Feeney couple from Ballyness/Dunegiven, Derry

The 1831 census has 6 Feeney households in Ballyness, all fairly close together, judging by the enumerator’s numbering system, so probably all related. Some willbe farms and some probably labourer's cottages:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Kennaught/Dungiven/Ballyness/71/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Kennaught/…

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Kennaught/Dungiven/Ballyness/77/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Kennaught/Dungiven/Ballyness/78/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Kennaught/…

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Kennaught/…

Tithe applotment records for Dungiven 1834:

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/derry/tithe-applotments/dungiven-parish.php

They list George Feeny, George jr and Paddy Feeny all farming in Ballyness at that time. By the time of Griffiths Valuation in 1858, there were still 3 farms, this time occupied by James jnr, James snr and Patrick (who might be the Paddy in 1834).

Statutory birth, death and marriage registration (in some jurisdictions called Vital Records) only started in Ireland in 1864, save for non RC marriages which were recorded from 1845 onwards. So you probably won’t find statutory birth, death or marriage certificates in Ireland for this family. For earlier years you usually need to rely on church records, where they exist. You obviously need to know the precise denomination in order to search the correct records. Not all churches have records for that period and not all are on-line.

RC records are mostly on-line on the nli site:  

https://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

The records for Dungiven start in 1825. There’s a gap in the baptisms from 1834 to 1847 and in the marriages from 1834 to 1864.  It seems possible that Bernard and Elizabeth’s marriage and their childrens baptisms all fall in the periods when records are missing. I can’t see any of them anyway.

One family in Ballyness in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Gelvin/Ballyness/1524446/

The above couple are James Feeny son of James Feeney, and Martha Mullan. They married 25th May 1874 in Dungiven chapel.

Hi Elwyn, thank you so very much for this informatio! It's much appreciated, and I will take a look at these records. I'm so grateful to have found this site; I'm trying to confirm where my grandparents' families came from in Ireland during the time of the famine, and I've reached a brick wall on Ancestry. Thank you again,

Michele

Michele, The Feeney couple mentioned (James and Martha) were my great grand parents. The Feeneys came from Ballyness which is between Dungiven and Garvagh in County Derry. As mentioned , there were 6 families of Feeneys living in Ballyness  in 1831 so your ancestor may have been the son of one of them. I was born and brought up in Glenullin which is the name of the district which includes Ballyness and l am guessing the other name could be Mc Ilvar.

Deirdre