I've been trying to find my grandmother's birth cert for years now to no avail, having tried the GRO directly aswell as online when the civil record were made available recently. A baptism record would be just as good, but unfortunately the online records on http://registers.nli.ie stop at 1880 and she was born in 1908. Someday I'd like to visit the church in Rockhill to examine the register myself, if possible, but perhaps in the meantime someone on here can help.
Name: Ellen Murphy
DOB (allegedly): July 10, 1908
Her name was Ellen Murphy, and she lived in Lotteragh Upper just outside Bruree. Here's the family in the 1911 census - she was the youngest. Here they are in the 1901 census, when the father was still alive.
I've found birth certs for her siblings - for example, her two sisters, Kate & Nora.
There might be some confusion with her mother's maiden name, perhaps - it's Roberts, but I've found that her family was also known as Cunneen, an Irish variant. There's an old family story about Dev visiting my great-grandmother and always calling her "Kate Cunneen" (I think she was a friend of the Colls)
I don't know if it's related, but I can't find any record of Ellen's father death either, which must have occurred between 1908 and the census in 1911, as Ellen is listed as being 2 years of age then.
I'd love to find this information while my mother (and some of her other children) are still alive.
Steve
Monday 13th Feb 2017, 11:34AMMessage Board Replies
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I forgot to add the 1901 census link...
Steve
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Steve:
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!
I also could not locate a civil birth record for Ellen or a death record for a James Murphy.
I looked for an e-mail address for the Bruree/Rockhill parish but could not find an address. Maybe you should contact the diocese and see if they can provide an e-mail address for the parish.
http://www.limerickdiocese.org/contactus.html
Roger McDonnell
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
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Thanks Roger, I might do that.
Steve
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Hi Steve,
The email address for Rockhill Parish is: bww@eircom.net The parish priest is Father William Walsh. My family are also from Bruree but all the siblings were baptised in Kilmallock. If nothing is found in Rockhill you should try the Kilmallock records. The person who holds the records in Kilmallock is Canon Joseph Shire. email kilmallockchurch@eircom.ie
Good luck in your search. Eve
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Steve, I found something for you at IrishGenealogy.ie under civil records.
James Murphy married Cathrine Roberts in Kilmallock on the 3rd October 1882. James was 40 years old and a widower. The marriage was witnessed by Minnie Roberts and someone named Micheal, I couldn't make out the last name. James' father was also named James and Catherine's father was Micheal Roberts. Both parents were living at the time of their marriage.
If they married in Kilmallock it is more than likely their children was baptised there. If he was from the area it is possible his first marriage may be recorded there. If not he may have been from somewhere else and moved there after marrying Cathrine.
Eve
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Hi Eve,
thanks for that, I already have the marriage cert (1885), amd the birth certs of all the siblings. I think you may be mixing up registration districts and the locations at which events actually occurred. Kilmallock is the main registration district in the vicinity (one of eight in County Limerick), being the largest town in the vicinity. The marriage did place in Bruree, but was registered in Kilmallock - the same with the births (the baptisms were actually at Rockhill church). You can see at the top of the marriage certificate "Marriage solemnized at the Roman Catholic chapel of [Bruree] in the Registrar's District of [Bruree] in the Union of [Kilmallock]".
If you have family from Bruree, I'd say it's the same - everything civil will have been registered in Kilmallock, so any search under civil records should be for Kilmallock, but religious records like baptisms should be for Rockhill or Bruree. Not sure if you're living in Ireland and already know all of this, forgive me if I'm stating the obvious or anything.
Thank you very much for the Rockhill parish contact details, I will try emailing!
thanks,
Steve.
Steve
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Hi Steve,
Yes you are right, I was just about to correct my post to you. I did find the records I was looking for in the Kilmallock church after trying to find them in Bruree. Three of the older ones were missing and I found them in Ardpatrick Co Limerick. (not far from Kilmallock) the odd thing was the registration district was down as Charleville and Co Limerick. Charleville is near Kilmallock but is in Co Cork. I don't understand it but that is how it was. I live in the area.
It should have been easy for you to find the certs you are looking for given the dates.
There is somethig you should look at in irishgeneology.ie It probably isn't related but worth a look. A James Murphy died in 1906, also a driver by occupation and reported by Micheal Muldoone. Registered in Charleville. Sometimes age in the census are not correct.
Eve
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Hi Eve, thanks for that - yes, I checked out that James Murphy - if I remember correctly, he lived in Turrets in Charleville? I was able to discount him (I don't remember exactly why, off the top of my head - so many death certs for so many people!). I do have some family coming from Charleville and that direction, but on the other side of the family. My James Murphy was a farmer and his father was from the same place outside Bruree too. I have emailed Father Walsh - I'll let you know if anything comes of it, if you're interested.
Steve.
Steve
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Hi Steve,
Yes I'd love to hear how you get on, and if there is anything I can do to help from here let me know. I'm interested to know if you were able to make out the name of the witness on the marriage cert for James and Cathrine. Also I thought James' occupation was down as a driver in the marriage cert, maybe I got it mixed up with someone else. I'm interested in your story first of all because it is in Bruree, but also because I'm at a brick wall with one woman myself, but I keep searching. So I understand you wanting the whole picture for your family. I'll post my story soon.
Eve
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Just checked my notes from a few years ago - from the marriage cert I have the witnesses down as Michael Morrison or Harrison, and Minnie or Winnie Roberts (likely Minnie), Roberts (aka Cunneen) being the bride's surname. Searching the 1901 census, I can see that there are Morrisons (Edmond & Mary) in Tankardstown North, Bruree, so the first witness was probably a Morrison. The nearest Harrisons were in Kilmallock, and mainly Protestant.
My recollection was wrong earlier when I said he was a farmer, he's listed as a Labourer - but the family did rent a farm in Lotteragh. He's also listed as a labourer in the 1901 census.
Here's the Charleville JM in the 1901 census, so definitely a different person - this is most likely how I discounted him:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Cork/Charleville/The_T…
Steve
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That is interesting Steve, my family were from Tankardstown North also. I'm sure our families would have known each other, back then everyone knew everyone in the whole area. Your family lived on the otherside of Bruree from Tankardstown going towards Rourke's Cross. There was a creamery in that area, some of the walls are still standing. I passed it yesterday. The old school in Bruree is now the de Valera Museum, he went to school there. It was built in 1863. You may have looked it up on the net, it is a lovely building. Your family members would have gone to school there as did mine, even my father went to shool there. You might be interested in this.
http://www.irishidentity.com/extras/saints/stories/devschool.htm