Joseph Bowles of Carlow

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Joseph Bowles of The Bowles of Ballickmoyler, Queen's county (now county Laois) probably moved to Carlow shortly after the United Irish Rebellion of 1798 in which both of the Bowles homes in Ballickmoyler were burned. We know that John Bowles rebuilt his house in Ballickmoyler but there is no further record of Joseph there. He would have been 16 in 1798 and in training to be a shoemaker and so was not quite ready to go off on his own. However, a few years later he moved into Carlow town to open his own shoe shop. His marriage to Jane Feltus in Carlow in 1808 and the subsequent baptisms of his children document the growth of his family. Shortly after the twins, William and James, were born in 1827, Joseph decided to move on to Canada to join his brother, John, who was already settled there. See The Bowles of Ballickmoyler in Canada

The first known record for Joseph Bowles actually living in Carlow is in a deed memorial dated Dec. 31, 1816 by which Joseph Bowles of Carlow, shoemaker, leased a dwelling on Bridewell Lane for an annual rental of 5 pounds. ref.

Pigot and Co.’s Provincial Directory of 1824 lists a Joseph Bowler, boot and shoemaker on Bruin Street in Carlow town. We know this is actually Joseph Bowles of Ballickmoyler as he is mentioned on Burrin Street (Bruin is another error in Pigot's Directory) in several later references.

Other References

Joseph Bowles frequently acted as a member of the Petty Jury returned by the High Sheriff of County Carlow at the Assizes held at Carlow town. The earliest reference found so far was in 1817 and the last was in 1831. The Presiding Magistrate at several of these cases was Adam B. Feltus. Joseph had married a Jane Feltus in 1808. I've been unable to find her baptismal record so far but it seems likely that she will be related somehow to the Resident Magistrate. Feltus is a very uncommon name and it was unusual for one person to be selected for so many jury sessions.