Ancestor: MAHER from Ballymacward - upcoming visit

Attached Files

Hello Nancy,

I'm not related and do not live in Galway, but a Google Map shows that the nearest post office to Garrymore, Galway, is 1.7 miles north in the town of Kilconnell. See the Google Map at: https://is.gd/fdpbzz

If no one from the Ireland XO Community from Galway sends you information about John Madden and where he may be living, you can write to the post master in Kilconnell, and ask if they, or anyone in and around Garrymore and Kilconnell, may know if John Madden, or any of his family members are is still living in the area. If you decide to write to the post office, send your letter to:

Kilconnell Post Office
Abbeyfield, Ballinasloe,
Co. Galway, Ireland
____

On another matter, John Maher's second wife was Norah Dwyer. Her first name is spelled "Nora" in the 1911 census. John and Norah were married in the Ballymacward Catholic Church on 14 January 1910. I found a copy of the original marriage register entry at the irishgenealogy.ie website. The marriage further shows that John was a widower who was 45 years old and a farmer whose residence is Ballymacward. His father is Thomas Maher, also a farmer. The 1911 census shows that John could not read and write. He signed the marriage record with an X, witnessed by the parish priest who married him and Norah. The priest’s name is F.J. Joyce.

Norah Dwyer is shown to have been a 35 year old "Spinster" at the time of marriage. Her residence at the time of marriage was Ballymacward. Her father is Michael Dwyer, a farmer. Norah signed the marriage record herself. The name of one of the witnesses to the marriage is James. His last name may be Henry, though his last name is difficult to read clearly. The first name of the second witness is Teresa, whose last name I couldn't read clearly either. The marriage record is attached to this reply.

John and Norah's daughter, "Kate" Maher was born in Garrymore, Galway on 5 May 1911. Kate's father is John Maher, a farmer residing in Garrymore. Her mother is Norah Maher, formerly Dwyer. Kate's father John reported the birth to the local registrar, J.J. Egan, who recorded the birth in the Ballinasloe Registration District on 23 May 1911. Kate's birth is Number 224, or 2nd entry from the bottom, on the marriage register. Kate’s birth record was also uncovered at the irishgenealogy.ie website. Her birth record is also attached.

Good Luck with your search Nancy. I hope you and your sister have luck finding your family members in Galway, and have a fantastic time when you are there in July.

Best Wishes,

Dave Boylan

Hi Nancy

When in July are you visiting ?

I am Killascobe XO Parish Admin and will try and see who may be still in the family homestead 

Please reply and let me know 

Martin

Dear Dave, I can't thank you enough for all of the information you have given me. I have been able to collect bits and pieces but not nearly with the detail from the documents you have so kindly attached. It's wonderful. I will definitely write to the postmaster in Kilconnell. However, I am a bit confused though. In looking at the census documents, it appeared to me that Garrymore was the street that my greatgrandfather lived on (the census indicates the number of the street to be #1) in Ballymacward. However, your response seems to indicate that Garrymore is actually a town that is 1.7 miles from Kilconnell, and is about 9 miles from Ballymacward. In one of my previous internet searches I found that there is a Ballymacward Post Office, Main Street. That one appears to be right in Ballymacward. I will write to both of them, anyway. Thank you again.

Dear Martin, thank you also for responding. My sister and I will be staying at The Petra House, College Road in Galway for 3 nights - arriving on July 3 and leaving on the morning of July 6. It is very kind of you to offer to take the time and try to find out if there are still some of my family members in that area. Do you happen to know if the Garrymore that is referred to in the census is actually a street right in the town of Ballymacward? Perhaps you could give me the best route to take to get there from Galway.

I am very appreciative of all of the help that has been offered. I would be willing to provide me personal email address to you if it would be more convenient for you to communicate directly.

Thank you both again,

Nancy

Nancy 

Garrymore is a townland - there are over 60 thousand in Ireland , a bit unique See townlands.ie for a map of the area 

I'll try and get there shortly and see if family are still there and let you know 

Martin

 

Hi Nancy

John Maher is listed as a herd in Garrymore, moved from there previous home at Farravaun in  to take up the position of Herd which generally had the benefit of a free Home.

I will reply in detail to your message to Lackagh Parish Office.

Regards

Attached Files

Hello Nancy,

What the 1901 census is showing is that the Maher family were living in the townland of Garrymore in the District Electoral Division (DED) of Ballymacward, County Galway. They were not residing in Ballymacward itself. Also, house 1 does not refer to a house number on a particular street in Garrymore, but is the number of the census form, as you’ll see a little later. For more information about what DEDs were, go to the following Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_division_(Ireland)

The 1901 census shows that John and Mary cannot read, but that they can speak Irish and English. John’s occupation is “Shepherd.”

The 1901 census transcription is from the National Archives of Ireland website link at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

Please see below:

1901 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 1 in Garrymore (Ballynacward, Galway)

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion Birthplace Occupation Literacy Irish Language Marital Status Specified Illnesses

Maher John 39 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Co Galway Shepherd Cannot read
Irish and English Married
Maher Ellen 38 Female Wife Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read Irish and English Married
Maher John 15 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Not Married
Maher Patrick 13 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Not Married
Maher Ulick 11 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Not Married
Maher Thomas 10 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Not Married
Maher James 9 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read Not Married
Maher Michael 8 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read Not Married
Maher Denis 7 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read Not Married
Maher Sabina 5 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read Not Married
Maher Mary Anne 3 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read Not Married
Maher Martin 2 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read Not Married
____

You can view a copy of the original 1901 census of the Maher family at the following National Archives of Ireland link: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000798786/

Toward the top-center of the census page you’ll see the subheading, “FORM A.” To the right of FORM A you’ll see, “No. on form B. 1.” The number 1 in this case refers to the census form number, or “house 1” for the Maher family.

The census shows that John and Ellen Maher could not read, but could speak Irish and English. If you go to the bottom right of the census form you’ll see that John Maher made his mark in the form of an “x,” which was witnessed by a constable named Patrick Duffy, who picked up the census form.

Also Nancy, you wrote to Martin and me that you’ll be staying at Petra House, College Road, Galway. This is some distance from Garrymore, as a Google Map shows that College Road in Galway, by the shortest route, is 31.8 miles west of Garrymore along the M6 dual carriageway and the rural road R348. See the map at: https://is.gd/LbumhJ

For Google Street View of Garrymore, go to: https://is.gd/XQgs2n

Are you renting a car to travel to Garrymore from Galway City?

In you first message to the XO Message Board, you noted that John Maher and Ellen Burke were married on January 12, 1884. I’m not sure if you have a copy of their original civil marriage record, but if you do not, it is attached to this reply. I found their civil marriage record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. The marriage record shows that John and Ellen were married in the Catholic Chapel at Lackah, Galway. At the time of marriage John was 23 years old and had been a bachelor, which means he had not been previously married. His occupation was “Labourer.” His residence at the time of marriage was Belville, Galway. His father was Thomas Maher, also a Labourer.

At the time of marriage Ellen was 21 years old and a “spinster.” Spinster means she had not been previously married. Her residence at the time of marriage was Cloonavadogue, County Galway. Her father is Ulick Burke, a “Landholder.” This shows that John and Ellen’s son Ulick was named after Ellen’s father, Ulick Burke.

Getting back to the marriage record, the first name of the priest at Lackagh who married John and Ellen was Patrick. His last name is difficult to read, but may be Colgan, though I can’t really be sure of the spelling of the priest’s last name. The first name of one of the witnesses was Michael. I couldn’t make out his last name. The second witness was Mary Burke, who may have been Ellen’s sister.

John and Ellen’s is the first marriage recorded in the register.

At the time of marriage John Maher was living in Bellville, Galway, while Ellen was living in Cloonavadogue.

A Google Map shows that Bellville and Cloonavadogue are but 2.3 miles away from each other: https://is.gd/mEgSCi

For a Google Street View of the road leading to Belville, go to: https://is.gd/HNoHnv

For a Google Street View of Cloonavadogue, go to: https://is.gd/Ouvnvw

Marriages in Ireland traditionally took place in the bride’s parish, and so I next wanted to see how far away that Ellen Burke’s townland of Cloonavadogue was from the Catholic Chapel in Lackagh. A Google Map shows the Lackagh Church, by the shortest route, is 6.2 miles west of Cloonavadogue: https://is.gd/ljDkOS

The name of the Catholic Parish Church in Lackagh is Our Lady of Knock. This church was built in 1838 and refurbished between 1968 and 1970. For a history of the church go to the Lackagh Catholic Parish Church history link at: http://lackaghchurch.ie/lackagh-parish-history/

The home page for the Lackagh Church can be accessed at: http://lackaghchurch.ie/

Another Google map shows that Bellville, where John Maher was living before he married, is 6.9 miles east of the Lackagh Catholic Church: https://is.gd/GqsdjQ

To view an Ordnance Survey Map of the R.C. Chapel” in Lackagh from the 1837 to 1841 time period, go to the GeoHive website link at: http://bit.ly/2UXLvOJ

I next wanted to see if the National Library of Ireland (NLI) website had the church marriage records for the Lackagh Catholic Parish available at their website. Unfortunately, I found that Lackagh marriages at the NLI website are only available online up to 1 March 1880, while baptism records are available to access online until 6 February 1881. See the NLI website link for the availability of the Lackagh Catholic Parish registers, and also a map of the Catholic Parish at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1075

Nancy, if you plan to visit the Lackagh Catholic Church, send an email to the parish priest and ask if the church has marriage records available for 1884. Explain however, that the National Library of Ireland only has marriage registers available online until the year 1880. The email address for the church is: lackaghparish@gmail.com

Hopefully the parish priest or church official will respond.

