Geraghty from Roscommon

Diane a chara,

Welcome to the IrelandXO Roscommon Community!

What a remarkable story ... were you aware this family also made it as far as Fiji? ​

 [Hampshire Telegraph - Saturday 30 March 1901 ]  The following obituary, which is published in the Dublin Daily Express, is such a remarkable instance of the dispersion the Irish all over the world that we make no apology for quoting it as it stands:— Geraghty.—Accidentally killed at Johannesburg, South Africa, John Geraghty, aged 37 years, son of Patrick Geraghty, of Roscommon ; brother of George and Katie Geraghty, Roscommon ; and brother of James Geraghty, of Pretoria, and of William Geraghty, Galway; and of Peter, Patrick, and Martin Geraghty, of New South Wales ; and of Annie Corley, of Suva, Fiji Islands. Deeply regretted. R.I.P.” 

Katie Geraghty, died of influenza in Ireland in 1918, was one of the victims of the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. (As were a number of my relatives).

Given the potential to link in with relatives from so many quarters, I suggest you first add the family homestead on Church Street, to the Roscommon Building Chronicles. Even if you don't have a photo of the house, a screenshot of the map will suffice. Following this, you can then easily link each ancestor to it and help other relatives from around the world find their way home. It won't be long before you see the benefits of that. 

Best of luck!

 

Hello Rua,

Thank you so much for all the information you have given me here! You and the other volunteers from the Irelandxo community have been so generous and diligent with your feedback and research.

I wil follow up on all the information and suggestions you have made here and will add a screenshot of the map.

I've been to Roscommon and seen the little Church opposite the house where the Geraghtys lived. When we visited the Sacred Heart Church in Roscommon I was overwhelmed at the resemblance between a parishioner there and my Grandmother Connelly.

I'll just let you know that my father's Corley cousin at 91 shares what he knows about the Corleys in Australia. With his help I've added photos and stories to a family history project including the Corleys from Mayo and the Geraghtys from Roscommon as well as their related Irish families. They were mostly stone masons and builders who worked on Cathedrals, Churches, colleges, schools, and public buildings throughout New South Wales and Victoria. My great grandmother Annie nee Geraghty gave birth to my grandmother Mary Ellen Corley in Suva as the family had moved there so Annie's husband Francis Corley could work on the construction of Sacred Heart Cathedral.

I am happy to share the research and pictures from the family project so far with anyone who's interested and will add a picture of Sacred Heart Cathedral from Suva. We will be visiting Ireland again in June 2019 and will be delighted to meet anyone who'd like to meet us!

Best regards,

Diane

 

 

Hello Diane,

I'm not related but found the Roscommon Catholic Church baptism records for 11 children of Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Moran. These are not indexes or transcriptions of the baptisms, but copies of the actual baptisms from the church register in Roscommon Town.

In addition, I uncovered the civil registration birth records for 9 of Patrick and Catherine Geraghty's children. If you do not have the baptism records and birth records I can send them to you in a follow-up communication.

Oddly enough I didn't find a birth or baptism record for Ann/Anne/Annie/Hannah/Hanoria Geraghty circa 1869. But I did locate a faded baptism record for what appears to be a child named Ann (in the baptism record her first name is recorded in the Latin--Annam), baptized in August of 1861. Her father is Patrick Geraghty and her mother is Catherine Moran. The godparents are Martin Geraghty and Jane Keating. Could this child be your Ann Geraghty?

I also found the death record for Patrick Geraghty's wife Catherine. It appears she died in childbirth along with her baby son, with no first name, as the child is also recorded on the same death register page as she was. I also found the birth record for this child, again no first name, who died an hour after he was born.

I uncovered a death record that may pertain to Patrick Geraghty, though I'm not sure if the death record refers to your Patrick Geraghty.

If you don't have any of these records I can send them to you. It may take a while to put all the details together, but I should have all the information ready to send by the end of this coming week, or next weekend at the latest.

Kind Regards Diane,

Dave Boylan

Hello Dave,

Thank you for so much getting back to me. The research you have carried out is amazing!

These are indeed my ancestors.The names and dates fit with the rest of the information I have from extended family members. Annie was born around 1869. Her father Patrick was born in 1829 and her mother Kate Moran was born around 1837. 

I would very much appreciate the records you have mentioned here.

My email address is dianemccue340@gmail.com

Again, thank you for your diligence and generosity.

Best regards,

Diane

You're welcome Diane. I hope you don't mind if we communicate through the Ireland XO Message Board rather than through private email, as communications through Ireland XO will be saved for a long period of time. I don't trust my old computer not to crash someday, thereby losing the information I've compiled about your ancestors.

I finally did manage to find the death record for Annie's father, Patrick Geraghty, and will send that when all the research is completed during the coming week. I didn't find a circa 1869 birth or baptism record for Annie however. If you have a copy of Annie's birth or baptism record, can you send it?

Because I'll be sending you a lot of records, either as links or as attachments, I'll probably send them in two or even three replies through Ireland XO, rather than through one communication. It will be less unwieldy and lengthy that way.

If I have any further questions about your ancestors, I'll write back again before sending all the information I've found.

Thanks for your quick reply Diane.

Dave

Hello Dave,

Thank you so much for following up on all the Geraghty information.

Sorry - I'm so used to giving my gmail address to researchers and new found cousins I forgot about the information needing to be saved and shared for a long time! All good!

I don't have a copy of Annie's birth certificate ... just going from info my father's cousin told me.

Looking forward to receiving the research you're doing whenever you are able to send it.

Best wishes and thanks again,

Diane.

Hello Dave,

Thank you so much for following up on all the Geraghty information.

Sorry - I'm so used to giving my gmail address to researchers and new found cousins I forgot about the information needing to be saved and shared for a long time! All good!

I don't have a copy of Annie's birth certificate ... just going from info my father's cousin told me.

Looking forward to receiving the research you're doing whenever you are able to send it.

Best wishes and thanks again,

Diane.

You're welcome Diane. I've finished compiling the baptism records for the Geraghty children, but have to go back over the information once or twice more to insure for accuracy. I'm presently working on property tax records that may pertain to your Geraghty and Moran ancestors in Roscommon Town, and hope to have that research completed in the next day or two. In addition, I've already uncovered several civil birth records for the children of Patrick Geraghty and Catherine (Kate) Moran. I need to go over these again as well, and so I'm hoping to send the first communication to you by this weekend. I've also found a few death records that I believe refer to your Geraghty ancestors, but still have to do some more research. I'll likely send the birth and death records in a second communication. The first communication with genealogical information will mainly consist of the aforementioned baptism records. I then have to place all the records into chronological order in narrative form to make everything as clear as possible, though I'm not sure if I always succeed in doing that.

Thank you again for writing Diane.

With Kind Regards,

Dave

Hello Diane,

I found the Roscommon and Kilteevan Catholic Church baptism indexes and transcriptions for 11 children of Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Moran at the Find My Past website. Two of the children are twins. The FindMyPast website is mainly a subscription-based or Pay-As-You-Go website, but this company has generously forgone charging for Catholic baptisms, marriages, and available church 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.

Attached to the Find My Past baptism, marriage, and burial transcriptions are copies of the original records held by the National Library of Ireland (NLI) on Kildare Street in Dublin City.

I’ve forgone submitting the FMP baptism transcriptions to this reply as they are under copyright and take up a lot of room anyway, but have gone straight to the NLI links that will take you to copies of the original baptism records themselves. Before getting to the baptism records, below are the names and years of baptism for the 11 Geraghty children that I found. The first names of five of the children, including the twins, are in Latin. I’ve included the anglicized version of the names in parenthesis:

Annam (Ann) Geraghty, 1861
Gulielmos (William) Geraghty, 1863
Johanus (John) Geraghty, 1864
Jacobus Paulus (James Paul) and twin Petrus Franciscus (Peter Francis) Geraghty), 1866
Patrick Geraghty, 1868
Catherine Geraghty, 1870
Nicolas Geraghty, 1871
Maria Geraghty, 1873
Martin Joseph Geraghty, 1875
George Geraghty, 1878
____

You see in the names and years above that Patrick and Catherine Geraghty had children pretty consistently over the course of a 17 year period. No more than 2 years separate any of the births and baptisms of the Geraghty children, except for George Geraghty (1878), who was born 3 years after Martin Jospeh’s birth in 1875 . I did a pretty thorough search for the baptism of Annie Geraghty for the years 1867-1868-1869-1870, but did not find a baptism record for her at Find My Past or at the National Library of Ireland. I also looked for her civil registration birth record for the same years, but again, came up empty. I’ll have more about civil registration birth records for the Geraghty children in a follow-up reply.

THE GERAGHTY BAPTISMS

As you’ll see, some of the baptism records for the Geraghty children will also include their dates of birth. Not all Catholic churches included birth dates in the baptism registers. Concerning the baptism of the first child, Ann, that I found, the Find My Past transcription gives her baptism date as August 1861, erroneously recorded her first name as "Simonn," that is Simon. The baptism record is difficult to read and faded, but I’ve enlarged it and found that the name of the child is actually Annam, which is the Latin for Ann. It’s difficult to tell but it looks like Ann was baptized on August 23, 1861.

You can access the baptism record for Annam Geraghty at the following link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633981#page/177/mode/1up

There are two facing pages to the baptism register. Ann’s baptism is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page. There is a large X to the left of her first name, Annam. The parents of the child in the baptism record are Patritis Geraghty and Cath Moran. The godparents are Martin Geraghty and Jane Keating.

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.

If you enlarge the baptism image enough you can see the first name of the child begins with a capital A and that the A slanted to the right. I can see why the Find My Past transcriber thought the name might have been Simon, as there appears to be a period over the letter n in the child’s name. But you can see, if the image is enlarged to the maximum, the child’s name begins with the letter A.

The baptism record as described above is one of the reasons that I think this child may be your great grandmother Annie. The other reason I think this child may be your great grandmother is that I did not find a civil registration birth record for her circa 1869, though it’s true that not all births were recorded in Ireland after civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths commenced on 1 January 1864. Diane, do you think it’s possible that Annie’s age in the records you have for her could be off by several years? I know the ages of my great grandmothers from Kerry and Limerick aren’t accurate, and are off by several years in the many records I have for them in the U.S.

If you don’t think this baptism records refers to your great grandmother Annie, do not add it to your genealogical record until you can do more research. to see if Patrick and Catherine Geraghty had a son named Simon. You can also ask Rua at the Ireland XO Roscommon Community for a second opinion about the name in the baptism record.

