Fitzsimons Blacksmiths
Below is Suffolk Street in Kells, County Meath, Ireland, viewed from Bective Street. Fitzsimons’ forge is behind the first cottage on the Right.
(1)Patrick Fitzsimons - Blacksmith
(1)Patrick Fitzsimons Was Born Circa 1814 In Ireland.
Although His Parentage Is Uncertain, Old Documents Found At The Homestead By His Descendants Hint That A Fitzsimons Family Were Already In Kells As Early As 1762. A Ledger Of Rents Collected By Lancelot Pearson From The Town And The Town Parks About Kells For Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl Of Bective, Shows A Michael Fitzsimons As One Of The Tenants Between 1762 And 1771. However, (1)Patrick May Also Have Originated From Cavan, A County Where The Fitzsimons Name Was More Prevalent Than In Any Other County. In The 1821 Census, This Is also The Only Place Where The First Names Of Bartolomew/Bartley/Bartle Appear, A Name That Repeatedly Appears Down Through The Generations In This Fitzsimons Family.
Around The Time Of Patrick’s Birth, There Were Growing Disturbances In The Irish Baronies, Forcing The Establishment Of The “Peace Preservation Force” To Place Policing On A More Formal Footing. Thomas Davis, Writer And “Young Irelander”, Was Born. Several European Countries Allied Together To Invade France From All Directions, Ending Napoleon’s Grip And Forcing Him To Abdicate. George III Was King Of England And Robert Banks Jenkinson Was Prime Minister. The “Gas Light And Coke Company” Began The World’s First Street Lighting In Westminster, Which Reached All Parts Of London By The End Of The Year. Patrick Would Have Been Around A Year Old When The “Battle Of Waterloo” Was Fought.
(1)Patrick Married Mary Clarke Sometime Before 1843. Although A Marriage Record For Them In Kells Has Yet To Be Sourced, A Similarly Named Couple In Knockbride, County Cavan, Were Married On 19th Jun 1835 – Patrick Fitzsimons And Anne Clarke.
Patrick and Mary Had At Least Eight Known Children: 1)Mary – Born Dec 1843 in Kells, County Meath, And Baptised in kells On 15th Dec 1843. 2)Bridget – Born Dec 1845 In Kells, County Meath, And Baptised in kells On 10th Dec 1845. 3)Maria – Born Aug 1847 In Kells, County Meath, And Baptised in Kells On 13th Aug 1847. 4)Elizabeth – Born Mar 1850 In Kells, County Meath, And Baptised in kells On 13th Mar 1850. 5)Jane – Born Apr 1852 In Kells, County Meath, And Baptised in kells On 11th Apr 1852. 6)(2)Bartle – Born Apr 1853 In Kells, County Meath, And Baptised in kells On 20th Apr 1853 (See Below). 7)Anne – Born Jul 1855 In Kells, County , And Baptised in kells On 20th Jul 1855. 8)Catherine – Born May 1862 In Kells, County Meath, And Baptised in kells On 21st Mar 1862.
According To The Griffith Valuation For 1854, (1)Patrick Was Renting A House, Forge And Yard, From The Marquis Of Headfort, In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath, For £2 Per Annum.
(1)Patrick Fitzsimons Died On 17th Mar 1874 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. The Cause Of Death Was “Bronchitis And Delirium”. By This Time, His Son (2)Bartle Would Have Taken Over The Forge. Patrick's Wife, Mary, Died On 4th Nov 1887 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. The Cause Of Her Death Was “Debility”.
(2)Bartle Fitzsimons - Master Blacksmith
(2)Bartle Fitzsimons Was Born In Kells, County Meath, Ireland, During April Of 1853, To (1)Patrick Fitzsimons And Mary Clarke. He Was Baptised On 20th April 1853, In Kells, County Meath.
Bartle Was Born Three Years After The End Of The Great Famine (1845-1850), Which Had Decimated The Potato Crop, Killed Over A Million People And Destroyed Families And Villages. Around 1841, The Population Had Been Around 8.2 Million, But Death And Emigration Saw That Number Reduced To Around 5.4 Million By 1871. Bartle’s Father, (1)Patrick, Was A Blacksmith And This Skill May Have Helped The Family Survive Through These Troubling Times. The Blacksmith Was Highly Important To All Classes, So The Fitzsimons Family May Have Been In A Favourable Position To Receive Assistance From Those Living Under Better Circumstances.
During His Lifetime, He Was A Supporter Of The Land League Movement Of The 1880s; Got In Trouble In 1886 For Trespassing With His Greyhounds On The Lands Of C. A. Nicholson’s At Balrath In Pursuit Of Game And Also For Allowing His Dog To Wander The Town Without A Muzzle.