The 1901 census shows that there are 10 children in the household of John and Ellen Maher. I next wanted to see how many civil registration birth records I could find for these children at the irishgenealogy.ie website.

Before getting to the Maher birth records, I’d like to explain a about civil registration in Ireland.

The government in Ireland commenced with civil registration of Protestant civil and church marriages on 1 April 1845. Catholic marriages were not recorded by the government at the request of the Catholic Church, as the Catholic hierarchy in Ireland did not want the Anglican government to have lists of its parishioners at that time.

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denomination in Ireland began on 1 January 1864. This means that any births, marriages, and deaths after 1863, would ostensibly have been recorded by county registrars in their respective Civil Registration Districts. However, because civil registration for all religious denominations was new, not all births, marriages, and deaths were recorded in 1864. Even after 1864 there were births, marriages, and deaths that were not recorded, probably because they were not reported to the local registrars. Births, for example, were traditionally reported to the local registrars, or assistant registrars by the mother, the father, a relative, a midwife, or the head of the workhouse, if the child had been born in a workhouse, as many were in Ireland in the 19th century. Marriages were reported to the registrars by the celebrant or clergyman who married the couple.

Deaths were reported to the registrars either by a relative or a friend of the deceased, or the head of the workhouse, if the person had the misfortune of ending up in the workhouse because they couldn’t support themselves.

The irishgenealogy.ie website has digitized, and placed online for free, copies of original civil birth records from 1864 to 1916. Copies of original marriages are online for the years 1870 to 1941. Copies of original death records are available for the years 1878 to 1966. The irishgenealogy.ie website plans to make available online, copies or original marriage records back to 1845, and death records back to 1864. At present there are indexes of birth from 1864 to 1916, indexes of marriages from 1845 to 1869, and death indexes from 1864 to 1877.

Birth, marriage, and death registers are held by the General Register Office (GRO), with locations in Dublin and Roscommon Town, County Roscommon. The civil records of birth, marriage, and death you can access online from irishgenealogy.ie originally come from the GRO.

Of the 10 Maher children recorded in the 1901 census, I found the birth records for 9 of them. After some pretty extensive searching I didn’t find a birth record for Michael. I may have missed locating his birth record altogether, or his birth may not have been reported to the local registrar. I also uncovered the birth record for Kate Maher, who was born after the 1911 census was taken, bringing the total number of Maher births to 10.

The names and years of birth of the children are:

John, 1884
Thomas, 1887
Ulick, 1888
Thomas, 1890
James, 1891
Denis, 1894
Sabina, 1896
Mary Anne, 1897
Martin, 1899
Kate, 1911
____

Above you see the births of two children named Thomas, one born in 1887 and one born in 1890. Usually, when you see the births of two children in the same family with the same first names, indications are the first-born child with the name had died, and the parents then went ahead and named another child after them. But in this case I think the name of Thomas in the 1887 birth record is a mistake, and rather believe the Thomas Maher born in 1887 is your actually grandfather Patrick, as I did not find the death record for a child Thomas Maher between 1887 and 1890 at the irishgenealogy.ie website.

I also have a question about Sabina’s birth record which I’ll get to a little later.

The birth records for all 10 Maher children are attached to this reply. I’ve gone over each one below:

John Maher was born on 22 December 1884. His place of birth is Faravane. This townland is alternately spelled as, “Farravaun.” John’s father is John Maher residing in Faravane. His occupation is, “Herd,” meaning he was a shepherd, that is, a sheep herded. Young John’s mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Ulick Burke was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Duggan, who recorded the birth on December 30, 1884. John’s birth record is number 236 in the birth register. Ulick Burke may have been Ellen's brother.

A Google Map shows that Farravaun is 1.5 miles south of Cloonavadogue: https://is.gd/M4OvLO

For a Google Street View of Farravaun, go to: https://is.gd/QsgKoz

Another Google Map shows that Farravaun, by the shortest route, is 24 miles west of Garrymore: https://is.gd/TxXk7O

Next is the birth record for Thomas Maher. I suspect, but can’t prove, this is the birth record for your grandfather Patrick. Thomas was born on 1 February 1887 in Faravane. His father is John Maher, working as a “Herd,” residing in Faravane. Thomas’s mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Bridget Connor, of Faravane, was present at the birth, and also reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Duggan, who recorded the birth on March 24, 1887. Bridget Connor was likely the midwife who delivered the baby. Thomas’s birth is number 66 in the birth register.

You’ll see in the birth register entry for Thomas that the registrar had made a mistake with birth information at number 65 just above Thomas’s record. At number 65 he had erroneously written that Thomas’s father was Patrick Lally of Faravane. In the birth record below Thomas, at number 67, the registrar corrected the error by showing that Patrick Lally was the father of Kate Lally, who was also born in Faravane. If the registrar had made this error, I had to think that it was possible that he also made an error with recording the name Thomas Maher instead of Patrick Maher in the birth register. Again, I can’t prove that this happened, and is speculation on my part.

The next birth record shows that Ulick Maher was born in Faravane on 14 August 1888. His father is John Maher, a Herd, residing in Faravane. Ulick’s mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Catherine Concar, from Belville, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Duggan, who recorded the birth on August 28, 1888. Ulick’s birth is number 254 in the birth register.

Next, Thomas Maher was born in Belville on 16 June 1890. His father is John Maher, a Herd, residing in Belville. Thomas’s mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Catherine Concar, from Belville, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Duggan. Joseph Duggan recorded the birth on July 15, 1890. Thomas’s birth is number 4 in the birth register.

Sometime between the birth of Ulick Maher in 1888 and Thomas Maher in 1890, the family had moved from Faravane to Belville. A Google Map shows that Belville is 2.5 miles by the shortest route, from Farravaun: https://is.gd/qzqFiA

The next birth record is for James Maher. He was born in Faravane on 6 August 1891. His father is John Maher, a Herd, residing in Faravane. James’s mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Kate Burke, of Cloonavadogue, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Duggan, who recorded the birth on September 15, 1891. Kate Burke may have been Ellen’s sister. James’s birth is number 167 in the birth register.

Michael Maher was born after James, but I didn’t find a birth record for him. I may have missed locating his birth record, or it’s possible his birth record wasn’t reported to the local registrar.

Denis Maher is next. He was born in “Bellville,” on June 29, 1894. His father is John Maher, “a herd,” living in Bellville. Denis’s mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Bridget Burke, Ellen’s sister, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local assistant registrar, John Burke. He recorded the birth on July 3, 1894. I wonder if the assistant registrar John Burke was related to Ellen? Denis’s birth record is number 5 in the birth register.

The child born after Denis was Sabina. I found what may be her birth record, but the one snag with Sabina’s birth record is that her mother’s first and maiden names are recorded as Sabina Murry, rather than Ellen Burke. The record shows that Sabina was born in Garrymore on 1 March 1896, and that her father is John Maher, employed as a “Herd,” and living in Garrymore. The person who was at the birth and who reported the birth to the local registrar was Mary Kelly of Garrymore. The registrar, Y. McInerny recorded the birth on 24 April 1896. Sabina’s birth record is attached and is number 396 in the register. I suspect, but cannot prove, that the registrar, Y. McInerny made an error when he recorded the name of Sabina’s mother.

Sabina Maher, age 5, and daughter of John and Ellen Maher, is the only Sabina Maher recorded in the 1901 census anywhere in Galway, except for a 57 year old Sabina Maher living with her husband and children in the townland of Laraghmore, County Galway. Also, I looked for the death record of any child named Sabina Maher in Galway between 1895 and 1901, but found none. It’s based on these facts that I am speculating that the 1896 Sabina Maher birth record may be the daughter of John Maher and Ellen Burke.

The next child is Mary Anne Maher. She was born in Garrymore on 9 August 1897. Her father is John Maher, a Herd, residing in Garrymore. Her mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Bridget Fahy of Clongowna was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Y. McInerny, who recorded the birth on 11 October 1897. Her birth is number 496 in the register.

The youngest child in the 1901 census was Martin. I found his birth record showing he was born in Hampstead (Galway) on 1 March 1899. His father is John Maher, a Herd, residing in Hampstead. Martin’s mother is Ellen Maher, formerly Burke. Ellen Maher, the mother, of Hampstead, reported the birth to the local registrar, Y. McInerny, who recorded the birth on 15 May 1899. Martin’s birth is number 86 in the birth register.

A Google Map, shows that Hampstead, Galway, by the shortest route, is 21.8 miles southeast of Garrymore:
https://is.gd/U69otZ

Go to the following link for a Google Street View of Hampstead: https://is.gd/PODNUm

For the next search I looked for John and Ellen Maher and their children in the 1911 census. I located the Maher family in that enumeration, and found that 49 year old John had a new wife. She is 35 year old Nora. You had mentioned Nora in your message to the Ireland XO Message Board. The 1911 census shows that John was born in “Corn C Galway,” while Nora’s place of birth is the same, only Corn is abbreviated on the census line for her as “C.” C Galway. Also on the census line for Nora you’ll see the numeral 1. This means that she and John, as of 1911, had been married for 1 year.