Concerning Gulielmus (William) Geraghty, he was baptized on 26 February 1863. His baptism is the 4th entry down from the top of the left-hand baptism page at the following National Library of Ireland link:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633981#page/186/mode/1up

The names of the godparents are very difficult to read. The godfather looks like he could be Nicholas Moran. The first name of the godmother could be Winifreda (Winifred), though I couldn’t tell what her last name was.

The next record is for Johanus (John) Geraghty. His entry is the 7th entry down the baptism register at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/4/mode/1up

John’s baptism record is on a Roscommon Catholic Church register that is different than the previous registers in that the registers now also record the date of birth of the child along with the date of baptism.

Information about the children in the register is spread across two facing pages, reading of course, from left to right. The registers at this point also have printed headings. The headings on the pages are in Latin. The first date to the right of the child’s name is the date of birth. The date of baptism is on the right-hand facing page. John Geraghty was born on 23 October 1864. His parents are recorded as Pat Geraghty and Kate Moran. The residence of the parents is Roscommon, meaning Roscommon Town. The date of baptism on the right-hand page is recorded as 16 April. But this doesn’t make any sense as you can’t be baptized before you are born. The right hand page where the baptism is recorded does not correspond to the left hand page where John’s name, birth, and names of parents are recorded. The names of the godparents are also recorded on the right-hand page. The godfather’s last name is McDermott. I couldn’t make out his first name. The godmother is Anne McCooke. If this page does not correspond to the page on which John’s name and birth date are recorded, then the godparents would not pertain to John’s godparents. It looks as if the original corresponding right-hand page is missing, and that another page has taken its place.

I hope this hasn’t been too confusing to follow Diane, but if you look at both pages of the register you’ll see the discrepancy.

The year 1864, when John was born, is also the year that the government in Ireland commenced with the recording births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations. This means that the children of Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Moran who were born after 1863, should have civil registration birth records. I’ll have more about civil birth records for the Geraghty children in a future reply.

Next, the baptisms for the twins, Jacobus Paulus and Petrus Franciscus Geraghty can be found the second and third entries from the top (Lines 2 and 3) of the Roscommon Catholic Church baptism register at the following National Library of Ireland link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/17/mode/1up

This record shows that both children were born on 24 “Junie,” in 1866. Junie is the Latin for June. The parents are Patritus Geraghty and Catherina Moran. To the right of the names of the parents is their residence, which is recorded as Church Street. On the next facing page to the right of the residence is the date of the baptism for both children. This date is 1 Julie, that is, July 1. To the right of the date of the baptisms is the name of the priest who baptized the children. His name is Jas (James) Keelty. To the right of the priest’s name are the godparents for each child. The godparents for Jacobus Paulus are Jacobus Fallon and Maria Ward. The godparents for Petrus Franciscus are Michael Sweeny and Margaret Hand.

The child born and baptized after James and Peter is Patrick. The birth and baptism entries in the Roscommon Catholic Church register for Patrick can be viewed on Line 196 at the following link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/34/mode/1up

Patrick was born on 23 July 1868. His parents are Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Moran. I’ll be using the anglicized versions of first names in this reply from here on, unless clarification is needed. The residence of the parents is Roscommon. The right hand register page shows that Patrick was baptized on 2 August of 1868. The name of the priest who baptized him appears to be J. Strane. The godparents are Thomas Curly and Elizabeth Sweeny.

Following Patrick was the birth and baptism of Catherine Geraghty. Her record is on Line 383 of the Roscommon Church register at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/46/mode/1up

Catherine was born on 14 February 1870. Her parents are Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Moran of Roscommon. Catherine was baptized on 17 February 1870 by J. Slane. Her godparents are Gulielmus (William) Geraghty and Anna Moran. William was probably related to Patrick and Anna Moran related to Catherine.

Almost two years later “Nicolas Gearthy” was born and baptized. His record is on Line 621 of the Roscommon Catholic Church register at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/61/mode/1up

Nicolas was born on 28 November 1871. His father is Patk Gearthy. Nicolas’s mother is Catherine Moran. The parents’ residence is Roscommon. Nicolas was baptized on 10 December 1871. The initial for the first name of the priest who baptized Nicolas is P. The last name of the priest is difficult to read, but it may be Brien. The first name of Nicolas’s godfather is John. I couldn’t make out his last name however. It almost looks like “Lump.” The godmother is Catherine Fallon.

Maria Joanna Geraghty was born and baptized next. Her record can be found in the Roscommon Catholic Church register on Line 799 at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/73/mode/1up

Line 799 is the first entry on the page. Maria Joanna was born on 6 May 1873. Her father is Patrick Geraghty and her mother Catherine Moran. The parents are from Roscommon. Maria Joanna was baptized on 11 May 1873. I couldn’t decipher the name of the priest who baptized her. Maria Joanna’s godfather is Josephus Georgeous Ward. His first and middle names would be Joseph George. The godmother is Ellina Fallon.

Two and a half years after Maria Joanna was born, her brother Martin Joseph Geraghty was born on 2 November 1875. His entry in the Roscommon Catholic Church register can be found at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/92/mode/1up

The entry for Martin Joseph is very faded. It is the second entry on the register page. His parents are Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Moran of Roscommon. Martin was baptized on 14 November by Father Mulleedy. Marin’s godfather is Jacobus (James) Connor. The godmother is Anna Geraghty.

Following Martin Joseph is the birth and baptism of George Geraghty. George was born on 12 January 1878. His is the last entry on the register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/111/mode/1up

The entry for George in the register is extremely difficult to read because of the handwriting, as you can see. It took a while to uncover this baptism as the Find My Past index and transcription for George gives his last name as “Grotty,” rather than Geraghty. You can see how the transcriber had made this error because of the atrocious handwriting.

George’s father is Patt Geraghty. His mother is Catherine Moran of “Ros.” George was baptized on what appears to be 17 February 1878. The name of the priest who baptized him may be P. Brien. I couldn’t make out the first name of the godfather, but his last name is Fallon. The godmother may be Mary Nathan, but I can’t be sure of that, once again because of the handwriting.

Diane, do you know if either the Geraghty family or the Moran family had Fallon relatives? George’s baptism is the 4th instance where a Fallon was a godparent in a Geraghty baptism. Earlier you saw in the 1866 baptism for the twin, Jacobus Paulus Geraghty, that his godfather was Jacobus Fallon.

Then again, a Catherine Fallon is the godmother in the 1871 baptism for Nicolas Geraghty. In the 1873 baptism for Maria Joanna Geraghty, Ellina Fallon is her godmother.

For a fourth time a Fallon is a godparent in the 1878 baptism for George Geraghty.

The next search involved looking for the church marriage for Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Moran. I didn’t find their marriage index or transcription at the Find My Past website, or at Ancestry.com. I looked for their marriage in County Roscommon as well as in surrounding counties but with no results.

I then looked for the individual baptism record for Patrick Geraghty, son of Michael Geraghty and Anne Naughhton, and for Bridget Moran, daughter of Nicholas Moran and Ann (Kate) Moran. I didn’t uncover their baptism indexes or transcriptions at the Find My Past and Ancestry.com websites either. It’s always possible however, that I missed finding their baptism records, or that their baptism records no longer exist because of damage to certain portions of the Roscommon Catholic Church registers over the years.

You may want to search on your own for their individual baptisms at the Find My Past website.

But, I did find what may be the Roscommon Town Catholic Church baptism for Catherine Moran’s sister, Eliza, at the Find My Past website. In the baptism transcription her first name is in the Latin, Elizam. Also, the transcription gives her date of baptism as 21 July 1842, but when I accessed the link for her baptism record at the National Library of Ireland, I didn’t locate her baptism for that date. I finally did manage to uncover her baptism in the Roscommon Catholic Church parish registers, showing Elizam was baptized on 21 July 1840. Her father is Nicholas while her mother is Anne or Anna Curly. The godfather is Jacob (James) Moran. I couldn’t readily make out the first name of the godmother, ( it may be Joanna) but her last name is also Moran. Eliza’s baptism is on the left hand baptism register page, 2nd entry up from the bottom at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633981#page/31/mode/1up

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

Next I expanded the search for your Geraghty and Moran ancestors beyond baptism and marriage records. I looked for Patrick's father, Michael Geraghty. in an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation. I wanted to see if he had been leasing property on Church Street, in Roscommon Town. I actually found two Griffiths Valuation entries for a Michael Geraghty in subsections of Roscommon Town called Ballypheasan and Ardnanagh. When Griffiths Valuation was conducted these subsections were called, “Townlands.” You can see the locations of Ballypheasan and Ardnanagh on a Google Map of Roscommon Town at: https://is.gd/Chi8bH

The Google Map shows that the distance between Ballypheasan and Ardnanagh in Roscommon Town, by the shortest route, is one-half mile.

Griffiths Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for County Roscommon was completed by the year 1857. 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 leased property. 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 askaboutireland website link at:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

Below is the Griffiths Valuation transcription for Michael Geraghty in Ballypheasan, Roscommon Town:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 15
Civil Parish: Roscommon
Townland: Ballypheasan, Town of Roscommon
Street: Lanesborough-Street
Occupier: Michael Geraghty
Immediate Lessor: John Caulfield
Description of Tenement: House & small garden
Area of Land: 0 Acres, 0 Roods, 0 Perches,
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 0 Pounds
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 1 Pound, 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 1 Pound, 10 Shillings
____

Griffiths Valuation shows that Michael Geraghty leased a house and small garden at 15 Lanesborough Street, Ballypheasan, Roscommon Town. The house was valued at 1 Pound and 10 Shillings. The garden had no value. He leased this property from an Immediate Lessor named John Caulfield, who may have been the owner of the property, or may have been the middleman overseeing the property for the owner. Your information shows that the Geraghty family had lived on Church Street. Michael may have leased the property at 15 Lanesborough Street before moving to Church Street. At the top of the Griffiths Valuation you’ll see, “No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 15.” This refers to an Ordnance Survey Map from the time period showing the location of Michael’s lease on Lanesborough Street. You can access the map from the Griffiths Valuation index for Michael Geraghty. I found Map reference 15 on the Ordnance Survey, but I have not found a way to link or attach these maps to the desktop of my computer so that I can send them to other researchers. But, I did find the same location on another Ordnance Survey Map for Lanesborough Street at the GeoHive website. This is a beautiful color map of Roscommon Town and Ballypheasan that was produced between 1837 and 1842. You can view this map at: http://bit.ly/2QyWTyg

This would be the same map rendering as the Griffiths Valuation map, but without the map numbers. On the GeoHive you’ll see the location of the Abbey in faded lettering toward the middle of the page. Below the Abbey you’ll see several little plots of land with trees on them. One of these plots was leased by Michael Geraghty. Toward the corner of the road, which is not named, you’ll see what appears to be a small structure. This may be the house that Michael Geraghty leased, but that’s only a guess.

