My great grandfather Michael Hughes' headstone in Champagne, Illinois, USA, indicates he was born in Killererin,
County Galway, Ireland in March, 1852. However, there is both a civil parish and a church parish named Killererin and
I don't know which one it refers to. In exploring Griffith's valuation at the www.askaboutireland.ie website, I found
no listings for Hughes in the Barnaderg area (Killererin church parish), although I did find a few in Ballina which is
southwest of Barnaderg, namely: Michael, James and Henry Hughes, co-tenants with a fourth person of 10+ acres as
of 1855. There were a few other Hughes listed in the general area but I have not yet explored those leads.
If his headstone is refering to the church parish, then Barnaderg would be the starting point. But if it is refering to
the civil parish, then that brings a much larger area into play.
Any thoughts?
Sunday 21st Oct 2012, 04:53PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi,
I've forwarded your request to a volunteer in the locality who may be able to provide some assistance & insight.
All the best.
Tuesday 23rd Oct 2012, 01:14PM -
Thank you for the assistance. After posting my message on 10/21, I did some further exploring of the online records for
Griffith's valuation, both the written records and the maps, plus current maps, google maps and directions, and more
information on the church parish of Killererin. Particularly that a rural church parish can cover quite a large area, which
makes sense. Ballina, where Griffith's showed some Hughes tenants, is less than 4 miles from Barnaderg and is a part
of the Killererin church parish. The Griffith's valuation also showed a Catherine Hughes as a tenant of 21+ acres in
Cornacartan which is less than 3 miles northwest of Barnaderg and is also a part of the Killererin church parish.
So it now seems likely that my great grandfather's headstone was refering to the Killererin church parish and,
accordingly, that he was born in that church parish in March of 1852. He emigrated to America and settled in
Champagne, Illinois where he was a laborer for the Illinois Central Railroad, had at least 4 children, and passed
away in January, 1940 at the age of 87.
Thursday 25th Oct 2012, 04:21PM -
My name is Hughes and I am from Ballina in the parish of Killererin. My grandfather was James ( Jimmy ) Hughes... I wonder if we are related?!
Tuesday 19th Nov 2013, 09:31PM