As mentioned in the Early Irish History page, there were 6 Head families in Ratoath, Meath in 1659.
Ratoath
Ratoath is north east of Dublin as can be seen from the map below
Co. Meath, Ireland
There are no records between this time and the start of the Catholic parish records so it is not possible to determine who those families were and the history can only be picked up when the church records started.
The Ratoath Catholic records started in 1781 and the relevant families are:
John and Catherine Moore. Catherine probably in Rathdrinagh as Heade in 1854
- Nicholas Head b 1792
- Richard Head 1794
- Thomas Head b 1795
- Mary Head b 1797
- Elizabeth Head v 1799
- Anne Head b 1803
- Margaret Head b 1803
- Nicholas Head b 1806
- Elizabeth Head b 1812
- Bridget Head b 1815
Richard and Jane Brannan. In Ratoath Town in 1828 as Haid
- Bridget Head b 1801
- Elizabeth Head b 1801
- Cath Head b 1812
Thomas married Bridget Keegan in 1796. In Ratoath Town as Haid in 1859
- Christian Head in 1797
- Thos Head b 1798
Patrick married Judith Fagan in 1817. Judith was in Ratoath Town as Haid in 1854.
- Michael Head b 1818
- John Head b 1820
- Richard Heade b 1824. Mar Ann Crosby. Was a publican (as a Hayde) and died 1866 (as Hayde). Ann Hayde was adjudged bankrupt in 1878.
- Anne Heade b 1826
- Alice Hade b 1828. Mar 1852
- Mary Haide b 1831
The parish also recorded the deaths of
- Nicholas Head in 1791
- Patrick Head in 1795
- Richard Head in 1815
- Thomas Head in 181
The ages are not stated but they could well have been adults from the earlier generation. The commonality of the use of Nicholas proves a clue to the family linkages.
The records for the parish of Dunboyne, a parish adjoining Ratoath, had the following family:
Nicholas and Bridget Mullady
- Richard Hade b 1799
- Nicholas Hade b 1804
Thomas and Anne Cannon
- Thomas Hade b 1809
The 1901 census records had no relevant entries.
Duleek
I have found a Nicholas Heade and a Nicholas Hade living in Duleek town, Meath in 1854. They are father and son. Interestingly the parish and civil records show the children of the older Nicholas named as Hade and Hayde as well as Heade.
As can be seen from the map below, Duleek is situated on the main road between Dublin and Belfast.
The older Nicholas died in 1873 aged 85 (ie b circa 1788). His death was recorded in the civil registration district of Droghedra (Meath) as Hayde. There is no record of any Heade/Hade/Hayde in Duleek in the Tithe records of the early 1800s so I can only assume that some time between 1830 and 1854 Nicholas, together with members of his family, arrived in Duleek. They were labourers rather than farmers and they presumably went there in search of employment.
The younger Nicholas married Mary Carroll in Kingstown, Dun Laoghire in 1863 as Heath. Mary was from Dunleary, Kingstown. Weddings were usually celebrated in the wife’s parish so Nicholas must have met Mary in Duleek and they travelled to Kingstown for the wedding and then returned to Duleek. His parents were named as Nicholas and Ann Gorman. I have not found any references to Nicholas and Ann Gorman in the parish records. Given the scarcity of the name Nicholas, he probably links back to the Dunlavin parish in Kildare where this name is also used.
A DNA match of a descendant of this Meath tree also shows a link to the Kildare/Wicklow families (as well as the Tipperary families).
This family can be summarised as:
Nicholas b circa 1788. D 1873. Mar Ann Gorman who probably died before civil registration began in 1864.
- Nicholas b circa 1830 and Mary Carroll Eustace. Nicholas died Duleek 1888 aged 58
- John Hayde b 1864, Duleek. D 1912. Mar Mary Anne Skelly in 1889
- Mary Christina Heade b 1891
- Nicholas Patrick Heade b 1892. Mar Kathleen Finegan 1918
- John A Heade b 1919, Ardee
- Nicholas Patrick Heade b 1921, Ardee
- James Declan Heade b 1923, Ardee
- Imelda G Heade b 1926, Oregan
- Sodelbia M Heade b 1931, Oregan
- Katherine Heade b 1893
- Josephine Mary Heade b 1895
- Agnes Mary Heade b 1897
- James Patrick Heade b 1900
- Cecilia Heade b 1903
- Philomenia Heade b 1905
- John Joseph Heade b 1909
- John Hayde b 1864, Duleek. D 1912. Mar Mary Anne Skelly in 1889
John died in Duleek in 1912. Mary remarried Michael Barker in 1913 and emigrated to America with some of the children in 1920. They arrived in Philadelphia and settled in Oregan.
Nicholas and Kathleen arrived in 1924 with their 3 young children.
Mary Anne with two children outside the restaurant they ran in the Main Street of Duleek. Taken early 1900s
The Philadelphia arrival records in 1920 show that they were to live with Patrick Skelly in Portland, Oregan. This was Mary Annes’ father and explains why they emigrated to Oregan.
The detailed research I have undertaken is at Meath Families
The family tree can be viewed at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/tree/53633061/family