For modern Google Street View of the Abbey, see: https://is.gd/PoFLoc

Other evidence for the Geraghty name in Ballypheasan comes from the 1901 census, which you had mentioned in your first communication to the Ireland XO Message Board. The census, as you know, shows that 72 year old widower, Patrick Geraghty, and two of his adult children, 32 year old Kate and 23 year old George, were living in house 27, Ballypheasan. House 27 refers to the number of the census form, not necessarily the house number in the census.

The 1901 census shows that Patrick is employed as a mason, while his son George is a builder. Kate was a house keeper. The 1901 census however, does not give the name of the street where the Geraghty family were living in Ballypheasan. The copy of the original 1901 census, at the following link, is from the National Archives of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003854899/

Below is a Griffiths Valuation transcription showing that Michael Geraghty was the Immediate Lessor for a house and yard at 1 Church Street, Ardnanagh, Town of Roscommon. The house and yard were leased by a Occupier named Thomas Murray. It’s possible that Michael Geraghty owned this property at 1 Church Street. The house was valued at 3 Pounds and 10 Shillings.

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 1
Civil Parish: Roscommon
Townland: Ardnanagh, Town of Roscommon
Street: Church-Street
Occupier: Thomas Murray
Immediate Lessor: Michael Geraghty
Description of Tenement: House & yard
Area of Land: 0 Acres, 0 Roods, 0 Perches,
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 0 Pounds
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 3 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 3 Pounds, 10 Shillings
____

This property at Number 1 Church Street, is not delineated on an Ordnance Survey Map from the time period. But you can view Church Street on another Ordnance Survey Map produced between 1837 to 1842 at the following GeoHive link: http://bit.ly/2PnswOG

Church Street on the map is the road traversing horizontally across the page. The road is highlighted in red and runs into Pudding Street on the right. To the right of Pudding Street is the Old R.C. Chapel.

You can view the same area of Church Street, Roscommon Town, on another map in black and white, which was produced between 1888 and 1913. On this map Church Street is labeled. You’ll see on this map that Church Street runs into Goff Street on the right. Goff Street used to be called Pudding Street. This map is also from GeoHive: http://bit.ly/2PrpfxR

Next, I had looked for but didn’t find Michael Geraghty’s son Patrick in Griffiths Valuation. Griffiths Valuation only recorded those individuals or groups of individuals who paid the lease on the property. It didn’t include their family members. I suspect that Patrick was living in the household of his father Michael when Griffiths Valuation took place in Roscommon in 1857. This was before Patrick and his wife Catherine Moran had all those children. And so, just because Patrick isn’t numerated in Griffiths Valuation, doesn’t mean he wasn’t living in Roscommon Town at the time the valuation took place.

Next I found the person I believe to be Catherine Moran Geraghty’s father, Nicholas Moran. Like Michael Geraghty, Nicholas Moran is recorded twice in Griffiths Valuation.

The transcription of the first enumeration of Nicholas Moran in Griffiths Valuation is below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 10
Civil Parish: Roscommon
Townland: Ballypheasan, Town of Roscommon, Abbeytown part of
Street: Church-Street
Occupier: Nicholas Moran
Immediate Lessor: Michael Shern
Description of Tenement: House, office & garden
Area of Land: 0 Acres, 0 Roods, 11 Perches,
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 5 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 4 Pounds, 5 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 4 Pounds, 10 Shillings
____

Griffiths Valuation shows that Nicholas Moran leased a house, office and garden on Church Street, Ballypheasan, Town of Roscommon, from an Immediate Lessor named Michael Shern. The valuation breaks down the location of the lease by noting the house, office, and garden were in the Abbeytown section of Ballypheasan in Roscommon Town. The size of the garden was 11 Perches, well under 1 acre, and was valued at 5 Shillings. The value of the house and office was 4 Pounds, 5 Shillings. The total value of the lease was 4 Pounds and 10 Shillings. An “office,” in Griffiths Valuation could refer to any type of out building, such as a barn, shed, stable, blacksmith shop, piggery, etc.

The next valuation entry for Nicholas Moran shows that he leased only a garden on Church Lane, off Church Street. He leased the garden from Michael Stern. The garden was under an acre, at 2 Roods and 39 Perches, and valued at 1 Pound and 5 Shillings. See below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 14
Civil Parish: Roscommon
Townland: Ballypheasan, Town of Roscommon
Street: Church-Lane (off Church-street)
Occupier: Nicholas Moran
Immediate Lessor: Michael Shearn
Description of Tenement: Garden
Area of Land: 0 Acres, 2 Roods, 39 Perches,
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 1 Pound, 5 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 0
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 1 Pound, 5 Shillings
____

For an explanation of English units of area known as Acres, Roods, and Perches, go to the following lochista.com website link: https://lochista.com/understanding-acres-roods-perches/

You can see the location of Church Lane, running south from Church Street, and ending at the schoolhouse in the Abbey Town/Ballypheasan section of Roscommon Town at the GeoHive Map at: http://bit.ly/2QFapQX

According to a modern Google Map, the street coming off Church Street is no longer called Church Lane, but is now Henry Street. St. Coman’s Church of Ireland is located on Henry Street, just below Church Street: https://is.gd/0b81Fg

Diane, I’m going to end this reply here as it’s getting lengthy. I’ll write back, hopefully by this weekend, with more information about your Geraghty and Moran ancestors.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Hi Diane,

I'd like to add a correction to the baptism record for George Geraghty. I wrote that he was born on 12 January 1878, when he was actually born on 12 February 1878. My apologies for the error.

Dave

Attached Files

Hello again Diane,

This reply will mainly consist of the birth record attachments for 10 of Patrick and Catherine Moran Geraghty’s children born in Roscommon Town. These will be civil registration birth records.

For a short background the government in Ireland commenced with civil registration on 1 April 1845 when only Protestant civil and church marriages were recorded. Church marriages were recorded for parishioners of the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, Baptist Church, etc. Catholic’s were not included in the civil registration of marriages during this time period.

Civil registration of births, marriages, and death for all religious denominations in Ireland began on 1 January 1864, though not all births were recorded, especially during the early years of civil registration.

The birth records in this reply were accessed for free at the irishgenealogy.ie website. The original records are held by the General Register Office (GRO) located in Roscommon Town, where your ancestors had lived. The website irishgenealogy.ie has indexed and digitized original birth records in the Republic of Ireland from 1864 to 1916. Only marriage indexes however, and not full copies of marriages, are available from 1845 to 1869. Full marriage records, and indexes, are available from 1870 to 1941 in the Republic of Ireland. Only death indexes are available from 1864 to 1877. Indexes as well as full death records can be accessed at irishgenealogy.ie from 1878 to 1966 for the Republic of Ireland. See the following irishgenealogy.ie link:
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/civil-records/help/what-civil-records-…

Irishgenealogy.ie plans to digitize marriage records from 1845 and death records from 1864 sometime in the future.

Catholic and Protestant Church parish registers for a select number of counties and parishes, (but not for County Roscommon) are also available to search for free at irishgenealogy.ie. For more information on the availability of church registers, see:
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/church-records/about/what-church-recor…

The search engine for church records can be accessed at:
https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/

The search engine which I utilized to look for civil birth, marriage, and death indexes and digitized copies of original records can be found at: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp

THE BIRTH RECORDS

The names and years of birth in the civil registration records for 10 children of Patrick Geraghty and Catherine Nolan Geraghty are:

John Geraghty, 1864
Peter Francis Geraghty and James Paul Geraghty, 1866
Patrick Geraghty, 1868
Catherine Geraghty, 1870
Nicholas Geraghty, 1871
Mary Geraghty, 1873
Martin Geraghty, 1875
George Geraghty, 1878
Son Geraghty, 1879
____

The first birth record for John Geraghty shows he was born on Church Street, Roscommon Town, on 10 October 1864. If you recall from the previous reply, John’s baptism register entry noted he was born on 23 October, and so you can see that the church record and the civil record of birth don’t agree with one another.

John’s birth record shows that his father is Patrick Geraghty, who is residing in Roscommon. Patrick’s occupation is mason. John’s mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. John’s grandmother, Ann Moran, residing in Roscommon, was present at the birth and was the informant who reported the birth to the local registrar. The registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D. recorded John’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 17 October 1864. This means that the birth date 23 October 1864 for John in the parish register is incorrect. John’s birth record is on Line 199 of the birth register page.

John’s birth record confirms that Ann Moran was Catherine Moran Geraghty’s mother.

Following John were the births of twins, Peter Francis and James Paul Geraghty. Their birth records show they were born on Church Street, Roscommon Town on 24 June 1866. The church baptism record gives their date of birth as 23 June 1866. The birth records show that there father is Patrick Geraghty, employed as a mason residing in Roscommon. Their mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. Patrick Geraghty was present at the births of the twins and was the informant who reported the births to the local registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D. Dr. Heily recorded the births in the Roscommon Registration District on 27 June 1866. The births for Peter and James are on Lines 67 and 68 respectively in the birth register.

The 4th birth record is for Patrick Geraghty. His is the first entry on the birth register page and shows he was born on Church Street on 23 July 1868. In this instance Patrick’s date of birth in the parish register and his death of birth in the civil birth register, agree with one another.

The birth register shows that Patrick’s father is Patrick Geraghty, employed as a mason and residing in Roscommon. Patrick’s mother is Kate Geraghty, formerly Moran. Honor Dolan of Roscommon was present at the birth and was the informant who reported the birth to the local registrar. The registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D. recorded Patrick’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 27 July 1868.

Honor Dolan may have been a midwife who helped to deliver Patrick.

Catherine Geraghty was born after Patrick. She was born on Church Street, Roscommon, on 14 February 1870, which is the same date of birth recorded for her in the Roscommon Church register. Catherine’s father is Patrick Geraghty, employed as a mason residing on Church Street. Her mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. The person who was present at the birth and who was the informant who reported the birth to the local registrar was Ann Moran of Roscommon. She was likely Catherine’s mother, and baby Catherine’s grandmother. The registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D., recorded Catherine’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 16 February 1870. Catherine’s birth is on Line 320, which is the second entry on the birth register.

Next, Nicholas Geraghty was born on Church Street, Roscommon, on 27 November 1871. His birthdate in the baptism register is 27 November. Nicholas’s father is Patrick Geraghty, employed as a mason, and residing in Roscommon. Nicholas’s mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. Mary Higgins, of Barrack Street, Roscommon, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar. The registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D., recorded Nicholas’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 4 December 1871.

After Nicholas Mary Geraghty was born on Church Street, Roscommon, on 6 May 1873. Her father is Patrick Geraghty, employed as a mason and residing on Church Street. Mary’s mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. Mary Higgins, of Barrack Street, Roscommon, was once again present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar. The registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D., recorded Mary’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 8 May 1873. Mary’s birth record is the first entry on the birth register page.

