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A surname of England, Scotland and Ireland from Old English wælisc Middle English walsche -
Foreigner. (Reaney, Cottle, Black, MacLysaght) See also WALLACE, WALLIS, WELSH. Traced by Guppy in Lancashire, by Spiegelhalter in Devon, and by MacLysaght as the fourth numerous of Irish surnames.
| At Ferryland: |
Census 1800: James Welsh and wife Elinor. Her children from a previous marriage were: Patrick Evoy - 13, John Evoy - 11, Mary Evoy - 9, Joan Evoy - 6½, Elinor Evoy- 3½, Catherine Evoy - 1½. |
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Surrogate Court Records: January 1, 1800 - Welsh, James Licenced to sell liquor in Ferryland. |
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District Court Records: April 1, 1803 - McLarthy, Adam: Charged this person with assault: Welsh, James. McLarthy, Ann: Charged this person with assault: Welsh, Sylvester. McLarthy, Ann: Charged this person with abusing her: Evoy, Patrick. |
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Surrogate Court Records: April 10, 1805 - Indenture by John Baker on behalf of David Sweetland to lease Audley's Plantation on the north side of Caplin Bay to James Walsh for the term of 21 years. The annual rent was to be one quintal of merchantable codfish. Witness: Patrick Evoy. This indenture was revised on June 28, 1805, extending the time-frame another 21 years and "for as long afterwards as they the said James Walsh & John Evoy shall think proper paying the within mentioned rent". |
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Surrogate Court Records: Nov. 3, 1817 - court records show that James Walsh, Caplin Bay, planter, owed money to David Cluency? Witness: John Evoy. |
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Surrogate Court Records - Nov. 20, 1817 - John Evoy - Planter of Ferryland paid Shannon -Levingston money owed by James Walsh. Witness: Robert Wakeham. |
| At Caplin Bay: |
District Court Records: September 28, 1829 - Walsh, Nelly. This Caplin Bay woman was charged with assaulting: Congdon, Catherine. |
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Voter's List for Caplin Bay: 1840, 1841, 1842 - James Walsh; 1844 - James Walsh & James Walsh, Jun.; 1845, 1846, 1847, 1849, 1852, 1855, 1859 - James Walsh |
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Lovell's 1871 Directory: James Walsh - fisherman. |
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McAlpine's 1894 - 97 Directory: Robert Walsh - fisherman. |
| Family History: |
Although the 1800 Census for Ferryland District lists Edmund and Catherine Welsh living at Caplin Bay, no later trace was found of this couple. The same census also lists James and Elinor (Ellen) Welsh living at Ferryland, and it is from this couple that current day Walsh and other families are descended. James had married Elinor Evoy (maiden name undetermined), likely in 1799. Her first husband, Michael Evoy, died in the latter half of 1798. Elinor and her first husband had been publicans, and she and her new husband, James Walsh, continued in this same occupation for several years after their marriage. The Court Records show that they were still at Ferryland in 1803 when Elinor, her son Patrick Evoy, her husband James, and likely his brother Sylvester Walsh were involved in an altercation with the McLarthys, another family of pubkeepers. |
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Court records indicate that about 1805, James and Elinor left Ferryland to pursue a quieter occupation. They resettled at Caplin Bay, on the north side of the harbour, just west of the river (Walsh's River). When James and Elinor moved to Caplin Bay, most, or maybe all of the Evoys, moved there with them (See EVOY). At least one child, James Walsh, Jr., was born to James and Elinor after their marriage in 1799. While later records suggested that there may have also been a daughter, later research determined that Catherine (Evoy) Reddigan was biologically an Evoy, not a Walsh. Catherine may have been born after Michael Evoy died, hence the confusion over her actual father. |
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Although we do not know which Irish county James Walsh came from, it would seem that he was more inclined to be a farmer than a fisherman. A "Deed of Gift" by James Walsh - Planter - in April 1844 to "Richard Reddigan, the younger" notes that in addition to his fishing premises, he was transferring "nine head of horned cattle and one mare together with all farm utensils." James and Ellen were elderly by this time. In return, the deed stipulated that: "the said Richard Reddigan the younger, his natural guardian, heirs, executors, or administrators shall and will truly provide or cause to be provided for the said James Walsh & his present wife Ellen Walsh, good and sufficient necessary clothing, food, and lodging for and during the term of their natural lives." We don't know how long this document stayed in effect, and there is no evidence suggesting that James Walsh Sr. ever rescinded it. However, all of the land and property described in the deed reverted to James Walsh, Jr. and his descendants. |
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In the early 1840s, James Walsh Jr. married Mary Swain, daughter of Robert Swain, one of the earliest Stone Island settlers. They had three daughters, Mary, Ellen, and Agnes, who married into the Murphy, Power, and Kavanagh families, respectively. They also had a son Robert, who married in 1883. Robert had four sons; James, Robert Ambrose, and William married and raised families at Caplin Bay, while Michael never married. |
| Present Status: |
There are still several Walsh families and descendants of James and Elinor Walsh from intermarriages with other families at Calvert, in other areas of Newfoundland, the rest of Canada, the U.S.A., and other countries. |
| Local Place Names: |
Walsh's River, Walsh's Lane. Walsh's River was the northeastern boundary of the property owned by James Walsh on the north side of Caplin Bay. Walsh's Lane, a pathway across the Walsh property, eventually became part of the main roadway along the North Side of Caplin Bay/Calvert. |
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