Looking for Ashmore/Mcshane

Rootsireland has this couple’s marriage in Lower Killevy RC parish, Co Armagh, on 30.8.1862. Witnesses were Michael Byrne & Mary McShane. No townlands given.

Children, born 1.1.1864 onward (the start of stat registration, there may have been 1 before that):

Patrick 10.3.1865 Carrickabracken

Mary 1.1.1867

Hugh 14.11.1868

Elizabeth 28.10.1870 Carrickabracken

Margaret 12.7.1873

John 22.4.1875

Thomas 4.3.1876 Thomas St, Newry

Joseph 8.6.1877

Michael 1.1.1879

Alice 8.1.1880 Thomas St, Newry

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/

I don’t see the family in the 1901 census, and therefore assume they had left Ireland by that year.

Thank you for your information and quick reply.  My grandmother was Margaret Ashmore Cozzens who died July 1906 in Dudley Massachusetts USA.  

Attached Files

Hello Twinsnanny,

I found copies of the original death records for Thomas Ashmore and his wife, Mary McShane Ashmore at the Ancestry.com website. You may already have these records, but in case you don not they are attached to this reply.

First, Thomas Ashmore.

Thomas Ashmore died in Dudley, Massachusetts on November 1, 1910. He was still married at the time of death, the cause of which was, “Ruptured Compensation in valvular disease of heart,” with the contributing cause of “Bronchial Asthma.” At the time of death he was 65 years old. His occupation was “Janitor of School.” The death record further shows that Thomas was born on November 13, 1845, and that his parents were Alexander Ashmore and Bella Martin, both born in Ireland. Mary Ashmore of Dudley, who I presume to be Thomas’s wife, reported the death to the local registrar, James A. Thompson. Thomas was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Dudley, on November 3, 1910.

With the information from the death record I wanted to see if I could find Thomas Ashmore’s baptism record.
Elwyn’s information shows that Thomas and Mary’s marriage took place in the Lower Killeavy R.C. Parish, County Armagh, in 1862, and so I thought it was possible that Thomas was born in or near the Lower Killeavy Parish.

I utilized two free websites to look for Thomas’s baptism. The first is the Find My Past (FMP) website, which is mainly a subscription-based or Pay-As-You-Go website, but does not charge to search 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

Not all Catholic Church Parishes in Ireland however, kept burial records.

In turn, and most importantly, attached to the FMP baptism, marriage, and burial transcriptions are links that will take you to copies of the original Catholic parish registers held by the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.

I first looked for Thomas’s baptism transcription at the FMP website. From the Dudley, Mass. death record I knew that his parents were Alexander Ashmore and Bella Martin. Bella is short for Isabella.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find Thomas’s baptism transcription at the FMP website, but did uncover the baptisms for two of his sisters. These sisters are Margaret, born and baptized in 1858, and Jane, born and baptized in 1861. They were baptized in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish. This parish is alternately known as Beesbrook and Bessbrook.

I haven’t included the FMP baptism transcriptions for Margaret and Jane in this reply, as they are under copyright. But I have included the links that will take you to the FMP transcriptions. For example, the link for Margaret’s FMP baptism transcription can be found at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2290141

This record shows that Margaret was baptized in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish on 5 September 1858. Her parents are “Alexr” (Alexander) Ashmore and “Izabella” Martin. Included in the transcription is a link that will take you to a copy of the original baptism record for Margaret. Go to the following link to access the baptism record: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000632500#page/209/mode/1up

You can enlarge the baptism register 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.

There are two facing pages to the baptism register. Margaret’s baptism is at the top of the right-hand baptism register page, and reads:

“1858 September 5 sub conditions Margaret Ashmore of Alexr Ashmore and Izabella Martin. Spr Sarah Ann McKeon. . . 0-0-0.”

