James Vaughan (1846 - 1920)

Born 1846 in Sneem, County Kerry, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Ellen (Delaney) Vaughan — married 13 Jul 1870 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland

Died 28 Aug 1920 at about age 74 in Waterford, Ireland

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Biography

James Vaughan^[1] was born in 1846 in Sneem, County Kerry, Ireland^[2] He was the son of David Vaughan and Elizabeth Needham.

Royal Irish Constabulary

James enlisted in the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1864. His Service Number was 29533. He was 5’ 8 3/4” tall and like his eldest brother who was also a member of the R.I.C. he gave his profession as a baker.  He, like his two brothers was also recommended by Mr J Hyde, a local Justice of the Peace.^[3] James was assigned to the Waterford District where he seems to have spent his 30 years’ service.

Marriage to Ellen Delaney

According to his RIC record James married Ellen Delaney from Clonmel on the 16th of January 1872 but the wedding had actually taken place on the 13th of July 1870 in the Church of SS Peter and Paul, Clonmel^[4] 6 years after he enlisted. Ellen Delaney was born in April 1851, the daughter of Thomas Delaney, butcher and Catherine Dannaher.^[5] RIC men had to serve 8 years in the force before they were given permission to marry and James and Eileen seemed to have concealed their marriage from the authorities until the required service time had passed.

The Children of James Vaughan and Ellen Delaney Vaughan:

1. Mary Elizabeth Vaughan (1872 - 1911)
2. David Vaughan (b. 1875) R.I.C. married Julia Glasheen.
3. Ellen (Lil) Vaughan (1877 - 1947). She married Humphrey O’Connell.
4. Catherine (Kate) Vaughan (1882 - 1901). She died at the age of 19.^[6]
5. Fanny Vaughan (b. 1884).
6. James Vaughan (1887 - 1944) R.I.C. He married Catherine Greene.
7. George Vaughan (1890 - 1899). He died at the young age of 9 years.

After Retirement

James retired from the R.I.C. to Clonmel with the rank of Sergeant after 30 years’ service. During his time in the R.I.C., James as part of his duties was regularly listed in the Petty Sessions records and one would expect this to cease on his retirement.  However, it was a case of gamekeeper turned poacher when in March 1896 James was fined £6-3s for poaching on the river Suir.  His next appearance was in May 1896 for allowing his donkey to trespass in his neighbour's vegetable garden.  Thanks to the court records we know that James was now a publican in Old Bridge Street, Clonmel as he was summoned twice for serving alcohol on a Sunday in May and June 1896 to persons who were not bona fide travellers.  James and family then moved to 36 Parnell Street, Clonmel where he ran a provisions shop^[7] and surely this should be the end of his court appearances but he still managed to fall foul of the law when he got a summons for displaying margarine for sale which had not attached a label 11/2 inches square with the word margarine in capital letters and a second summons for serving the margarine in a wrapper without the lettering a minimum of 1/4 inch square.  He was fined 17 shillings and 6 pence on each charge or 14 days in the local gaol.  He paid the fines.

Tralee

James gave up on the retail trade and moved to Tralee in 1908 where his daughter, Ellen, secured a position as nurse in the Fever Hospital attached to the Workhouse.  They lived at Killierisk in the Ballymullen area with their daughter Mary Elizabeth known as Minnie, ^[8] while their daughter Ellen was resident nurse in the hospital nearby.^[9] James’s brother John Needham Vaughan was also living in Tralee at the time and his son-in-law Tom Lawlor was clerk of the union with responsibility for the Workhouse. Minnie their daughter died in November of 1911 at the age of only 39. 

Return to Waterford

In 1915 Ellen married Humphery O’Connell an RIC man stationed in Waterford^[10] and in February 1916 James and Ellen joined them there in No. 20 Ballybricken where James died on the 28th of August 1920. According to his death certificate^[11] he was an ex-sergeant of the RIC, aged 71 years, but more accurately based on his RIC record and the 1901 and 1911 census was in fact 74 years old.

Sources

1. ↑ This profile is based on the research and text by John Vaughan Lawlor
2. ↑ James’s RIC records tell us he was born in Sneem in 1846 and he enlisted in 1864 at 18 years of age
3. ↑ Royal Irish Constabulary Register extract, Service Number 29533, Public Records Office, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England.
4. ↑ Civil Register, Group Registration ID 2719318, SR District/Reg Area Clonmel.
5. ↑ Baptismal Register. 16th April 1851. SS Peter and Paul Church, Clonmel, Diocese of Waterford and Lismore. National Library of Ireland Microfilm 02463/01.
6. ↑ Civil Register, Group Registration ID 10823098, SR District/Reg Area Clonmel.
7. ↑ 1901 Census, Residents of a house 36 in Parnell Street (Clonmel East Urban, Tipperary), House and Buildings, Number 36. “Provision Store.”
8. ↑ 1911 Census, Residents of a house 4 in Killierisk (Tralee Rural, Kerry)
9. ↑ 1911 Census Residents of a house 18.5 in Ratass (Tralee Rural, Kerry).
10. ↑ Civil Register, Group Registration ID 1820429, SR District/Reg Area Tralee.
11. ↑ Civil Register, Group Registration ID 5788258, SR District/Reg Area Waterford.

• Civil Register, Group Registration ID 5788258, SR District/Reg Area Waterford.,