Major John O'Flanagan
- Born: 22 Jan 1823, Fermoy, co. Cork 4
- Marriage (1): Julia Eliza Bancroft on 16 May
1854 in St. Andrew's Church, Kingston, Jamaica 1
- Marriage (2): Emily Marian Henry on 30 Apr
1862 in St Pauls Church, Dublin 2 3
- Died: 31 Mar 1893, 6, Llanion Terrace,
Pembroke Dock, Pembroke aged 70 5
John's
father was a Roman Catholic gentleman farmer who was also Captain of
the Dunshaughlin yeomanry and barrack master at Fermoy, Co. Cork, so it
might be said that soldiering was in John's blood and for nearly 30
years he was an officer in the British Army.6
Though the O'Flanagan family does not appear to have any special
connection with Jamaica, John joined the 3rd West India Regiment as an
ensign in January 1845, aged 22, and served in the West Indies until
1857.7
Little has been discovered about John's time in Jamaica save that he
was promoted to Lieutenant in 1846 and in that capacity commanded a
detachment of the Regiment at Fort George, Port Antonio, during the
1850s, and there are newspaper reports of an address having been
presented to him by a deputation of prominent locals when the time came
for his detachment to leave the area in July 1855.8
As the 3rd West India Regiment remained based in Jamaica, John and his
family's return in July 1857 to England 9 and then to his home in Ireland was probably
because he had been granted home leave rather than for any other reason
though it might also have been because of his wife Julia's health as
she died the following year at Fermoy.
Julia's untimely death in May 1858 left John with two small children to
care for, Helena aged three and Augusta barely a year old. Fortunately,
he had three sisters and we know that at least one of them, Maryanne,
who was four years his senior, remained unmarried and spent the last
years of her life living with him and his family at Pembroke Dock. It
seems likely that she, with or without the help of her other sister
(the youngest one became a nun), looked after Helena and Augusta until
John remarried in 1862.
Though John had been promoted to Captain in December 1857, it seems he
did not return to regimental duties with the 3rd West India Regiment,
instead he went on half-pay after his leave terminated thereby allowing
him to remain in Ireland. That was certainly the situation when he
exchanged regiments with another officer in September 1859 switching
from the 3rd West India Regiment to the 33rd of Foot (The Duke of
Wellington's Regiment).
John switched regiments again in April 1862 when he moved to the 31st
of Foot (The Huntingdon Regiment). It seems that whilst with the 33rd
of Foot, he saw service in China because he gave that country as his
last place of residence at the time of his second marriage. He did not
remain long with the 31st of Foot as he transferred later that year to
the 9th of Foot (The Norfolk Regiment) from which he later retired with
the rank of brevet Major in 1873.7
In April 1862, he married Emily Henry, the daughter of a Dublin doctor. 2 Emily did not have any children by him but,
of course, she inherited his two daughters. Sadly, Augusta died in
southern Ireland aged seven in 1864.
At some stage and for reasons that have not been discovered, John and
his family settled in Pembroke Dock, South Wales, (it may be that he
had been posted there with some detachment of the 9th of Foot and liked
the little garrison town with its nearby ferry service to southern
Ireland) and the 1871 census shows him living there with Emily, Helena
and his sister-in-law Charlotte Henry. In that census, he is described
as "Captain in the Army on H P". 10
He and Emily, who predeceased him by about one year, saw out the rest
of their lives at Pembroke Dock and Helena continued to live there
after her father's death, until she too died in 1930.
John did not leave a Will or an Estate that was dealt with by the
probate courts in England or Wales.
John married Julia Eliza Bancroft, daughter
of Dr Edward Nathaniel Bancroft, M.D., F.R.C.P. and Ursula Hill
Hoseason, on 16 May 1854 in St. Andrew's Church, Kingston, Jamaica.1 (Julia Eliza Bancroft was born on 25 Aug
1820 in Kingston, Jamaica 11, baptised on 19 Aug 1823 in
Kingston Parish Church, Jamaica 12 and died on 15 May 1858 in
Grange Cottage, Fermoy, co. Cork 13.)
John next married Emily Marian Henry on 16
May 1854 in St. Andrew's Church, Kingston, Jamaica.2 3 (Emily Marian Henry was born <1827> in
Dublin, Ireland and died on 23 Jun 1892 in 6, Llanion Terrace, Pembroke
Dock, Pembroke 14.)
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Sources
1 Dublin
Evening Mail, Wednesday 21 June
1854, Page 3 MARRIAGES.
May 16, at St. Andrew's Church, Kingston. Jamaica, by the Rev. A.
Campbell, and
afterwards by the Abbe Dubeyron, at The Retreat, the residence of P. A.
Espent,
Esq., Member for Kingston, brother-in-law of the bride, John
O'Flanagan, Esq.,
Lieutenant in her Majesty's 3d West India Regiment, to Julia Eliza,
second
daughter of the late Dr. Bancroft, Deputy Inspector-General of
Hospitals.
2 "Roman
Catholic Parish Records", St
Pauls Church, Dublin - Marriages - 1862 - [No. 799].
Capt John O'Flanagan - China - Capt Jn Fitz O'Flanagan - Fermoy - ????
- 44 ???
Square.
Disp. [Dispensation from banns] - April 30th - D. O'Keeffe [priest]
Emily Marion Henry - 21 Arran quay - Charles Henry - 21 Arran quay
Charles
Henry - 21 Arran quay.
3 Cork
Examiner (Published at Cork, Eire),
Friday 2 May 1862, Page 2 MARRIAGES. April 30th, at St. Paul's
Catholic
Church. Arran quay, Dublin, by the Rev. D. O'Keeffe, John O'Flanagan,
Esq.,
Captain Her Majesty's 31st regiment, Emily Marion, eldest daughter the
late
Charles Henry, Esq., of this city. ....