After viewing Margaret’s baptism record I really didn’t know what “sub conditions” meant, but thought that it may have had to do with a problem with the baptism ritual itself. You can read about was a “Conditional” baptism is at the Catholic.com/Encyclopedia website link at: https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/baptism#VII._CONDITIONAL_BAPTISM

In reading about conditional baptisms at the link above, I now believe that one of Margaret’s parents may not have been a Catholic. I’ll have more about this later.

Following Isabella Martin’s name in Margaret’s baptism record you’ll see the initials “Spr,” which stand for “Sponsor.” Sponsors are the godparent. In this case only Margaret’s godmother, Sarah Ann McKeon, is recorded. The 0-0-0 refers to donations given to the church for the baptism. In this case Alexander and Isabella did not make a donation. They may have been too poor to do so.

Next, Jane Ashmore was baptized in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish on 28 September 1861. Her FMP baptism transcription can be accessed at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2290606

A copy of Jane’s original baptism record, which is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the left-hand baptism page, can be accessed at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632501#page/14/mode/1up

Jane’s baptism entry reads:

“Conditionally, Jane of Alexnr Ashmore (acatholicus) and Isabella Martin. Sp Rose Haughey. 0-0.”

The Latin word, “acatholicus” after Alexander’s name means he wasn’t a Catholic, which most likely was the case for the term, “sub condition” in Margaret’s 1858 baptism. In other words, Alexander was not a Catholic when both children were baptized. See: https://worldofdictionary.com/dict/latin-english/meaning/acatholicus

Jane’s baptism record further shows that she only had a godmother whose name was Rose Haughey. Also, Jane’s parents Alexander and Isabella did not make a donation to the church for the baptism.

Because indications are that Alexander wasn’t a Catholic, I didn’t think there would be a Catholic marriage for him and Isabella Martin. But just to check anyway, I went back to the FMP website to see if a marriage was recorded for him and Isabella in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish, or in any other parish in County Armagh, in nearby County Down, and the rest of Ireland. I didn’t find a marriage transcription for them at the FMP website. What you can do at this point is go to the RootsIreland subscription website for County Armagh, as RootsIreland has Killeavey Church of Ireland marriage registers for the years 1845 to 1916, though I don’t know if Alexander Ashmore had belonged to the Church of Ireland.

I also didn’t uncover a Catholic baptism record for an Alexander Ashmore anywhere in Ireland at the FMP website.

Concerning the parish of Killeavy Lower, I’ll have more information about this parish later in this reply.

Next I uncovered an FMP baptism transcription for an “Isabel” Martin. Isabel was baptized in the Clonfeacle Catholic Parish. Clonfeacle spans the border areas of County Armagh and County Tyrone, but is primarily situated in County Tyrone. See a map of the Clonfeacle Catholic Parish at the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0199

Isabel was baptized on 29 June 1816. Her father was Gul Martin. Her mother was Brid Stafford. The father’s first name “Gul,” is an abbreviation of the Latin name, Gulielmo, which is William in English. Brid would be Bridget. The address of the Martin family at the time of Isabel’s baptism is 18 Aghnakil. I couldn’t find a townland named Aghnakil in either Counties Armagh or Tyrone. See the FMP transcription for Isabel Martin baptism at:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2169475

A copy of Isabel’s original baptism record can be found at the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632514#page/10/mode/1up

Because of the handwriting in the register and because the baptisms are all squeezed together, Isabel’s baptism record is hard to read and difficult to find. But it is on the left-hand baptism register page. Once you are at the left page, scroll down quite a bit until you come to the subheading “Julie 1816.” Julie is July in Latin. Just above the subheading Julie 1816, is Isabel’s baptism record. Her first name is abbreviated as “Isab.”I couldn’t make out the first name of the godfather, but the last name appears to be Dogherty. The last name of the godmother is Stafford, who may have been Bridget Stafford’s sister.

There is no way to tell with certainty if the Isabel Martin baptized in the Clonfeacle Parish was the future wife of Alexander Ashmore and future mother of Thomas Ashmore, just from the baptism record alone.

