James Wallace storekeeper in Parsonstown (Birr)

Hello Val

Apologies that your Message Board post went unanswered.  

If the following is of any help, even though late .......

I can see James and Maria had a son, George, baptised on 19/10/1828 in Birr.  Twins  Anne and William on 20/8/1826.  The records you have are relating to St. Brendan's Church of Ireland, Birr.  (There is also a St. Brendan's Roman Catholic Church in Birr, but their records only began in 1840) There are 2 ways for you to make contact regarding the records you are seeking.  You may email library@ireland.anglican.org or mail the present rector of Birr,   Rev Canon Arthur Minion, St Brendan's Rectory, Ballindarra, Birr, Co Offaly R42 PY68.   I was unable to find a direct email address for Birr.The following records are held for Birr - Baptisms 1772 - 1875    Marriages 1772-1845 and Burials 1772- 1875. If I find any further information I will post it.

If there is anything else I could help you with please let me know.

Margaret

Ireland XO Volunteer

Kilcolman, Offaly

Hello again

I have received a response from a gentleman who will check the register in the Church.  So if you haven't contacted anyone from my previous post please hold off until I get back to you. It will take a few weeks.  I'm email address is kilcolmanoffaly@irelandxo.com

Kind regards

Margaret

Irelandxo Volunteer

Hi Margaret

Thank you for the response to my message for assistance.  Ann Wallace bapt 1826 was in later years known as Anna Boland Wallace.  Her maternal grandmother was Ann Boland, also a twin, who married Richard Cuthbert.  I didn't know that Ann b.1826 had a twin brother William.  Ann's parents and her siblings, except for George b. 1828 died in the cholera epidemic.  I have no record of their death or burial so will be very pleased if the gentleman you mentioned could search the parish registers for me.  It must have been a chaotic time as family legend tells me that they all died within a few days of each other and that the servants ran off with the family silver..

James Wallace & Mary Ann (Maria) Cuthbert were married 21 Jun 1821 in Dublin I think.  There could be children born between 1821 and 1825 of whom I have no knowledge.  I do have a baptism of Henry James 7 Aug 1832 and I have a reference to an Eliza born about 1830.

Anna Boland Wallace married William Wallace of Killenbrechan, Kilcolman, said to be a cousin and they emigrated first to the US and then to Australia.  In 1997 I went to the ruins of the church at Kilcolman and saw the Wallace vaults there.  These are the William Wallace family vaults.  I also spoke to Mrs Dan Hardy nearby who directed us to the ruins of Killenbrechan where the Kilcolman Wallaces lived.

I will await your reply.

Kind regards Val McPherson

Hi Margaret

I have been told that there is a burial ground just outside Birr where my ancestors James Wallace and his wife Mary Ann could be buried.  The date of death for James Wallace which I have is 26 Jan 1834 and I understand that Mary Ann died about the same time.

James's parents, James Wallace and Rebecca may also be buried there.  The date of death for James Wallace Senior is 6 March 1820

If you have access to the burial records for Birr about the period 1820 - 1835 I would appreciate someone trying to locate their place and dates of burial

Kind regards

Val McPherson

Hi Val

The graveyard is Clonighill.  I will check out those records for you. They are not online. It may take a few weeks before I get back to you. 

Regards

Margaret

Thank you Margaret.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Val

Hi Val

Unfortunately, when I checked the Clonoghill Graveyard records only began in 1883.  There is an older graveyard in Birr town called Saint Brendan's.  I checked those readable records which were recorded in recent times.  It was closed to new burials in 1879.  There are no Wallaces recorded.  That does not mean that there were no Wallaces buried there, just that their records are not available. I believe that the Church of Ireland may keep burial records so I will try there and get back to you. Kind regards

Margaret

Thank you Margaret

When I was in Birr in about 1997 I saw the old burial ground in the town.  It was very overgrown and fenced off to the public.  Nobody seemed to know about its records and I always thought that this might be the burial place for James & Mary Ann Wallace.  It was the time of a cholera epidemic when I imagine that burials were frequent and hasty and probably without much record keeping being done.

If you can check C of I burial records that would be great

Kind regards, Val