Donnelly, Murphy, Grant, Woods

Dear Julie H.:

Many thanks for your query to the Ireland Reaching Out message board. 

You have done a lot of research on your own and it is great that you have access to documentation about the Forkhill families in the parish. 

I will ask a volunteer in the Armagh area for further resources for you and post them on this thread.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Please be sure to keep us posted about any future trips.

Kind regards,

Jane.

Julie,

Do you have any townlands (addresses) for the families you are interested in? The names are all very common in Armagh. Looking at the 1901 census of the county there were 907 Donnelly, 1715 Murphy, 339 Grant & 532 Woods.  That gives a flavour of how many. Having a townland or two might help identify your particular ancestors more easily.

For those who were RC, Mullaghbawn parish records only start in 1844 so tracing earlier than that will be very tricky. If the Grant & Woods were of different denominations I can tell you what records exists if I have a townland for them.

Mullaghbawn RC parish is the civil parish of Forkhill. If any of your ancestors were farmers, then they are likely to appear in the tithe applotment records. Those for 1828 contain plenty of Donnelly & Murphy farms:

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/armagh/tithe-applotments/forkhill-parish.php

I have been searching for Loughlin Grant for a couple years. Birth year is 1922. Aughanduff maybe be the township. I am unable to find any birth records, they may have been destroyed in the fires. The family was Catholic. I don’t have his parents name.

 I believe he left Newry on the ship Dolphin about 1848.  Settled in Leeds, Ontario before moving to Wisconsin.

Nichole Grant

Julie, is Francis Loughlin’ father?

Sorry I meant Loughlin 1822 birth year.

Hello Nichole, 

I am so sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner, the email notifications were going to my trash folder, I just recently fixed that.  

Laughlin Grant is my 3x Great Grandfather, he was born in 1822.  Sounds like we are talking about the same person.  His parents were Francis and Alice (Murphy).  I also saw the ship the Dolphin mentioned on Ancestry, but was told by a lady that has done a lot of research, that he and his brother, sister, and mother were actually on the Hannah.  Please look this up, a very interesting, but tragic story about the ship.  His brother Michael stayed in Westport, ON and Laughlin and his brother Owen eventually settled in Rock Elm Township in Pierce County, Wisconsin.  (I was rased in the same township and know which plots of land they farmed).  I can provide more details if you wish, if you are on Ancestry.com, I can share my family tree with you, you may be able to locate it, I am pretty sure it is public.  I have found he was likely from the Forkhill area, that is where many Irish that settled in Westport, ON and Pierce County are from. 

Laughlin's son, Patrick John (PJ) is by 2x great grandfather, Malcolm Louis, Sr my great GF.  

Since your last name is Grant, I assume you are related.  Are you a direct decendant of Laughlin?

Thanks,

Julie

Hello Jane,

This is what I have found regarding where Owen Donnelly b. 1769 lived:  Mullaghbawn, Forkhill, Armagh, Ireland (next door to Murphys & McParlands)

I am afraid that is the only detail I have.  I have a resource from Westport, ON that I think has more details that I have reached out to, waiting to hear back.

Thank you,

Nichole,

As far as destruction of records is concerned, the RC church didn’t lose any records in the big 1922 fire. It was mostly Church of Ireland and state records such as wills and some censuses that were lost then. The issue with RC records is that in rural areas like Armagh few parishes kept any records in the 1820s. They hadn’t started keeping any. So for the RC parish of Forkhill (which includes Aughanduff), the earliest baptism records start in 1845.

In 1828 there was just 1 Grant farm in Aughanduff, headed by Patrick Grant:

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/armagh/tithe-applotments/forkill-parish.php#.WgTKrhR2ug0

Looking at Griffiths Valuation for 1864, I see a Felix Grant farming in Aughanduff. He had plot 31 which was a combination of 5 bits of land totaling just over 12 acres. There was also a Loughlin Grant on plot 44 which was 2 acres. Also Peter Grant on plot 43 which was 2 acres. Perhaps these are relations of Loughlin who left in 1848? I can explain where those farms are today, if you want to locate them and also who succeeded Felix, Peter & Loughlin, and when.

There were 4 Grant households there in 1901, 3 farms and a lady lodging with her niece:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Dorsey/Aughanduff/1023343/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Dorsey/Aughanduff/1023344/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Dorsey/Aughandu…

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Dorsey/Aughanduff/1023356/

3 farms in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Armagh/Dorsy/Aughanduff/334308/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Armagh/Dorsy/Aughanduff/334309/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Armagh/Dorsy/Aughanduff/334300/

Probate abstracts, from the PRONI wills site:

Administration of the Estate of Mary Grant late of Aughanduff County Armagh Widow who died 25 April 1911 granted at Armagh to Francis Grant Farmer.

Grant Francis of Aughanduff county Armagh farmer died 10 September 1917 Administration Belfast 8 March to Joseph Grant farmer. Effects £15.

Judging by the current telephone directory, there is still at least 1 Grant household in the immediate vicinity today. Have you considered contacting them?

Aughanduff and Mullaghbane (Mullaghbawn) are about half a mile apart, so close but the surname Grant is very common in the area, so no guarantee they are related. However having Loughlin as a forename gives a hint of a possible connection.

In the absence of baptism records from the 1820s, DNA testing may be your only way of identifying the right family in Ireland.