James was the son of Walter FURLONG, a farmer. I have found a reference to his birth in a family tree as 10 June 1856 in Taghmon, Co. Wexford, but also a baptism 14 March 1856 in Taghmon, Ferns, Wexford to Walter and Catharine KENNEDY. Exactly who James was and where he was from, I’m not certain.
James was a labourer, and aged 20 years and 7 months he enlisted in the R.I.C. on 9 January 1877. His number was #42745. He was 5 foot 9 and 1/2 inches. His record shows his wife (“Babe’) was from Cork East, and they married in 1890. James was allocated to Cork East Riding on 30 November 1877 and then to Limerick following his marriage, on 4 December 1890.
The pension record for James shows his pension commenced 22 December 1892. He was a 36-year-old Constable when pensioned, at Limerick. James was pensioned as ‘Unfit.’ Quite what this meant will become evident.
James had given 15 years, 10 months service. He got a grant from the F.C. Fund of 2/14/1. His annual pension was £20, 5 and 7 and commenced on 22 December 1892.
Following his work as an R.I.C constable, James became a House agent (by 1893) and a publican (by 1897).
Residence
By 1900 the FURLONG family had settled in Fair Lane/Wolfe Tone Street, after moving around during the births of the children.
In the 1901 census “Babe’ was recorded as age 29, living with her four children at 94 Wolfe Tone St. Also listed was a servant, Bessie MURPHY[1], 48 years old, widow. There was no record of James with his family.
Daughter Catherine was called Kathleen in this record.
James died in 1903 and his death certificate gave me a lead for finding him in the 1901 census. James died at the Cork District Lunatic Asylum.
In census records people in institutions such as prisons and asylums were listed by their initials.
Number 1385 on the census list for the Public Lunatic Asylum of Shanakiel, in St. Mary’s District Electoral Division of Cork city was: J.F. a male, married, 45-year-old, Roman Catholic police pensioner who could read and write. He was recorded as having been born in Cork county, but that was clearly inaccurate, given he had worked in Cork in the R.I.C.
The census provided three options for the type of insanity: Mania, Melancholia, Dementia. Also “whether with a tendency to violence, or whether complicated by epilepsy.” James’s type of insanity was: Mania, affected for 7 months. James was not violent. The State ascertained or presumed cause of insanity: Drink.
It would seem that James was not best suited to life as a publican after his police days.
James died at the Cork District Lunatic Asylum aged 47, on 18 September 1903. The cause of death was given as General Paralysis of the Insane, 2 years.
GPI is a disease of the central nervous system which occurs in the late stages of untreated syphilis. Given the time it takes to reach end stage it is likely that James contracted syphilis prior to marriage. (He was about 33 years old when he married.)
We can see in James’s R.I.C. pension record, that his pension was paid to his wife “Babe” while he was in the asylum, and a payment was made at his death.
There is no record of a will.
[1] I have not been able to determine who Bessie was, or what happened to her after 1901.
In Search of Thomas Davis 