Also it is difficult to tell which Clonfeacle Catholic Parish Church Isabel would have been baptized in, as the parish covers eastern sections of Tyrone as well as a portion of northwest County Armagh. One church candidate could be St. Jarlath’s Church in Blackwatertown, Tyrone. The current structure was built in 1780, according to the St. Jarlath’s website at: https://is.gd/ZUllZ8

The other church could be St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Moy. I couldn’t find any information about when St. John’s was built, but it does go back to before the first half of the 19th century. An Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period shows an R.C. Chapel in Moy. The map comes from the GeoHive website and can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/2W7X7OJ

A Google Map shows the church is in the same location as it was in the late 1830s and early 1840s: https://is.gd/NikCpj

MARY MCSHANE ASHMORE

The attached death record for Mary McShane Ashmore shows she died of “Lobar Pneumonia” at 13 Mill St., Dudley, Massachusetts, on December 13, 1911 at the age of 65. Her year of birth is given as 1846. She was born in Ireland. Her parents were Peter McShane and Alice Larkin, both born in Ireland. An informant named Catherine Wylie, of Dudley, Mass., reported Mary’s death on December 14, 1911 to the local Registrar whose names was James A. Thompson. Mary’s attending physician before she died was Joseph N. Roy of Webster, who signed the death record on December 14, 1911. Mary was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Dudley, Mass., on December 15, 1911. The undertaker was M.P. Clare, of Webster.

I had a suspicion that the informant named in Mary’s death record, Catherine Wylie, was the married daughter of Thomas Ashmore and Mary McShane. I’ll have more on Catherine Wylie a little later in this reply.

Elwyn found that Mary McShane and Thomas Ashmore were married in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish on 30 August 1862. Marriages traditionally took place in the bride’s parish, and so I looked for Mary’s baptism record in the Killeavey Lower Catholic Church, but didn’t find it. I also looked for her baptism in the Killeavey Upper Catholic Parish Church, but once again without results. I then expanded the search for Mary McShane’s baptism and the marriage of her parents to other counties in Ireland, but again without results.

After finding Mary McShane Ashmore’s Dudley, Mass death certificate, I wondered if Catherine Wylie was her married daughter. If you recall, the death record shows that Catherine Wylie was the informant who reported Mary’s death to the local registrar.

I uncovered what may be an answer to that question, as I did find that a 22 year old Catherine Ashmore married John Wylie in Boston, Mass., on 14 May 1885. Only the first names of Catherine’s parents are recorded in the marriage record. They are Thomas and Mary. Thomas would refer to her father Thomas Ashmore, Mary may refer to her mother, Mary Ashmore, maiden name McShane. The marriage transcription, as well as a copy of the original Boston marriage certificate, were uncovered at the free FamilySearch website.

The marriage certificate is attached to this reply, while the marriage transcription from FamilySearch, is below:

Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records

Name John Wylie
Event Type Marriage
Event Date 14 May 1885
Event Place Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
Gender Male
Age: 22

Father's Name Alexander Mother's Name Martha J
Spouse's Name Catharine Ashmore Spouse's Gender Female

Spouse's Age 22
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated) 1863

Spouse's Father's Name Thomas Spouse's Mother's Name Mary
Citing this Record
"Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHDT-BNH : 9 February 2018), John Wylie and Catharine Ashmore, 14 May 1885; citing Marriage, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 823,135.
____

I next looked for, but did not find the individual baptism records for John Wylie and Catherine Ashmore at the FMP website. At the age of 22 both John Wylie and Catherine Ashmore would have been born in 1863. There’s the possibility that Catherine would have been born in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish. A search of the baptism records for the Killeavy Lower Parish at the National Library of Ireland website however, shows that baptisms for 1863 are available for only five months in 1863.These months include January, February, March, April and July. Catherine may have been born in a month not available in the Killeavy Lower baptism records.

I also looked for her FMP baptisms in other Armagh Catholic parishes as well as all of Ireland, but again came up empty.

