McGrath Family

Hi,

Thank you for also posting this message here. I hope that somebody recognises the family and makes a connection with you.

Have you tried looking at church records in Kilfinane to see if you can find any birth records pertaining to the family? 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. It also shows you where copies of the records are available. For Kilfinane parish, follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=East%20Limerick&parish=Kilfinane&churchid=858

As you can see from the above link, Limerick Genealogy have copies available. Here is their email if you would like to contact them, however please note that a fee may apply: research@limerickgenealogy.com

I did a search of Griffith?s Valuation for McGraths in Kilfinane. This is a property valuation survey that was carried out in Ireland 1848-64. There was only one McGrath recorded in the parish; James McGrath:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&Submit.x=37&Submit.y=9&Submit=Submit&familyname=mcgrath&firstname=First+Name&baronyname=&countyname=LIMERICK&unionname=&parishname=KILFINNANE

Have you tried looking for McGraths in the parish in the 1901/1911 census records:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

Some other websites 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

Family Search: www.familysearch.org

Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/limerick/index.html

From Ireland: http://www.from-ireland.net/

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

Irish Family History Foundation 
http://www.rootsireland.ie
has the following records in their 
database:  

Type Record:  Church Marriage 
County:  Limerick
Parish: Ballylanders (RC)
Year:  1861
Bride:  Catherine McGrath
Bride's Father:  McGrath comes up for surname but nothing will come up in the given name category
Groom:  James Tobin
Groom's Father:  Tobin comes up for surname but nothing will come up in the given name category

Possible child of the above union:

Type Record:  Church Baptism
County:  Limerick
Parish: Ballylanders (RC)
Year:  1861
Child:  William Tobin
Father:  James Tobin
Mother:  Catherine McGrath

At ancestry.com there is a family tree:  
Boone Zuky Family Tree
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12491388/person/-248215716?ssrc=
Owner:  jboone426 

Michael J Tobin (s/o John or James Tobin and Katherine McGrath) 
born Ireland died Bridgeport CT buried St. Michael's Cemetery, Stratford, Fairfield, CT 
married to Myria Broughal

Michael J Tobin's mother listed as Katherine McGrath and it indicates she has 3 siblings:   

Mary McGrath 1845-1916 m John Gilbert c1867 KIlfinane Ireland
Patrick McGrath 1858-1908 m Honora "Nora" Gilbert 8 Jun 1878 Bridgeport, CT  
William McGrath 1862-1912

Having found the above record stating that Katherine McGrath's sister Mary married John Gilbert in Kilfinane in 1867 I went back and looked her marriage record up on the IFHF (rootsireland.ie) site and found:  

Type Record:  Civil Marriage
County:  Limerick
Parish:  Kilfinnane (CP)
Year:  1867
Bride:  Mary McGrath
Bride's Father:  Maurice McGrath
Bride's Mother:  Nothing will come up in either surname or given name
Groom:  John Gilberth (NOTE:  this is an alternate spelling for Gilbert)
Groom's Father:  George Gilberth

So it would appear that you are correct about Mary, Patrick, William and Katherine/Catherine McGrath's father being Maurice McGrath but his dau Mary's marriage record appears not to have her mother's name recorded.  This is just the INDEX record however, so perhaps the record should be purchased to ascertain if the mother's name is actually noted on the record or to gleen any further clues about Maruice McGrath (his address at the time of the marriage or his profession might also be on there) or the names of the witnesses to the wedding might also prove helpful?

Searching across ALL IRELAND, I can find absolutely no record of a marriage between a McGrath (any variant spelling) and a Basil (again using any variant spelling and there are only 3 - BASILDON, BESL, & BAZELL).  In fact, the IFHF has only 8 records for Basil's (all variants) and they are for baptisms in the following counties:  (1 in Co Kilkenny, 1 in Co Offaly, 2 in Co Tipperary, 1 in Co Derry, 2 in Co Dublin, 1 in Co Antrim), none at all in Co Limerick or Co Galway where Kinvara is located. That surname of Basil might be a red herring?  

