Christopher Duff

Even though the year of birth is even further out than any of his US records would suggest, I'd say that's definitely the correct family, Dollard is not a common surname and the combination of the two even less so. Names were sometimes reused for later children if a child died, so there's a very slight possibility that the couple had more than one Christopher.

There are just two other baptisms children showing up for the couple John in 1843 and Ann in 1846, both in the same parish as Christopher.

There's a marriage for John and Jane showing up on the index in 1835, also in Skerries/Holmpatrick RC parish. The records this far back dont usually include that much detail, but should show the date of the marriage, the couple names and usually the names of two witnesses which can be family members of neighbours. Some records include a basic 'address', i.e. a townland name.

Thank you for your help shanew147!  I downloaded the marriage record for John Duff & Jane Dollard - not much information to go on other than a marriage date and 2 witness names.  I also purchased the baptism records for John Duff (Jr) and Ann Duff.  On John Jr's baptism record was a sponsor named Catherine Murray - the same name also appears as a witness on the marriage record.  Additionally, the baptism records for Christopher & Ann both give a Chapel St. address (John's gives no address) I am inclined to agree that I think this is the family, but am not 100% sure whether the Christopher in question is "my Christopher".  It's tough to say given the variety of birth years I've found for him...it's also interesting that John & Jane married in 1835, but the first record of a child that I find is in 1843 - probably unlikely that they waited 8 years to have children so there may be earlier children that we have no records for.  The question is, was Jane still having children 10+ years later?!?!  

Hi Kristen, apologies for not following this up with you sooner, due to work commitments and lack of time.
I have managed to trace some Duff family members in the National Library here i Dublin, and there are many Duff birth entries in the 18th. and 19th. Centuries recorded in Holmpatrick, Skerries records. As your helpful assister pointed out, there is a Christopher Duff born to John Duff and Jane Dollard, bapt. 22.11.1849, and also Ann?s bapt on 21.10.1846. I did look for John?s bapt in 1843, but was unable to find it, I?m sure its there, but the records are so illegible in parts that its impossible to see, so if its on Rootsireland.ie its fairly sure to be genuine.
The dates are a bit strange all right, and I haven?t yet found the marriage record of 1835, which is really a long way off from 1843, or 1846, but not at all impossible. There are however a lot of Duff births around the same times, also marriages, probably of brothers and sisters of John Duff.
Christopher is obviously a family name as it occurs frequently, including your
Christopher Bapt 22.11.1849 to John & Jane Dollard, of Chapel Street
Christopher Bapt May 1845, to John Duff & Mary Sheils of Cross Street
Christopher Bapt 9.4.1844, to John Duff & Alicia Christy of Chapel Street.
I will continue to research what I can find about the family and see if I can tie up some pieces together. The earliest records I have found have been 1772, but there is a huge number to be researched between then and 1840s. Can you let me know any other information you have found, the other male Duff names have been james, Mathias, Joseph, John, with females Jane, Ann, Mary and Alicia.
I look forward to you making contact with us again and hope we will be able to provide some more pieces of the jigsaw !!

Kind regards, Valerie (Dermac)

Hi Valerie - Wow, thank you so much for the information you've found!  Are you related to the Duff family as well?  

Here is what I've found on the Duffs via rootsireland.ie:

Baptism record 22-Apr 1849 for Christopher Duff, parents John Duff/Jane Dollard, Sponsors James Duff & Mary Anne Edwards

Baptism record 12 Feb 1843 for John Duff, parents John Duff/Jane Dollard, sponsors Joseph Boylan & Catharine Murray

Baptism record 21 Oct 1846 for Ann Duff, parents John Duff/Jane Dollard, sponsors Jackson Allen & Ann Walsh.

Marriage Record 12 Jan 1835 for John Duffe and Jane Dollard, witnesses Catherine Murray & Joseph Duffe.  Parents names were not given.

Per Griffiths Valuation, many of the baptism sponsors appear to have been Chapel Street neighbors.  Interesting that Catherine Murray appears more than once, perhaps she is family of some kind.  Other than that, the only 2 Duff(e)s that I find among the Irish records I've located were James and Joseph.