Likewise I didn’t find a baptism record for John Wylie/Wiley, son of Alexander and Martha J. Wyile.

THOMAS ASHMORE AND MARY MCSHANE

To compliment the information that Elwyn kindly sent you, I’ve included in this reply a link that will take you to a copy of the original marriage record for Thomas Ashmore and Mary McShane, who were married, as Elwyn noted, in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish Church on 30 August 1862.

The FMP transcription for the marriage, which gives Thomas’s last name as “Ashmoor,” can be accessed at;
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/MAR/0507066/1

The marriage record comes from the National Library of Ireland and can be found at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632501#page/73/mode/1up

The marriage for Thomas and Mary is on the left-hand page.

Once you’ve enlarged the baptism register sufficiently enough, scroll down the left page until you come to the subheading, “August 1862.” The marriage is the second entry below the subheading August 1862.

The first name of one of the witnesses to the marriage is Michael. I could not make out his last name which begins with B. The second witness looks like Marg (Margaret) McShane. To the right of Margaret McShane’s name you’ll see three 0s. This indicates that Thomas and Mary did not make a donation to the Catholic Church for performing the marriage ceremony.

For a Google Map showing that the Lower Killeavy Catholic Parish Church is called St. Malachy’s and is located in the Carrickcroppan Road, in Camlough, Armagh, see: https://is.gd/Bt2ruF

An Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period shows that the R.C. Chapel in Camlough, is in the same location as shown in the modern Google Map: http://bit.ly/2W1rBlm

Once at the Ordnance Survey Map make sure you close the menu to view the location of the R.C. Chapel.

The R.C. Chapel is toward the left side of the map, while Camlough is on the right of the map. The other church you see near Camlough is probably one of the Protestant churches located in town.

The following is another Ordnance Survey Map showing the center of Camlough, and the Quarry, Flax Mill, Corn Mills, and the Church. Thomas may have worked in the flax mil: http://bit.ly/2F5zlgH

For a Google Street View of St. Malachy’s Church and graveyard in the Parish of Lower Killeavy, go to: https://is.gd/50jr5Y

According to a Wikipedia article, St. Malachy's Church was built in 1816 and is the "oldest church building in the parish." The article under the “History” section also notes that Camlough, which in Irish means “Crooked Lake,” is in the townland of Cross, in reference to the village crossroads. See the article and photo of the “Crooked Lake” at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camlough

Another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period confirms that this place is called “Cross or Camlough.” See the enlarged map at: http://bit.ly/2Fc7Lyc

The following link will bring you to a Face Book submission from 2015 discussing the then upcoming 200th anniversary of St. Malachy's Church in 2016: https://is.gd/H8oo6o

While St. Malachy’s Church is locate in Camlough, Thomas Ashmore and Mary McShane may not have lived in Camlough itself, but in other nearby locations.

BIRTH RECORDS OF 10 ASHMORE CHILDREN

I found the civil registration birth records for 10 of Thomas Ashmore and Mary McShane’s children at the free irishgenealogy.ie website. All 10 birth records are attached to this reply.

Civil registration began in Ireland in 1845, but at that time the government only recorded Protestant civil and church marriages.

Civil Registration of births, marriages and deaths for all religious denominations commenced in Ireland in 1864. Today, the free irishgenealogy.ie website has indexed and digitized many of the birth marriage and death records recorded in Ireland for the 19th and 20th centuries. The repositories for these civil records is the General Register Office, with locations in Dublin and Roscommon Town, County Roscommon.

For a guide to Irish civil registration records of birth, marriage, and death, go to the FMP link at:
https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/news/guide-irish-civil-records-onl…

A birth record for Catherine Ashmore, who would later marry John Wylie, does not exist as she was born circa 1862, before civil registration of births in 1864.

