William Henry Nason

b 1815

m Catherine Elizabeth Gaggin 1840

m Jane Haines 24 March 1864 St Thomas' Dublin

died 1892

Children

John William Washington 1847-1876

William Henry ?-1909

Charles Richard

George Bruce ca 1843-1861

Elizabeth ?-1905

Dorcas Kate?-1887

Mary Jane

Documentation

University records

Second marriage

Clerical and Parochial Records of Cork, Cloyne ...

Probate calendar

William

origins

An extremely common name in the 19th century. It is apparently Teutonic in origin meaning will and resolve, but was taken to England by the Normans as Guillaume. I currently do not know where his names come from.

variations

Guillaume, Gwilym, Wilhelm

abbreviations

Bill, Will, Wills is a current version.

Henry

origins

Another popular name - particularly of Kings of England - we have had eight of them, but it’s not from the Bible. It’s origin is Teutonic and means ‘house ruler’

variations

Henri, Heinrich

abbreviations

Harry, Hal, Hank

The portrait is of one Thomas Chalmers a Reformist cleric, and I chose it to represent William Henry Nason because he looks the way I think William would have looked. Yes he was a clergyman - Rector of the parish of Rathcormac in the county of Cork - but he was also a substantial landowner and a fairly rich man. A member of the Irish landed gentry. And he lived to a good age.

I think he grew up in the nearby township of Ballynoe, studied at Trinity College Dublin and returned home, after a short spell in Yorkshire and another in Galway to spend the rest of his life in Rathcormac although I have evidence of at least one trip to Dublin itself. He married twice, the second time as an aging man. A quiet life, though lived through turbulent times in Ireland's history.