Hello! I am searching for any information (birth, baptismal, marriage, residence, work, farm ownership or residence, birth information about their children, etc.) about Margaret and Michael Murphy (my gggrands), and for the Phillip Connolly family, wife’s full name unknown, last name maybe Fay.
My family history has Margaret and Michael Murphy both born in County Monaghan, maybe somewhere near Carrickmacross and ?Baillebay? (correct spelling unknown). Maybe both were born around 1795, Michael around 1795, and Margaret 1795-1803, maybe on June 24. (Their son James married Roseanna Connolly in the United States, and in our family it is said that the Connollys and the Murphys lived on adjoining farms between Carrickmacross and “Baillehay”. The legend is that the nearest town was Coote Hill.) We believe Margaret and Michael Murphy to be Roman Catholic. They had six children, all born in Ireland, birthdates are approximate. Mary, 1826; John 1829; Thomas 1832; Margaret 1837; Patrick 1839; James 1844. I was told the whole family came to the United States during the potato famine, and emigrated by ship (unknown name ??) in 1849 (maybe April) when James was 4 or 5 years old. We understand that the ship left from Liverpool and landed in Philadelphia. We know that son Patrick was born in 1839 and came to the States when he was 10 years old with his family.
As for Phillip Connolly, we know he had at least 2 daughters, Roseanna and Josephine, and one son (name unknown). His wife’s maiden name may have been Fay. Phillip and his wife and son came to the United States and reportedly died of “the plague” or maybe landed in New Orleans and died of yellow fever. His daughters, Roseanna (born about 1843), and her sister Josephine (born about 1845) emigrated to the United States on a different ship sailing from Liverpool, when Roseanna Connolly was 18 and her sister Josephine was 16. Family legend has the Murphys taking in the Connolly sisters, possibly as house maids.
Any information anyone can provide would be appreciated. Thank you for helping me find my folks! Sincerely, Margaret Pickett
Margaret Pickett
Tuesday 16th Apr 2013, 03:06PMMessage Board Replies
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Hi Margaret,
Carrickmacross & Ballybay are towns in Co Monaghan. Cootehill is a town in Co Cavan very close to Co Monaghan it would be closer to Ballybay than Carrickmacross.
Check immigrants on Ellis Island.org or Castlegarden.org you might find them on that, you need to find yur townland & it may be on a headstone, obituary etc. Look at their neighbours, who they may have travelled with or to, did anyone else join the family or visit them in any of the census since they moved as family often joined them later.
You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) if you haven't already. The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38): Microfilm copies of the books for all of Ireland are available at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI)http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/tithe-applotment-books-and-the-primary-griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here:www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at.The Tithe Applotment List might be of use to you, or at least interesting for you. These lists constitute the only nationwide survey for the period, and are valuable because the heaviest burden of the tithes to the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, fell on the poorest, for whom few other records survive. The information in the Tithes is quite basic, typically consisting of townland name, landholder's name, area of land and tithes payable. Many Books also record the landlord's name and an assessment of the economic productivity of the land. The tax payable was based on the average price of wheat and oats over the seven years up to 1823, and was levied at a different rate depending on the quality of land. For Parishes where the registers do not begin until after 1850, this information can be useful, as they are often the only surviving early records. They can provide valuable circumstantial evidence, especially where a holding passed from father to son in the period between the Tithe survey and Griffith's Valuation.Civil registration records are available from the General Register Office (GRO). These start from 1864. You can access the website here:http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm Or you might try Valuations office in Dublin (http://www.valoff.ie) which will have a record of the land registry from 1855 to modern times. This will assist in seeing what happened to any land the familymay have owned (as it usually passed on to a relation).You could also contact countymonaghanfund.com
as Co Monaghan have some genealogy assistance on this site.
Best of luck with your searches & let me know how you got on. Regards Carmel O'Callaghan
Bailieborough Cavan
Tuesday 16th Apr 2013, 09:01PM -
Hi Carmel,
I thank you for your suggestions of search locations. I am trying the Castlegarden site.
I did try the Griffiths valuation, and had some luck, maybe. I found a Philip Connolly in the union of Cootehill. Is that a "townland"? I also found a Michael Murphy in county Monaghan, Carrickmacross, and maybe this is a townland--Derrylavan?
If you could help me understand what a townland is, I might be able to search your resources better. Then tell me what to do once I find the townland, please.
And can you tell me where baptismal records are kept? All 6 of the Murphy children were born "on the farm", but as I believe them to be Roman Catholic, I might presume they were baptized and a record kept. Michael was a farm laborer, or tenant, I believe, so maybe there will not be much written record of the family.
The suggestion for Title Applotment Books sounds very interesting, but unless the records are digitized, I do not think I can view them remotely--would that be so?
I am so pleased with the information you have sourced for me. One of the days, I will actually find a record of Michael and Margaret Murphy and their children before they emigrated about 1849 to the United States. Their son Patrick helped found Joplin, Missouri. And their son James had extensive mine holdings in Galena/Empire City, Kansas.
I have hope of finding something about Philip Connolly and his wife and son and two daughters. I cannot find them in the ship's passenger lists, but will keep looking. Their daughter Roseanna married James Murphy and settled in Kansas. We do not know what happened to her sister Josephine once the two girls arrived in the States.
Thank you continuously for your gracious help and valuable service.
Margaret Pickett
Margaret Pickett
Wednesday 17th Apr 2013, 03:06AM -
Dear Margaret,
I will try and answer your questions, hopefully you can follow me.
A townland is the smallest parcel of land, made up of a collection of fields & several people could live in the same townland. They would vary in size of between 500 to 1500 acres or more. We dont have names on roads in the country.
The Union of Cootehill, is a title that is not used any more. Poor law unions were set up to administer areas during the famine.
Derrylavan would be a townland.
You would find church records on subscription sites like rootsireland.ie and also onAncestry.co.uk & it would depend on each church as to whether they records were kept safely & some years may be missing.
theomcmahon@eircom.net should be able to help you with Monaghan records & cavangenealogy@eircom.net for Cavan records
Yes you can view the Tithe applotments at www.askaboutireland.com
I hae been researching my family for best part of 30 years & every now & again a new selection of records come online & I read & search them & sometimes I find something, but I am getting to a stage that I will have to let go a little. My best luck was finding 4th cousins (who shared similar stories with me) & joining 3 families & proving & disproving some of those stories. So do move out of your direct lines as their lines will also go back & join yours.
It is a problem finding women as unless you know their marriage name your really have little hope, unless their family comes looking for you.
Patrick & James Murphy seem to have done well for themselves, do you know where they are buried, Have you visited the cemetaries, what did they name their homes etc, they may have named a company/house etc after something they left behind!! Any obituaries on them?
Good luck & I hope I have not confused you.
Regards Carmel
Bailieborough Cavan
Thursday 18th Apr 2013, 10:26PM