The names and years of birth for the Ashmore children are:

Patrick Ashmore, 1865
Mary Ann Ashmore, 1867
Hugh Ashmore, 1868
Elizabeth Ashmore, 1870
Margaret Ashmore, 1873
John Ashmore, 1875
Thomas Ashmore, 1876
Joseph Ashmore, 1877
Michael Ashmore, 1879
Alice Ashmore, 1880
____

Below are brief comments about each of the Ashmore birth records attached to this reply:

Patrick Ashmore was born in Carrickabracken on 10 March 1865. Carrickabracken is also spelled, “Carrickbrackan.” Patrick’s father is Thomas Ashmore residing in Carrickabracken. Thomas’s occupation is, “Hackler.” For a definition of the occupation of hackler in the flax/linen trade, go to: https://rmhh.co.uk/occup/h.html

Patrick’s mother is Mary Ashmore, formerly McShane. Mary reported the birth of Patrick to the local registrar, whose first name looks like Henry, but whose last name I couldn’t make out. The registrar recorded Patrick’s birth on 28 March 1865. Patrick’s birth entry is Number 296 in the birth register.

I couldn’t find Carrickabracken or Carrickbracken on a Google Map of Armagh, but you can see the location of Carrickbrackan on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period from the GeoHive website. You’ll see that Carrickbackan is just east of Camlough: http://bit.ly/2MP3sPA

The next child, Mary Ann Ashmore, was born in “Derramore,” Newry, on 1 January 1867. Her birth is Number 279 in the register. Her father is Thomas Ashmore, employed as a Hackler residing in Derramore. Her mother is Mary Ashmore, formerly McShane. Thomas reported the birth to the local Registrar, Andrew McBride, who recorded Mary Ann’s birth on 13 January 1867.

Derramore is a reference to Derrymore. A Google Map shows that Derrymore House is 1.2 miles east of Camlough: https://is.gd/3OlYmO

The Ordnance Survey Map from 1837 to 1841 shows that Derrymore is just northeast of Carrickbrackan, where Patrick Ashmore was born. The map also shows that Derrymore was located in the Civil Parish of Newry. The Catholic Parish is also called Newry, as you’ll see later in this reply: http://bit.ly/2MOAteU

The child born after Mary Ann was Hugh Ashmore. He was born in Carrickabracken on 13 November 1868. His birth is number 200 in the birth register.

He is followed by Elizabeth Ashmore (Number 173 in the birth register), who was born in Carrickabracken on 18 October 1870.

The next child, Margaret Ashmore, who I believe was your grandmother, was born in Camlough on 12 July 1873. Hers is the first birth recorded in the register at Number 363.

Her younger brother John Ashmore (recorded first in the birth register at Number 295), was born in Camlough on 22 April 1875. His birth was not reported to the local Registrar by either one of his parents. The first name of the informant who reported the birth is Ally. Her last name appears to be Ferrin, but I could be wrong. Ally may have been the midwife who delivered John.

Thomas Ashmore was born after John. Thomas was born in Thomas Street on 4 March 1876. His is the first record at the top of the register at Number 51. The birth record does not mention if Thomas Street is in Newry, though there a Thomas Street located in Newry, and so I believe it was in Thomas Street, Newry when he was born. You’ll see confirmation of Thomas Street, Newry as the residence for the Ashmore family later in this reply.

For a Google Map of Thomas Street in Newry, Armagh, see: https://is.gd/a7qjpO

For a Google Street View of Thomas Street, Newry, see: https://is.gd/N5HJtk

The Google Street View shows what appears to be refurbished row housing in Thomas Street. When you look at the Street View you may actually be seeing one of the row houses where the Ashmore family had lived.

I didn’t find a Thomas Street in the Ordnance Survey Map for Newry. Thomas Street may not have existed when the map was compiled in the 1837 to 1841 time period. But you can see where Thomas Street was eventually located on the Ordnance Survey Map of Newry. It is now located just below the Brewery, north of Bridge Street and east of Queen Street. Queen Street today is called Dominic Street: http://bit.ly/2MOq82B

Next, Thomas’s brother Joseph Ashmore was born in Thomas Street on 8 May 1877. His is Number 365 in the birth register.

