ROARKE, James

   Cause of his death was chronic bronchitis and debility over 1 year.³

   Other names for James were ROARKE, John,² RORKE, James ³ and ROURKE, James.

  General Notes:

"Church Baptism Record

Name:John Roarke
Date of Birth:
Date of Baptism:06-Jun-1836
Address:Derry(this is a townland near to the town of Dungannon)
Parish/District:DUNGANNON
Gender:Unknown
County:TYRONE
Father:Francis Roarke
Mother:Margt Campbell
Occupation:
Sponsor 1 /Informant 1:James
Sponsor 2 /Informant 2:Sarah Campbell
Notes: / /

© Copyright Irish World Heritage Centre (Tyrone + Fermanagh)"

from www.rootsireland.ie

In a Church Baptism Record transcribed (above) and made available by the Irish Family History Foundation a child named John Roarke was recorded as having been baptised on 6 June 1836 in the RC parish of Dungannon in County Tyrone Ireland. His parents were Francis Roarke and Margt Campbell. The address noted was Derry (townland in County Tyrone). This child was almost certainly James Roarke, who in the 1861 census was the child between Elizabeth and John. Two sons named John were later born, including the one just mentioned, but this name 'John' is likely either a mistranscription (the sponsor is James), or an error by the priest, or, as is sometimes the case, the child has been named for a family member 'officially' but called by another name familiarly. This child was the only one born in his mother's townland of Derry, County Tyrone; and, had he been a girl, would have been eligible, according to the naming pattern, to be named for her mother, his maternal grandmother. The first sponsor named in the record was 'James' and the second was 'Sarah Campbell' - possibly his grandmother or his aunt. It is not clear yet whether the sponsor 'James' was a member of the Roarke or the Campbell family, or had another surname.

James was the eldest son of Francis and Margaret O'Rourke in the 1861 census; he was unmarried and aged 22 years. He worked as a coal miner.

The 1871 census recorded him living at number 50 of the 'Houses south of Edinburgh Rd', in Clarkston, New Monkland. He was aged 32 years, unmarried, and a coal miner.

The 1881 census recorded James living in Clarkston, New Monkland at 52 Brown's Land, and working as a coal miner. He was unmarried and aged 40 years. The dwelling in which the family were living when recorded by the 1881 census had two rooms with one or more windows in them. It was situated with others in an enumerating district number 15, listed by the enumerator Thomas Shanks as being
"in that part of Clarkston east of Colliertree Road, to the Clarkston Parish Church and south of the Edinburgh-Glasgow Road to east Craigneuk and Wester Moffat".

In the 1891 census James was a coal miner, aged 47 years living with his brother Daniel and his wife and family in Logan's Rows in north Motherwell. He was unmarried.

James Rorke died in 1895. His death certificate recorded him as a single man of 57 years of age. He had been a coal miner. Both of his parents were dead. ^{1 2 3 4}

  Medical Notes:

William McCall MB CM certified the cause of death.

James Reid, Governor of the Poorhouse, who had been present in the place where the death occurred, gave notice of the death before the registrar, George Sneddon, at Dalziel on 13 February 1895. ³