The location “Corn,” may refer to the townland of Cornacartan, which is 4.4 miles southeast of Garrymore. See the Google Map at: https://is.gd/0leml6

John’s four children are in the household in the 1901 census and are all shown to be scholars, that is, students. They are 16 year old Denis; 15 year old Bina, 13 year old Mary Ann; and 12 year old Martin. The 1911 census transcription below is from the National Archives of Ireland:

1911 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 1 in Garrymore (Ballymacward, Galway)

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion Birthplace Occupation Literacy Irish Language Marital Status Specified Illnesses Years Married Children Born Children Living

Maher John 49 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Corn C Galway Farmer Cannot Read or write
Irish English Married
Maher Nora 35 Female Wife Roman Catholic C C Galway Read and write Married 1
Maher Denis 16 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholars Read and write Single
Maher Bina 15 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Maher Mary Ann 13 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Maher Martin 12 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Single
____

You can view a copy of the original 1911 census for the Maher family at the National Library of Ireland link at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002361582/

After locating the Mahers in the 1911 census I looked for Ellen Maher’s civil registration death record between 1901 and 1911 at the irishgenealogy.ie website, and found it. Ellen died at age 44 in Garrymore on 5 October 1907. At the time of death she was married, and had been a “Herd’s Wife.” The cause of death is listed as, “Delicate for sometime. No medical attendant.” John Maher, her “Husband,” reported the death to the registrar, J.J. Egan, who recorded Mary’s death on 28 October 1907. Mary’s death record is attached to this reply, and is number 205 in the death register.

I also looked for the marriage of John Maher and Nora. I found their marriage record showing their marriage took place in the Catholic Chapel at Ballymacward on 14 January 1910. The marriage record shows that at the time of marriage John was a 45 year old Widower and employed as a Farmer. His residence at the time of marriage was Ballymacward. His father is Thomas Maher, a Farmer. In the 1884 marriage record John’s father is also shown to be Thomas.

John’s wife is 35 year old Norah Dwyer, who was a spinster and was living in Ballymacward at the time of marriage. No occupation is listed for her. Her father is Michael Dwyer, a Farmer. The Parish Priest for the Ballymacward Catholic Chapel, T.J. Joyce, married John and Norah. The first name of one of the witnesses to the marriage was James. His last name is difficult to read but could be “Henry.” The first name of the second witness is Teresa. I couldn’t make out her full last name but it partially looks like Hill. The Parish Priest, T.J. Joyce witnessed John Maher’s mark X, on the marriage register. The registrar, J.J. Egan recorded the marriage on 23 May 1910. The marriage is attached to this reply and is the first one recorded in the register.

The marriage record shows that John Maher was residing in Ballymacward. I suspect this was only a temporary residence to be near the church where Norah Dwyer had lived, as by the 1911 census he, Norah, and the Maher children were living in Garrymore.

A Google Map shows that Ballymacward, by the shortest route, is 20 miles southeast of Garrymore:
https://is.gd/LzOUPx

The Catholic Church in Ballymacward is Saints Peter and Paul. For a Google Street View of the church, go to: https://is.gd/7NPjBk

According to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, the Catholic Church in Ballymacward was constructed in 1875. To see a description of the architectural heritage of the church, go to the Buildings of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/6auFDO

I believe the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Ballymacward is the church where John Maher and Nora Dwyer were married in 1910.

Your information shows that John and Norah Maher had a daughter named Kathleen, born in 1911. I did a pretty comprehensive search for her birth record at the irishgenealogy.com website but didn’t find in the indexes under the name Maher. But, I discovered finally that the index of her birth gives her last name as “Mahon,” and once you access her birth record attachment, you’ll see why it could be Mahon, rather than Maher. Kate was born in Garrymore on 5 May 1911. Her father is John Maher, a farmer from Garrymore. Kate’s mother is Norah Maher, formerly Dwyer. John reported Kate’s birth to the local registrar, J.J. Egan, who recorded the birth on 23 May 1911. Kate’s birth is number 224 in the birth register.

Nancy, I’m going to end this reply here as it is getting pretty lengthy and includes 13 attachments. I found more information about your Maher and Burke ancestors which I’ll send in a second reply, maybe later today or sometime this coming week.

The attachments with this reply include:

John Maher and Ellen Burke 1884 marriage
John Maher 1884 birth
Thomas/Patrick? Maher 1887 birth
Ulick Maher 1888 birth
Thomas Maher 1890 birth
James Maher 1891 birth
Denis Maher 1894 birth
Sabina Maher 1896 birth
Mary Anne Maher 1897 birth
Martin Maher 1899 birth
Ellen Maher 1907 death
John Maher and Norah Dwyer 1910 marriage
Kate Maher 1911 birth
____

Concerning your grandfather Patrick, I not only looked for his birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website, but also looked for his birth record at Ancestry.com and the FamilySearch websites, but without success. I searched for his birth record between the year 1884 and 1892. Do you have your grandfather Patrick’s birth record, and if you do, can you send it to me in your next reply?

Keep in mind that I am only speculating that the Thomas Maher born in 1887 may actually be the birth record for Patrick. Two other possibilities are that John and Ellen changed the name of their son Thomas to Patrick after his birth was recorded, or that Patrick’s birth was not recorded at all in the birth registers.

I’ll write back with more information about your Maher and Burke ancestors as soon as possible.

Kind Regards Nancy,

Dave Boylan

Dave - I am speechless! I am overwelmed by your response. I have read your message in its entirety. But it is late and I will have to read it again several times before I can actually digest all of the information that you have made available to me. There are some documents such as the 1901/1911 Censuses that I already had found. But there are so many more that I have been searching for unsuccessfully. However, I did want to get back to you right away though to thank you so much for all of the time and attention you have committed to spending on this research. It is 100 times more than I ever could have expected. 

Since your response was so thorough and you included over a dozen attachments, perhaps it would be easier if you were to continue this correspondence using my home email address. That is if you don't mind sharing your email address with me. I will truly understand if you choose not to. My home address is:

nancym8264@verizon.net 

I had just written an email to the Church of Lachagh yesterday and have already received a response from Gerard, the person to whom the church forwarded it. He, too has offered to do some research regarding the possibility of famly still living in that area. I am so grateful for the assistance that I am receiving. And I am so glad that I had found the Ireland Reaching Out site. It is truly a blessing.

I am sure that I will have some questions after reading all of the information - particularly regarding the different regions (for instance - if the census does not identify a street or address number, how would one go about finding the actual house in Garrymore). And, by the way, I will be renting a car so travelling a distance should not be a problem.

I look forward to hearing from you again,

Nancy

Attached Files

Good Morning Dave,

I have spent the last 2 days reading all of the information you so graciously sent to me. Again, I can't thank you enough for the time and effort you have put into your research. 

You asked a few questions throughout your narrative and I hope I have picked them all out to answer.

Regarding my grandfather, Patrick - I do not have a record of his birth. However, I do have a number of documents on which he has identified either his age or his date of birth. And as I have commonly found in my research, none of them match. His birth on his WWI Draft Registration Card identifies his birth as 14 Mar 1888. His birth on his WWII Draft Registration Card identifies it as 16 Aug 1886. All of the other documents on which he has identified his age (Passenger Manifest, Marriage Record, US Censuses, and Death Certificate), when calculated give his range of birth to be between 1886 and 1889. So, based on your "investigation", I would also suppose that the entry of Thomas on the birth record of Feb. 1, 1887 was written in error and it most likely should have been Patrick.

Regarding the son, Michael - I do not have a record of his birth either. However, I do have the 1911 Census showing where he was residing at that time, and documents showing that he served in WWI and was killed in action. I have attached them. 

Ragarding the 1911 Census - you read that it shows John Maher born in "Corn C Galway" and have tried to interpret what that meant. I have used photographic software that I have to enhance and enlarge the document. In doing so, it is clear that the word "Corn" is actually "born". The Lower Case letter "b" is written in a very similar fashion to the Upper Case "C". So I believe it was meant to mean "born in Co, Galway". 

Ragarding the Church of Lackagh - I had previously sent an email to the church which was forward to one of their local researchers, Gerard. He, too has graciously responded and has offered his assistance in the collection of some information about my family. I have rented a car and do intend to drive to the Church of Lackagh and hopefully get to meet Gerard while there.

I have also discovered the Death Records of Norah (Dwyer) Maher 1940 and John Maher 1947. I have attached them, as well.

And after reading all of your research, I also intend to drive to the Garrymore, Belville, and Farravaun areas. Yesterday, I mailed via US Post Office 2 letters to Post Offices that appear to be located in that area (Ballymacward Post Office and Kilconnel Post Office). I addressed them to the Postmaster and in the letters told of my upcoming visit, my family's residence in Garrymore,  and my desire to possibly find some relatives still living in the Ballymacward area. I can only hope to get an answer.

By strange coincidence, the Petra House B & B in Galway, where my sister and I will be staying, is either owned or managed by Frank Maher. Wouldn't that be something if it turns out he is a relative?

