Searching for ancestors of Francis Patrick O'Grady born 1-March-1893 somewhere in Galway, possibly Athenry. Francis's father was Luke O'Grady - a decorator who is also thought to have spent some time travelling with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Francis's mother was Mary Ann O'Grady, maiden name unknown but born around 1871 in Ireland. Luke O'Grady left Mary for another and is believed to have fathered another 5 or 6 children who I'm also interested in finding out about. Thanks! Sue
Saturday 16th Mar 2013, 07:16PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Sue,
Thanks for your message.
It may be difficult to find information without an exact place of origin.
Have you tried searching in the 1901/1911 census records to see if you can find the family? You can search these here:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
You may also be able to find Francis? birth record in civil records as civil registration became mandatory in Ireland in 1864. Civil records are available from the General Register?s Office in Dublin. Here is their website:
http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm
You can search the indexes to these records online at:
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347
If you can find either Francis? birth record or his parents? marriage record it will give you a specific place.
You could also try looking at Church records in Athenry as this was possibley where he was born. Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For Athenry parish, follow this link:
Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
Some other website that you may find useful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/galway/index.html
Family Search: www.familysearch.org
I hope that some of this is helpful. Remember to post any new information you find, in particular a place of origin. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Thursday 9th May 2013, 02:43PM