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My 2X Great Grandmother is Mary Gaffney. She was born abt 1822. I've been trying for over 15 years to trace her back to her Irish roots. I just found a major clue. I now have reason to believe that Mary (Maria?) is from County Offaly and probably was baptized in Phillpstown. If the Irish naming pattern for children holds true, her dad is most likely John and her mother Elizabeth. I have a source citation from the National Library of Ireland, Dublin. Microfilm Number: Microfilm 04202/09. I haven't been able to access this. I know the rest of Mary's amazing story from going to Australia in the early 1840's, marrying Michael Walsh in 1843, and coming to San Francisco in 1852. Her oldest son, Thomas J Welsh (my Great Grandfather), was a famous architect in San Francisco. I just found out about Mary and County Offaly in a new bio about him.

Any help you can provide would be most welcomed. Any further direction to pursue would also be appreciated. I'm looking for a baptismal record and other info about her parents. I just realized that it is March 17 there in Ireland. What a blessing I'm reaching out to you on St Patrick's Day.

With gratitude,

Jerry Moe

J Moe

Sunday 17th Mar 2024, 01:58AM

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    Hi Jerry! The microfilm number you referenced is included in the image below and can also be found on the Catholic Parish Register's websitere: https://registers.nli.ie/pages/vtls000634545_033

     

    Looks like Mary was baptised on April 1st of 1823

    Baptism Record

     

    KellyGirl440

    Sunday 17th Mar 2024, 11:11AM

  • Hi,

    To add to KellyGirl's information, here is the record I found on RootsIreland (subscription).

    Name: Mary Gafny Date of Birth:  
        Date of Baptism: 01-Apr-1823
    Address:   Parish/District: DAINGEAN
    Gender: Female County Co. Offaly
        Denomination: Roman Catholic
     
    Father: John Gafny Mother: Elizabeth Hughes
    Occupation:      
     
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:    		   Sponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:

     

    Per Wikipedia

    Daingean , formerly Philipstown, named after King Philip II of Spain (then King of Ireland by jure uxoris), is a small town in east County Offaly, Ireland. 

    John and Elizabeth also had a son James born in 1820.

    Regrds- Mary

    MaryTV

    Sunday 17th Mar 2024, 12:17PM

  • Thanks so very much for all your help. You've helped me add another generation back on this branch of my Irish tree. On St Patrick's day no less! Thanks for also finding Mary Gafney's brother, Jacobus James Gafney. I've been trying to find a marriage record for their parents, Joannis Gafney and Elizabeth Hughes. No luck so far. I then changed direction and went searching for a baptismal record for Mary's dad, Joannis. I walked through a bunch of records and this particular one stood out:

    Joannes Gafney

    Baptized on 7 May 1794

    St Andrew's, Dublin City, Dublin

    Parish Variant: St Andrew's, Westland Row

    Diocese: Dublin

    Father: Jacobi Gafney

    Mother: Maria Gafney

     

    All I'm asking for is some assistance moving forward. How can I verify that this is the correct person ( my 4 x Great Grandfather)? How do you suggest I proceed?

     

    With gratitude,

    Jerry Moe

    J Moe

    Sunday 17th Mar 2024, 10:28PM

  • Tracing genealogy can be quite the journey, and it seems you’ve made a remarkable discovery on St. Patrick’s Day no less! Based on the information you’ve provided, it appears that Mary Gaffney was indeed baptized in County Offaly, and the Irish naming pattern suggests her parents were likely named John and Elizabeth. The microfilm number you have, Microfilm 04202/09, is a valuable lead.

    Sunday 21st Apr 2024, 06:04PM

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