The early 19th century ASTLEFORD family of Aghold, Wicklow County ( known, then, as Carlow County) and the DOWLING family of Aghold in the same period, sent many family members to Canada.

The oldest known Astleford family member at Aghold, Samuel Astleford (1700-1768), was interred at the ancient (12th century) Aghowle Church, which was used until 1712, when the "new" St. Michael's Church was constructed.  Aghowle Church was originally a monastery church founded by St. Finian in the 6th century. It was built on a hill overlooking Crab Lane, where the Astlefords lived. Crab Lane was named after the crab apples grown here.

Current information suggests (but doesn't confirm) that Samuel Astleford brought his family to Aghold, Wicklow (then considered a part of Carlow) in the 1720's from Coolcullen, County Kilkenny. We do know for sure that some of his descendants made their way back there, and from there sent family members to Canada in 1818.

<>SAMUEL ASTLEFORD was born in 1722 (or 1727  according to other records) at Aghold. His parents were SAMUEL and CHARLOTTE ________, and his 1st wife (1752) was HANNAH ____________. Some reports suggest that Hannah was, at one time, married to a Dowling, and that this family, eventually marrierd back into the Astleford line. Evidence for this is weak at the present time.
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<>Samuel and Hannah Astleford had at least one son, THOMAS ASTLEFORD, baptized Jan. 1753 - who had a near brush with death during the Rebellion of 1798. Fleeing from the Battle of Ballyraheen Thomas and his cousin, _______ Leybourne were being pursued by pikemen when they came to a stream. Thomas jumped a millrace, receiving a back injury which troubled him until his death. Laybourne, who had a pistol, turned, shot two of the pikemen and drove the rest off. A few years later Thomas Astleford married Eleanor Kersey (1784-1878), daughter of James Kersey - who had warned them to flee Ballyraheen.
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After Thomas' death in 1829 Eleanor had  "The Wood" built  and raised her family there (seen on the right) (also seen on the map below).

Eleanor distinguished herself by creating a very profitable farming enterprize with a herd of 40 cows, and excellent crops. From the proceeds, she was able to educate two of her sons and give her daughters purses of money upon their marriages.

In 1855 Eleanor (see family tree below) came to Canada with her youngest son Elisha Astleford - where they lived on a farm near present day Guelph, Ontario.

Family biographies can be seen HERE.

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Samuel Astleford's second wife* (1781) at age 59 was ELIZABETH SHORE (1758-1840).

* Here we begin to enter a place where there are two alternative sources of information which disagree with each other. One source says that Samuel Astlford who m. Elizabeth Shore was actually Samuel, son of John and Mary Astleford, and thus the grandson, not the son of the original Samuel.

The eight known children each married into a mainstream Aghold Church of Ireland family.

1.) MARY ASTLEFORD (1792) m. JOHN VALENTINE

2.) ELIZABETH ASTLEFORD (1784) m. JOHN CUMMINS of Leaney, Moyacomb Parish, St. Mullin's, Carlow. Note the letter reference below to Thomas and Ruth Cummins as emigrants to Canada. They are probably related to John Cummins.


3.) WILLIAM ASTLEFORD (1787) moved to Coolcullen, Kilkenny. Depending on the accuracy of the date of William Astleford's birth he may be the same William Astleford as William Andrew Astleford (1810-1883) - or more likely - his father.  Some of his descendants later emigrated to Canada - in the Bytown (Ottawa) area. Thomas b. 1859 d. Pennsylvania. See Bytown or Bust for details of the emigrations to Eastern Ontario from the Coolcullen, Kilkenny area.

4.) MARGARET ASTLEFORD m. (1815) WILLIAM LEYBOURNE. They are the parents of JANE LEYBOURNE who married JOHN CODD in 1843 who farmed at Munahullen Townland in Aghold Parish and kept in touch by letter with his brothers "Sailor Bill" CODE and "Tanner Joe" Code who came to North Elmsley Twp. Lanark County, in the 1850's.

5.) ELLEN ASTLEFORD (1792 - May 23 1837) m. JOHN GROVES of nearby Leany. A John Groves of Leany - who may be John who was baptized  17 May 1807 to William and Catherine Groves - or possibly a son John Groves - left for America in 1753 according to a 1853 letter (seen below) from 28 yr. old Thomas Dowling to his 22 yr. old sister Ellen (m. Wm. Matthew Brown 1754)  in Canada. Thomas and Ellen Dowling's mother, Ann, was Ellen Astleford's sister (see below). Ellen (Astleford) Groves had died 17 years previously. The letter reads:

6.) HANNAH ASTLEFORD (1793) m. GEORGE CODD (son SAMUEL 1823) This GEORGE CODD (there were many) remains a partial mystery. He was from Munny Townland, but neither he nor his apparent brothers have yet been located in a family of origin.

 7.) ANNE ASTLEFORD (1795) m. c. 1824/5 WILLIAM DOWLING. In 1819/20 William's brothers - Thomas and John Dowling had emigrated to Canada  (which the Irish referred to broadly as "America" in those days before Canada's confederation (1867). Another brother Robert Dowling also emigrated, possibly at a later time. All had gone, at least initially, to Camden Township, near Belleville, Ontario. In 185(5), Ann (sp without an "e") Astleford wrote the following letter to her daughter, Ellen (Eleanor) and son-in-law, William... (transcribed as it was found. Note there are no punctuating periods or commas)


8.) AMELIA ASTLEFORD (1800) m. JOHN BYRNE. This family emigrated to Canada in 1827.

DOWLING, GROVES, ASTLEFORD



Notes: Dotted blue lines above join (1) William Groves of Leany either to William son of John and Margaret or to Nicholas son of John and Margaret. Either could have been his parents - and (2) Abraham Groves b.c. 1745 to Abraham, son of Nicholas and Mary or to John/Margaret. These links are conjecture, not proven by the finding of records.

There are many other conjectures possible here. For instance JOHN CODD b.c. 1769/1770 married an ANN_________ in the mid 1780's. Their third son ( as named in their lease) was named Nicholas, a name not previously seen in the Wicklow Codd family. Chances are that ANN was ANN GROVES from the same family as Susannah and Nicholas. The dates fit! This John Codd "seems to have been" the son of George and Rachel Codd of Boley Townland - the matter remaining somewhat uncertain due to no discovered marriage record.

John Groves and his 1792 wife, MARGARET CUNDLE or CONDELL were both named as cousins of JOSEPH CODD in the Nauvoo Baptismal File. Joseph's aunt, Jane Codd b. Mar. 6th 1743, married JOHN CONDELL of Hackettstown in April 1760. If Margaret were the daughter of John and Jane, she would be Joseph's cousin.

There are also connections with the COE family of Lower Aghowle which are not shown on this chart. On the GROVES PAGE we see MARY GROVES b. 1774 marrying SAMUEL COE Jan. 11 1794. Mary could well have been a sister of John Groves or of William, or of Susannah and Nicholas - or all of these contemporary GROVES.

We also see in  the Aghowle Tenants List of 1827  Mrs. Elizabeth Astleford age 80 - who would have been the widow of  Samuel Astleford - and mother of ELLEN (Astleford) GROVES. - and next to her on one side William Dowling who m. her daughter, Anne Astleford, while in the other side - Mrs. Leybourne -  the mother of William who married her other daughter  - Margaret Astleford.

For more on the GROVES families of Aghold and Leany (Moyacomb, St. Mullins) CLICK HERE.

Many thanks to Barb Dowling, Harold Maynard and others for information/pictures

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To peruse the entire web site CLICK HERE.

To contact the author, Brian Bailey,  CLICK HERE.