(2)Bartle Married Bridget Tormay (Daughter Of James Tormay And Bridget Smyth) In The R.C. Church Of Kells, County Meath, Ireland, On 7th Jan 1878. They Had At Least Eleven Known Children: 1)Patrick (Blacksmith) – Born 22nd Dec 1878 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Died In 1912 In Kells And Was Interred In Balrath Graveyard, Kells, County Meath. 2)James Joseph – Born 3rd May 1880 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Married Anne Marie Gillick And Died On 14th Sep 1941 In Bloomfield, Essex, New Jersey, USA. 3)Mary Elizabeth – Born 16th Apr 1882 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. She Died In Suffolk Street On 25th Apr 1887. 4)Bartholomew (Blacksmith) – Born 4th Dec 1883 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Died, Unmarried, Of TB On 26th Jan 1918 In Kells, County Meath. 5)Charles Stewart – Born 8th Sep 1885 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Married Marguerita “Rita” Lilburn On 4th Nov 1918 And Died 26th Aug 1972 In Los Angeles, California, USA. Six Known Children From This Marriage Were: Peggy, Maureen, Charlie, Florrie, Margot And Jimmy. Although Charlie, Jimmy, And Maureen, Were Known Actors In Hollywood, It Was Maureen Who Went On To Become The Superstar Known As Maureen O’Hara (1920-2015). 6)Catherine – Born 18th Jun 1889 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. She became a Nurse. 7)Michael – Born 15th Jan 1891 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Married Elizabeth Ennis And Died 15th Mar 1961 In The USA. 8)Joseph (Motor Mechanic) – Born 22nd Nov 1893 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. (No Further Information Sourced Regarding Joseph). 9)Bernard – Born 20th Oct 1895 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Died In 1947. 10)John – Born 27th May 1897 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Died In 1950. 11)(3)Stephen Francis (Blacksmith) – Born 3rd Apr 1900 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. (See Below).
In The Irish Census For 31st Mar 1901, (2)Bartle Was At Home In Suffolk Street With His Wife, Bridget, And Nine Of Their Children: Patrick (A Blacksmith), Bartle (A Blacksmith), Charles, Kate, Michael, Joseph, Bernard, John, Stephen. Bartle Is Noted As Being A Master Blacksmith. Their Home Is Listed As A 3rd Class Private Dwelling Made Of Stone Walls, A Thatched Roof, Two Front Windows, And Had Between Two To Four Rooms. They Also Had Three Outside Buildings: A Shed And Two Forges. Their Landlord Was The 4th Marquis Of Headfort, Lord Geoffrey Thomas Taylour.
In The Irish Census For 2nd Apr 1911, (2)Bartle Was At Home In Suffolk Street With His Wife, Bridget, And Six Of Their Children: Patrick (A Blacksmith), Bartle (A Blacksmith), Joseph, Bernard, John, Stephen (Francis). Bartle Is Noted As Being A Blacksmith. Their Home Is Listed As A 2nd Class Private Dwelling Made Of Stone Walls, A Thatched Roof, Three Front Windows, And Had Between Two To Four Rooms. They Also Had Three Outside Buildings: A Shed And Two Forges. Their Landlord Was Still The 4th Marquis Of Headfort, Lord Geoffrey Thomas Taylour.
(2)Bartle Fitzsimons Died On 22nd Apr 1926 In Meath County Hospital, Navan, County Meath. The Cause Of Death Was “Cancer Of Oesophagus”. He Is Interred In The Left Section, Rear, In St Columcille’s Cemetery In Kells. His Wife, Bridget, Died On 13th May 1921 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. The Cause Of Her Death Was “Bronchitis”. She Is Interred In Balrath Graveyard In Kells.
(3) Stephen Francis Fitzsimons - Blacksmith
(3)Stephen Francis Fitzsimons Was Born On 3rd Apr 1900 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath, Ireland, To (2)Bartle Fitzsimons And Bridget Tormay. He Was Commonly Known As Frank.
During The Year Of His Birth, Queen Victoria Visited Dublin To Pay Tribute To The Irish Troops Who Had Fought In The Boer War; The Irish Poet And Playwright, Oscar Wilde, Died In Paris; The Second Summer Olympic Games Took Place In Paris; The Story “The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz” Was First Published In Chicago By L. Frank Baum; The First Airship/Blimp, “Zeppelin LZ 1”, Was Flown Over Lake Constance In Germany; The Deadliest Hurricane In U.S. History Hit Galveston And Killed Over 8,000 People; The Three Lighthouse Keepers On Flannan Isle, In The Outer Hebrides Of Scotland, Mysteriously Disappeared Without A Trace.
