William Gillespie and Mary Ann Holland

Hi,

Thank you for your message.

Given that both Walter and William listed the exact same parents? names on their marriage certificate I think that the possibility of them being brothers is very strong.

However, you could try looking in church records in the parish to see if you can prove the connection. If you can find a birth record that shows William was born in Clonfeacle also I think that i would be sufficient proof.

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 Clonfeacle parish, follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Armagh&parish=Clonfeacle&churchid=199

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.

Unfortunately, no census records from the period survive to show all four of them in the same household so I think church records may be your best option.

Alternatively you could contact Armagh Ancestry for assistance, however a fee may apply. Here is their email: researcher@armagh.gov.uk

Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

I'll make an educated guess that your family may not have been from Clonfeacle. A lot of families registering births at Blackwatertown were from Eglish Parish which is where you'd find a lot more Gillespies. The marriage was in Aghaloo Parish in Tyrone where there were lots of Hollands and Gillespies. Marriages would generally be in the bride's home church. You need to get those full registrations for actual townlands. Location is everything!

I noticed who I think is your William Gillespie on the 1881 census in Northumberland, Ontario with a Rolston family? Rolston was a very common name Eglish and it looks like the wife in that family was a Gillespie. I also saw a death record in Northumberland for a Jane Rolston born in Ireland in 1809 whose father was named William Henry Gillespie. The Irish emigrated in clusters following family members so I suggest scouring the area your family settled in Ontario for relatives.