Tracing Anthony Gillespie born, Ballina January 1880

Hi,

I've forwarded your request to a volunteer who may be able to assist you.

All the best

I have traced Anthony Gillespie to the US and have found quite a bit!

How sure are you on the Ellis Island records?  Did you find those or were you told those?

Not sure if you want me to write it all here?

Just want to confirm that Anthony was the son of James and Sabine who had 11 children (9 living in 1911) and lived in Cloontykillew, Ballina, Mayo?

There is more than one Anthony Gillespie from that area with a similar age and I want to be sure Im tracking the right one before i go any further.  

Thanks,

Emily

Some information that may help you trace the Gillespie Family in Ballina

1911 ? Census (may be Anthony in the last houshold)

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?census_year=1911&surname=Gillespie&firstname=Anthony&county=Mayo&townland=&ded=&age=&sex=&search=Search&relationToHead=&religion=&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&birthplace=&language=&deafdumb=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=

Anthony Gillespie in Griffiths Valuation (1850?s) ?check maps for land held

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&Submit.x=27&Submit.y=16&Submit=Submit&familyname=Gillespie&firstname=Anthony&baronyname=&countyname=MAYO&unionname=&parishname=

This website give info on Headstones, Maps, etc in the Ballina area (a few Anthony Gillespie?s in the Headstone Section

http://goldenlangan.com/

I looked up Anthony emigration records and it seems his Father was James and his town of origins is actually Cloontikilla which is in Ballina.

This is an excellent website to trace people in the Startes (There is an Anthony Gillespie from Ballina who is living in Chicago in 1940 and dies in 1941 - but the fathers name here is Anthony). You may recognise some of the names here.

https://familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3AAnthony~%20%2Bsurname%3AGillespie~%20%2Bresidence_place%3AChicago~

regards,  

The most likely find is that posted by Cyn O'Connor from the Chicago records. The chap I'm looking for - his parents were Anthony Gillespie and Mary Murphy, and their family was James Alexander (died in childhood) Margaret, Cecelia, Anthony and Teresa (my grandmother).

The town "Belaney Ireland" may be a corrupt interpretation of Ballina, as there is no such town in Ireland that I can find. The date of birth may also be incorrect. How can one find the source data for this record? How does one investigate this person and his possible family more intensively?

This is what I've found:

Anthony Joseph Gillespie (per WWI Registration Card I found his middle name)

Born: 6 May 1880 Ballina, Mayo

Died: 17 Sept 1941 in Chicago, Cook Co. IL, Buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Rivergrove, IL

Bricklayer as per death record and ship record

Father: Anthony Gillespie

Mother: Mary Murphy born in Sligo

Spouse: Marie (possibly Burkett)

Ellis Island arrival - 22 Apr 1899, age 19, Clerk, from Ballina, going to cousin, John McLaughlin, NY,NY

Ellis Island arrival - 13 Jan 1913, Bricklayer, Mother Mary Gillespie, King St. Ballina, going to home, wife Annie (?) New York

1901 Census

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Mayo/Ballina_Urban/King_Street/1571881/

Shows his mother, Mary Gillespie, widowed, publican and grocer with boarders, living with daughters, May 20, Celia 17 & Teresa 15 and father, John Murhpy 70

1911 Census

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Mayo/Ballina_Urban/King_Street/699818/

Shows his mother, Mary Gillespie, widowed, Publican, living with daughter Teresa, 28 and boarders.

Her next door neighbor is Wm. Boland which may be my relative

Last U.S. Census before he died in 1941 -

1940 Census:

Gillespie, Anthony - age 59 - Naturalized citzen, Marie - age 53 - wife, Betty J - age 15 - daughter, Helen - age 13 - daughter - address:2918 Rutherford Ave.

If all this looks right so far....I will trace the wife and children from this point on...

Thanks, Emily

Dear Emily,

This is almost certainly the right person, but there are a couple of discrepancies. 

1. Date of birth/christening.

i have him as having been born in North Mayo on 7/1/1880.  This would just about be possible as his sister Teresa, my grandmother was born on 17/11/1880. This is reasonably hard data, although my grandmother was fond of boasting about her age, and may have done some embroidery Your date of birth would clearly be impossible.!

2. The second emigration in 1913 is recorded in Ellis Island as being on 13th. July 1913, not January.

If these data are compatible, and I believe they probably are, then this is indeed my grand uncle, and I would like to trace any offspring.

i would welcome any further information you can glean.