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Nancy

 

I m now trying to find out some more information about the parents of my great-grandparents, John Maher and Ellen Burke. I have started with his father, Thomas. His father's name appears on his marriage records so I am pretty confident his name was Thomas Maher. Unfortunately, his mother's name does not appear on any documents that I have seen. I thought that perhaps they were still living at the time of the 1901 Census. John was 39 when that census was taken, so I figured that his parents might be around 70. I did a search and came up with 2 possibilities.

The first one shows a Thomas Maher, age 70 living in Laraghmore (Deerpack, Galway). He is living with his wife, Sabina, age 57 and 2 teen-age children. I looked at the map and Laraghmore is in Bellville, Co. Galway where John said he was from in a number of his records. So, I thought that this might be him. I have included the link:  http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Deerpark/Laragh…

The second one shows an Ellen Maher, age 70 living in Farravaun, Belleville, Co. Galway. The birth records of John's first 4 children state that they were born in Farravaun while John was residing there. There is no Thomas listed on this census, but it does say that Ellen is a widow. Perhaps she is his wife, and Thomas has passed away. I have included the link: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Belleville/Farr…

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I could find out if either of these records could pertain to my great-great grandparents?

Thank you,

Nancy Maher

Nancy

 

Kathleen married Mick Madden and they had a number of children including Michael who is living close to the home place 

A friend is going to bring him word of your visit and hopefully contact can be made 

Do you  do FB ? I have a Ballymacward FB group that you might find helpful 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/182257452304417/ 

as well as one for Lackagh 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/752423024966394/

 

I have researhed some of your family previously but I have Ulick as being married to Mary Agnes Egan in the US 

 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1888/02502/1927839.pdf

 

Sabina was Sabina Murray I believe 

I will add more in the FB groups

 

Martin

 

 

 

Martin, 

Thank you for your response. I have found the birth and marriage records of Kathleen (Katie). I see that she married Michael Madden in 1931. My cousin, Edwina (grand-daughter of Ulick Maher) visited the homestead in Garrymore in 1969 and again in 1980. She has remembered meeting a son of Kathleen and Michael, also named Michael. She also thought that they may have had 2 daughters, but couldn't quite remember. It would be wonderful if your friend could let him know about my inquiries and my upcoming visit. I would love to hear from him.

I do use FB, mostly to see the photos that my family members post. I have sent requests to join both groups that you referred me to.

I have researched all of my grandfather's siblings and have found quite a bit of information, from both Ireland and the US. Ulick Peter immigrated to the US in 1910. The passenger manifest states that he travelled with his friend, Michael Crilbin and they both planned to join Michael's sister in NY. Ulick ended up in MA. According to the marriage record I have, he did marry Mary Egan in 1915 in Waltham, MA. They had 4 children.

Sabina Agnes also immigrated to the US in 1914. The passenger manifest has her coming to join her brother, Patrick (my grandfather) in MA. According to the marriage record I have, she married Dennis J. Feeney in 1917 in Newton, MA. They went on to have 6 children.

Thank you again and I look forward to receiving the approval to join the 2 FB groups.

Nancy

Attached Files

Hello Nancy,

Many thanks for your reply and kind words, and sorry I haven’t replied sooner but I’ve been busy at work and getting home late, and also working on those dreaded taxes before the April 15 deadline. Weekends such as this are the best for concentrating on genealogy.

I went back to the 1911 census for John and Nora Maher and their children and agree with you that the entry for their place of birth is “born,” rather than corn. That was a very good catch on your part, as I had missed it all together. It’s always good to have more than one person look at these old records to see if there is another interpretation that makes more sense.

Thanks also for sending the attachments for Michael Maher. These documents make for very interesting reading. I notice that Michael willed all his personal effects to his brother James, who, from the 1911 census was 1 year older than Michael.

I had found the death records for John and Nora Maher last weekend, but didn’t send them as I didn’t want to send too much information at once, as sometimes sending too many records makes it difficult to piece everything together.

Concerning John Maher’s death, I believe that the hospital in Ballinasloe referred to in his death record was called the “Connacht District Lunatic Asylum,” and more lately, St. Brigid’s Hospital. The hospital closed in 2013. You can read more about St. Brigid’s Hospital and view exterior and interior photos of the place at the Behind Closed Doors Urban Exploration link at:
https://www.bcd-urbex.com/st-brigids-asylum-ballinasloe-ireland/

You can actually view an Ordnance Survey Map of Ballinasloe from the 1837 to 1841 time period showing that the Connaught District Lunatic Asylum was on the eastern section of Ballinasloe. The map is from the GeoHive website: http://bit.ly/2UWPXxa

For a modern aerial view of St. Brigid’s Hospital, go to:
http://www.antaisce.org/buildingsatrisk/st-brigids-hospital-ballinasloe

For a Google Street View of the front gate of the hospital, go to: https://is.gd/ziX3Pf

Nancy, I’m wondering if maybe John Maher was placed in St. Brigid’s because of memory loss due to ageing, and not for something more debilitating than that, as I think many people ended up in institutions like St. Brigid’s that didn’t really belong there. It makes you shudder just to think about being in such a depressing place as that.

Concerning Nora’s 1940 death record: The death record shows that her daughter Kate Madden of Garrymore, had reported the death to the local registrar. I found her civil registration marriage record at the irishgenealogy.ie website showing that she and Michael Madden were married in the Roman Catholic Church at Ballymacward on 3 January 1931. I see you already have the marriage record for Katie and Michael. As you know from the record Michael was a farmer living in Alloon, Galway. His father was “Ml” Michael (d),” which means his father was Michael Madden, deceased. The marriage record also shows that Kate was living in Hampstead, Ballymacward. Her father is John Maher, a farmer. The parish priest who married Michael and Katie was James Keane. The witnesses to the marriage were Berty Madden and Ellie Dwyer. Bertie may have been Michael Madden’s brother, while Ellie Dwyer was likely a relative of Katie’s mother Norah, whose maiden name was Dwyer.

J.J. Egan recorded the marriage on 29 September 1931.

Michael Madden and Katie Maher would have been married in Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Ballymacward, where Katie father John and mother Norah Dwyer were married in 1910, as noted in the last reply.

The marriage record for Michael Madden and Katie Maher shows that Michael’s residence was Alloon. A Google Map shows that Alloon is 1/8th of a mile north of Ballymacward, making it a suburb of Ballymacward. See the map at: https://is.gd/kLegUD

Another Google Map shows that Hampstead is 2.6 miles west of Alloon: https://is.gd/jJpeLY

For a Google Street View of Hampstead, go to: https://is.gd/N1tli0

According to the Buildings of Ireland website Saints Peter and Paul Church is actually situated in the townland of Alloon Upper, Ballymacward. The church was built circa 1875, and is still in use. See the description of the church, and a photo of the church at the Buildings of Ireland link at: http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=GA&…

Additional images of the church can be viewed at: http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=images&county=GA&…

To see a Buildings of Ireland map of the location of the church in Alloon Upper, Ballymacward, go to: http://webgis.buildingsofireland.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?REG_NO=30407309

Unfortunately, I cannot look for the births of any children of Michael Madden and Katie Maher, as copies of original birth records are only available at irishgenealogy.ie from 1864 to 1916. See: https://is.gd/ghs4Bv

But, I went to the Ancestry.com website where I uncovered birth indexes that may refer to the children of Michael Madden and Katie Maher. The indexes give the first and last name of the child, as well as the maiden name of the mother, but do not record the first name of the father. The birth indexes refer to Ballinasloe as the Registration District where the births were recorded. This does not mean that the children were born in Ballinasloe. You would have to obtain the full birth records of each child to confirm the first and last names of their father, the first name of their mother. The birth records will also tell you where each child was born. These records are held by the General Register Office (GRO) in Dublin City and Roscommon Town County Roscommon. But I’m not sure if you will be able to obtain these records because of privacy laws, unless you are the person noted in the birth record, or a close relative, such as a daughter or a son.

The birth indexes from Ancestry.com are for:

Bridget Madden, 1934
Mary Madden, 1936
Michael Madden 1939
Norah Madden, 1942
Kathleen Madden 1944
____

The birth indexes from Ancestry.com are below:

Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958

Name: Bridget Madden
Mother's Surname: Maher Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1934
Registration district: Ballinasloe
Birth Country: Ireland
Volume: 4
Page: 23
FHL Film Number: 101232

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
____

Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958

Name: Mary Madden
Mother's Surname: Maher
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1936
Registration district: Ballinasloe
Birth Country: Ireland
Volume: 4
Page: 26
FHL Film Number: 101233

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
____

Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 No Image

Name: Michael Madden
Mother's Surname: Maher
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1939
Registration district: Ballinasloe
Birth Country: Ireland
Volume: 4
Page: 25
FHL Film Number: 101234

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
____

Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 No Image

Name: Nora Madden
Mother's Surname: Maher
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1942
Registration district: Ballinasloe
Birth Country: Ireland
Volume: 4
Page: 30
FHL Film Number: 101235

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
____

Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 No Image

Name: Kathleen T Madden
Mother's Surname: Maher
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1944
Registration district: Ballinasloe
Birth Country: Ireland
Volume: 4
Page: 23
FHL Film Number: 101236

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
____

I just now saw Martin’s latest communication to you. That is very, very good news that Michael Madden is still living close to the home place. Like Martin said, I too hope that you can make contact with Michael. If you do he will be able to tell you if the birth indexes from Ancestry.com above refer to himself and his siblings. The birth index for Michael shows his birth was recorded in the Ballinasloe Registration District in the June quarter of 1939. The June quarter includes the months of April, May, and June. If this is accurate, his birthday will be coming up in the next three months, when he will turn 80.

