|
|
Clan
Association
The Waldron Clan Association was formed in January of
1994 by a number of individuals sharing a common interest in
the history of their Waldron ancestry. In the first few
years a number of informal meetings were held, and it
emerged that a number of us had collected a sizeable amount
of information on each of our own families. We decided it
would be useful and constructive to meet regularly and
discuss, in an informal manner, different aspects of our own
family history, and those of the many Waldron families in
Connacht and throughout the rest of Ireland.
It emerged that, while most of the Waldron families in
Ireland have long-established roots in the general
Ballyhaunis area, there were families of the surname in
other locations throughout the country over the past four
hundred years. The exact origins of the Waldrons of Connacht
is unclear: the general local opinion is that they were a
branch of the Norman MacCostello family; but, their descent
from a Waldron family of more recent English origin can not
be ruled out.
In early 1994 the Waldron Clan Association was formed,
and was registered with the Clans of Ireland Office.
Objectives
The objectives of the Waldron Clan Association, as laid
out at its foundation, were:
- To collect and preserve as much information as
possible on the history of all Waldron families from all
available sources and to try and rescue whatever details
may be still available towards establishing connections
between the many Waldron families in Connacht and other
parts of Ireland and to develop an archive of this
material accessible to all members.
- To encourage research into the early history of all
families of the surname, with the ultimate aim of trying
to establish for certain the true origins of all the
Waldrons in Ireland, whether Anglo-Norman, New- English,
or Continental.
- To organise a re-union and gathering of all Waldrons,
and those with Waldron ancestry, to be held in
Ballyhaunis.
- To publish an annual journal
containing articles of interest to those with Waldron
connections.
The last two objectives have been achieved with the two
very successful gatherings in 1997 and 2000, and the
publication of nine issues of "The Waldron Journal" to date.
Considerable success has been met in achieving the first
objective, in that the "Waldron Clan Members Directory"
gives outline genealogical information on all clan members,
past and present: this has enabled many researchers make
contact with previously unknown or long lost relatives. No
attempt, as such, has been made to set up an archive of
genealogical information: since the Clan organisers give of
their time voluntarily, there are no resources to maintain
such an archive. The 'Directory', however, acts as a
signpost to individuals who have information on particular
families. To date, the editorial committee of the Waldron
Journal has not heard from anyone actively conducting
research into the origins of the Waldrons, since the death
of Mrs. June Waldron Barker in 2000.
Membership
You are cordially invited to join the Waldron Clan
Association, and please tell any of your relatives and
friends whom you know that may share a similar interest.
Anybody with Waldron Ancestry, or with any interest in the
history of the Waldrons is most welcome.
Annual membership of the Waldron Clan Association costs
¤10, £10 sterling or US$20. This entitles the
member to the Annual Journal - which contains articles and
photographs relevant to the history of the Waldrons, and is
an invaluable publication to anybody interested in the
history of their Waldron heritage - and a listing in the
'Directory of Members'.
|
