My ancestors - Cashel - Contents

Stephen Cashel (or Cashell)

We suspect that our ancestor George Cashel was not a Cashel by blood, but was adopted by this family.
There is evidence for this, but this is not proved.

Did this family adopt George Cashel?

There is some evidence that neither parent of George Cashel was called "Cashel":

Theory of O'Connell descent explains the theory that George Cashel is son of a Blennerhassett father and a Tuohy mother, and his mother died soon after his birth.
The suspicion is that George Cashel was adopted.
An adopted family would explain why George Cashel's descendants do not DNA match any Cashel in the world - which otherwise is hard to explain.

The Stephen Cashel (or Cashell) family is the prime suspect for the adoptive family:

They are in Tralee, which is where the O'Connell theory expects the adoptive family to be.
This family in fact has a son George Cashel (or Cashell), baptised Catholic in 1808.

Names linking forward:

The adoptive mother is "Agnes" Noonan, which would explain George Cashel's attachment to the name "Agnes" for his daughters. His daughter Agnes died and then he named his second daughter Agnes. This makes sense if Agnes Noonan was his adoptive mother.
The adoptive father is "Stephen", which would explain George Cashel's unexplained middle initial "S."

Names linking back:

"Nelly Hassett" sponsors the baptism of their child in 1815. This looks like Ellen Tuohy, now Mrs. Ellen Blennerhassett, who would be George Cashel's grand-aunt, i.e. the aunt of his unfortunate mother.
George Cashel gave one of his children the middle name "Henry" in 1844. I wonder could this be after what would be his granduncle Henry Blennerhassett (died 1816). Maybe Henry and his wife helped take care of the infant George. If George did name his child after Henry, then he knew who he was. He knew who his parents were.

Miscellaneous:

This family moved to Cork, which is somewhat unusual. Maybe there was too much gossip about George in Tralee.
There is a "Catherine Lawlor" sponsoring the baptisms. One document thought Mary O'Connell had a sister who married Lalor.
There is a "Letitia" Noonan in the Noonan family in a legal case. This may explain how my family remembered the name Letitia. Though perhaps a better explanation is the Rowland and Letitia stained glass window.

One odd thing is that none of this family ever turn up later in George's life. Though he did move far away.

Stephen Cashel,
or Cashell.
Linen draper, of Tralee.
He mar 1803 to Agnes Noonan [or Noonen, of Tralee].
Apparently Limerick Chronicle says they married at Tralee, "p.o." (probably "printed on") Sat 26 Feb 1803. There is no extract from 26 Feb here.
See abstract from Walker's Hibernian Magazine, Mar 1803.
Children bapt Catholic.
Children bapt in Tralee 1805 to 1811.
Moved to Passage West, near Cork city.
Daughter bapt 1815 at Passage West. They are listed as living there.
They had issue:

Catherine Cashell,
bapt 10 November 1805 [Tralee RC par records], sp Catherine Lawlor.
Stephen Cashell,
bapt 10 January 1807 [Tralee RC par records], sp Patrick Jeefers.
George Cashell,
bapt 24 July 1808 [Tralee RC par records], sp Daniel O'Sullivan and Catherine Lawlor. Think not 23 July.
He may be adopted issue and may be identical with our George Cashel.
Francis Cashell,
bapt 22nd July 1811 [Tralee RC par records], sp Daniel Sullivan and Jane Howard.
Jane Cashell,
bapt 30 Dec 1815 [Passage West, Co.Cork, RC par records], sp Nelly Hassett.

Stephen Cashell and his wife Agnes Noonan appear among the list of Defendants in two cases at the Exchequer Court of Equity, both dated 4 June 1804.
From here in Exchequer Court of Equity Bill Books.
See full size, which has other notes.
Also has a Letitia Noonan among the Defendants, and her mother Catherine Noonan. This may be sister and mother of Agnes Noonan.
Also refers to Blennerhassett. Think this may be the solicitor.

Baptism of George Cashell, 24 July 1808, Tralee.
From here.

Baptism of Jane Cashell, 30 Dec 1815, Passage West, Co.Cork, sp Nelly Hassett.
From here.

"Agnes Cashel" in an apparent dispute with her mother, Exchequer Court of Equity, 27 Apr 1819.
Who would "George Cashel" be? Her son George is only age 11.
From here in Exchequer Court of Equity Bill Books.