4 The National Archives, Kew (Formerly known
as The Public Records Office), Records of Officers' Services;
Reference: WO
76/381. ...
John O'Flanagan Norfolk Regiment (9th Foot)
5 Evening
Standard (London), Monday 10 April 1893, Page 2, Col D DEATHS.
O'FLANAGAN. On the night of Good Friday, suddenly, of heart disease,
at 6,
Llanion-Terrace, Pembroke Dock, Major John O'Flanagan, late 31st and
9th
Regiments, youngest son of the late Captain O'Flanagan, of Aboudhou
Grange,
Fermoy, co. Cork, and his wife, nιe Eliza Glissane, of Mount Glissane,
co.
Cork. R.I.P.
6 Dictionary
of Irish Biography, Entry for James Roderick O'Flanagan (1814-1900)
Last
revised October 2009.
O'Flanagan, James Roderick (18141900), lawyer and writer, was born at
Fermoy,
Co.Cork, on 1 September 1814, son of Captain John Fitch O'Flanagan of
the
Dunshaughlin yeomanry, a catholic gentleman farmer, protιgι of Lord
Fingall,
and barracks master of Fermoy (180848), and his wife, Eliza (nιe
Glisson*). *
According to John's death notice, his mother's maiden name was Glissane.
7 London
Gazette, Notices 1845-1873.
24 January 1845, page 210
3d West India Regiment, John O'Flanagan, Gent, to be
Ensign, by
purchase, vice Smith.
5 February 1847, Page 412
War-Office, 5th February 1847
3d West India Regiment, Ensign John O'Flanagan to be
Lieutenant, without
purchase, vice Muttlebury, deceased. Dated 1st October 1846.
18 December 1857, Page 4464
3rd West India Regiment, Lieutenant John O'Flanagan to be
Captain,
without purchase, vice Kingston, deceased. Dated 4th December,
1857.
23 September 1859, Page 3488
3rd West India Regiment, Captain Walter George Nugent,
from half-pay
33rd Foot, to be Captain, vice O'Flanagan, who exchanges.
1 April 1862, Page 1732
31st Foot, Captain John O'Flanagan, from half-pay 33rd
Foot, to be
Captain, vice Arthur John Schreiber, who retires upon half-pay.
21 November 1862, Page 5565
9th Foot, Captain John O'Flanagan, from the 31st of foot
to be Captain,
vice Henry Masterman Thompson, who exchanges.
26 August 1873, Page 3942
Captain John O'Flanagan, half-pay, late 9th Foot, to be Major. Dated
5th July,
1872.
MEMORANDUM.
Captain and Brevet Major John O'Flanagan, half-pay, late 9th Foot,
retires from
the Service, receiving the value of his Commission. Dated 31st July,
1873.
8 Cork
Examiner (Published at Cork, Eire), Friday 27 July 1855, Page 2
ADDRESS
TO LIEUTENANT O'FLANAGAN, COMMANDING THE DETACHMENT OF H. M. 3D WEST
INDIA IN
FORT GEORGE, JAMAICA.
The Jamaica papers communicate the gratifying intelligence of a most
complimentary address to our countryman Lieut. O'Flanagan, son of the
late
Captain O'Flanagan, Barrack-master, of Fermoy. The occasion of
presenting it
was the removal of the troops from Fort George, Port Antonio... ...
9 Cork
Constitution (Published at Cork), Thursday 16 July 1857, Page 3
THE NAVY
AND ARMY. ...
The Norman Morrison freight ship, Capt. Orchard, arrived at Spithead on
Saturday, from Jamaica, with the following officers and troops of the
36th
Foot:- Captain Lloyd, Captain and Mrs. Shaw, Ensign O'Connell,
Assistant-Surgeon Tobin, and 214 rank and file, also Lieutenant and
Mrs.
O'Flanagan and one private of the 3d West India Regiment.
10 National
Census, ...
1871 - Parish: St Mary Pembroke; ED: 9; Piece: 5517; Folio: 9; Page: 12
- Head
- Captain in the Army on H P
1881 - Parish: St Mary Pembroke; ED: 9; Piece: 5412; Folio: 31; Page:
15 - Head
- Major Retired From The Army
1891 - Parish: St Mary Pembroke; ED: 9; Piece: 4530; Folio: 49; Page:
19 - Head
- Retired Major.
11 Parish
Registers of Jamaica, Kingston parish, Jamaica Baptisms Vol 2,
Page
400.
12 Parish
Registers of Jamaica, Kingston parish, Jamaica Baptisms Vol 2,
Page
400. Aug 19 1823... Julia Eliza daughter of Edward Martha [ sic]
Bancroft M.D.
and Ursula his wife late Hoseason spinster... [ b ] 29 Aug 1820......
Marianne Augusta daughter of the above... [ b ] 13 Novr 1822.
13 Dublin
Evening Mail, Wednesday 19 May 1858, Page 3 Col D DEATHS. ...
May 15, at Grange Cottage, Fermoy. Julia Eliza, wife of Captain
O'Flanagan.
H.M.'s 3d West India Regiment.
14 Evening
Standard (London), Monday 4 July 1892, Page 2 Col D DEATHS.
O'FLANAGAN.- June 23, at Llanion-Terrace, Pembroke Dock, Emily Marian,
the
beloved wife of Major O'Flanagan, late 9th Regiment, and daughter of
the late
Charles Henry, Esq., M.D., Dublin. R.I.P
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