Talk:Descendants of William Cronin

I believe that there is an error in this tree.

It says that John, Edward, Margaret and Ellen are all children of William and Ellen Cronin. This is the obvious conclusion from the censuses, but having researched the family a bit more, I believe it's wrong.

The four children and Ellen the mother appear together on the 1841 census, but obviously the '41 census doesn't state how they're releated. On the 1851 census, the mother is living with the three younger children, and they are clearly identified as her children. But John is not living with them, and I can't find on the 1851 census.

Baptisms for the three younger children are found at St Mary & St Peter (Catholic) baptism register, together with another child who almost certainly died young.

• James, born 29 Nov 1825, bapt 1 Nov 1825. (A duplicate crossed out entry has him born and baptised 1 Dec 1825.)

• Edward, born [illegible] 1827, bapt 14 Oct 1827.

• Margarita, born 12 Sept 1830, bapt 9 Oct[?] 1830.

• Helena, born 27 Oct 832, bapt 11 Nov 1832.

In each case the parents are given as Patrick and Ellen, whose maiden name is variously given as Madden or Madigan. There are burials in St Helier for a Patrick (15 Aug 1832) and a James (21 Aug 1832). I assume this is the father and the first son listed above, as James is not on any censuses.

It's natural to assume that John was the eldest son, and the censuses say he was born in Ireland, which explains the lack of a baptism, in about 1823-24, so fitting the sequence well. However, when John married Elizabeth Fallaize on 2 Feb 1855, his marriage certificate states that his father was a William Cronin, a weaver.

Possibly the marraige certificate is wrong, or possibly Patrick and William are the same person who used two names. But absent evidence of that, I think we have to assume that John's father really was called William, and that he was not the brother of James, Edward, Margaret and Ellen. If I had to guess, perhaps he was a cousin who had been orphaned and was being brought up with them.

Richard Smith