Looking for information on my ancestor (George Mollohan). Here is the information that my family has:
George immigrated to the Colonies around 1770. It is unknown what port he arrived at, or where he came from before moving into Greenbrier County, VA. It is believed that he married Nancy sometime between 1770 and 1774.
In a document dictated by Charles Mollohan, grandson of George and Nancy (which is not signed, so its veracity is unknown), of which a photocopy was provided to this researcher by James Harry Mollohan, Jr. of Morgantown, WV. Charles states the following:
"My grandfather on my father's side was George Mollohan (perhaps originally was Monahan or Molyhan). He was from Ireland from the County Stigo, an uneducated man, who came to the United States about the year________.
"My grandmother Agnes, or Nancy Jones before her marriage with George Mollohan, was an Irish woman who came from Ireland about the same time, from the County Kerry, when she was 16 years old. When she was quite a child she said the name of America had to her a pleasant sound and she determined in her mind when she became old enough she would come to America and so strong was her will and determination to do so that all the money given her by her parents to be spent in sociables and the like. She laid it by and refused to use the same for any purpose until she had enough to pay her way to America. A short time previous to her leaving, she made known her intentions to two of her comrades who also agreed to accompany her. When the time came to leave, one of the girls decided not to go, but the other was True to her word and while the ship was being loaded, she visited it with friends several times and just a short time before the ship weighed anchor, she and her friend went onboard and secreted themselves and remained hidden until the ship was a day at sea. After she came to this country, she formed the acquaintance with George Mollohan and they were married on the _______ day of_____________ in the year _________ in the County of _____________ and State of Virginia by one ________________ minister of the gospel. A certificate of this marriage is now in my possession. Both were catholics. My grandmother especially was a devoted catholic never laying herself down to sleep without saying her catholic prayers taught her in her childhood."
[Perhaps the descendants of Charles Mollohan, who moved to Kansas, still have this Marriage Certificate and can provide a copy of it, or at least inform us of the date and place of the marriage?]
After moving to Greenbrier County in 1793, George received a land grant on Sinking Creek in Greenbrier County in 1797.
Wednesday 27th Nov 2013, 08:15PM
Message Board Replies
-
Hi - thank you for your message.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. Please also note that the Church of Ireland was the official church of the country and therefore the bulk of information that does survive for earlier periods is often from these registers.
Most Catholic records are held locally - One site which might be of use is - http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/ - where you can ?browse? an overview of available records per county. If you have any difficulty, you could try writing to the parish priest for possible assistance.
Church of Ireland parish registers for the period up to 1870-are public records. Registers are available for about one third of the parishes, however many were destroyed in the Public Records Office in Dublin in 1922. Most are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. A list of all surviving registers is available in the National Archives. http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/. The Anglican Record Project is has created an index to their records: http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/library/AngRecord/bunclodyunionindex.pdf
Some resources which might be of use to you include:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
British parliamentary papers on Ireland can be found at: http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/9824/eppi_pages/215093
Irish Newspaper Archives: http://www.irishnewsarchive.com/
Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. 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,
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 28th Jan 2014, 03:50PM