Nicholas Lawless convict transported to Australia 1828

Hi,

Thank you for your message.

Unfortunately, the reality of finding documentation pertaining to births/baptisms/marriages/deaths in Ireland prior to 1800 ? particularly in rural areas ? is that they simply may not exist. Some registers for urban areas pre-dating 1800 may exist ? though often these can be fragmented- as there was an increased need in cities or larger towns to document the population. So if Nicholas was born in Dublin, there is a greater chance of you finding his birth record.  Also, please note that the Church of Ireland was the official Church of the country so the bulk of records that do survive from this period are often from these registers.

For information on Church of Ireland registers, check http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/.

Also, Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.

Do you have any documentation belonging to Nicholas that mentions any place name-townland/parish/village or town?

You could try doing a search https://familysearch.org/ This is a  huge database of genealogical records compiled by the Church of the Latter Day Saints. If you can find some record of Nicholas here it may give you a parish name.

More bad news is that trial records dating to this period were largely destroyed in a fire in the Public Records Office at the start of the Irish Civil War, so you will be unable to use these for more information. However, many trials may have been covered in local newspapers. For information on Irish newspapers archives go to the National Library?s website here:

http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-newspapers.aspx

There is also an online newspaper database for some newspapers. You can search this database for free, however to view specific records there is a small fee. Here is the link:

http://www.irishnewsarchive.com/

Some other websites that you may find helpful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm

Genealogy Links:

http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/dublin/index.html

http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/meath/index.html

You could also try contacting the Meath Heritage Centre for help- a fee may apply. Here are their contact details:

Meath Heritage Centre,

Town Hall,

Castle St,

Trim,

Co. Meath.

Phone: +353 (0) 46 9436633   Email: meathhc@iol.ie

I hope that this is helpful. Remember to post any new information that you find. 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.

Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,       

Genealogy Support

I can't make an Australian Lawless connection but wonder if you know anything about a Catherine Carty who married Owen Creighton in Ireland around 1840. Her daughter Mary came to the US around 1860 and married Thomas McGuinness in 1866 in Burrillville Rhode Island. Thomas was my great grand uncle.

Kate Lambert

I can't make an Australian Lawless connection but wonder if you know anything about a Catherine Carty who married Owen Creighton in Ireland around 1840. Her daughter Mary came to the US around 1860 and married Thomas McGuinness in 1866 in Burrillville Rhode Island. Thomas was my great grand uncle.

Kate Lambert

Bonjour Chauvel,

There is a set of Assisted Irish Immigrants to NSW commencing 1848. Perhaps some of the 5 children left behind re-united with Nicholas once he was established, and the famine was upon them.

http://www-library.uow.edu.au/archives/collections/UOW095480.html

Have you been able to access the 1827 trial papers? Maybe some information there?  Maiden name of his first wife, could lead to a Parish Marriage record, with his parents named.

Hope this is helpful.

Hi Kate,

Thanks for your comment.

Do you know where Catherine and Owen were born/lived in Ireland? Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Once you have a specific location you will be able to search these for information.

Do you know much about Mary?s emigration? Sometimes more information was given at the port of arrival rather than that of departure. If you can find Mary?s immigration records you may be lucky and find a place name recorded. For information on immigration records in the US check the US National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/

Another useful site for information on immigration records is:

http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/US-immigration-records.html

You could also try searching for Catherine and other family members at https://familysearch.org/ This is a huge database of genealogical records that have been complied by the Church of the Latter Day Saints.

Some of the websites that I listed above for Chauval may also be helpful to you in your research.

Remember to post any other information that you have here, especially if you have a specific place of origin. 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.

Kind regards,

Emma