The Book of Soden

 

 

A Vital Resource for Cavan Research is http://cavantownlands.com This is very informative regarding townland names, censuses and local history literature specifically related to Cavan County.

CAVAN / PART 1 / 1766 - 1793

INTRODUCTION :CAVAN

 

 

Killinkere & Lurgan

 

Members of different Soden families have been in County Cavan since 1766

when the name first appears in the parish of Killinkere ,near Virginia town

of the marriage of David Soden with Mary Kellett.  This was the first of several

marriages between these 2 families in the 18th and 19th centuries ,both

residing in the townlands of Adanagh and Envigaroge.  The Envigaroge

Soden family include names like David,Charles,James,Thomas ,all of the Protestant

persuasion and either farmers or business people with substantial property

interests in Killinkere and Cootehill..Here we see that CHARLES SODEN married

Mary Kellett,both of Envigaroge (Envigary). This CHARLES is the direct ancestor of

Terence Soden,Hampshire.

                                                               

 

It is difficult to say with certainty whether  Edmond Soden,drapier of Cootehill

is related to the Envigary Sodens or to the Leitrim/Sligo branch.  As can be seen

from the Grove notes,he imported brandy from L'Orient,France via Hull,Yorkshire

and Mullaghmore,Sligo to Cootehill ,while Edmond Sodens can be found in both

Sligo and Mohill,Leitrim around this period too.  Indeed the landlord ,Hugh Crofton,

had also interests in  Yorkshire as well as in Sligo.

In the records for this period,it is hard to establish from which line the Cavan Sodens

of Beaghey and  Killinkere derived.As far as I can see at this point in my researches,

the Cavan branches could well have 2 sources,

(1)     the descendants of James  Honoria and brother,Charles leading directly to Sligo.

The Killinkere Protestant branch deriving from Charles to James of 1800 Envigary

retaining  the first names  where possible of Charles Henry and

(2)     the Beaghey Catholic branch deriving from James/Honoria and linked to the Drung

branch of Patrick giving rise to the families of Patrick,Thomas,Bartle,John/Eoin and

James Sodens in the 1821 Cavan Census.  The first Bartholomew is in the Athlone

branch of 1802, which later emigrated to New South Wales,Australia. A number of their

descendants are drawn out at the end of this work.

 

Spinning Wheel Lists

The Spinning Wheel Lists of 1792 show the presence of another Soden family in neighbouring Drung,PATRICK,and indeed his son and daughter,PAT and HONORA,may well be recorded in the 1821 Census for Drung & Larah.   However, the most exciting find  was the existence  of the 1821 Census for Beaghey and that area.  Here we see the direct ancestor of our branch with JAMES SHODEN and his family of 6 and his son, PETER SODEN,  and his family of 4.  There are also 6 other Soden families in Pottlesoden, 1 in Drung and another in Lattaghlohan.  By 1901 more families appear in different townlands like Knocknanoark, Aghadreenagh, Stradone, etc,.. but they seem to be less numerous.  We see our family again in 1901, where the mother, CATHERINE,  is still alive with 4 boys and 3 girls. The fourth boy, PETER, my grandfather, is working at this time in Fay's Drapery in Cavan town, and listed as PETER SODDEN.  PETER SODDEN'S father was dead by  1901 and his mother and some of his family are recorded still in Beaghey in 1911, she under the name of KATE and 73 years of age.  The 1901 and 1911 censuses give us very good indications to the presence of Sodens in these areas.

                                  

                                       

Pottlesoden

An interesting development in Denn Parish is the formation of a whole townlan

with the name Pottlesoden. This comprised (6?)(4)9 acres and in the 1821  census

consisted of 5 Soden families. A pottle is an ancient Irish land measurement

of about 69 acres. It is here that I as a boy spent so many wonderful Summers

with my Soden cousins Peter,his wife ;Mary, and their son Gerard,who still

reside in this area. This is north of Knockanoark,Stradone where Eugene Soden

and his family live and south of Cavan and Killygarry,where my grandparents,Peter and

Christina , and  my aunts ,Josie,Ina and Mary are buried.

         

Lavey

The other branches of the family lived south of Cavan town in the parishes

of Denn, Crosserlough and Lavey ,where many still live today, principally

engaged in tillage farming and business.  The oldest recorded members of

these Sodens are my gt-gt-gt-gt- grandfather ,James Shoden of Behy ,Lavey

b. c. 1761 and his brother, Eoin Soden,in the neighbouring townland of

Lattaghlohan, Lavey. It is from James's son ,Peter,that our branch and the present

branches in Knockanoark ,Pottle and some parts of Dublin descend

and it is from Pat Soden ,his brother,that the Kansas City Sodens  in   Missourri

descend ,indeed, also the Jack Soden associated with legal cases of  Priscilla Presley.

