The very first record I found for William Thompson, my paternal great granduncle, listed him as a “car owner”. A google search enlightened me to the fact, that in the 1860’s cars were hackney carriages and jaunting cars pulled by horses and not the motor vehicles that we know today.

William, born in Ticknevin, Kildare in 1832, was the eldest son of Thomas Thompson, the subject of my previous blog. A search of the Petty Session Court Records on Findmypast.ie for Newbridge in Co Kildare, confirmed that William Tompson, was working at the Curragh Camp as early as February 1853, when he had been a witness in a case of stolen grain used to feed horses at the Curragh Barracks.^[1]

Image from the Cancelled Valuation Office, Revision Books showing Lot 6 occupier as William Thompson 1858-1863 sourced by Ancestral Trails.

The same record stated that he was living in Moorfield, a townland in Morristownbiller Parish, Co Kildare, confirming that he was no longer living in the family home in Laundenstown. Griffith Valuation for Kildare was surveyed in 1853, and completed in 18 July 1854, but there is no listing for William as an Occupier, so he may have been a lodger in that townland. Moorfield townland is located on one side of Charlotte Street, Morristownbiller Parish and the other side of the street is in the townland of Newbridge in Greatconnell Parish.  By 1858 William had a contract to carry goods to the Curragh Camp from the Newbridge Railway station, which had opened in 1846.^[2]

In 1865 the Tidy Town Act was introduced to Newbridge. William attended the meeting and voted in favour of the Act. It was noted that there were around 55 hackney car owners in Newbridge at the time.^[3]

The most interesting piece of information for me as a family historian was the discovery that in 1858 William had signed a 99-year lease with Eyre Powell, Esq. on a property in Charlotte Street, Newbridge, Co Kildare.^[4] This was the same year William acted as witness for his sister, Eliza’s marriage to James Hogan in Newbridge and in 1860, William married Elizabeth Guy in Newbridge, with Eliza and James Hogan as witnesses.

Painting of cottage in Newbridge by Kate Hogan McMahon. Abt 1880-1890. Image shared by owner on Ancestry.com

I was told that a painting of a cottage belonging to the Thompson family had been shared on ancestry trees by Eliza Hogan’s descendants. On the back of the painting was written, “County Kildare, Ireland-Birthplace/Home of Katherine Thompson Hogan McMahon 5-28-1862.” Kate, baptised on 25 May 1862 as Catherine was the daughter of James Hogan & Eliza Thompson and enjoyed painting. The cottage was painted by her, possibly on one of her visits when she and her husband, John McMahon spent some time in Newbridge during the summer of 1903.

William & Eliza Thompson’s parents, Thomas and Catherine both died within a month of each other in Newbridge in 1861. Two months before his death, his father Thomas had written a will which has not survived, it was destroyed in the 1922 Irish uprising which resulted in the destruction of many records held by the Irish Public Records Office.^[5] Probate had been granted to Willliam on the 5 April 1862 where he was listed as the primary beneficiary, however, Thomas Thompson, jnr. and others contest their father’s will.^[6]&[7] The dispute was reported on the 18 October1862 and the matter was referred to arbitration on 10 Jan 1863. In his defence, William Thompson said that the home belonged to him, but that he had allowed his parents to live there until their death.^[8]

In November 1864, Elizabeth died after the birth of their third daughter. In August that year William had advertised his business for sale with the intention of leaving the country.^[9]  However, it wasn’t until 1866 when everything he owned including his jaunting car business, all his household possessions and dwellings were again advertised for auction.^[10] The property was identified as Charlotte Street, Newbridge, on which William held a 99-year Lease dated 1 October 1858 with Eyre Powell, Esq. immediate lessor. The lease included a two-story building, with a shopfront and two adjoining cottages, which had been divided into four apartments, all to be auctioned on Tuesday 12 June 1866.^[11]

While I was in Ireland in 2015, I researched the Revision/Correction Books at the Valuation Office Dublin. The valuation records for the civil parish of Greatconnell were revised ca. 1858 and at that time William Thompson is shown as leasing a property. Lot 6 was described as a house (unfinished) and small garden with a later addition to the description stating office yard and small garden. William leased lot 6 from immediate lessor Eyre Powell. The next book record was dated 1873, with William’s name crossed out in 1867 and replaced with Thomas Copeland as Occupier.^[12]&[13]

1869-1873 Correction Book, showing entry for 6 Charlotte St., Newbridge. Co Kildare

Valuation records have now been digitized but can only be viewed at their Dublin office.  Recently I contacted a professional genealogist from Ancestral Trails to help me as I wanted to know what happened to the original buildings, and a very comprehensive report following the history of lot 6 Charlotte Street was provided. This confirmed that Thomas Copeland became immediate lessor with lodgers as occupiers and by 1878, he was the occupier with Charlotte Powell, shown as immediate lessor. Over time Copeland’s role changes between lessor and occupier and in 1926, he was shown as the immediate lessor for the Heritage Bank.

Valuation map showing lot 6 Charlotte St, Greatconnell Parish, Kildare in late 1850s-1880s. From askaboutireland.ie

Today the Heritage Bank is still located at 6 Charlotte Street, Newbridge and described as a terraced five-bay, three-story bank constructed in 1923–24, the rectangular building was designed by Ralph Henry Byrne and is Heritage Listed.^[14]  The information is consistent with the Valuation Office Revision Books that recorded an increase in the property’s value by 1926 from £20 to £40.^[15]

Having initially thought to emigrate to Australia, William eventually remarried and settled in the Town of Lake, County Cook, Illinois, USA where he began a new life as a hotelkeeper with his wife Kate, and eldest daughter Mary, who was aged 8 years in the 1870 United States Federal Census.^[16]

William Thompson’s buildings no longer exist but the painting of the cottage in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland where the extended Thompson family once lived has been preserved by Kate Hogan’s descendants.

[1] Record Transcription: Ireland, Petty Sessions Court Registers | findmypast.co.uk
[2] Leinster Express Newspaper Leinster Express 1831-current, Saturday, August 27, 1859; Page: 5  
[3] Ibid 1865, Jan 7-TOWN IMPROVEMENT ACT page 3.
[4] Memorial of Deed dated 1 Oct 1858 in my collection
[5] https://www.willcalendars.nationalarchives.ie/reels/cwa/005014885/005014885_00219.pdf
[6] https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-23429-25-44
[7] Leinster Express Newspaper Leinster Express 1831-current, Saturday, April 05, 186; Page: 4
[8] Ibid 1863, Jan 10
[9] Ibid 1864; Aug 20, page 4
[10] Ibid, Sat Jun 9, 1866, page 4
[11] Ibid.
[12] Image from my collection taken in 2015 at the Valuation Office, Dublin, Ireland
[13] Ancestral Trails, MAGI Johnson, Gill, 3 Sep 2025, Report on lot 6 Charlotte Street, Great Connell, Kildare, page 2. Note that ‘Office’ in these lists indicates outhouses/barns etc. & 15 Irish perches equates to Aus 379 sq mtrs today
[14] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/11818026/charlotte-street-greatconnell-newbridge-co-kildareaccesed 23 Sept 2025
[15] Ancestral Trails, MAGI Johnson, Gill, 3 Sep 2025, Report on lot 6 Charlotte Street, Great Connell, Kildare, page 7
[16]Source: Year: 1870; Census Place: Lake, Cook, Illinois; Roll: M593_212; Page: 257A; Image: 112062; Family History Library Film: 545711 Published by Ancestry.com