(3)Stephen Married Anna “Nancy” Mary Smith (Daughter Of William Smith And Mary Lynch) On 5th Feb 1923 In The RC Church Of Cortown, Balrathboyne, County Meath, Ireland.
Stephen Francis Fitzsimons & Anne “Nancy” Mary Smith
(3)Stephen and Anne Had At Least Fourteen Known Children: 1)Bartle C. – Born 1928 In Kells, County Meath. married Imelda and lived in New Jersey, USA. They had six known children and sixteen grandchildren. 2)Rose A. – Born 1929 In Kells, County Meath. On 25th Mar 1949, She Was Accepted Into The "Order Of The Poor Servants Of The Mother Of God" And Became Sister Mary Teresita. 3)William – Born In Kells, County Meath. In April 1958, He Entered The Priesthood And Became Reverend William Fitzsimons Of Kiltegan Fathers Nigerian Mission. He is currently a Parish priest in county westmeath. 4)Frank – Born In Kells, County Meath. He Married Bridie Moran, And They Had At Least Nine Known Children: (1)Anne Marie, (2)Stephen, (3)Frank, (4)Mark, (5)Neil, (6)Breege, (7)Ailish,(8)Margaret Mary, (9)William. Frank and Bridie have seventeen grandchildren and one great grandchild. 5)Anne – Born In Kells, County Meath. During April 1957, She Was Accepted Into The "Order Of The Poor Servants Of The Mother Of God" And Became Sister Maria Alacoque. 6)Bridie - Born In Kells, County Meath. During May 1949, She Passed Her Final Nursing Exams In Grimsby General Hospital, England, To Become A Qualified Nurse. 7)Charles - Born In Kells, County Meath. He Is A Professor in Vienna, Austria, and is married with two known children. 8)May - Born In Kells, County Meath. During Dec 1948, She Passed Her Final Nursing Exams In Grimsby General Hospital, England, To Become A Qualified Nurse. 9)Sue - Born In Kells, County Meath. She married Joe Ryan and they had six known children. 10)Patrick - Born In Kells, County Meath. He Married Aine And Had Three Known Children, And Six Known Grandchildren. 11)Patricia - Born In Kells, County Meath. She got married and had three known children. 12)Bernard - Born In Kells, County Meath. 13)Philip - Born In Kells, County Meath. He married Noreen and had two known children. 14)Teddy - Born In Kells, County Meath. He got married and had four known children.
(3)Stephen Francis Fitzsimons Died On 8th Mar 1961 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath. He Was The Last Of The Suffolk Street Blacksmiths. His Wife, Anne “Nancy”, Died On 11th Dec 1997 In Suffolk Street, Kells, County Meath.
Stephen Francis & Anne’s children. Two of them are missing, deceased. Anne is centre front.
Bartle Fitzsimons (1853-1926), master blacksmith, shoeing a horse in Bective Square, Kells, near his forge in Suffolk Street in the 1880s.
Fitzsimons’ forge, Suffolk Street, Kells. Bartholomew (1883-1918), son of Bartle Fitzsimons, master blacksmith, is on the right.
James Joseph Fitzsimons (1880-1941), son of Bartle Fitzsimons, master blacksmith.
James Joseph Fitzsimons (1880-1941), and his wife, Anne Marie Gillick.
Bridget Tormay (1856-1921), wife of Bartle Fitzsimons, master blacksmith.
Catherine Fitzsimons (nurse), sister of Stephen Francis Fitzsimons (blacksmith)
Siblings: James, Maureen (O’Hara), & Charles Fitzsimons, all actors in their own right. Children of Charles Stewart Fitzsimons (1885-1972).
Ordination of Rev. William Fitzsimons, son of Stephen Francis Fitzsimons, mentioned in “The Argus” newspaper Aug 30th, 1958.
Anne Fitzsimons (Sister Maria Alacoque), daughter of Stephen Francis Fitzsimons, mentioned in “The Argus” newspaper Apr 13th, 1957.
Rose Fitzsimons (Sister Mary Teresita), daughter of Stephen Francis Fitzsimons, mentioned in “The Drogheda Argus” newspaper Apr 2nd, 1949.
May Fitzsimons (Nurse), daughter of Stephen Francis Fitzsimons, mentioned in “The Drogheda Argus” newspaper Dec 18th, 1948.