If you do meet Michael, maybe he can give you more information about his mother Kathleen’s parents, John Maher and Nora Dwyer. From John Maher’s marriage records we know that his father was Thomas. Maybe Michael Madden will know who John’s mother was.

JOHN MAHER AND ELLEN BURKE

Speaking of which, last Saturday and Sunday I began looking for the baptism records for John Maher and his first wife, Ellen Burke. Indications are they were born before 1864. If so, there will not be civil birth records for them.

First, John Maher: His 1884 marriage record shows he was 23 years old, placing his year of birth circa 1861.

The 1901 census shows that John, born in County Galway was 39 years old, placing his year of birth circa 1862. The 1911 census shows that John, born in County Galway, was 42 years old, also placing his year of birth in 1862. His death record in 1947 shows he was 84 when he died, placing his year of birth circa 1863. I don’t always trust ages in marriages, census enumerations, and death records, and so look for dates of birth or baptism over a range of years, usually 5 years before and 5 years after the supposed birth year of the individual.

In addition, John’s marriage records shows that his father was Thomas Maher, and so I looked for John’s birth and baptism records in the Ballymacward, Ballinasloe, Garrymore, Lackagh, and Belville areas of County Galway for the years spanning 1857 to 1867. I didn’t know the name of his mother as I hadn’t found any records which gave his mother’s first and maiden names.

I didn’t find a birth or a baptism record for John Maher based on the criteria mentioned above. I was surprised to have only found one baptism record for a Maher whose father was named Thomas, and who was baptized between 1857 and 1867. This was for Martinus Josephus Maher, baptized in the Loughrea/St. Brendan’s Catholic Parish, County Galway, on 9 November 1866. His father was Thomas Maher and his mother Helenae Burne. The baptism was found at the Find My Past website. I’ll have more information about Find My Past a little later.

I had better luck with locating what may be the baptism transcription as well a copy of the original baptism record for Ellen Burke. In her 1884 marriage record Helen was 21 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1863. The marriage record shows her father was Ulick Burke. The 1901 census shows that Ellen was 38 years old, placing her year of birth also circa 1863. When she died in 1907 she was 44 years old, again placing her year of birth circa 1863.

I found a baptism transcription for Ellen Burke at the aforementioned Find My Past (FMP) website. The FMP website is mainly a subscription-based or Pay-As-You-Go website, but FMP does not charge for Catholic Church baptisms, marriages, and available burial transcriptions for all of Ireland for much of the 19th century.

The search engine for the FMP baptism transcriptions can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/jnmqmuv

The search engine for Catholic marriages can be accessed at: http://tinyurl.com/jzylkjy

For Catholic Parish burial transcriptions go to the search engine at: http://tinyurl.com/j9qe5p9

Bear in mind however that not all Catholic Church Parishes in Ireland kept burial records.

To complete the search for transcriptions you’ll have to register with FMP. Registration is free as is access to the transcriptions.

Most importantly, attached to the Catholic church baptism, marriage, and burial transcriptions at FMP are copies of the original records held by the National Library of Ireland (NLI), with headquarters on Kildare Street in Dublin.

I had looked for Ellen’s baptism over a five year period on either side of 1863, from 1858 to 1868, and found that an Ellen Burke was baptized in the Lackagh Catholic Church on 4 December 1861, making her two years older than recorded in her marriage record, the 1901 census, and her 1907 death record. Her baptism transcription from FMP also shows that her father is “Luck” Burke. This occurred because in the original baptism record it is difficult to read the handwriting. It isn’t the best handwriting in the world and is also a little faded, and so the transcriber at FMP transposed it as Luck instead of Ulick, as you’ll see. The baptism transcription also shows that Ellen’s mother is Sabina Ryan.

I haven’t included the FMP baptism transcriptions for Ellen in this reply as it takes up a lot of room and is under copyright anyway, but have gone straight to the NLI link that will take you to her baptism record. See:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632064#page/27/mode/1up

There are two facing pages to the baptism record. Ellen’s baptism is on the left-hand page, 8th entry down from the top. You can enlarge the page by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

Ellen’s baptism record shows that one of her sponsors, or godfather, is Michl Long. The godmother’s first name is Mary, but I couldn’t make out her last name.

It could be that John and Ellen Maher’s son Ulick, born in 1888, and their daughter Sabina, born in 1896, were named after Ellen’s father Ulick and her mother Sabina.

I also found the Lackagh Catholic Church baptism transcriptions and baptism records for three more children of Ulick Burke and Sabina Ryan. The names and years of baptism for these children are below. I’ve also included Ellen in the list so that you can see the full chronology of the Burke baptisms:

Catherine, 1860
Ellen, 1861
Mary, 1863
Margaret, 1867
____

You can see from the list above there is a gap of three years between the baptism of Mary in 1863 and the baptism of Margaret in 1867. Ulick and Sabina may have had a child or children between 1863 and 1867. In going through the Lackagh Catholic parish registers, I found that many pages of the register are so faded as to be unreadable, which means baptism transcriptions for other Burke children may not have been found by Find My Past researchers because of the condition of the baptism registers.

Moving on with the baptism records, Catherine Burke was baptized on 20 May 1860. Her baptism entry is the last one on the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632064#page/21/mode/1up

The baptism register is very difficult to read as it is faded while portions of the record, particularly the names of the godparents, are squeezed onto the page. It looks like the first name of the godfather is Martin, but I couldn’t decipher his last name. The first name of the godmother is Mary, but I couldn’t tell what her last name was either.

Next, Mary was baptized on 9 August 1863. Her baptism is the third entry down from the top of the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632064#page/32/mode/1up

I couldn’t tell what the first name of the godfather was, but his last name was Fahy. The godmother is Catherine Cody.

Margaret Burke was baptized on 8 September 1867. Her baptism record is the first entry at the top of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632064#page/42/mode/1up

As you’ll see the baptisms in 1867 register are very neatly written, and shows that Margaret’s godparents were Peter Coady and Bridget Concar.

Because Margaret Burke was baptized in 1867, I figured she would have a civil registration birth record, and so I went to the irishgenealogy.ie website to look for her birth record. I found her birth record which shows that she was born in Cloonavadogue on September 3, 1867. Her father is Ulick Burke, a “Peasant” residing in Cloonavadogue. Her mother is “Sebina” Burke, formerly Ryan. Ulick reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Duggan, who recorded the birth on September 6, 1867. Margaret’s birth record, which is attached to this reply, is number 195 in the register.

The next search involved looking for the church marriage record of Ulick Burke and Sabina Ryan at the Find My Past website. I found their marriage record showing they were married in the Kilmoylan & Cummer Catholic Parish, County Galway, on 22 February 1856. Their marriage record can be found at the following National Library of Ireland link: https://is.gd/6fGM7T

The marriage is located on the right-hand register page, 6th entry down from the top. The witnesses to the marriage were John Burke and Honor Hession. The first letter “s” in Honor’s last name is written in the old style which looks like the letter f. In the marriage record you’ll see Honor’s last name spelled, “Hefsion.”

Ulick and Sabina’s daughter Margaret was born in 1860, as you saw above. This means that the couple may have had another child between their marriage in 1856 and the birth of Margaret in 1860.

The Kilmoylan and Cummer Catholic Parish, I learned, does not include churches in either Cummer or a place called Kilmoylan. In going online I found that there are two Catholic churches in the parish. One is St. Colman’s located in Corofin. The other church is Sacred Heart in Belclare. The Parish of Cummer and Kilmoylan homepage can be found at: http://www.cummer.ie/parish.html

For a Google Map of Corofin and St. Colman’s Catholic Church, go to: https://is.gd/GIWCdG

For a Google Street View of Corofin and St. Colman’s Church, see: https://is.gd/QyOMzX

Another Google Map shows that the townland of Belclare is, by the shortest route, 7.2 miles north of Corofin. https://is.gd/0nRJP4

For a Google Street View of the Sacred Heart Church in Belclare, go to: https://is.gd/qLo9V6

It’s possible that the 1856 marriage of Ulick Burke and Sabina Ryan took place in St. Colman’s Catholic Church. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website notes the church was constructed circa 1842-1844 in a section of Corofin called Ballybanagher. The church was built on the same ground as the Corofin Chapel which stood from 1760 to 1844. See the Buildings of Ireland description of the church at: http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=GA&…

You can see both the Old R.C. Chapel and the (New) R.C. Chapel on an Ordnance Survey Map of Corofin from the 1837 to 1841 time period at the GeoHive website link at: http://bit.ly/2UUnEzg

Concerning the Sacred Heart Church in Belclare, I found that the current structure was built in 1924, and replaced an older church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. See: http://homepage.eircom.net/~belclarechurch/

I couldn’t find a church in Belclare on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period. See the map at: http://bit.ly/2CMlAT3

Another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1888 to 1913 time period shows the location of the old R.C. Chapel in Belclare, Carrowtemple: http://bit.ly/2UVjpmS

What this means that it is also possible that Ulick and Sabina were married in the Catholic Chapel in Belclare, but of the two churches, the one closest to Cloonavadogue, where their daughter Margaret was born in 1867, is Corofin. A Google Map shows that Cloonavadogue is 6.7 miles south of Corofin by the shortest route: https://is.gd/UYBfXf

I can’t say for certain, but if Ulick and Sabina were living in Cloonavadogue when their children were born, it is possible all their children were baptized in St. Colman’s Catholic Church in Corofin.