Martin Geraghty was born next. He was born on Church Street, Roscommon, on 2 November 1875, which is the same date found in the baptism register. His father is Patrick geraghty of Church Street, who is employed as a mason. Martin’s mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. Once again, Mary Higgins of Barrack Street was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D. Dr. Heily recorded Martin’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 6 November 1875. Martin’s birth is on Line 278 of the register, 3rd entry up from the bottom.

The following is information about George Geraghty, who was born on Church Street, Roscommon, on 7 February 1878. His baptism record places his birth on 12 February 1878. George’s father is Patrick Geraghty, residing in Roscommon. His occupation is mason. George’s mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. Margaret Kelly, of Church Street, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D., who recorded George’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 11 February 1878.

The last Geraghty birth record I found was for a son whose first name was not recorded. He was born on Church Street on 4 September 1879. His father is Patrick Geraghty of Church Street, employed as a mason. The child’s mother is Catherine Geraghty, formerly Moran. Bridget Royan was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Joseph Heily, M.D. Dr. Heily recorded the birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 8 September 1879. The child’s birth record is on Line 70 of the birth register.

The following are two tragic death records that I found in the same death register. These are for the deaths of the un-named Geraghty son as described above, and his mother Catherine. Both died on Church Street on 4 September 1879, which is the same day the child was born. The cause of death for the son is difficult to read but in part it reads he died of "debility from birth 1 hour certified,” which means the child was 1 hour old when he died. Bridget Royan of Church Street was present at the death and reported the death to Dr. Heily, who recorded the death in the Roscommon Registration District on 8 September 1879. This child did not live long enough to be baptized.

Catherine’s record shows at the time of death she was married and was 40 years old. She is recorded as being a, “Mason’s Wife.” I couldn’t fully make out the cause of death but in part it states she died of “Exhaustion…4 hours certified.” I would surmise that Catherine died from complications as a result of childbirth.

Bridget Royan of Church Street was present at the death and reported the death to Dr. Heily, who recorded the death in the Roscommon Registration District on 8 September 1879.

The civil registration death records for the child and his mother Catherine are on the same death register, Line Numbers 159 and 160 respectively.

Diane, had you known that Patrick and Catherine had a child who died the same day as Catherine in 1879? Is the child listed on Catherine’s grave stone as far as you know?

With the 10 birth records noted above and the two baptism records, Ann (1861), and William (1863), Patrick and Catherine had at least 12 children born over an 18 year period between 1861 and 1879.

I did another extensive search for the civil birth record for an Ann/Anne/Annie Geraghty from 1864 to 1873, but did not find a birth record for a child by that name whose parents were Patrick Geraghty and Catherine/Kate Moran.

There are more records I want to send to you and I’ll do that in a separate reply. I haven’t finished all the research involving these other records yet, but will get them to you as soon as possible.

Best Wishes Diane,

Dave

Hello Dave,

I first of all wish to thank you for the exhaustive and fascinating research you have done regarding the Geraghty and Moran families in Roscommon Town! Your research has addded so much to the background I have for the families so far and the links and commentary you have added are invaluable!

In response to your questions -  Re Anne Geraghty I will ask my father's cousin to check the date I think he has in the Corley family Bible for the information there. For some reason she was listed as Kate on NSW emigration record but she was called Annie by the family and my auntie's second name was Annie for her. 

I'm not sure about the Fallon connections but again I'll check with Dad's cousin.

The infrmation you gave about the locations of the houses and gardens is wonderful.

We had the opportunity to visit Roscommon last year and saw the little Church at the corner of Pudding Street. When we go back in June next year we'll follow up on the locations using the wonderful map references you have supplied.

I didn't know that Catherine and her poor baby died together. One can only imagine the suffering of both mother and baby and the grief that beset the entire family. When we return we will look for their grave in the local cemetery. 

My mother always said that my grandmother Mary Ellen Corley (daughter of Anne Geraghty) was a twin and that the other baby died as an infant. There is no record of this in NSW BDM records but as Mary Ellen was born in Suva and there is a record of another child from the family dying there it's possible this was Mary's twin. Now thanks to your research I know Mary had twin uncles.

Dave, I will be folllowing up on all your information and links here and thank you again most warmly for the time and diligence you have given.

Best wishes,

Diane

You're welcome Diane and many thanks for the kind words. I have to say it was a real heartbreak, even after almost 140 years have passed, to have found the death records for Catherine and her son in 1879. I can only image how Patrick Geraghty had felt, and he living almost 30 years after his wife Catherine died. It must have been a shock to the children too, to have their mother die so young. George was born in 1878, and so may not even have remembered his mother, as he wasn't even 2 years old when she died. It will be interesting to see, when you go back to Roscommon, if the baby is on the gravestone with other members of his Geraghty family.

On a more positive note, I'm completing the remainder of the research for your ancestors and will be sending another 10 or so attachments, hopefully this weekend. I'm just finishing up uncovering more information about William Geraghty and his wife Margaret Somerville in County Galway. I hope you'll have time to visit Galway when you go back to the Ole Sod, as it is a beautiful county where many of the people speak Irish as well as English.

I'll write back soon Diane. Again thank you and Best Wishes,

Dave

Attached Files

Hello Diane,

The second to the last reply I sent included the deaths of Catherine Geraghty and her son, both dying on 4 September 1879. The deaths occurred on Church Street, Roscommon.

We know that Catherine’s husband Patrick Geraghty outlived her, as he is in the 1901 census living in a section of Roscommon Town called Ballypheasan. In the census he is shown to be a 72 year old widower employed as a mason. The children in the household with him are his 32 year old daughter Kate and his 23 year old son George. Both Kate and George are not married. Kate’s occupation in the census is House Keeping, while George’s occupation is Builder.

I looked for Patrick Geraghty in the 1911 census but didn’t find him in that enumeration. This is an indication that he was either not recorded in the census, or that he had died between 1901 and 1911. This prompted me to look for his civil registration death record, which I found at the irishgenealogy.ie website. Patrick Geraghty died on Henry Street, Roscommon Town, on 7 August 1908. At the time of death he was an 87 year old widower. His occupation was mason. The cause of death was “Bronchitis six months Certified.” The person who was present at the death and who was the informant who reported the death to the local registrar was Patrick’s son, James Geraghty of Roscommon. No street name is given for James’s residence. The registrar, Joseph McDonnell, recorded Patrick’s death in the Roscommon Registration District on 5 October 1908. Patrick’s death is on Line 334, or the third entry down from the top of the death register. His death is attached to this reply.

Your information shows that James Geraghty had lived and worked in South Africa. The Hampshire Telegraph obituary for the death of 37 year old John Geraghty in Johannesburg, South Africa, dated 30 March 1901, and submitted by Rua, also shows that James was in Pretoria, South Africa at the time of the death. The exact date of John’s death is not in the obituary. The date of 30 March 1901 is the date the obituary was filed, and not necessarily the date of John’s death.

James came back to Ireland and County Roscommon with his wife and children, as I found him and his family in the 1901 census, house 38, Henry Street, Roscommon. This census was taken on 31 March 1901, a day after the dateline in The Hampshire Telegraph of John’s obituary, which means that James may not have been in Pretoria at the time of his brother John’s death.

The 1901 census shows that James Geraghty is a 35 year old builder who was married, a Roman Catholic, and who could read and write. He was born in Roscommon. His wife is 25 year old Marion, a Roman Catholic who could read and write and who was born in Uitenhage, C Colony. Uiethage is in South Africa, but I don’t know what the “C Colony” stands for.

John and Marion’s oldest child is 2 year old Reginald, born in Tramond, Pretoria, South Africa. The youngest child in the household is 10 month old George, born in Dublin City. Also in the household is James’s 26 year old sister in law, Margaret Harford, born in Uitenhage, C Colony. If Margaret is James’s sister in law, then she would also be Marion Geraghty’s sister. Diane, your information shows that James’s brother George had married Maggie Harford. Maggie is short for Margaret, not Marion. This prompted some further research which I’ll have a little bit later. Also in the household in the 1901 census is 17 year old Susan Mulhall, a servant born in County Sligo.

The 1901 census transcription below is from the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) website:

1901 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 38 in Henry Street (Roscommon Urban, Roscommon)

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

Geraghty James 35 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Roscommon Builder Read and write Married
Geraghty Marion 25 Female Wife Roman Catholic Uitenhage, C Colony Read and write Married
Geraghty Reginald 2 Male Son Roman Catholic Pretoria, Tramond Cannot read Not Married
Geraghty George 10 months Male Son Roman Catholic Dublin City Cannot read Not Married
Harford Margaret 26 Female Sister in Law Roman Catholic Uitenhage, C Colony Read and write
Not Married
Mulhall Susan 17 Female Servant Roman Catholic Co Sligo Read and write Not Married
____

To view a copy of the original 1901 census for the household of James and Marion Geraghty, go to the following NAI website link: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003854972/

The oldest child in the household of James and Marion Geraghty is 2 year old Reginald, born in Pretoria, Tramond, South Africa. At the Ancestry.com website I uncovered a directory listing called, “Longlands Directory Pretoria, which may be an ad pertaining to James Geraghty. In the listing however, only the initial J of the first name is used. The last name is Geraghty. The occupation of J. Geraghty is “Builder.” There are three addresses listed for J. Geraghty. One is the street address of Church Street, West. I take this to mean the business address, as the second address if the residence, giving the name Skinner Street West. The third address is P.O. Box 682. There is also a note with the listing stating, “See advert on plan.” I am wondering if J. Geraghty had an advertising image of his masonry business in the directory that went along with his three addresses. The directory listing that follows is a transcription. The original listing from the directory itself, did not come as a link with the Ancestry.com index:

South Africa, City and Area Directories, 1813-1962 No Image

Name: J Geraghty
Directory Year: 1899
Directory Place: Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
Profession: Builder
Street address: Church Street, West
Residence: Skinner Street, West
Post Box Address: P. O. Box 682
Notes: See advert on plan
Source: 1899 Longlands Directory Pretoria

Source Information
Ancestry.com. South Africa, City and Area Directories, 1813-1962 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
____

A Google Map shows that Church Street and Skinner Street are 4/10ths of a mile away from each other in Pretoria. In 2012 the name Skinner Street was changed to Nana Sita Street to reflect a shared heritage of South Africa. See the map at: https://is.gd/zLCPEz

The 1901 census shows that Marion Geraghty is from Uitenhage. For more information about Uitenhage, go to the Wikipedia article at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uitenhage

A Google Map shows that Uitenhage, located on the south coast of South Africa on the shores of the Indian Ocean, is about 700 miles below Pretoria: https://is.gd/en5qEH

Proceeding from the 1901 census I looked for James and Marion Geraghty in the 1911 census of Ireland. I didn’t find James but did locate his 35 year old wife Marion Geraghty living in the household of 33 year old George Geraghty. Both George and Marion are listed, not as being married to each other, but as widower and widow. I know that this is your George Geraghty as his occupation is mason living in house 18, Henry Street, Roscommon. In the 1901 census James and Marion Geraghty and their children were also living on Henry Street.

