GRT GRANDFATHER JAMES CULLEN

James was born in 1849 at Rathdrum, County Wicklow. His father was another James Cullen, who was a coachman. David Griffiths who has specialised on the History of Rathdrum has sent me a book about Rathdrum around this period. It seems that Rathdrum was on the main coach road between Dublin and Wexford and two coaches ran daily along this route. The original coach road ran straight through the centre of Rathrum, but by 1825 it followed a route just east of the village. The coach stop and changeover yard were the premises of Thomas Saul, a public house which predated the new coach road. The two coaches were called the "Rival" and the "Defiance". It is very tempting to believe that great, great grandfather drove one of these.

We next find great grandfather living at Normanton, Yorkshire with his uncle Anthony FARRELL where he enlists into the 89th regiment of the Royal Irish Fusiliers on the 5th June 1871 at Leeds. It was his army papers that gave his birthplace as Rathdrum and his religion as Roman Catholic. This was a surprise since the later generation of Cullen's at Armagh were all Protestants. He gave his uncle Anthony Farrell as his next of kin which leads me to believe that both his parents were dead (need to research more into this). I have found Anthony Farrell and his family on the 1881 census for Normanton details:-

I have also found a marriage between Anthony FARRELL and Sarah Elizabeth RIGHTON at Wakefield on 27th June 1869 (Source on-line IGI).

I am working on the assumption that James' mother was Anthony Farrell's older sister and that Elizabeth M Farrell was our James' grandmother.

Gay J Oliver © 2001 - all rights reserved