I am searching for information on my great grandfather, John Joseph Griffin, who was born in Cork City in 1844 or 1846. He was RC. His parents (on his death certificate) were Thomas Griffin and Catherine Burns, who I can also find nothing about. His father's occupation was listed as an accountant. I was told by a family member that John Joseph was brought to New Zealand or Australia as a baby by a nursemaid, but this has never been confirmed and I am doubting this very much. He was also thought to be working in the goldfields of Australia in his younger years. He appeared in NewAealand when he married my great grandmother in 1875. Any info much appreciated.
Sunday 17th Mar 2013, 09:24PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Kate
Thank you for your query. Do have any other information about John Joseph? What was his wife's name? children? etc. Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
You have good information to start with but finding a place of origin in County Cork ( Parish or Townland) will allow you to search what Roman Catholic records still exist for that area. It may lead you to finding other ancestors or even making a connection with living relatives.
Generally, more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which city they/he arrived at, this could be a good place to find more information -and perhaps even find out an exact place of origin. There are lots of books and documents available about the Irish emigration to NZ. There is a website you could look at: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/irish/2 for information about the Irish in New Zealand.
You could search for a record of John Joseph/ Thomas in the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) https://familysearch.org/
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.
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
Here are some other websites that may be of help to you:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/
http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/
http://www.goireland.com/genealogy/county-centres/locations/cork-county…
http://www.corkarchives.ie/genealogy/
http://mallowheritagecentre.com/
All the best in your research Kate
Kind Regards
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 19th Mar 2013, 03:43PM