Hope this helps!  
Kathy Rhodes

Kathy

Thank you ever so much for that information.   Yes, it did prove Maurice was the father.  Patrick named his eldest son John Maurice and his second son, George Patrick, using the middle name to continue the Irish naming pattern, which is why I was sure I was correct.

I am sorry to say it was a typ-o on the Basil, her name (at least the one I found) was Hanora Brasil, sorry for that error.

Thank you again for your help

BTW - the Boone wetsite you mentioned is a cousin I have been in touch with her..   I thought we had all the same shared information, but I missed that Catherine Tobins son came to the US and died here.   He would be buried in the family plot at St. Michale's.   Another great find, thank you!

Lizziems

Well now, BRASIL or BRAZIL...that is a horse of an entirely different color!  
This *MIGHT* be the marriage record you are after: 

Type Record:  Church Marriage
County:  Limerick
Parish:  Galbally & Aherlow (RC)
Year:  1837
Groom:  Maurice McGrath
Bride:  Honora Brazil
NOTEs:  Nothing besides the surname of the Bride and Groom's father's will come up 

Two Possible children of the above union: 

Type Record:  Church Baptism
County:  Limerick
Parish:  Galbally & Aherlow (RC)
Year:  1837
Child:  John McGrath
Father:  Maurice McGrath
Mother:  Honora Brazil
NOTEs:  Might be a child that died young?  Or possibly this is their eldest child and he remained in Ireland and did not immigrate to the CT/USA?  

Type Record:  Church Baptism
County:  Limerick
Parish:  Ballylanders (RC)
Year:  1853
Child:  Thomas McGrath
Father:  Maurice McGrath
Mother:  Honora Brazil
NOTEs:    Again, could be a child that died as an infant OR one that remained in Ireland rather than immigrate?

Also this looks like it might be son William's baptism record:  

Type Record:  Church Baptism
County:  Limerick
Parish:  Ballylanders (RC)
Year:  1859
Child:  William McGrath
Father:  Maurice McGrath
Mother:  Honora Brazil
NOTEs:  Your cousin's tree has William's birth as 1862 so it's not all that far off!

I would expect to find both Mary McGrath c1845 and her brother Patrick McGrath c1858 in either Ballylanders or Galbally & Aherlow but I can find nothing for Patrick at all and the closest I can come to a record for Mary is as follows:  

Type Record:  Church Baptism
County:  Limerick
Parish:  Galbally & Aherlow (RC)
Year:  1841
Child:  Mary McGrath 
Father:  Maurice McGrath
Mother:  Mary BRASSIL
NOTEs:  Everything looks good EXCEPT that the mother's given is not Honora.  

Also as to Michael Tobin (s/o James Tobin and Catherine/Katherine McGrath) who is also in your cousin's tree as having immigrated to CT and who is buried in the family plot...check the birth year on that stone as your cousin has 1869 for his year of birth, but I found this birth record for 1882; that's way off - but the parent's names are right as well as the general area...so it has me going hmmmm....

Type Record:  Civil Birth
County:  Limerick
Parish:  Kilfinnane (CP)
Year:  1882
Child:  Michael Tobin
Father:  James Tobin
Mother:  Catherine McGrath

I answered this query because I too am searching in Kilfinnane, not for McGraths but for SHANAHANs...so if you run across anything on them in your research in the general area, please do drop me a line at little.house.antiques@comcast.net or here on Ireland reaching out!  Happy Hunting!

Thank you again so much.   You are fast and effecient.  I will give Jennifer Boone the correction of the dates you mentioned .   Also I will pass along to them and for my own records to watch out for Shanahans.  Are all your Shanahans still living in Ireland or did they migrate elsewhere?

Now, for me to find the parents of Maurice Mcgrath and Hanora Brasil, where would I start to look?

This family has always been a great mystery to me,  My grandmother died at a very young age, as did her mother and her father and two Aunts suffered from insanity so not a lot spoken about them.  This has been a great break through for me.    Thank you again,

Norma