It took a few minutes to process the 1911 census before I determined that Marion was George’s sister in law, though the census doesn’t say she is. The census does not give her relationship to George at all. On the census line for George Geraghty you’ll see the numbers 7, 3, and 3. This means that George had been married for 7 years and in that time had 3 children with all 3 children still living. On the census line for Marion Geraghty you’ll see the number 14, 6, and 6. This means that Marion, who was born in South Africa, had been married for 14 years and in that time had 6 children, with all 6 children still alive. The tern “Relation to head” in these census returns means the relationship of a person in the household to the head of the household. George is the head of the household. There are 9 children in the household but 6 of the children are listed as either sons or daughters to the head of the household, George, which doesn’t agree with number of children that George actully had (3), over the course of the 7 years he had been married. This leaves Marion with 3 children in the household. The numbers of children on the census lines for George and Marion, are reversed, if you go by the relationships of the children to the head of the household.

I know this sounds confusing, but for example, 12 year old Reginald, who was born in South Africa, is listed as a son, ostensibly to the head of the household. But he would be the son of Marion, not the son to the head of the household George.

Next in age is 10 year old George, born in Dublin. Unless the elder George had lived and worked in Dublin for a time, 10 year old George would actually be Marion’s son.

After young George is 8 year old Ellen in the census, who is listed as a daughter to the head of the household. She was likely George’s daughter.

Ellen is followed by 6 year old John, born in Roscommon, who is listed as the nephew to the head of the household. This implies that he is Marion’s son.

After John are 5 year old Edmond and 5 year old Frederick, both born in Roscommon. Edmond is listed as the nephew to the head of the household, which also implies he was Marion’s son, but Frederick, born in Roscommon, is listed as being the son to the head of the household, George.

Also enumerated as George’s son is 3 year old Sidney, born in County Roscommon, followed by George’s niece, 3 year old Eileen, born in Roscommon.

The youngest child in the household is 2 year old Margaret, listed as the daughter of the head of the household.

After I view the 1911 census transcription and copy of the original census, I attempted to straighten out the confusion about which child belonged to George Geraghty and which child belonged to Marion Geraghty. We don’t have to worry about the oldest child in the household, 12 year old Reginald. He was born in South Africa and would be Marion’s son.

Speaking of Marion, the census shows that she could speak English and Dutch.

The 1911 census transcription for both Geraghty families is from the NAI website, follows:

1911 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 18 in Henry Street (Roscommon Urban, Roscommon)

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

Geraghty George 33 Male Head of Family Catholic Roscommon Mason Read and write Irish and English Widower 7 3 3
Geraghty Marion 35 Female Catholic South Africa Read and write English and Dutch Widow 14 6 6
Geraghty Reginald 12 Male Son Catholic South Africa Scholar Read and write Irish and English Single
Geraghty George 10 Male Son Catholic Dublin Read and write Irish and English Single
Geraghty Ellen 8 Female Daughter Catholic Roscommon Read and write Irish and English Single
Geraghty John 6 Male Nephew Catholic Roscommon Read and write Irish and English Single
Geraghty Edmond 5 Male Nephew Catholic Roscommon Read and write Irish and English Single
Geraghty Frederick 5 Male Son Catholic Roscommon Cannot read or write English Single
Geraghty Sidney 3 Male Son Catholic Roscommon Cannot read or write English Single
Geraghty Eileen 3 Female Niece Catholic Roscommon Cannot read or write English Single
Geraghty Margaret 2 Female Daughter Catholic Roscommon Cannot read or write English Single
____

You can view a copy of the original 1911 census for the Geraghty household at the following NAI link: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003231672/

If you view a copy of the original 1911 census you’ll see that the years George had been married (7), and the number of children he had (3), have been faintly lined through. In addition you’ll see the number of years Marion had been married (14), and the number of children she had (6), have also been faintly lined through. I’m not sure what this signifies. It could be that George drew lines through the numbers pertaining to himself and Marion, or the census enumerator drew lines through the numbers pertaining to George and Marion. You’ll see that the name of the enumerator, Thomas Mulleady, is recorded toward the bottom-left of the census form, while George Geraghty’s signature, as the head of the household, is toward the bottom-right of the census form.

To see if I could straighten out the confusion of which child belonged to George Geraghty and which child belonged to Marion Geraghty in the 1911 census, I’ve indexed the names and birth dates of their children below who were born in Ireland. If you would like the full birth records for any of these children, I can send them to you in a follow-up reply:

George Geraghty's children in the 1911 census as found at the irishgenealogy.ie website:

John Francis Geraghty, 16 November 1904, Roscommon Town

Edmond James Geraghty, 24 February 1906, Roscommon Town

Aileen Geraghty, 6 January 1908, Roscommon Town
____

Marion Geraghty's children in the 1911 census as found at the irishgenealogy.ie website:

George Harford Geraghty, 20 May 1900, Dublin City

Ellen Kate Geraghty, 14 March 1903, Roscommon Town

Frederick Peter Geraghty, 29 September 1905, Roscommon Town

Sydney Geraghty, 9 Agust 1907, Roscommon Town

Margaret Mary Geraghty, 20 June 1909, Roscommon Town
____

All 9 children listed in the two indexes above were the first cousins of your great grandmother Annie Geraghty.

Because Marion Geraghty is shown to be a widow in the 1911 census, I next looked for her husband James’s death record, and found it. James died on Henry Street, Roscommon, on 2 April 1910, just about a year before the 1911 census was enumerated in Ireland. At the time of death he was 43 years old, married, and employed as a builder. The cause of death and contributing causes of death were “Nephritis & Albuminuria, duration not known. Homoptysis & Heart failure one month certified.” The person who was present at the death and who reported the death to the local registrar was James’s brother, George Geraghty of Roscommon. The registrar, Joseph McDonnell, recorded James’s death in the Roscommon Registration District on 5 May 1910. James’s death is on Line 5 of the death register. His death record is attached to this reply.

I next found the marriage of George Geraghty. He married Margaret Harford in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Roscommon, on 7 January 1904. He was 26 when he married and Margaret was 28. George is shown to have been a bachelor before he married. His occupation was Builder. His residence is Roscommon. His father was Patrick Geraghty, also a builder.

Margaret Harford was shown to have been a spinster before she married. Her residence was Roscommon. Her father was James Harford, a builder. Father Francis McPartland married George and Margaret. The witnesses to the marriage were James Geraghty and Katie Geraghty. They were likely George’s brother and sister. The marriage record is attached. Theirs is the last marriage on the marriage register page.

I next found Margaret Geraghty’s death record. She died on Goff Street, Roscommon, on 28 January 1908. At the time of death she was 33 years old and married. She is listed as a “Builder’s Wife.” The cause of death was, “Puerperal septicemia 14 days. Pneumonia 3 days, Certified.”

The widower, George N. Geraghty reported the death to the local registrar, Joseph McDonnell, who recorded Margaret’s death on 3 February 1908. Margaret’s death entry is the 2nd to the last on the death register page, which is attached to this reply.

Puerperal septicemia is also known as “childbirth fever.” See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postpartum_infections

George and Margaret’s daughter Aileen, as you see above, was born on 6 January 1908. Her mother Margaret died 22 days later, and so it would appear that Margaret may have died of septicemia and pneumonia as a result of childbirth.

I went back to the 1911 census because I had become curious about the birth of Marion’s son George, who was born in Dublin. I thought this merited a little more research, as I wanted to see where his parents were living in Dublin when he was born.

I found George’s birth record at irishgenealogy.ie showing that he was born on Cullenswood Place, Dublin, on 20 May 1900. His father is James Geraghty, employed as a mason and residing at 3 Cullenswood Place, Dublin. George’s mother is Marion Geraghty, formerly Harford. The father, J. Geraghty, was present at the birth and was the informant who reported the birth to the local registrar, Richard Thomas Hearn, who recorded the birth in Dublin on 18 June 1900. George’s birth is on Line 109, which is the second to the last entry in the birth register. The birth record is attached to this reply.

I also found a copy of George’s original church birth and baptism record at the Find My Past website. He was baptized in St. Mary’s Church, Donnybrook, Dublin. Attached to the transcription is a link to a copy of the original birth/baptism record for George. This record shows that George was born on 20 May 1900. His parents are James Geraghty and Marion Harford. In this record the residence of the parents is given as S. Winifreds Cullenswood Pl. The record also shows that George was baptized by S. Rourke, Vic, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Donnybrook, on 3 June 1900. The godfather is George Geraghty, while the godmother is Margaret Harford, the older George Geraghty’s future wife. Baby George’s baptism/birth record can be accessed at the following link: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633730#page/163/mode/1up

The entry for George in the St. Mary’s Church register is on Line 2412, which is the 6th entry up from the bottom of the page.

I couldn’t find a S. Winifred, 3 Cullenswood Place in Dublin or in the Donnybrook section of Dublin City, south of the Liffy River. Neither could I find a St. Mary’s Church in Donnybrook on a Google Map.

I now wonder if James had really been in South Africa when his brother John died, given that the Hampshire Telegraph dateline reporting John’s death was datelined Saturday 30 March 1901.

Next I found that George Geraghty was married for a second time in 1918. His first wife Margaret Harford Geraghty, as you recall, died 10 years earlier in 1908. George married Ellen McDermott in the Roscommon Catholic Church on April 22, 1918. At the time of the marriage George is shown to have been a widower of “full age.” The marriage record also shows that George’s occupation was “Builder,” and that his residence at the time of marriage was St Patrick’s Terrace. His father is listed as Patrick Geraghty, who was also a “Builder.”

The marriage record also shows that Ellen McDermott was a “Spinster,” of full age at the time of marriage. No occupation is listed for her. Her address at the time of marriage was Castle Street, Roscommon. Her father is John McDermott, a “Shoe Maker.” Father T.H. Cummins married George and Ellen. The witnesses to the marriage were Henry J. Finley and Harriet McDermott. The registrar, Joseph McDonnell, recorded the marriage in the Roscommon Registration District on 22 April, 1918, the same day the marriage took place. The marriage record is attached, and is the 2nd record on the marriage register page.