Following Thomas was the birth of Michael Ashmore, who was born in Thomas Street on 1 February 1879. His birth entry is Number 102 in the register.

The birth of the youngest Ashmore child that I found was Alice. She was born in Thomas Street on 17 January 1880. An informant named Mary Farmer of Thomas Street reported Alice’s birth to the local Registrar. Mary Farmer could have been the midwife who delivered Alice.

DEATHS OF ASHMORE CHILDREN

Death records from the General Register Office at the irishgenealogy.ie website have not been digitized for the years 1864 to 1877. Deaths have been indexed however for the time period of 1864 to 1877. Digitized copies of death records from irishgenealogy.ie are available to access online for free from 1878 to 1966.

I found the death indexes and one death record for what I believe are children of Thomas Ashmore and Mary McShane, though the indexes do not give the names of their parents, but do provide the years of death and the district where the deaths were recorded.

The names and death years of the children with just death indexes are:

John Ashmore, 1875
Thomas Ashmore, 1876
Joseph Ashmore, 1877.

In addition I also found the 1879 death index as well the digitized copy of the original death record for Michael Ashmore.

All four children died the same year in which they were born, as their ages at death are recorded as “0.” Their deaths were recorded in the Newry Registration District. See the indexes that follow:

Nam JOHN ASHMORE
Date of Death 1875
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Newry
Deceased Age at Death 0
Returns Year 1875
Returns Quarter 4
Returns Volume No 16
Returns Page No 602

Nam THOMAS ASHMORE
Date of Death 1876
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Newry
Deceased Age at Death 0
Returns Year 1876
Returns Quarter 2
Returns Volume No 6
Returns Page No 635

Name JOSEPH ASHMORE
Date of Death 1877
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Newry
Deceased Age at Death 0
Returns Year 1877
Returns Quarter 2
Returns Volume No 6
Returns Page No 700

Name MICHAEL ASHMORE
Date of Death 1879
Group Registration ID 5948364
SR District/Reg Area Newry
Deceased Age at Death 0
____

Michael’s 1879 death register entry is attached to this reply, and shows that he died in Thomas Street on 15 February 1879. He is shown to have been 2 weeks old when he died. The death record also states that he was a “Hackler’s Child,” and that the cause of death was, “Delicacy from Birth.” His mother Mary was present at Michael’s death and reported his death to the local registrar. Mary’s address is Thomas Street, Newry. Michael’s death entry is Number 69 in the register.

If you would like to order the death records for the other three Ashmore children from the General Register Office (GRO), following the instructions from the irishgeenalogy.ie link at: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/civil-records/help/i-want-to-get-a-cop…

Photocopies of birth, marriage, and death records are 4 Euros, payable by credit cards. Photocopies however, are not accepted as legal proof of Irish ancestry. For legal purposes you would have to order certified copies of birth, marriage, or death records from the GRO. Certified copies are 20 Euros.

While at the irishgenealogy.ie website I also found the death indexes for Alexander Ashmore and Isabella Ashmore. If you recall, Thomas Ashmore’s Dudley, Mass. death records notes that his parents were Alexander Ashmore and Bella Martin. Bella, as mentioned earlier is short for Isabella.

The indexes below show that Alexander Ashmore died in 1869 at the age of 57, while Isabella died in 1877 at the age of 62. Both deaths were recorded in the Newry Registration District:

Name ALEXANDER ASHMORE
Date of Death 1869
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Newry
Deceased Age at Death 57
Returns Year 1869
Returns Quarter 1
Returns Volume No 1
Returns Page No 689

Name ISABELLA ASHMORE
Date of Death 1877
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Newry
Deceased Age at Death 62
Returns Year 1877
Returns Quarter 3
Returns Volume No 11
Returns Page No 508
____

If the death indexes above are accurate, Alexander would have been born circa 1812 and Isabella in 1815. If you recall the Clonfeacle Catholic Parish baptism for Isabel Martin shows she was baptized on 29 June 1816, but I’m not certain that this baptism record pertains to Thomas Ashmore’s mother.