These records are only circumstantial evidence that Ellen Burke’s parents were Ulick Burke and Sabina Ryan. It’s circumstantial evidence because, while we know that Ellen’s father was Ulick, we don’t know for sure what her mother’s name was.

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

For the next search I wanted to see if Ulick Burke had been enumerated in an Irish property tax record called Griffiths Valuation. Griffiths Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for Galway was completed by the year 1855, the year before Ulick and Sabina Ryan were married. .

Unlike a census, Griffiths Valuation did not enumerate individual members of a family, such as husband, wife, and children in a household residence. Those named in the valuation were individuals who paid to lease property, such as land, house and outbuildings. Each person who paid to lease the property was called an “Occupier.” The other person listed in Griffiths Valuation was the person who owned the property, or who worked as the middleman for the owner. This person was called the “Immediate Lessor.”

You can access Griffiths Valuation transcriptions and original copies for free at the Ask About Ireland website link at: http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

I found that Ulick Burke was counted in Griffiths Valuation. A transcription of the valuation from the Ask About Ireland website is below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 2
Civil Parish: Athenry
Townland: Cloonavadoge
Occupier: Ulick Burke
Immediate Lessor: Thomas Kelly
Description of Tenement: Land
Area of Land: 26 Acres, 0 Roods, 39 Perches,
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 4 Pounds
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 2 Pounds, 15 Shillings
____

Griffiths Valuation shows that Ulick Burke had leased over 26 acres of land and a building in the townland of Cloonavadoge, Civil parish of Athenry from an Immediate Lessor named Thomas Kelly. The land was valued at 4 Pounds, while the building was valued at 10 Shillings. You’ll notice on the “Description of Tenement” line that Land, but no house or any outbuilding is recorded. This may have been an omission on the part of the “Valuers” who conducted the land tax survey, as Ulick was charged 10 Shillings for a building. The total value of Ulick’s lease was 2 Pounds and 15 Shillings. He would not have paid a tax on this lease as only those leases over 5 Pounds were subject to the tax. The number 2 at the beginning of the valuation record refers to a location marker of Ulick’s property on an Ordnance Survey Map that had been compiled before the valuation took place. The Ordnance Survey Map can be accessed from the Ask About Ireland, but I haven’t been able to find a way to link these maps or attachthe maps so that I can send them to people looking into their family histories.

But, I can show you where Ulick’s lease was located on a similar Ordnance Survey Map from the GeoHive website. This map however, doesn’t contain the map numbers the way the map from the Ask About Ireland website does. Go to the map of “Cloonavaddoge” at: http://bit.ly/2UVwkW7

You’re looking at an enlarged version of the map. You’ll see in the center of the map the letters OSI, which stands for Ordnance Survey Ireland. Just above the letter I in OSI, you’ll see land with boundaries in the shape of a hatchet. This is location 2 where Ulick Burke leased his property.

The next Ordnance Survey Map link from GeoHive will take you to a map showing you the townland of Cloonavaddoge in full: http://bit.ly/2UUuTHu

I didn’t find any Ryans leasing property in Cloonavadoge in Griffiths Valuation. There are only six people recorded in Cloonavadoge in the valuation, including Ulick Burke. The other leaseholders are John Cody, Bridget Fahy, Johanna Concar, and Walter McDonagh. They also leased their property from Thomas Kelly, who may have been the middleman for the actual owner of the land.

ULICK BURKE AND SABINA RYAN

As mentioned earlier circumstantial evidence shows that Ellen Burke’s parents were Ulick Burke and Sabina Ryan. They were married in 1856. I figured they were likely born in the 1830s, and so I looked for their individual baptism transcriptions at the Find My Past website. This search was done without knowing the names of their parents. First Ulick Burke: I found what may be his baptism transcription at the Find My past website, showing that a Ulick Burke was baptized in the Tuam Catholic Parish on 28 June 1833. His parents are Ulick Burke and Margt Connelly. Ulick’s baptism record is the 7th entry down from the top of the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632079#page/63/mode/1up

Ulick’s godparents are Michael Boyle and Bridget Connelly.

A Google Map shows that Tuam is 7.1 miles north of Corofin: https://is.gd/lEOcrv

Another Google Map shows that Tuam is only 4.1 miles northeast of Belclare: https://is.gd/0WeiYg

Ulick’s baptism may have taken place in the parish church of the Cathedral of the Assumption on Bishop Street in Tuam. According to the Buildings of Ireland website the cathedral was constructed in the late 1820s and Early 1830s. See the description of the cathedral at: http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=GA&…

Just under the Description section you’ll see the Appraisal section, which notes that the Cathedral was built by Dominick Madden. I wonder if this is the same family as Michael Madden’s family or perhaps a collateral
line.

You can see the location of the cathedral, called the “New R.C. Chapel,” on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period at the GeoHive website link at: http://bit.ly/2TF19Nn

For a Google Map view of the cathedral go to: https://is.gd/XIRCSr

For a Google Street View of the Cathedral, go to: https://is.gd/KIdQ8Z

SABINA RYAN

I next looked for the baptism record of Sabina Ryan. I located one possible baptism record, showing that a Sabina “Royan” was baptized in the Tuam Catholic Parish on 4 April 1831. Her parents are Patt “Royan” and Briget Maley. Sabina’s baptism is on the right-hand baptism register page, 4th entry up from the bottom of the page at: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000632079#page/27/mode/1up

I couldn’t make out the first name, or the initials of the godfather, but his last name is Gilmor. The godmother is Cath. Fynn.

I also found the Tuam Catholic Parish baptism records of four other children whose last name is “Royan,” and “Royne,” and whose parents are Patrick and Bridget Molloy/Malley/MealyMaley. I don’t know if any of these records pertain to your Sabina Ryan and her family because of the spelling of the surname Royan or Royne. You can view an index of the Royan/Royne children who were baptized in the Tuam Catholic Parish at the following Find My Past link: https://is.gd/Tc37uq

DWYER AND MADDEN

The 1911 census shows that Norah Maher was born in County Galway and was 35 years old. She married John Maher in 1910. The marriage record shows that her maiden name was Dwyer, and that at the time of marriage she was living in Ballymacward. The marriage record also shows that her father was Michael Dwyer. The marriage record didn’t specify whether or not Michael Dwyer was still living at the time of the marriage.

I wanted to see if Norah was enumerated in the 1901 census, as this census could possible include her father Michael and her mother, whose name we don’t know.

I found one possible entry for Norah Dwyer in the 1901 census for County Galway. In the census 27 year old Norah and three of her siblings were living in house 3, Moyarwood, Killaan, County Galway. Her occupation was dressmaker. She was single and could read and write. The head of the household is her 30 year old brother Michael, a famer who could not read and who was not married. The other siblings in the household are 35 year old Mary, who was single and a housekeeper and who could read and write, and 21 year old Jarrett, also a farmer who could read and write, but who was not married.

The 1901 census transcription from the National Archives of Ireland is below:

1901 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 3 in Moyarwood (Killaan, Galway)

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion Birthplace Occupation Literacy Irish Language Marital Status Specified Illnesses

Dwyer Michael 30 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Co Galway Farmer Cannot read Not Married
Dwyer Mary 35 Female Sister Roman Catholic Co Galway House Keeper Read and write Not Married
Dwyer Norah 27 Female Sister Roman Catholic Co Galway Dress Maker Read and write Not Married
Dwyer Jarret 21 Male Brother Roman Catholic Co Galway Farming Read and write Not Married
____

To view a copy of the original 1901 census of the Dwyer siblings go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000799231/

A Google Map shows that Moyarwood, by the shortest route, is 7.9 miles west of Garrymore:
https://is.gd/WQmGNX

Another Google Map shows that Moyarwood is only 4.3 miles south of Ballymacward: https://is.gd/ChpTCm

For a Google Street View of Moyarwood to to: https://is.gd/UiEahf

With the four Dwyer siblings living in the same household, I suspect that their parents were deceased at the time the 1901 census was taken, and so now I wanted to see if I could find Norah’s birth record. The 1901 census shows that Norah was 27 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1874. In the 1911 census she is 35 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1876

I went to the irishgenealogy.com website to see if I could find the birth record of a Norah Dwyer who was born between 1872 and 1877, and whose father was named Michael. I found a Norah Dwyer who was born in 1872 and whose father was Michael, but after going through several more records, all which did not appear to be for the correct Dwyer family, I managed to locate what may be Norah’s birth record showing she was born in 1869. But, I arrived at her birth record in a round-about fashion, and would not have found it had I not first come across the birth record for her brother Garrett, who is listed in the 1901 census as “Jarret.” Garrett Dwyer was born in Moyarwood on 10 March 1879. As you saw earlier, Moyarwood is where Norah and her siblings were living as recorded in the 1901 census.