My 2nd Great Grandfather, Christopher married Anna Breen here in the US.  She was from the area of Cashel in Tipperary and her parents were Philip Breen & Dora Connell. Christopher and Anna had the following children:

John Joseph, Philip, Genevieve (aka Jane or Jennie), Dorothy, Alice, Richard.  The first 4 children appear to have been named after their grandparents (John Duff, Philip Breen, Jane (Genevieve?) Dollard, Dora  (Dorothy?) Connell).  Anna Breen had a brother named Richard, not sure where Alice fits in - could that be after the Alicia you mention?

I've also just reached out to the Swords Historical Society to see if they could possibly help with researching this family.  I've passed along the information I have and am waiting to hear back from them regarding their thoughts as to their ability to help.  I'll post more once I hear back.

Thank you again for what you've done so far - I really appreciate the assistance!  

Hi Kristen, Great to hear back from you so quickly, always great to get some info when you've been looking for a long time. No I have no Duff direct relatives, though a lot of Duff females appear to have married Derham men, also from Skerries, and Derham is one of my family names. I do however live in Skerries and my mother was born here, beautiful place to live !! I have some more info for you as I was back in the Nat Library yesterday, and managed to find Johns birth which I hadnt seen before,(that is John Duff who married Jane Dollard) also more importantly I found the baptism record for Jane Dollard, which is 26th January 1810, born to John Dollard and Ann Dowling. I had already a record of births of a John Dollard and Ann but havn't a marriage record yet, but the first birth of a child to them is Jane in 1796, then Matthew in 1798, then Sally in 1800, Patrick Richard in 1802, and your Jane who was born in 1810. The earlier Jane must have died young and it was quite common to call a subsequent child by the same name later. I would imagine the marriage would have been about 1795 or thereabouts. I think that John Duff senior, would have probably been born around 1811, as I didnt find him in 1810 yet. However I also found some marriage records, one of which is of another John Duff who married Margaret Donagh on 15th. Oct. 1809, both of Skerries parish,(and witnesses were Joseph Duff and Margaret Russell) and this John could well be the father of John born approx 1811. By the way either spelling of Duff will be the same family, often the name was just written down by the Priest whatever way he said it. I will give you a chance to absorb some of this for now, and will try and put all the different names, dates of marriages and births together in some order for you and mabey send them in an attachment next time. I'l keep in touch anyway, kind regards, Valerie

Amazing.  Absolutely amazing!  Yes, please let me have a look at this info and digest it, I'm speechless!.....you can also reach me on kristenh41@gmail.com.  I cannot thank you enough for your hard work in tracking this information down.  I never expected to get back quite this far in Irish genealogy (particularly with a man that left a very scant paper trail in the US)!  

Best,

Kristen

Hello all,

I have just discovered these postings while researching my Duff family history who are also from Skerries.

Kristen, I noticed a Grave (on findagrave.com) of Ellen Marie Duff who was born in Skerries in 1857. The Grave also commemorates her husbands Flood and McGowan. There is some info about her which Mentions a Charlie Murray so I do not know if this will help you to connect the names you are researching. Interestingly her Mother's name and her daughters is Alicia..

I have hit a wall in my research as it is difficult to see which Duff's are mine, as you are aware their are lots of them! My G-G-G-Grandmother was Mary/Maria Duff. I have her Church Marriage record to Edward Brady (born in Balbriggan,1832. His father Laurence born in Lusk in 1811) and they married in 1859 in Skerries. At the time Mary lived in New Street and Edward in Strand Street. Mary's father is James Duff. Mary had at least 10 children, most of whom were born in New Street. They later lived at Obertstown, Lusk and Mary and Edward are buried in Skerries graveyard. Have any of you come across Mary or her father James? I would appreciate any help.

Good luck,

Josie

Hi Kristen,

Just in case that you haven't seen these, noticed while looking for my Mary Duff through the Register's......This Baptism fits with the Marriage of  your John Duff and Jane Dolland, 12.01.1835.

Skerries Baptism -18.12.1835. Alicia Duff to John Duff and Jane - no maiden name listed. Sponsor's - John Monks and Ann Gillegan.

Also the Marriage record in Skerries, 20.08.1866.

Ann Duff, Church St, parent's John Duff and Jane Dolland

to Christopher Comerford, Quay St. parent's Peter Comerford and Jane Grimes.

Witness's - Simeon Comerford and Margaret Dowling.

Good luck with your research,

Josie