Hello,
My name is John McGrath. I am an American interested in my Irish heritage.
My maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Margaret Ellen Fitzpatrick. I have used Ancestry.com to trace my Fitzpatrick roots. I don’t know how reliable the lineage is, but the earliest Fitzpatrick ancestor that I have found doing this is Thady Tiege Fitzpatrick. Apparently, he was born in Aghmacart in 1580. If the records on Ancestry.com are accurate, six generations later, Daniel Fitzpatrick came to the US and died in Pittsford, Vermont in 1829. I was born 40 miles from Pittsford 120 years after he died.
In the spring of 2018, I traveled to Ireland and sought out the Aghmacart Graveyard where I understood some Fitzpatricks had been buried. I found the graveyard and a tomb with the Fitzpatrick name on it. I was able to navigate very close to the graveyard, but a nice woman who lived close to it was able to direct me the final few hundred meters. She told me that she knew two Fitzpatrick families that lived nearby and she offered to take me to whichever one I was related to. Unfortunately, I didn’t know which family I was related to and my family members traveling with me were not as interested in this as I was. So, I left without getting the woman’s name or her contact information to ask her about contacting the Fitzpatrick families by email or post.
With all of that as background, I have several questions: a) is it possible for you to identify Fitzpatrick families that live close to this area, along with any contact information? b) do you have any Aghmacart “heritage” records that would help me to confirm or correct the genealogical information that I have found on Ancestry.com?
Thank you so much in advance for any information that you may be able to provide.
John McGrath
profjjm
Thursday 4th Jun 2020, 04:22PMMessage Board Replies
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Hi John . . .
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out . . .
Yours is a very worthwhile search . . . and hopefully . . you will continue . . . to find success . .
Our professional searchers . . . have NOT picked up on your query . . . so . . I had a look . . .
A(u)ghmacart . . . Google Maps . . is in Laois(e) County . . . then known as Queens Co. .. where we ...IRO ...would be very
unlikely to have a local Volunteer . . . to help you in your journey . . . however . . lets see if we can be of any assistance . . .
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https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0968
This would indiate an R.C. Church . . . in that district . . .recording happenings . . as early as 1789
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There is a record from 1823 - 1837 . . . a TAX collection roll ( somethings never change !! ) known as " Tithes Applotment " . . .
here . . you will find . . the first 12 entries . . . are Fitzpatricks of Aghmamart . . . which . . just have to be your earliest Farming Ancestors . . .
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So here's a big question . . . . in my search . . . I looked next . . at another TAX roll . . a.k.a. " Griffiths Valuation" 1847 - 1864 . . .
but . . there are NOW . . . NO. . . Fitzpatricks . . recorded at that location . .
So. . .do we "guess" . . that the last of the Family . . have left that location . . sometime between 1837 and 1847 . . (most likely to Emigration )
joining the million others who were fleeing Ireland in those years . . .1847 = 1851 ...The Great Irish Famine . . known as "An Gorta Mór ". . .
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Next . . I looked at our National Census of 1901 . . .
Here . . . it is telling me . . . that there were NO known . . . Fitzpatricks . . . living in that Townsland in 1901 . . .
Most of that family name . . as you will see . . are residents of the nearby Town of Rathdowney . . .
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SO . . who that Woman . . . that tried to help you . . when then you visited . . . is impossible to know . . who she was . . BUT . .
I would suggest . . that you might like to take your search . . to the Principal and Pupils . . of nearby Cullohill, Co.Offaly . . . National School . ..
copy . . to The Secretary of the Cullohill Comunity Centre . . .
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Apologies JOHN . . . that we could not be of more help . . . best we could do . . .
But we encourage you to persist with your search . . . to . . hopefully . . a successful conclusion . . . and a welcome back to Ireland . . whenever . .
Kindest Regards . .
Eamonn.
Eamonn M. Horan, Volunteer Ireland Reaching Out ☘️
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Hello Eamonn,
Thank you so much for your help. Are you suggesting that I send the same message that you received from me to the national school and the community centre because you think that they may have information on Fitzpatrick families that live in that area, or did you have something else in mind? I was able to find an email address online for the school but not for the community centre. Would you happen to have that?
Thanks again,
John
profjjm