The birth record shows that Garrett’s father is Michael Dwyer, a Labourer residing in Moyarwood. Garrett’s mother is Catherine Dwyer, formerly Ward. The father, Michael Dwyer reported the birth to the local registrar, whose last name appears to be Deely. The registrar recorded the birth on 24 March 1879. Garrett’s birth record is number 192 in the register and is attached to this reply.

I then uncovered Honor Dwyer’s birth record at irishgenealogy.ie. Norah is a diminutive of Honor and Honoria. She was born in Greenhills, Galway, on 19 September 1869. Her father is Michael Dwyer a Labourer residing in Greenhills. Her mother is Catherine Dwyer, formerly Ward. The father Michael Dwyer reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph O’Kelly, who recorded the birth on 1 October 1869. Norah’s birth record is attached to this reply and is number 468 in the birth register, which is the first entry in the register.

It appears then (if I have the correct Norah Dwyer) that she would have actually been 32 years old in the 1901 census, rather than 27. The 1911 census gives her age as 35, when she would have been 42 years old.

A Google Map shows that Greenhills, where Honor Dwyer was born, is only a half mile from Moyarwood, where her brother Garrett was born. See: https://is.gd/rxcmnc

For a Google Street View just north of Greenhills, see: https://is.gd/5V1DIJ

I then found the civil birth record for Michael Dwyer. His birth record shows he was born in a townland called Inchathawn on 20 September 1867. His father is Michael Dwyer, a Labourer residing in Inchathawn. His mother is Catherine Dwyer, formerly Ward. Catherine Dwyer reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph O’Kelly, who recorded the birth on 14 October 1867. Michael’s birth is number 291 in the register, which is attached to this reply.

After some further research I also found the civil birth record for Mary Dwyer. She was born in “Inchadaun” on 26 April 1864. Her father is Michael Dwyer, a labourer residing in Inchadaun. Her mpther is Catherine Dwyer, formerly Ward. Michael reported the birth to the local registrar, Edward D. Doyle, who recorded the birth on 6 May 1864. Mary’s birth record is number 21 in the register and is attached to this reply.

Inchathawn and Inchadaun may refer to the townland of Inchaghaun. A Google Map however, shows that Inchaghaun is 64.2 miles west of Moyarwood. It’s possible that Michael and Catherine Dwyer moverd to this townland to be with relatives of to work. See the map at: https://is.gd/Mj4URK

Nancy, if you do meet up with Michael Madden, ask him if he knows the name of his grandmother Norah Dwyer Maher’s own mother, who would be his great grandmother, and his mother Katie’s grandmother. If his great grandmother was Catherine Ward we can continue with the research into the Dwyer family knowing we are on the right track.

MICHAEL MADDEN

The 1931 marriage record for Katie Maher and Michael Madden shows that Michael’s father is “Ml,” (Michael) Madden, who was a farmer. The marriage record also shows that Michael’s residence at the time of the marriage was Alloon, Ballymacward. With this information I looked for Michael and his parents in the 1911 census. I believe I found him and his family in that enumeration, showing their residence was house 2, Alloon Upper, Ballymacward, County Galway. In the 1911 census Michael is 6 years old and could not read and write.

The head of the household in the 1911 census is his 82 year old grandmother Bridget, who was a widow born in County Galway who could read and write . The census shows that Bridget had been married for 60 years and in that time had 6 children, with two children still living. One of those children is her son, and young Michael’s father, 50 year old Michael Madden, a Farmer’s Son who was married. His wife is 47 year old Bridget who could read and write. The census shows that Bridget and Michael had been married for 20 years and in that time had 9 children, with 8 of the children still alive. Seven of those children are in the household, all born in County Galway. These children are 19 year old Anne; 15 year old Patrick; 13 year old Kate; 9 year old Delia; 8 year old Nora; 6 year old Michael; and 4 year old “Bartholmew,” that is Bartholomew.

The 1911 National Archives of Ireland census transcription for the Madden family is below:

1911 Ireland Census

Residents of a house 2 in Alloon, Upper (Ballymacward, Galway)

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion Birthplace Occupation Literacy Irish Language Marital Status Specified Illnesses Years Married Children Born Children Living

Madden Bridget 82 Female Head of Family Roman Catholic Co Galway Read and write Widow 60 6 2
Madden Michael 50 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Farmers Son Read and write Married
Madden Bridget 47 Female Daughter in Law Roman Catholic Co Galway Read and write Married
20 9 8
Madden Anne 19 Female Grand Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Read and write Single
Madden Patrick 15 Male Grand Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Madden Kate 13 Female Grand Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Madden Delia 9 Female Grand Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Madden Nora 8 Female Grand Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Madden Michael 6 Male Grand Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot Read or write Single
Madden Bartholmew 4 Male Grand Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot Read or write Single
____

To view a copy of the original 1911 census for the Madden family, go to the National Archives link at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002361673/

I also found the household of 66 year old Bridget Madden, her 35 year old son Michael, his 28 year old wife Bridget, and four of their children in the 1901 census in house 2, Alloon, Ballymacward. The oldest child of Michael and Bridget is 9 year old Mary Madden, who is not in the 1911 census. Notice that 66 year old Bridget Madden could speak both Irish and English.

The 1901 transcription from the National Archives of Ireland is below:

1901 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 2 in Alloon Upper (Ballynacward, Galway)

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion Birthplace Occupation Literacy Irish Language Marital Status Specified Illnesses

Madden Bridget 66 Female Head of Family Roman Catholic Co Galway Farmer Cannot read or write
Irish and English Widow
Madden Michael 35 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Farmer Read and write Married
Madden Bridget 28 Female Daughter in Law Roman Catholic Co Galway House Keeper Read and write Married
Madden Mary 9 Female Grand Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write
Not Married
Madden Anne 7 Female Grand Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Scholar Read and write
Not Married
Madden Patrick 5 Male Grand Son Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read or write Not Married
Madden Kate 2 Female Grand Daughter Roman Catholic Co Galway Cannot read or write Not Married
____

For a copy of the original 1901 census for the Madden family, go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000798829/

At 6 years old in 1911, Michael Madden would have been born circa 1905. I looked for his birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. I found his birth record showing that Michael was born in Alloon Upper on 28 May 1906. His father is Michael Madden, a farmer residing in Alloon Upper. His mother is Bridget Madden, formerly Kenny. Michael Madden, the father, reported the birth to the local registrar, J.J. Egan, who recorded the birth on 4 July 1906. The birth record is attached to this reply and is number 475 in the birth register, which is the first entry.

The 1911 census shows that Michael and Bridget Madden had been married for 20 years, placing their year of marriage circa 1891. The birth record for their son Michael shows that Bridget’s maiden name was Kenny. With this information I looked for their marriage record at the irishgenealogy.ie website and found it. Michael Madden and Bridget Kenny were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Ballymacward on 6 February 1890. At the time of marriage Michael was a 24 year old bachelor and living in Alloon Upper, while Bridget was a 20 year old spinster and also living in Alloon Upper. Michael’s father was Michael Madden with no occupation recorded for him. Bridget father was Bartley Kenny, with no occupation recorded for him either. The priest who married Michael and Bridget was Daniel Coghlan. The witnesses to the marriage were Thomas Dunn and Bridget. I could not clearly make out Bridget’s last name. The marriage was recorded by Thomas McInerny in July of 1890. The marriage is number 11 in the marriage register, which is attached to this reply.

Michael and Bridget would have been married in Saints Peter and Paul Church, where their son Michael married Katie Maher on 3 January 1931.

The older Michael Madden’s age of 50 in the 1911 census, does not agree with his age of 24 in the 1890 marriage record. At 50 years old in 1911 he would have been born circa 1861. At 24 years old in 1890, he would have been born circa 1866.

I looked for his civil birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website but didn’t find it, which is an indication that he was born before civil registration for all religious denominations began in 1864, as explained in a previous reply.

This prompted me to look for Michael’s baptism transcription at the Find My Past website circa 1860, plus and minus five years. If the transcription is found, it would be linked to a copy of the original baptism record held by National Library of Ireland.

I found three baptism transcriptions for a Michael Madden at the FMP website. One of the transcriptions shows that a Michael Madden was born on 12 July 1861 and baptized in the Ballinasloe Catholic Parish on 19 July 1861. His parents are Michaelis Madden and Brigida Hearne

The other two baptism transcriptions pertain to the same Michael Madden baptized in the Ballymacward and Clonkeenkerrill Catholic Parish. His parents are Michael and Bridget Quinn. The first baptism register entry shows that Michael was born on 1 January 1862 and baptized on 10 January 1862. The second register entry shows that Michael was born on 1 January 1862 and baptized on 18 January 1862.

Because these two birth and baptism register entries for Michael Madden took place in the Ballymacward Catholic Parish, I think this may be the Michael Madden in your line.

The first Ballymacward birth and baptism register entry for Michael can be access at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632924#page/23/mode/1up

Michael’s birth and baptism entry is the first record at the top of the right-hand page, and shows that the godparents were John Murray and Honor Murray.