I looked for St. Patrick’s Terrace in Roscommon Town on a Google Map but didn’t find it. The name of the street may have been changed since 1918. But I did find Castle Street, which you can view on a Google Map at: https://is.gd/18UHa3

The following link will bring you to a Google Street View of Castle Street: https://is.gd/d4CDYU

Below are the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations for Ellen McDermott and her family living on Castle Street, Ballypheasan, Roscommon Town. In both census returns her first name is Nellie. In the 1901 census she is employed as a dress maker. The 1901 census also shows that her 70 year old widowed father is a shoe maker. Nellie’s three older siblings, Patrick, Harriet, and Jane are in the household with her. Nellie and her siblings are not married.

By the 1911 census 30 year old Nellie McDermott’s ’s father John, and her brother Patrick, are not in the household. Her 45 year old sister Harriet, who is single, is the head of the household. Her older older sister Jennie is also in the household. Nellie’s occupation in the census is “Typist.” The three sisters are single. The 1901 and 1911 census transcriptions are from the NAI website. Each census is followed by a link that will take you to a copy of the original census enumeration for that census year:

1901 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 9 in Ballypheasan (Castle St.) (Roscommon Urban, Roscommon)

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

McDermott John 70 Male Head of Family Roman Catechal Roscommon Boot Maker Read and write English Widower
McDermott Patrick 40 Male Son Roman Catechal Roscommon Boot Maker Read and write English Not Married
McDermott Harriet 32 Female Daughter Roman Catechal Roscommon Dress Maker Read and write English Not Married
McDermott Jane 28 Female Daughter Roman Catechal Roscommon Dress Maker Read and write English Not Married
McDermott Nellie 23 Female Daughter Roman Catechal Roscommon Dress Maker Read and write English Not Married
____

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003854771/

1911 Census of Ireland Nellie McDermott

Residents of a house 9 in Castle Street (Ballypheasan) (Roscommon Urban, Roscommon)

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

McDermott Harriet 45 Female Head of Family Roman Catholic Roscommon Read and write Single
McDermott Jennie 38 Female Sister Roman Catholic Roscommon Dressmaker Read and write Single
McDermott Nellie 30 Female Sister Roman Catholic Roscommon Typist Read and write Single
____

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003231295/

Next I found the likely birth record for Ellen (Nellie) McDermott at the irishgenealogy.ie website. She was born on Castle Street, Roscommon Town, on 21 April 1876. Her father is John McDermott residing on Castle Street. John’s occupation is “Shoe Maker.” In the 1901 census you saw that his occupation was shoe maker. Ellen’s mother is Mary McDermott, formerly Fineran. The first name of the person who was present at the birth and who reported the birth to the local registrar was Bridget. I couldn’t clearly make out her last name, which begins with G. Bridget’s residence is Castle Street, Roscommon Town. The registrar, Joseph Heily, recorded Ellen’s birth in the Roscommon Registration District on 1 May 1876. Ellen’s birth record is on Line 384 of the birth register, which is attached.

I also found Ellen McDermott’s combination birth/baptism record in the Roscommon Catholic Church. I first uncovered the transcription of her birth and baptism at the Find My Past website. Attached to the transcription is a link that takes you to a copy of the original Roscommon Catholic Church register where her birth and baptism are recorded. The link can be accessed at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633982#page/96/mode/1up

In the church register Ellen’s name is recorded in the Latin, “Ellenora.” She was born on 21 April 1876, which agrees with her date of birth in the civil birth record that is attached. Her father is John and her mother is Margaret Finneran. The residence of the parents is Roscommon. Ellenora was baptized on 30 April by Father Thomas Judge. The godparents are Francis Connor and Kate McDermott. Ellenora’s birth and baptism can be found on Line 828 of the Roscommon Catholic Church register. Be careful here as there are two Line 828s in the register, one above the other. Ellenora’s is on the first Line 828.

I also found the church marriage transcription for John McDermott and Mary Finneran at Find My Past, and their full marriage record at the National Library of Ireland website. They were married in the Roscommon Catholic Church on 14 September 1851. If you would like this I can send it to you in a follow-up reply.

I then found the death record for John McDermott, Ellen (Nellie) McDermott Geraghty’s father. He died on Castle Street, Roscommon on 6 February 1910 at the age of 88. His occupation was “Boot Maker.” The cause of death was, “Bronchitis 5 Months Certified.” The informant who was present at the death was John’s Daughter, Nellie McDermott of Castle Street. She reported the death to the local registrar, Joseph McDonnell, who recorded the death in the Roscommon Registration District on 14 February 1910. I can send John McDermott’s death record to you as an attachment if you’d so like.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR 1918

The marriage of George Geraghty and Ellen McDermott was the good news for 1918. The bad news for 1918, as you already know, was that Katie Geraghty had also died that year. I found her death record at the irishgenealogy.ie website, which shows that she died on Antogher Rd, Roscommon, on 20 November 1918. At the time of death she was recorded as being a 47 year old spinster, and a “Builder’s Daughter.” The cause of death was, “Influenza 10 days. Pneumonia 5 days Certified.” The person who was present at the death and who was the informant who reported the death to the local registrar was Marion Geraghty of Roscommon. If you recall, Marion was the South African-born widow of James Geraghty. The registrar, Joseph McDonnell, recorded the death in the Roscommon Registration District on 20 January 1919. Katie’s death is on Line 410 of the death register, which is attached.

A Google Map shows that Antogher Road is just south of Roscommon City Centre: https://is.gd/inHo2p

The following link will bring you to a Google Street View of Antogher Road: https://is.gd/y13Q2K

For a fascinating book about the flu epidemic of 1918, I highly recommend "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History," by John M. Barry. This book will tell you that the 1918 flu was worse than the plaque in medieval Europe. The 1918 flu killed over 100 million people around the world, including soldiers on both sides of the conflict who fought in World War I. This flu, erroneously called the, “Spanish Flu,” is what took Katie Geraghty’s life at the age of 47 on 20 November 1918. Coincidentally, this coming Tuesday, November 20, 2018, will be the 100th anniversary of Katie Geraghty’s death from the flu.

Diane, in your first message to the XO Message Board for Roscommon, you had mentioned your great grandmother Annie’s brothers William and Joseph. You wrote that William had married Margaret Somerville and that they had a son named George. The obit for John Geraghty submitted by Rua, also mentions William, noting that he was living in Galway at the time of John’s death. I’ll have more about William and his family in a little bit.

I didn’t find a birth or baptism record for Joseph Geraghty. You had mentioned him in your first query to Ireland XO for Roscommon as being Annie's eighth brother. The closest I came was for Martin Joseph Geraghty, who was born to Patrick and Catherine Moran Geraghty in 1875. Also, while the obit does mention Martin, it does not mention Joseph. Diane, do you know approximately when Joseph was born?

Getting back to George Geraghty and his second wife Ellen McDermott, I looked for but did not find their death records at the irishgenealogy.ie website. Full death records are available at the website from 1878 to 1966. They may have lived past 1966 or I may have missed locating their death records. In addition, I wanted to see if perhaps James Geraghty’s widow, Marion Harford Geraghty had married again. She was the informant who reported Kate’s death to the local registrar in 1918, and had used her married name of Geraghty when she reported the death, which means she hadn’t remarried up to and including the year 1918. I looked for a marriage record for her after 1918 but didn’t find one. Nor did I uncover a death record for her. I wonder if she went back to South Africa where she was born?

Concerning Annie’s brother William, he was born a year before the civil registration of births. But if you recall from a previous reply, he was baptized in the Roscommon Catholic Church on 26 February 1863.

Based on your information that William married Margaret Somerville, I found his and Margaret’s civil marriage record at the irishgenealogy.ie website. The couple were married in the Clonbur, County Galway Catholic Church on 21 March 1888. Clonbur is the Catholic Parish that had been located within the Civil Parish of Ross. At the time of marriage both were of “full age.” William is recorded as having been a bachelor, and employed as a Mason. His residence at the time of marriage is just recorded as, “The Ferry.” His father is Patrick Geraghty, whose occupation was “Builder.”

Margaret Somerville was a spinster when she married. She had no occupation recorded on the marriage cert. Her residence too was also “The Ferry.” Her father is Nicholas Somerville, employed as a “tenant farmer.” A Catholic priest named James Butler married William and Margaret. The witnesses to the marriage were Pat Kearny and Kate Kearny. The marriage was recorded on 10 June 1888. Theirs is the 2nd marriage recorded on the register, which is attached.

A Google Map for Clonbur, which is also known as Cloonbur, and in the Irish language as, “An Fhairche,” can be viewed at: https://is.gd/mHJz3n

The church in Clonbur is called St. Patrick’s. I looked for more information about St. Patrick’s, especially about when it was constructed, but I couldn’t find the year it was built, which means I don’t know if the current St. Patrick’s is the same church structure where William Geraghty and Margaret Somerville were married in 1888. For a Google Map of the location of St. Patrick’s Church in Clonbur go to: https://is.gd/7emSnb

For a Google Street View of the church see: https://is.gd/LoTMPK

I also found the Clonbur R.C. Chapel on an Ordnance Survey Map of Clonbur from the 1837 to 1842 time period. The map comes from the GeoHive website and can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/2QOF91P

If you toggle between the Google Map showing the location of the church, and the Ordnance Survey/GeoHive Map showing the location of the church, you’ll see they appear to be in the same location, or nearly the same location in Clonbur, though once again, I can’t tell if the current church building is the same church building where William and Margaret were married in 1888.

On another Ordnance Survey Map in black and white from the 1888 to 1913 time period you can now see the name of the church is the “St. Patrick’s R. C. Chapel” in Clonbur. The map can be accessed at: http://bit.ly/2QPWNlM

For a Digital Globe View of St. Patrick’s Church, Clonbur, from the GeoHive website, see:
http://bit.ly/2QKCyWG

After finding the marriage record for William and Margaret I located them and their several children in the 1901 and 1911 Irish census enumerations. Both enumerations show the family living in Newcastle, Galway. A Google Map shows that Newcastle is 30 miles south of Clonbur. The town is below the southern tip of Lough Corrib. See the Google Map at: https://is.gd/lQIjhR

The 1901 census shows that William Geraghty is 38 years old and employed as a mason. But, the census gives his place of birth as Galway, rather than Roscommon. His wife Margaret is 30 years old and also born in County Galway. The eight children in the household range in age from 10 year old Margret down to 2 month old Peter . You had mentioned in your first query to the XO Message Board for Roscommon that William and Margaret had a son named George. He is in the 1901 census which shows he was 5 years old.