I have a great deal of information on the family, but have concerns about security.

Okay, this is where things get confusing....Ellis Island has 2 records in 1913 for two Anthony Gillespie's...both aged 33.

The one on July 13th specifically says that he went on to Russleville, Arkansas and there is a huge family there that I found online with mother Sabine in Ireland.  This is not the right family I believe if your sure his mother was Mary Murphy.

http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?order_num=1786113764&MID=06833045560076369408&order_num=1786113764&ORDER_ID=1500236762&FNM=ANTHONY&LNM=GILLESPIE&PLNM=GILLESPIE&first_kind=1&last_kind=0&RF=13&pID=100688130344&

The other record in January 13, 1913 states he's a bricklayer from King St, Ballina, who would match up with Mary Gillespie on King St. being his mother and showing the sister Teresa...so it's total coincidence there are 2 different Anthony Gillespies, both age 33 leaving in 1913.  Not sure where you got the info on the ship records?  I included the links so you can see.

http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?order_num=1786113764&MID=06833045560076369408&order_num=1786113764&ORDER_ID=1500236762&FNM=ANTHONY&LNM=GILLESPIE&PLNM=GILLESPIE&first_kind=1&last_kind=0&RF=13&pID=100546070370&lookup=100546070370&show=%5C%5C192%2E168%2E100%2E11%5Cimages%5CT715%2D2002%5CT715%2D20020520%2ETIF&origFN=%5C%5C192%2E168%2E100%2E11%5CIMAGES%5CT715%2D2002%5CT715%2D20020519%2ETIF

I was thinking that maybe there was confusion on the birthdate because you said he was baptised on 7/1/1880 and over here we read that as July 1st and that would work out perfect if he was born 2 months prior to his baptism on 6 May, 1880 (although I know over there you write the dates different)  If he was baptised in January 1880, that would not work with a May birth.

According to the 1901 & 1911 Ireland Census' - Teresa could not of been born in 1880. Between 1883 & 1886.   I found a birth record in Ballina for a Teresa Gillespie born in 1884.  When I search the 1901 & 1911 Ireland Census, only one "Teresa Gillespie" in County Mayo shows up...

Well Im sure I confused you more!  Sorry lol

Thanks, Emily

Hi Emily,

You are probably right on the Ellis Island landing. Your research on this looks much more likely. 

Teresa was my granny, whom I knew well. I have three file attachments I will send concerning her, and a section of the family tree setting out her relationships. The headstone would seem to confirm an 1880 birth. I also recall looking this up in a births register, although I don't have the data to hand.

I think the misreading of the date format is probably the explanation, although the pregnancies still seem very close!

Granny was always very proud of her great age, and I suppose she could possibly have enhanced it!

I do think this is the missing brother, and would like to further explore the more recent generations.

I have checked my own data, and I think the baptism record I have for Teresa is wrong, and that she was in fact born in 1882, not 1880. This would fit all the rest of my data, and the headstone.

I think there is a transcription error in the Ellis Island Records. I have here the data I had giving an arrival date of 13th. July 1913, but the original ship's manifest for the Caronia arriving on 13th. January 1913 has a handwritten record which is too close for coincidence. I think someone mistook a 1 for a 7, and that my typed form is incorrect. 

Also, this man is recorded as joining his wife, whom I read as "Annie" not "Marie"

Whre was the original mention of a wife named "Marie"? If it is this ship's manifest I think it may have been misread.

I attach the typed document that I think is wrong.

Wow ok!  Now I understand better seeing the family tree and headstone!

Some other things I have figured out:

According to his Naturalization Card...he was naturalized on 19 Oct, 1927 in Chicgo, IL.  He immigrated in Apr. 25, 1898 to NY

Anthony was NOT in Ireland for the 1901 or 1911 Census.

Anthony's death record in Illinois proves he is the son of Anthony Gillespie and Mary Murphy and he had a wife Marie and 2 daughters Betty & Helen.  

Problem is -- I found a marriage record for an Anthony Gillespie, son of Mary Murphy and Anthony Gillespie, 1901, NY - marrying Ann Gillespie, daughter of Patrick and Mary Moran...(which makes sense on the ship record where he said he had a wife - Annie)  This had to be his first wife...maybe she died?  Being that he was a bricklayer, from King Street Ballina, mother Mary Murphy...its has to be the same person.  Maybe thats why he went home and then came back...something happened to his wife?

