Patrick is listed as being 4 years younger than he was.

1847 – Birth of Margaret Baker

On 7 October 1847, Margaret Baker was born in Quin, County Clare, Ireland.8

On 14 October 1847, Margaret was baptised in Quin, County Clare, Ireland.9

1845-1852 – The Great Famine in Ireland

“Between 1845-52 Ireland suffered a period of starvation, disease and emigration that became known as the Great Famine. The potato crop, upon which a third of Ireland’s population was dependent for food, was infected by a disease destroying the crop. There had been crop failures before but during the famine it failed across the whole country, and reoccurred over several years. Throughout this period large quantities of food continued to be exported, mainly to Great Britain during the blight.”

“Assessments of how many people died during the Great Famine, either of disease or hunger, stands at around 1,000,000. This, along with emigration to escape the famine, significantly reduced the population of Ireland. It also had a revolutionary impact on Irish politics, becoming a defining moment for Irish nationalists.”

~1847-~1862 – Death of Michael Baker

Michael Baker’s last child was born in 1847. His wife’s ship log said she was widowed in March 1862, indicating Michael had died prior to this time.

1862 – Margaret (Senior) and Patrick Sail to Australia

On 8 March 1862, Margaret (senior) who was 38 years old, and her son Patrick who was recorded as being 15 years old, departed Plymouth onboard the ship Lady Milton, bound for Sydney, Australia.

The ship log records:

  • Margaret Baker – Age: 38 years old, Calling: Farm (?), Native Place and County: Clare, Religion: Roman Catholic, Read or write: Neither.
  • Patrick Baker – Age: 15 years old, Calling: Farm Labourer, Native Place and County: Clare, Religion: Roman Catholic, Read or write: Both.

In terms of the other family members in March 1862:

  • Michael – Had died. The Lady Milton ship log records Margaret as being a widow, indicating that Michael had died in the years prior.
  • Mary – Was already married and remained in Ireland.
  • Margaret (Junior) – Likely deceased. Margaret would have only been 14 years old in 1862 and the youngest child in the family. The fact that she is not listed on the ship records traveling with her mother and brother on their trip to Australia indicates she had likely died by this time. It is possible she died during The Great Famine.

On 28 June 1862, Margaret and Patrick arrived in Sydney, Australia. The voyage had taken 112 days.

On 30 June 1862, the Empire newspaper published on page 6:

“Immigrants per LADY MILTON.- Notice is hereby given that the undermentioned persons, for whom passages have been provided to this colony, in pursuance of deposits made in this office, under the Assisted Immigration Regulations, have arrived in the ship Lady Milton, and that they will be prepared to join their friends-the single females from the Depot, Hyde Park, at 10 o’clock a.m., THIS DAY…
Name of Immigrant: Baker, Margaret
Name of Depositor: Bridget Gammy”

“From 1831 the British and Australian colonial governments subsidised or paid for thousands of migrants to move to Australia… The numbers of convicts sent to Australia increased sharply in the 1820s. In New South Wales the convict proportion of the population increased from 30 per cent in 1805 to 46 per cent in 1828…

Governments in both Britain and Australia wanted to increase the number of free migrants… The Australian colonies particularly wanted skilled labourers and single women… Most of all, the colony needed women who could go into the country and be of practical assistance on farms…” By 1836 the colonial government in New South Wales provided free passage to migrants. “In the 1850s there were 230,000 assisted migrants, representing about 50 per cent of all migrants. Most came from the United Kingdom (including Ireland).”

? – Death of Margaret

It is not currently known when and where Margaret died.

References

  1. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6JL4-GZN3 : Thu Nov 21 09:04:53 UTC 2024), Entry for Anne Oneil and Jno Oneil, 18 Jun 1828. ↩︎
  2. https://www.ancestry.com.au/sharing/28805146?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2255364868397479347a4658574f5732555043362b35396d356b394a666a624c3157757162317831337132383d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d ↩︎
  3. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6JL4-GZN3 : Thu Nov 21 09:04:53 UTC 2024), Entry for Anne Oneil and Jno Oneil, 18 Jun 1828. ↩︎
  4. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6JL4-GZNM : Thu Nov 21 09:04:05 UTC 2024), Entry for Margt Oneil and Jno Oneil, 18 Jun 1828. ↩︎
  5. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6JGQ-RVP9 : Thu Nov 21 08:41:26 UTC 2024), Entry for John O’Neill and John O’Neill, 28 Jan 1833. ↩︎
  6. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6FBV-3WZG : Thu Nov 21 16:20:22 UTC 2024), Entry for Mary Baker and Michl Baker, 8 May 1842. ↩︎
  7. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6F4Z-ZKQ3 : Thu Nov 21 16:24:37 UTC 2024), Entry for Patt Baker and Michl Baker, 26 Dec 1843. ↩︎
  8. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6NZB-NWN3 : Thu Nov 21 15:09:12 UTC 2024), Entry for Mary Baker and Mich’l Baker, 7 Oct 1845. ↩︎
  9. “Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6NFP-PW4V : Thu Nov 21 15:30:42 UTC 2024), Entry for Margaret Baker and Michl Baker, 14 Oct 1847. ↩︎