I am searching for any information on members of the Hulton family from County Westmeath Ireland for the time period from 1790 to 1870. Here is what I have on an Edward Hulton, who I strongly suspect is my wife’s great-great-grandfather.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycatalogu...
EDWARD Hulton
Born FARAPILAGH, Westmeath
Served in 2nd Foot Regiment
Discharged aged 43
Covering dates 1823-1845

Note that there is no such place name as “FARAPILAGH” in Westmeath or anyplace else for that matter. This is most likely the Barony of Fartullagh, which is different by three letters from the spelling in the military records. In the Barony of Fartullagh there is only one town by the named Rochfort Bridge, which is also one of the four post offices in the barony. I will focus on the town and three remaining post offices.

I estimate that the Edward and Elizabeth Hulton in whom I am interested were married in 1845 and had five children (that I know of) who all were born in County Westmeath Ireland. In 1861 or possibly 1860, Elizabeth Hulton and her five children immigrated to New York City without Edward who may have died in Ireland. The names and birth dates of the five children were:

Catharine Hulton, born 1845
Garret Hulton, born 1846
Jeremiah Hulton, born 1847
Edward Hulton, born 1848
Patrick Hulton, born 1851

Here are some banking records from 1868 which establish County Westmeath Ireland as the origin of Elizabeth and her son Jeremiah. Elizabeth gave her birth date as 1818 but I don't have her maiden name.

Source: New York Emigrant Savings Bank
Name: Elizabeth Hulton
Record Type: Transfer, Signature, and Test Books
Transaction Date: 14 Dec 1868
Estimated Birth Year: 1818
Birth Country: Ireland
Other Birth Location: Westmeath
State: New York
Microfilm Roll Number: 11
Account : 68506

Source: New York Emigrant Savings Bank
Name: Jeremiah Hulton
Record Type: Transfer, Signature, and Test Books
Transaction Date: 14 Dec 1868
Estimated Birth Year: 1847
Birth Country: Ireland
Other Birth Location: Westmeath
State: New York
Microfilm Roll Number: 11
Account : 68506

Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland was conducted from 1848 to 1864 with the valuation of County Westmeath made in 1854. The surname Hulton only appears twice in Griffith’s, once for an Anne Hulton of County Down and the other for a Michael Hulton of County Westmeath.

[Broderbund Family Archive #188, Ed. 1, Index to Griffith's Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864, Internal Ref. #1.188.1.6773.1]
Individual: Michael Hulton
County: Westmeath
Parish: Rathconnell
Location: Killynan (Cooke)

The Hulton surname is extremely unusual in Ireland, with only two occurrences out of over one million entries in Griffith. So why do we have a cluster of Hulton’s in County Westmeath? The Irish estate of the Hulton family of Hulton Park was located in Bryanstown in Westmeath. It was quiet common for the British landed gentry to dispatch the younger sons, who didn’t inherit, to Ireland to manage the family estates. While in Ireland some sons married Irish girls and went native. In addition to managing the remote estates, another acceptable career for the secondary sons was the British military. The following two links establish the connection between the Hulton’s of Hulton Park and Westmeath.

Townships - Little, Middle and Over Hulton
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=52994

Lancashire Record Office: Records Search
http://archivecat.lancashire.gov.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqIni...

The British national archives holds additional information on the Hulton’s of Hulton Park.

Hulton family, baronets, of Hulton Park
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView....

I am ordering documents from the British Archives and have a lot more research before I can establish that the Edward Hulton discharged in 1845 is or is not the Edward Hulton I am looking for. I would be extremely interested in information on any Hulton’s from County Westmeath.

Michael Ronayne