You can order the full death records for Alexander and Isabella Ashmore from the GRO. It will be interesting to see where Alexander and Isabella were living when they died, and who reported their deaths to the local registrar. Their son Thomas would have still been in Ireland in 1869 and 1877 when his parents died.

ASHMORE BAPTISM RECORDS

Earlier in this reply I had mentioned that I looked for, but did not find the baptism record for Thomas and Mary Ashmore’s daughter, Catherine Ashmore Wylie, who was born in Ireland circa 1863. Catherine Wylie was the informant who reported her mother Mary Ashmore’s death to the Dudley, Mass registrar in 1911. Thomas and Mary Ashmore were married in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish Church, County Armagh on 30 August 1862.

The next search involved looking for the FMP baptism transcriptions and accompanying National Library of Ireland baptism records for Thomas and Mary Ashmore’s 10 other children born in County Armagh. I only uncovered the baptism record for 5 of their children. Their names and years of baptism are below. Included in the list of children is the Catholic Parish where their baptisms took place:

John, 1875, Killeavy Lower
Thomas, 1876, Newry
Joseph, 1877, Newry
Michael, 1879, Newry
Alice, 1880, Newry
____

As you can see four of the five Ashmore children were baptized in the Newry Catholic Parish. They would have been baptized when the family lived in Thomas Street, Newry.

Aside from Catherine I didn’t find the baptism records for Patrick, Mary Ann, Hugh, Elizabeth, and your grandmother Margaret, unfortunately. These children I believe, along with Catherine, would have likely been baptized in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish, as was their brother John in 1875. Mary Ann’s birth record however, shows she was born in Derramore (Derrymore) on 1 January 1867. Derrymore was located in the Civil Parish of Newry. The Catholic Parish is also called Newry. I looked for her Newry Catholic baptism transcription at the FMP and original baptism record at the National Librray of Ireland but didn’t find it. I also looked for her Newry baptism in late 1866, but once again with no results. She was likely baptized in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish in 1867.

But, I found at the National Library of Ireland website that several years are missing from the Killeavy Lower baptism registers. These years include 1864 through 1867, and 1869 through 1872. National Library of Ireland records also shows that baptism that took place in November and December of 1868 are missing. Hugh Ashmore was born on 14 November 1868.

Also, only two months of Killeavy Lower baptisms are available for the year 1873, when Margaret Ashmore was born. She was born in July of that year. Only baptisms for the months of October and November are extent at the National Library of Ireland.

It’s because of these gaps in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish baptism registers that baptisms for 6 of Thomas and Mary Ashmore’s 11 children are not available from the National Library of Ireland website.

The Find My Past baptism transcription shows that John Ashmore was baptized in the Killeavy Lower Catholic Parish on 17 April 1875. His civil registration birth record however, gives his birth date as 22 April 1875, which indicates that his birth record is not correct about when he was born. The FMP transcription can be accessed at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2290955

Make sure you scroll down the page to view the full baptism transcription.

A copy of John’s baptism record from the National Library of Ireland website can be found at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632501#page/38/mode/1up

His baptism is the 2nd entry on the left-hand page pf the baptism register, and shows that his godparents were Francis O’Neill and Mary Ann O’Neill. The clergyman who baptized John was M. McGurk.

The next four baptisms took place in the Newry Catholic Parish when the Ashmore family were living in Thomas Street, Newry. The FMP transcriptions spell their last name alternatively as either Ashman or Ashmon, as you will see.

Thomas Ashmore was baptized on 4 March 1876. His FMP transcription can be found at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2035027

A copy of Thomas’s original baptism record is the 15th entry down from the top of the right-hand page at the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633289#page/282/mode/1up

Thomas’s godparents are Patrick Rice and Sarah Rogers. The baptism register entry also shows that Thomas’s parents made a donation to the church of 2 Shillings and 6 Pence for the baptism.