The 1901 census transcription below is from the NAI website link:

1901 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 31 in Newcastle (Galway West Urban, Galway)

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

Geraghty William 38 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Galway Mason Read and write Married
Geraghty Margret 30 Female Wife Roman Catholic Galway Read and write English and Irish Married
Geraghty Margret 10 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Not Married
Geraghty Patrick 9 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Not Married
Geraghty Nicholas 8 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read only Not Married
Geraghty Willie 6 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Cannot read Not Married
Geraghty George 5 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Cannot read Not Married
Geraghty James 3 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Cannot read Not Married
Geraghty John 2 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Cannot read Not Married
Geraghty Peter 2 months Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Cannot read Not Married
____

To view a copy of the original 1901 census for the family of William and Margaret Geraghty, go to the NAI link at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000810399/

The 1911 census shows that William and Margaret Geraghty now have 9 children in the household in Newcastle, the youngest being 8 year old Eileen The census also shows they had been married for 22 years, and in that time had 11 children, with 10 of the children still alive. However, only the 8 children who were in the household in the 1901 census, plus the youngest Eileen, are in the household in the 1911 census, which means one living child, still living, and whose name we do not know, is missing from the residence. This census shows that William is employed as a mason and that his daughter Margaret was a teacher, while two of his oldest sons were carpenters. The rest of the children except Eileen, are scholars, that is, students. For example son George is shown to be a 14 year old scholar.

The 1911 census shows, like the 1901 census, that 48 year old William was born in County Galway rather than in County Roscommon. His 44 year old wife Margaret was born in County Galway.

The 1911 census transcription below if from the NAI website:

1911 Census of Ireland

Residents of a house 26 in Newcastle (Galway West Urban, Galway)

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

Geraghty William 48 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Galway Builder Read and write Married 22 11 10
Geraghty Margaret 44 Female Wife Roman Catholic Galway Read and write Irish and English Married 22 11 10
Geraghty Margaret 20 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Galway Teacher Read and write
Irish and English Single
Geraghty Patrick 19 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Carpenter Read and write Single
Geraghty Nicholas 18 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Carpenter Read and write Single
Geraghty William 16 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Geraghty George 14 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Geraghty James 13 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Geraghty John 12 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Geraghty Peter 11 Male Son Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Single
Geraghty Eileen 8 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Galway Scholar Read and write Single
____

To view a copy of the original 1911 census for the Gerghty family go to the NAI link at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002383541/

The next search involved looking for the birth and baptism records for William’s wife, Margaret Somerville. Her marriage record shows that her father was Nicholas. The year she was born is another matter, as the 1901 census puts her age at 30, with a birth year ostensibly of 1871. The 1911 census gives her age as 44, with a birth year of 1867. I looked for her birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website for the years 1864 to 1874 but didn’t find it. Neither did I find her baptism record. I did a pretty extensive search for these records but without success, though it’s possible both records exist and that I missed locating them. I used various combinations of the spelling of her surname Somerville to look for her birth and baptism records, viz: Sommerville, Sommersville, Sumerville, Sumersville, Summerville, Summersville, etc.

It was unfortunate not being able to locate her birth and baptism records, as these would have revealed the first name and maiden name of her mother.

I figured that Margaret Somerville would have been born in or near Clonbur, Galway, as marriages traditionally took place in the bride’s parish. Clonbur, as mentioned earlier, is the name of the Catholic Parish which was situated within the civil parish of Ross.

I found the person who could be Margaret’s father Nicholas in Griffiths Valuation. Griffiths Valuation for County Galway was completed by the year 1855. Nicholas was leasing property the townland of Cappaghnagapple, Civil Parish of Ross. Cappaghnagapple was also known as Petersburgh. A Google Map shows that Cappaghnagapple is only 2.4 miles northwest of Clonbur: https://is.gd/ipqE94

For a Google Street View of Cappaghnagapple, see: https://is.gd/TL9rXi

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Margaret Somerville was born in Cappaghnagapple, or Petersburgh, just a short distance away from Clonbur.

The Irish spelling of Cappaghnagapple is, “Ceapach na g-Capall,” which means, “Plot of the horses.”

I next looked for William Geraghty’s death record and found what I believe to be the index for his death, but the link to the death record from irishgenealogy.ie was the wrong one, and so I couldn’t access a copy of his full death record. But I did find what I believe to be another index of William’s death. This was discovered at Ancestry.com, and is below:

Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864-1958

Name: William Geraghty
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1863
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1927
Death Age: 64
Registration district: Galway
Volume: 4
Page: 131
FHL Film Number: 101737

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

Original data: “Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes 1845–1958,” Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah. General Register Office, Republic of Ireland. "Quarterly Returns of Deaths in Ireland with Index to Deaths."
____

If you would like a copy of William’s death record I can give you instructions on how you can obtain it from the GRO in Roscommon Town. Or, if you go to Roscommon in the coming year, you can stop by the GRO at an address of “Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon,” and purchase the copy. Photocopies of birth, marriage, and death records from the GRO are 4 Euros. You can use the death index for William shown above, to obtain his death record.

I did manage to find Margaret Geraghty’s death record, which is attached. The place of death listed for her is Somerville, Newcastle. I wonder if she and her husband William had named their home after Margaret’s family name Somerville? Margaret died on 25 February 1947 at age 79. This places her birth in 1868. She is shown to have been a “Building contractor’s widow.” The cause of death is difficult to read, but in part it appears to have been “Hemiplegia 3 years,” and also what appears to be a pulmonary condition. The informant who reported the death was her son, J. Geraghty of Somerville, Newcastle. The Assistant Registrar, William Hurley recorded Margaret’s death in the Galway Registration District on 1 March 1947. Margaret’s death is on Line 187 of the register. If you go to the top of the register you’ll see the headings describing the date and place of death, name of the deceased, age, occupation, etc. are in the Irish language as well as in English.

If you go back to the 1901 and 1911 census enumerations, you’ll see that Margaret could speak both Irish and English. Galway is in one of the Irish language speaking areas of Ireland called the “Gaeltacht.” For more information on the Gaeltacht, go to the Wikipedia article at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaeltacht

There are 10 attachments accompanying this reply. They include:

Patrick Geraghty’s 1908 death record
James Geraghty’s 1910 death record
George Geraghty’s 1904 marriage to Margaret Harford
Margaret Geraghty’s 1908 death record
George Harford Geraghty’s 1900 birth record
George Geraghty’s 1918 marriage to Ellen McDermott
Ellen McDermott’s 1876 birth record
Kate Geraghty’s 1918 death
William Geraghty’s 1888 marriage to Margaret Somerville
Margaret Geraghty’s 1947 death record
____

CONCLUSION

Diane, you’ve seen over the past week several records pertaining to your Geraghty and Moran ancestors, as well as the Geraghty and Moran collateral lines. If you have any doubts about any of these records belonging to your ancestry, don’t add them to your genealogical record until you’ve had time to confirm the accuracy of the information on your own.

Also, if you have any doubts or questions about any of the records I’ve sent to you, please let me know. Also let me know if there are any other people in Ireland you’d like me to look for, and I’ll do the best to see what I can find. I usually don’t find this many records in this short period of time, but I’ve had a holiday from work for the past week, and so, could get a lot accomplished working a few hours each day on the genealogy. I was surprised to have found so many records concerning your Geraghty and Moran ancestors, including their children, their children’s spouses, and their grandchildren. The discoveries in great part were due to the availability of free records that can be accessed at the Find My Past, National Library of Ireland, rishgenealogy.ie, and National Archives of Ireland websites. These sites have opened up a whole new world into Irish genealogical research online, and I wish these sites had been available when I started my own Irish genealogy many years ago.

Best Wishes Diane, and don’t hesitate to write with any questions or research requests that you may have. You have quite an ancestry!

Dave

Hello Dave,

Once more I am overwhelmed by the enormity of your research and the time and diligence you have given in undertaking it!

I have read all of the information here and will be sure to align it with the records we have in the family and confirm the accuracy as you suggest.

My father's 90 year old cousin will be amazed!

So kind of you to notice and mention that tomorrow (Sydney time) will be the 100th anniversary of Kate's passing. Also looking at the instances of death due to childbirth complications reminds me how perilous the times were for mothers and babies and how tragic for the family they left behind. 

I managed to find out more about Kate Moran ...

Her mother Anne Moran was born in 1797. Her father Nicholas was born in 1794. Kate married Patrick in the Catholic Church; she was born into a Church of Ireland family. When she passed away she was buried with her parents at Church of Ireland Athleague Cemetery. When Patrick died he was buried with her, his name added to the headstone for the family. Perhaps the baby is mentioned as well but the inscription at the base is hard to read. We will visit in June with flowers. (Source: Find A Grave, photos taken by Bill Geraghty).

Their children were raised as Catholics so Kate who died in the influenza pandemic is buried in St Comans Cemetery 2 Athlone Rd, Ardsallagh More, Roscommon with her brother George and John F. Geraghty. (Source Find A Grave).

I have a lot of information about the Geraghty - Moran sons and photos of them once they settled in Sydney. I need to get permission from Dad's cousin to use his photos of their graves but if that's not possible I'll locate them and take original photos. Where possible I also take photos of their residences while these still survive. The Geraghtys stuck together when they moved to Sydney living in the same suburb or neighbouring suburbs. The profession of building and stonemasonry continued as well. I have a photo of Annie Geraghty as an older lady with a fox terrier on her lap. Her husband Francis Corley was a stone mason from Westport Co Mayo.

Again I thank you for everything you have done. You've given me and my family (known and yet unknown) so much to digest and share.

Best wishes,

Diane

Many thanks again Diane for your kind words. They are very much appreciated. I hadn’t realized that Kate Moran belonged to the Church of Ireland, though I’ve come across records in the past where a Catholic was married in a Protestant church or a Protestant was married in a Catholic church, as was the case with Patrick Geraghty and Kate.

It will be interesting to see if Kate’s child is also buried in the same plot when you visit Ireland next year. If no inscription is on the gravestone for the baby, I wonder if church authorities would let you add one in his remembrance, as there is probably no one else alive, except for you, your family, and myself, that knows that the baby was ever born, and never had a chance at life.

I think you will have a great return trip to Ireland. When you go will you pay a visit to Westport, County Mayo, where Francis Corley was from? Speaking of Francis, I may have found his baptism transcription and baptism record at the Find My Past and National Archive of Ireland websites. I don’t know if you have the baptism record for Francis. The record shows he was baptized in the Aughaval, County Mayo Catholic Church on 30 July 1855. His parents are Patrick and Ellen Corley. I’m not sure if Corley is also Ellen’s maiden name however. The godparents are William and Maria Corley. The baptism record is the second entry down from the top of the left hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000631992#page/114/mode/1up

To the right of the names of the godparents William and Maria Corley, you’ll see the number, 2-8 ½. What I believe this means is that Patrick and Ellen Corley made a donation of 2 Shillings and 8 ½ pence to the church for baptizing their son Francis.

