Hi there.
My great great grandmother was born in Dublin in 1862, but there's a bit of confusion behind her.
On her marriage certificate her name is Bridget Mary Colwell, and it states that she's a spinster whose father is called Henry Colwell. I also own all of her childrens birth certifcate, all have her down as Bridget Bushell formerly Colwell, apart from one. It says " Bridget Mary Bushell LATE Colwell formerly Sherlock.
I then found a marriage of a Bridget Sherlock to a John Henry Colwell, it states that her father is called Henry Sherlock.
It would make sense that she's said she's a spinster on her second marriage certificate to hide her previous marriage, but I can't find any other information about her. She died in 1941 in Norwich, England.
I was wondering if anyone else could help me locate a possible birth for her.
Also, I believe that Bridget and her husband Frederick Bushell may of had a child that died while in Dublin, as according to the 1911 census they have 1 child who has died and I do not have them. I've been through all of the Bushell births and deaths in Norwichs and have ruled them all out.
Thank you
OlleyKe
Monday 18th Feb 2013, 06:36PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi OlleyKe,
Thank you for your message.
Yes, Bridget?s story does seem to be quite confusing! Hopefully her birth certificate will help clear it up.
Civil registration did not begin in Ireland until 1864, so for birth records etc. prior to this date you need to look at Church records. Most Church records are still held at a local level, so it is important that you know the parish of birth..I am going to assume that Bridget was born in St. Andrew?s.
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 St. Andrew?s parish, follow this link:
If the Bridget followed the Church of Ireland, check http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ for inforamtion on what records are available.
There are also some online sites where you may be able to find her birth/baptismal record.
http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/index.html There is an ongoing project to upload both C of I and Catholic church records here free of charge. Only some counties have been uploaded so far, but Dublin is one of them.
www.familysearch.org This is a huge online database of genealogical records which includes some birth and marriage records from Ireland.
If Bridget did have any children in Ireland, there would be a record of it in civil records. These 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
For more information on how to obtain these records and what is in them go to
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Irish-civil-registration.html
I hope that this is helpful.
Best wishes,
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 23rd Apr 2013, 08:57AM