Summary information for the Gleeson's
A Starting Point
The earliest Gleeson’s in this family tree that have confirmed genealogical facts and known locations are the brothers Bartholomew and James Gleeson. They were born in County Clare in 1935 and 1938 respectfully and came to Australia in 1857. This was 44 years before Australia became a federation and most of the areas away from the principle towns were largely uninhabited and to an extent unexplored.
An insight into where in County Clare they came from is found in the details of James’s marriage in the Australia Marriages 1810-1980 index, where his parents are identified as James Gleeson and Honora O'Keiffe (correct spelling is probable O’Keeffe).
Finding exactly where in Clare the brothers came from is difficult because Gleeson is a common name in Clair. But, narrowing the search down to James Gleeson with a co-location for O’Keeffe limits possible places where both names occur to an area north of Limerick, extending northwards east of the River Shannon; see the adjoining map. Using overlay mapping of surname distribution on the County Clare Library site, and Griffith's Valuation Search results, the best estimate localities for where the brothers came from are Clonlara, O’Briensbridge and possibly Broadford; again, see the adjoining map.
The Gleeson Name
On the Surname Database site the name Gleeson is said to an anglicized form of the Olde Gaelic O' Glasain or O' Gliasain. The Gaelic prefix "O" indicates "male descendant of", plus the personal by-name Glasain, literally meaning "green". They were found in the ancient territory of Mac Ui Bhriain Aradh's country, which is the area between Nenagh and Lough Derg on the northern border of County Tipperary. In the 1659 census of Ireland the Gleeson name came under the variant spellings of Glisane, Glison, Gleasane, O' Glassane etc. and was well recorded in in Counties Tipperary, Clare and Limerick.
On the Forebears Genealogy Portal the distribution of the name Gleeson is shown to have its highest concentrations in Tipperary and Limerick; it is also well represented in the adjoining Counties of Cork and Clare. Moving north and east from Limerick the name becomes less frequent and is almost absent in Ulster.
Coming to Australia
Looking for details about the Gleeson brother’s arrival in Australia is difficult because the surname is found on many passenger lists. The most probable arrival date found on the Public Record Office Victoria site is 19th of November 1857 on the “tall ship” Victory, coming from Liverpool and arriving in Melbourne; no suitable records for arrival in Sydney were found. Their passage was probable part of the Assisted British Immigration 1839-1871 scheme which in part aimed to attract farmers and agricultural workers. James was 19 upon arrival and his brother Bartholomew (listed as John) was 22. There were already other Irish families from the same region in Clare in Victoria, who came to Australia in the 1840/50's and were related to the Gleeson’s.
The Inverell District
Inverell is a town lying on the on the western slopes of the Northern Tablelands (or the New England District) in northern New South Wales. While mining for sapphires and tin have played a role in the town’s development it was the fertile agricultural lands and the issue of small farming lots that probable attracted the brothers. James is noted as arriving in the district in 1863 and was droving cattle down to the rail-head at Maitland. The brothers acquired a farm on the outskirts of Inverell at Dog Trap and it was here during the next 40 years they married and raised their families. Dog Trap features predominantly in recorded life events for the Gleeson brothers and other Gleason’s who may have been their siblings, cousins or relatives. The Sacred Heart Church, which is now the site of the Inverell Shire Council, and the adjoining Catholic School also features prominently in their life events.
A few years after the death of Bartholomew in 1889 his widow Mary Ann and his sons sold their farm and became proprietors of the Railway Hotel and then the Central Hotel. When Mary Anne died in 1917 the family moved to Boggabri where the Commercial Hotel was acquired.
Some of the locations in the Inverell area where the Gleeson’s lived, worked and frequented are shown on the Inverell map below.
To Other Places
In addition to Inverell and Boggabri, decedents of Bartholomew and James and their relatives are located in other northern NSW towns with Moree, Tenterfield, Glen Innes featuring among them. Other Gleeson’s went to Sydney. One of James’s daughters, Margaret (b1876), who married Francis McArdle, went to Sydney with her daughter Mona (b1912) in about 1924, there joining her other daughter Mary (b1901) who was already working in Sydney. By about 1934 the three McArdle women were resident in Drummoyne where Margaret was operating a boarding house. It was here that her daughters meet their eventual husbands Henry and Jack Farman.
Other Details
More details about the Gleeson’s, their partners and decedents can be found through the Names Index and Pedigree pages of this site and, within the “Notes” that are attached to individuals. The listings and information about the Gleeson’s is by no means complete and hopefully, as new source material becomes available, additional Gleeson records can be added to this Family Tree.
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