The second Ballymacward birth and baptism register entry for Michael Madden can be found at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632922#page/29/mode/1up

The births and baptisms in this register span both pages. Michael’s entry is the last one on the page, and also shows that his godparents were “Joanne,” (John) Murray and Honor Murray.

I suspect that the two baptism records above refer to your Michael Madden, as his family had lived in Alloon Upper/Ballymacward.

Next is information about the birth and baptism record for the Michael Madden in the Ballinasloe Catholic Parish register. As noted above his parents are Michael Madden and Bridget Hearne. His register entry is the 5th one up from the bottom of the left-hand page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632916#page/132/mode/1up

I could only make out the name of the godmother. Her name was Margarita Heady. This birth and baptism register entry may be difficult to locate because of the terrible handwriting.

Further evidence that Michael Madden’s parents were Michael and Bridget Quinn can be found in the civil birth records for their son James and their daughter Mary Madden.

James was born in Alloon on 31 March 1867. His father is Michael Madden, a farmer residing in Alloon. His mother is Bridget Madden, formerly Quinn. Michael reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph O’Kelly, who recorded the birth on 18 June 1867. The birth records for James is attached to this reply and is number 275 in the birth register.

Mary Madden was born in Alloon on 27 February 1871. Her father is Michael Madden, a farmer residing in Alloon. Her mother is Bridget Madden, formerly Quinn. The person who was present at the birth and who reported the birth to the local registrar, W.B. Deely, was Anne Madden, of Alloon, who may have been Michael’s sister. W.B. Deely recorded the birth on 20 March 1871. Mary’s birth record is number 75 in the birth register, which is attached to this reply.

Concerning the Ballinasloe Madden family, I found a 17 June 1864 birth for their daughter Eliza. Her parents were Michael and Biddy Hearne. Eliza was born in “Bnagh,” Ballinasloe. Bnagh is the abbreviation for the townland of Bracknagh or Brackernagh, County Galway. Her parents were living in Bracknagh at the time of her birth. A Google Map shows that Brackernagh, Galway, by the shortest route, is 14.6 miles southeast of Ballymacward. See: https://is.gd/vKdWX9

I also found the birth record of John Madden, son of Michael Madden and Bridget Herne, who was born in Dunlo, Ballinasloe, on 3 September 1868. The residence of his parents is also Dunlo. A Google Map shows that Dunlo is only 1 mile east of Brackernagh: https://is.gd/8iCQcW

With this information I think we can safely say that your Maddens descend from Michael Madden and Bridget Quinn, of Alloon, Ballmacward, and not from the Maddens of Brackernagh and Dunlo, Ballinasloe.

Next I looked for but didn’t find the marriage record for a Michael Madden and Bridget Quinn in the Ballymacward and Clonkeenkerrill Catholic Parish. Going to the National Library of Ireland website link, I found that no Ballymacward and Clonkeenkerril Parish marriage registers have been placed online. I don’t know if they exist. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0326

I also looked for their marriage record in other Galway parishes but didn’t find it.

I next went back to the FMP website to see if I could access the baptism transcriptions for James Madden (1867), and Mary Madden (1871), whose birth records I had earlier uncovered. I didn’t find the baptism for James, but did for Mary. She is recorded in two different Ballymacward and Clonkeenkerrill baptism registers. In the first register she is listed as “Marie” Madden. She was born on 26 February 1871 and baptized on 18 March 1871. Her godfather is Patrick Quinn, The first name of her godmother is Catherina. Her last name may also be Quinn. The baptism register entry spans both pages of the register, which you can access at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632922#page/70/mode/1up

The entry for Marie Madden is number 1017, which is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the register.

The second Ballymacward and Clonkeenkerrill baptism register entry for Mary Madden also shows she was born on 26 February 1871 and baptized on 18 March 1871. Her birth and baptism is the last entry on the right-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632924#page/56/mode/1up

Her godparents are Patrick Quinn and Catherine Quinn.

I also located the baptism for Anna Madden in both Ballymacward and Clonkeenkerrill baptism registers. Both registers show that Anna was born on 8 March 1860 and baptized on 17 March 1860.

In the first register Anna baptism is on line number 271, which is the second to the last entry in the register which spans both pages at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632922#page/22/mode/1up

Her godparents are Joanne (John) Quinn and Maria Quinn.

In the second baptism register Anne’s baptism can be found on the right-hand page, second entry down from the top of the page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632924#page/17/mode/1up

The sponsors, or godparents are John Quinn and Mary Quinn.

Going to the Ask About Ireland website I next found that a Michael Madden, and several Occupiers named Kenny had leased property in Alloon Upper, in Griffiths Valuation, which was completed in this portion of County Galway in 1856. If you recall Michael Madden and Bridget Quinn’s son Michael married Bridget Kenny in 1890, as noted earlier.

Griffiths Valuation shows that a Michael Madden leased a house, offices, and land from an Immediate Lessor named the Earl of Clancarty, who was probably the owner.

A transcription of the Griffiths valuation entry for Michael Madden in Alloon Upper, from the Ask About Ireland website, is below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 12
Civil Parish: Ballymacward
Townland: Alloon, Upper
Occupier: Michael Madden
Immediate Lessor: Earl of Clancarty
Description of Tenement: House, offices, and land
Area of Land: 31 Acres, 0 Roods, 26 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 16 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 1 Pound, 5 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 17 Pounds, 15 Shillings
____

Michael Madden had leased over 31 acres of land valued at 16 Pounds and 10 Shillings. His house and offices were valued at 1 Pound and 5 Shillings, for a total valuation of 17 Pounds and 15 Shillings. He would have paid a percentage of this valuation toward the tax.

The Kennys leasing property in Alloon Upper, according to Griffiths Valuation, were Patrick, Martin, John; and Bridget. A Bartley (Bartholomew) Kenny is not enumerated in Griffiths Valuation in Alloon Upper.

BRIDGET KENNY MADDEN

Michael Madden’s 1906 birth record shows that his parents are Michael Madden and Bridget Kenny. Michael Madden Sr. and Bridget Kenny married in Ballymacward on 6 February 1890. The marriage record shows that Bridget’s father was Bartley Kenny, and that she had been living in Alloon Upper at the time of the marriage.

In the 1901 census Bridget Madden is 27 years old, but in the 1911 census her age is 48, which means she would have aged 21 years over a 10 year period, showing how inaccurate the Irish census returns sometimes can be. If Bridget was 27 in 1901 she would have been born circa 1874. If she had been 48 in 1911 she would have been born circa 1863.

Even with her age discrepancy between the 1901 and 1911 census returns, I believe I found Bridget Kenny’s civil birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. She was born in Alloon on 24 October 1870. Her father is Bartholomew Kenny, a Framer residing in Alloon. Her mother is Bridget Kenny, formerly Laheen. Bartholomew reported the birth to the local registrar, W.B. Deely who recorded the birth on 4 November 1870. Bridget’s birth is number 35 in the register, which is the second entry up from the bottom of the register. Her birth record is attached to this reply.

I next looked for but did not find a baptism record for Bridget, but found what I believe are the baptisms of four of her siblings in the Ballymacward and Clonkeenkerrill Parish registers. Three of the four siblings have their baptisms recorded in the two Ballymacward Church registers.

The names of these children and their years of baptism are:

Maria/Mary, 1866
Joannes/John, 1868
Patrick/Patritius, 1873
Nora, 1879
___

Only the baptism of Nora is recorded in one of the Ballymacward registers.

This is another reply that is getting long, and so I’ll end it here. If you would like I can send a followup reply with the baptism records of the four Kenny children named above, and also see if I can find their birth certificates.

This reply includes 10 attachments, which are:

Mary Burke 1867 birth
Garrett Dwyer 1879 birth
Honor Dwyer 1869 birth
Michael Dwyer 1867 birth
Mary Dwyer 1864 birth
Michael Madden 1906 birth
Michael Madden 1890 marriage
James Madden 1867 birth
Mary Madden 1871 birth
Bridget Kenny 1870 birth
____

Nancy, you may already have a lot of the information that is included in this reply, as I think you are a very good family historian who has put in a lot of time looking for the Irish ancestors. Because there are so many townlands in Galway associated with you Maher, Burke, and related ancestors, and because you may be meeting long lost cousins, will you be able to extend you trip in Ireland? It would be a real treat if you can explore the areas your ancestors lived in if you had the time to stay several days in Garrymore or the surrounding area. I hope you get to meet Michael Madden. Perhaps he, or a member of his family can give you more information about Nora Dwyer Maher, and her daughter Katie.

Once again, sorry it took so long to get back to you

With Kind Regards and Best Wishes,

God Bless.

Dave

Hello Nancy, 

I just stumbled across this post, I am John Maher from Belville not the original :) A lot of these names are very familar to me and indeed I know some of them are my grandparents and great grandparents. Drop me a line if you need some more info on the Maher clann. 

 

-J 

I'm Clare West from Ballymacward. Michael Madden (Mick) was my uncle, a brother of my mother, he married Katie Maher and they lived in Garrymore. His daughters ( my cousins) live locally, 4 of his children are deceased. Nice to get all the above information about my forebears.

Dear Nancy,

Have just looked through this wonderful correspondence regarding your family connections in Ballymacward. Did you manage to meet up with the Maher family in Ballymacward. I knew the Maddens in Garrymore very well. 

Kind regards,

Declan Greaney.