 

The Lavey Sodens have played a prominent part in Cavan social and political life

this century with fine participation in both areas by many Sodens amongst whom would

be my  grandfather,Peter, and his brother, Patrick of Knockanoark , the recently deceased

Peter Soden of Pottle , Gerard , his son and Eugene Soden of Knockanoark.  The sources

attest well to this fact.

 

The precise connection between the Sligo/Leitrim/Cavan branches has still to be

confirmed though the links by name and landlord point strongly to interchurch marriages

with the resultant change of religion ,often as not to Roman Catholicism, and thus

the drastic diminution in wealth , a fact well proven by the census of 1821 . The

Catholic branch can be seen to have only the minimal acreage to survive on,

reflecting the harsh  religious,political division in Ireland at this time. 

Yet from this humble background came my grandfather,Peter,

born of  poor tenant farmer parents,he served his time to the drapery business in Fays

of Cavan,then Schneiders/Snyders of London,returning to Arnotts of Dublin and

finally taking over Fays shop in Cavan town until 1946, where he developed a thriving

drapery business. This success must be judged by the political,religious and social

background in Ireland in the first half of this century and only then will it be realised

what a great achievement this was.

There are today Soden families in the same parishes of  Lavey and Denn in the

townlands of Pottle and  Knockanoark with many of their grandchildren like myself

now living and working in Dublin,Britain and many other parts of the world.

 

####################################################################################

 

 

Areas in County Cavan where the Soden name is and has been found:

 

Ad(r)anagh	Aghadreenagh	Annagheliff	Bailieboro	Ballygarcy
Beaghey	Bogesky	Carricknavullin	Cootehill	Corfad
Corglass	Corragho	Crosserlough	Denn	Drumgoon
Drumhirk	Drung	Envigary	Galboly	Killinkere
Killygarry	Knockanoark	Larah	Lattaghlohan	Lavey
Lisnabantry	Lisnalee	Lurgan	Mullanagarvan	Poles
Pottle	Pottle Lower	Pottlesoden	Pottle Upper	Shankill
Stradone	Strageliff	Stravicho

                                                                                                                 

                                 

                                        

                               

 

CHRONOLOGICAL RECORDS for CAVAN;-   1766          Religious Census of Ireland 1768          Killinkere Parish Registers/ Soden  17 89            Killinkere Marriage  1792         Spinning Wheel List 1792                  TerenceSoden,Drumcoon,Cavan 1800          Administration of James Soden 1802            Swanzy Note 1805           Trinity Alumnus                       Family Seal 1811             Land Deed        Terence Soden,Soldier 1813            Cavan Freeholders 1814            Land Deed,Ballyborough 1821            National Census                       Trinity Alumnus 1822/23    Tithe Applotment Books 1823                Birth of George Soden 1824                    Birth of Charles James Soden                        Pigott?s Directory 1826             National Schools 1826-31       Tithe Applotment Book 1831                     Settlement of Charles Henry Soden & Leticia Kellett                         Tithe Applotment Book 1832              Birth of (?) Soden 1833                  Arms Licence                          Tithe Applotment Book 1834               Tithe Applotment Book 1843                Prerogative  Will of Edward Soden,Cootehill 1852               LEC Rentals 1856               Griffith's Valuation 1860              Ordination List 1863                 Farm Grant 1866              Birth of Katherine Soden,Knockanoark 1867              Prerogative  Will of Thomas Soden 1876              Land Owners 1880              Clankee Tenants 1886               Maynooth Matriculation Lists 1893              Will of Bartholomew Soden,Enevarogue                           Will of Edward  Soden,Knocknanoark 1901              National Census 1911               National Census                          Register of Cowkeepers 1915               Marriage Certificate of Peter/Christina Soden                         Ancient Order of Hibernians          Thom?s Directory 1918               Thom's Directory 1919               Thom's Directory 1928               Civil Bill 1930               Cavan Scouts Anniversary Photograph 1937               Thom's Directory for Cavan 1938                Anglo-Celt 1941                 Cavan Urban District Council 1942                 Cavan Electors' List                            The De Valera Folklore Project 1945                 Anglo-Celt 1948                 Death Notice 1950                Marriage of James J. Soden/Rose Connolly