Joseph Ashmore was baptized on 9 May 1877. His FMP baptism transcription can be found at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2035477

A copy of his original baptism record is the 3rd entry up from the bottom right-hand register page at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633289#page/294/mode/1up

Joseph’s godparents are John Rooney and Mary Kelly. Joseph’s parents Thomas and Mary made a donation of 2 Shillings and 6 Pence to the church for performing the baptism ritual.

Michael Ashmore was baptized on 5 February 1879 according to his FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2036162

A copy of Michael’s original baptism record is the 2nd entry down the right-hand register page at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633289#page/314/mode/1up

The first name of Michael’s godfather is John. John’s last name appears to be McAleman, but I could be wrong about that. Michael’s godmother is Anne Caulfield. Thomas and Mary Ashmore made a donation of 2 Shillings and 6 Pence to the church for the baptism.

The FMP transcription shows that Alice Ashman was baptized on 7 January 1880. See:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE/PRS/BAP/2036544

Her baptism record is the 13th entry up from the bottom of the right baptism register page at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633289#page/325/mode/1up

No godfather is recorded for Alice. Her godmother was Mary Farmer. Alice’s parents Thomas and Mary did not make a donation to the church for the baptism.

An Ordnance Survey Map of Newry from the 1837 to 1841 time period shows the location of an R.C. Chapel and Burial Ground off Chapel Street. See the map at: http://bit.ly/2MQVztc

I thought at first that this R.C. Chapel, called St. Mary’s, was the church where the four Ashmore children were baptized, but after further research I found a Wikipedia article which notes that St. Mary’s Church, built in 1789, was replaced by the Newry Cathedral, called the Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Coleman. Construction of the cathedral was completed in 1829. You can see the location of the “R.C. Chap,” (The Newry Cathedral) in Hill Street, just below Market Square on another Ordnance Survey Map at: http://bit.ly/2MRqDZR

For the Wikipedia article about the Newry Cathedral, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newry_Cathedral

The Cathedral is likely the place where Thomas, Joseph, Michael, and Alice, were baptized. A Google Map shows that the Newry Cathedral is only 6/10ths of a mile northeast of Thomas Street, where the Ashmore family had lived in Newry: https://is.gd/odwkc2

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

I don’t see a cemetery near the cathedral. The four children of Thomas and Mary Ashmore, John, Thomas, Joseph, and Michael, may be buried in the old St. Mary’s Church Cemetery off Chapel Hill in Newry. A Google Street View shows St. Mary’s Church in the foreground and the cemetery in the background: https://is.gd/woccAr

Thomas’s parents, Alexander and Isabella Martin Ashmore may also be buried in the St. Mary’s Cemetery.

I’m going to close this reply at this point, as it is getting lengthy. I found Mary Ashmore, but not Thomas, in a ship’s passenger list sailing into Boston. If you do not have this ship’s passenger list, I can send it to you in a second reply if you wish, after I hear from you.

I also found your grandmother Margaret Ashmore’s marriage record to George Cozzens and her death record. I can send these to you if you do not already have them.

This reply includes 14 attachments. These are:

Thomas Ashmore’s 1910 death record
Mary Ashmore’s 1911 death record
Catherine Ashmore’s 1885 marriage to John Wylie

The birth records of:
Patrick Ashmore
Mary Ann Ashmore
Hugh Ashmore
Elizabeth Ashmore
Margaret Ashmore
John Ashmore
Thomas Ashmore
Joseph Ashmore
Michael Ashmore
Alice Ashmore

Michael Ashmore’s 1879 death record
____

With Kind regards,

Dave Boylan

Thank you so much for this valuable information.  The time you spent is so greatly appreciated.  I am amazed at the wealth of information you have provided.  I was in Ireland in October and visited Armagh and the Cathedral there.  It is a most beautiful country and I hope to get back there someday.  Thank you so much again.

You're welcome Twinsnanny. Would you like the additional information I found?

Dave