In the Grip of Poverty: Unraveling the Accusations Against John Daniels
Genealogy Matters Atomic Tuesday Challenge: ROWDY RENEGADE
John Daniels, born in 1846 in Dublin during the height of the Irish Potato Famine, he was the eldest child of John Vincent Daniels and Elizabeth Kearney. His early life is largely undocumented, but by 1885, he had married Elizabeth McCormack and together they had five children between 1886 and 1895.
The family’s circumstances appeared to deteriorate drastically after the birth of their youngest child, William. From 1897 to 1905, John, his wife Lizzie, and their children appeared repeatedly in the records of the South Dublin Workhouse—John alone on eight occasions, and Lizzie with the children on at least fourteen. The fact that they were listed separately suggests the family may have been living apart, possibly due to poverty or internal strife.
The most troubling revelation came in 1902, when John, then 54, was imprisoned in Mountjoy Jail for two months for "ill treating his children." The prison record notes he was living at Summers Cottages in Kilmainham, while Lizzie resided separately in Island Bridge. While the exact nature of the ill-treatment isn't detailed, the phrasing of the charge—rather than specifying "neglect" or "desertion," terms commonly used in similar cases at the time—suggests the possibility of physical abuse. Though it could still refer to abandonment or failure to provide, the choice of words in the official record lends weight to the darker interpretation.
John died in 1906 in the Dublin Workhouse from bronchitis and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. His life leaves behind difficult questions: was he a harsh and abusive man, or simply overwhelmed by the crushing poverty and hardship of life in late 19th-century Dublin? The evidence doesn’t fully absolve or condemn him—but the prison sentence and repeated institutionalisations cast a shadow over his legacy.
John’s final resting place at Glasnevin can be seen below.
His full story can be found here:
The Life and Times of John Daniels