The Catholic Parish of Aughaval was located in the Civil Parish by the same name but with a different spelling of Oughaval. Westport was located in the Civil parish of Oughaval. In fact, Westport was the Market and Post Town for the Oughaval Civil Parish. See the description of Westport from the 1837 edition of the Samuel Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary of Ireland at:
https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/W/Westport-Murrisk-Mayo.php

The last paragraph of the description of Westport in the Topographical Dictionary explains that the “R. C. chapel,” is on “the Mall.” and that the chapel was “erected in 1820 by Dr. Kelly, at an expense of £6,000; the altar is embellished with a fine painting of the Crucifiction…”

At the GeoHive website I found the location of the “R. C. Chap” on an Ordnance Survey Map for Westport, showing the it is located on the South Mall between James and Bridge Streets. See the map at: http://bit.ly/2R6Sqms

You’ll have to look closely at the map as the label for the “R.C. Chap” is in small lettering. The church is situated just to the south of the Carrowbeg River. The name of the river however, isn’t labeled on the map.

The map is from the 1829-1842 time period.

Today the church on the Mall in Westport is called St. Mary’s, though I don’t know if it was called St. Mary’s when Francis Corley was baptized there in 1855. You can view the location of the church on the South Mall at a modern Google Map of Westport at: https://is.gd/EHpZhm

For a Google Street View of the church go to: https://is.gd/H2zeTd

Also see: https://is.gd/jtUyN8

I looked for but didn’t find the baptism records for any more children of Patrick and Ellen Corley in the Aughaval Catholic Parish. The baptism records go back to 1845. Marriages go back to 1821 but are not complete. I looked for but didn’t find a marriage record for Patrick Corley and Ellen in the parish. To see the availability of the baptism and marriage records in the Aughaval Catholic Parish, go to the National Library of Ireland website link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1043

The next search involved looking for Patrick Corley in the Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation at the Ask About Ireland website. I found Patrick in the valuation in the Civil Parish of Oughaval, living on Bridget Street, in the Cahernamart section or townland, in Westport. I believe this Patrick Corley would be the father of Francis Corley mentioned above. The valuation was completed by the year 1855, which is the same year that Francis was born.

Griffiths Valuations shows that Patrick Corley leased property at Map Reference Number 26 on Bridge Street, Cahernamart, Westport. He leased a house, yard and small garden from an Immediate Lessor named Patrick Haron. Only the house was valued in the enumeration. The value of the house and total value of the property was 4 Pounds, 10 Shillings. See the Griffiths Valuation transcription below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 26
Civil Parish: Oughaval
Townland: Cahernamart, Town of Westport, (part of)
Street: Bridge Street.
Occupier: Patrick Corley
Immediate Lessor: Patrick Haron
Description of Tenement: House, yard & small garden
Area of Land: 0 Acres, 0 Roods, 0 Perches,
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: 0
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 4 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 4 Pounds, 10 Shillings
____

For a Google Map of Bridget Street, Westport, see: https://is.gd/PrEJWY

For a Google Street View of Bridget Street go to: https://is.gd/Uh4Ps0

I once again accessed the GeoHive Ordnance Survey Map for Westport. On the map you’ll see Bridge Street. Toward the bottom of the image, and going all across the map you’ll see in block letters the name of the townland, CAHERNAMART: http://bit.ly/2PLV9p5

On the Ordnance Survey Map from the 1888 to 1913 time period, you’ll see Bridge Street and the South Mall clearly labeled. In small print on the South Mall you’ll see the location of the “R.C. Chapel.” See:
http://bit.ly/2PL8I7Y

Once again Diane, I’m not sure if the information in this reply refers to your great grandfather Francis and his parents, as I don’t have enough information about the Corley family to be entirely certain.

With Kind Regards,

Dave

Hello Dave,

Again I am most grateful for the time and effort you have given to this research on my family's behalf.

This is indeed my Corley family from Westport Mayo.

We were fortunate enough to visit Westport and see Bridge Street and the Church of St Mary. Westport is a beautiful town. I have lots of photos and content to upload but again I need the permission of my father's cousin and I hope to see him soon to share all this wonderful information. 

Like the Geraghtys the Corleys were great builders and stone masons, constructing many fine Churches, schools and public buildings in NSW and Victoria.On our next visit we hope to find the the Old Kilmeena Cemetery where Patrick and Ellen Corley are buried. Francis was the last son to leave Ireland having waited until his mother passed away and he could provide a monument to his parents. I am named after my grandmother Corley who was named after her grandmother Corley.

I will provide more info to share after the weekend.

Thank you again,

Diane.

Attached Files

Hello Diane,

Based on the information you provided, I found the entries for Patrick and Ellen Corley at the Find A Grave website, which shows that Patrick died on 29 August 1871 and that Ellen died on 2 February 1880. As you mentioned in your last communication, they are buried in the Old Kilmeena, County Mayo Cemetery.

I looked for but didn’t find a death index for Patrick at the irishgenealogy.ie website. His death may not have been reported to the Westport registrar by his son Francis or another family member. I also looked for Ellen’s death record at irishgenealogy.ie and initially didn’t find it. But after a little more digging, I managed to uncover her full death record at the website. Her name is indexed as Ellen “Curley,” rather than Corley.

See the index below:

Name ELLEN CURLEY
Year of Death 1880
Group Registration ID 6094698
SR District/Reg Area Westport
Deceased Age at Death 64
Image(s) 1 2 3

Source Information: irishgenealogy.ie
____

When you see the death record you’ll see why the transcriber could have thought her name as Curley.

The death record shows that Ellen died, like the gravestone inscription notes, on 2 February 1880. Her place of death was James Street, Westport. She is shown to have been a 64 year old widow of a “Stonecutter” at the time of death. The death record also mentions that her name was formerly “Carey.” Diane, had you known that Ellen’s maiden name was Carey? The cause of death was, “General Debility for Months. Certified.” The person who was present at the death and who reported the death to the local registrar was Ellen’s son Francis of James Street, Westport. The registrar, A. Johnston, recorded Ellen’s death in the Westport Registration District on 7 February 1880. The death record is attached and is the 2nd from the last on the death register page.

The following link will take you to a split screen of a Google Street View/Google Map of the Old Kilmeena Cemetery, north of Westport, County Mayo: https://is.gd/QNlvhP

It may take a few seconds for the split screen to download.

Another Google Map shows that Kilmeena, Mayo, by the shortest route, is only 3.7 miles north of Westport. Kilmeena is also just northwest of Ballin Lough, off the N59 dual carriageway: https://is.gd/IhmEaT

It’s been a real pleasure looking into your family history Diane. Best wishes to you and your father.

God Bless,

Dave

Hello Dave,

Thank you again for your wonderful Geraghty and Corley research!

I will share this with my father's cousin when I see him, I hope in the next two weeks.

When I have his permission to publish, I'll upload his family photos to the site.

I'll be sure to follow up on all the marvellous resources and references you have given here.

When we return to Roscommon next year we'd be delighted to share our photos etc with any relatives we may meet. 

God's blessings to you too,

Diane

You're welcome Diane. Have a fantastic trip to Roscommon next year.

God Bless,

Dave

Hello Dave,

Thank you again for all the research you have completed into my Geraghty / Moran (Roscommon) and Corley ancestors.

We will be returning to Ireland in June this year and following up on all your leads.

We'll be based in Claregalway Tuesday 11 June to  Wednesday 19 June 2019 to explore locations in Counties Roscommon, Galway and Mayo.

If there is anyone who would like to meet us and find out what happened to their Corley and Geraghty family members in New South Wales and beyond we would love to meet them.

In the meantime,

God's blessings and best wishes to you,

Diane

Hello All, I came across this site while doing some research and briefly scanned through your records of the Geraghty family.  My grandfather was the James Geraghty who went to South Africa, and my brothers and I have put together an extensive Geraghty family tree of his branch going back to the 1700's. We are also familiar with many of the personal stories regarding the families of James and his brothers, and they do provide some interesting reading. I would be happy to share this with you. Kind regards, Michael Playdon.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Michael,

I'm delighted to hear from you!

Thank you for your message.

As you know from all the research on this site, I'm the great granddaughter of Annie Geraghty who came to New South Wales with three of her brothers. She married Francis Corley from Co Mayo a stonemason and they lived in Leichhardt NSW and in Suva, Fiji, when he was working on the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Dave's research as shared through this site has been outstanding! 

Thank you for your very generous offer to share your Geraghty Family Tree and information. I would love to know more about the family.

My fathers cousin Tim Corley is 90 years old and he has been telling me as much as he knows about the Geraghtys here.

So far my husband and I have been to Ireland twice and we visited Church Street Roscommon, the beautiful Sacred Heart Church and the Geraghty grave in the town cemetery.

We could not locate the cemetery where Patrick and Kate nee Moran are buried with the baby. Next time ... 

I'm writing two non commericlal family history books for family, friends, local history societies and anyone else who would like a copy. One for my father's side and one for my mother's side.

Both sets of ancestors came out here in 1840-1 and although they weren't from the same parish they were from neighbouring parishes in Tuam, Galway and had the same parish priest who verified their baptism records.

I would be delighted to email you the research and photos I have so far. As we visit the former homes and the graves of family members we take photos and leave flowers. Sydney is changing so quickly as a result of development (some call it progress) I feel it is important to document their lives as much as we can.

The Geraghtys were very industrious and they lived in suburbs that were quite close to each other.

Walter James Geraghty was a Member of the Legislative Council in our NSW  parliament. This link takes you to his bio and photo:

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/member-details.aspx?pk=1660

My email address is dianemccue340@gmail.com

Thank you again for contacting me.

Best regards,

Diane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Diane and all,

 

I'm a descendent of William Geraghty (he is my great great grandfather) and am putting togehter a family tree at the moment. I have to say thanks to everyone in this tread for all the great info.

You can find Kate Moran Geraghtys grave here - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/162516921/kate-geraghty along with other members of the family.

There is a great historic story for George Geraghty here also: https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/prison-escape-first-dail

I will drop a link here for an updated tree on find my past for anyone interested.

All the best

Dara Mulhern

 

What supurb research! Well done. I see that you didn't understand the word "CColony". That would refer to "Cape Colony". South Africa, as we know it today, was divided into Cape Colony, Natal, (both British controlled), the Orange Free State Republic and the Transvaal Republic. The census states "Tramond", but that is an error, possibly a misptint. It should read "Transvaal". My grandparents were James and Marion Geraghty and I have researched the goings-on quite considerably. If anyone would like a copy, I'd be glad to send it on. Terence