Another odd thing I found, on the WWI Draft Registration of the Anthony Joseph born 6 May, 1880...he stated that he worked at a construction company in Chicago and his neareast relative was Anthony JOHN Gillespie, born in 1877 and lived at the same address in Chicago and worked at the same construction company.  Maybe they were cousins? His card was there too (one before) and he listed all the same things.

Annie was still alive in 1913

By 1917 he was living with this other Anthony John Gillespie now in Chicago...so something happened in between there.

Sister - Margaret Gillespie was born 15 Jul 1879 - I found the record with both her parents listed

Your last line, his sister Margaret was my Auntie Mag Cosgrave (actualy a great aunt), and I was talking to a great grand daughter of hers earlier in the week, having met her casually in a local shop!

I think your speculation about a second marriage is quite likely, and also that about a cousin. The Gillespies were a big family from north west of Ballina, between it and Killala. In fact, his father Anthony's marriage to Mary Murphy, from outside Enniscrone, was his second marriage. We never knew whether there was an earlier family, or what happened to them. Mary Gillespie is mentioned on that headstone, and she lived in King Street with my mother and her sisters, and died at quite an old age. 

The record you found for Margaret mentions Garden Street, which was previously called Arran Street. All the streets in Ballina have been renamed in a fit of nationalism. King Street is now O'Rahilly Street for example. This of course adds to the confusion!

Do you have any information on the daughters Betty and Helen?

I am still looking as time permits:)  I have lots of places to search.

I found someone's tree on Ancestry that has Mary and Anthony J. Gillespie on it and 2 children listed as "private".  I have found two different references that Mary was originally from England.  This person on Ancestry hasn't logged on in 5 months but I've written her and hope she will answer!

I was in Ballina this summer.  My Boland's are from Tullylinn and my grandfather last lived in Ballina on Knox St. and he and his brother immigrated to Chicago also.  My dad was born in Chicago and I was born and live in Houston, TX.  I have cousin's in the Kilglass area and got to walk thru my family's old homestead ruins this summer with them in Tullylynn.  I also walked thru all the local cemetaries.  I got all their baptismal info at the Castleconnor Church and birth certs in the office in Sligo.

I have built a tree on Ancestry with your family so I can figure it out better.  See if you can access it:

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/47069361/family

Hi Emily,

On your own ancestry, I checked the headstones in Leigue cemetery, Ballina, and there are a number of Bolands there but mostly recent. This is the oldest headstone there.

You can check the rest on:-

http://goldenlangan.com/home.html

Hi

I am Therese Cunningham, the Parish Administrator for Woodford Parish, Loughrea, Co. Galway.  This site has nothing to do with Ballina, Co Mayo.

I would respectfully suggest that you log in to the Ballina web page.

Yours truly

Therese

Hi my name is Tricia Gillespie. My great grandfather was Anthony Gillespie born in 1880 and as been told by my father his grandfather came to America Circa those years as posted. All the info we have on Anthony Gillespie is that he had a son, also named Anthony Joseph Gillespie and lost his wife in childbirth here in New York area and left the child (my grandfather) with Anthony's sister to raise as he moved out to the Chicago area to find work never to speak with my grandfather again, abandoning him at the age of appox 11. Anthony Gillespie (1880 version) became an alcoholic and never to be heard from again. My aunt Margaret Gerry (ne: Gillespie) went to Ireland back in the 1980's-90's and found we are direct decendants of the imfaous Gillespie bar and my aunt was requested to leave the area immediatly due to some story as to my dad being of male decent was elligable to collect on some inheritance from the bar. (my aunt was a good storyteller) Dont know how much of that is true.

please feel free to contact me @

tricia21@aol.com if you would like to correspond.

thank you

Tricia Gillespie

hello, your talking about my great grandfather Anthony Gillespie from the Chicago area who abandoned my grandfather Anthony Joseph Gillespie as a child in NY to live with his aunt and everually on the streets.

My father only knows specific details as his father was very young when abandoned due to his mother passing during childbirth and his father leaving him behind. Those are the details.

Please feel free to ontact me @

tricia21@aol.com if you would like to correspond

thank you,

tricia gillespie

I am a decendant

my name is Tricia Gillespie

my email is tricia21@aol.com

we can correspond