My Irish ancestors emigrated from Ireland to Canada in the mid-1800s and while I have been successful in locating primary Canadian records, the early Irish chapters remain incomplete.
NOLAN Family – The Nolan family lived in the Townland of Aughclare (Ballybrazil Civil Parish) abt. 1828, and later in Campile (St. James & Dunbrody Civil Parish) east of the Dunbrody Castle and about fourteen kilometres south of the town of New Ross in Wexford County. My Great-Great Grandparents were Thomas Nolan (d.o.b. abt. 1797) and his wife Johanna Walsh (d.o.b. abt. 1801). Thomas and Johanna had six children: Brigida {Bridget} (d.o.b. 16 DEC 1828); Thomas Patrick (d.o.b. abt. 1834); Joannes {John} (d.o.b. 11 DEC 1836); James (d.o.b. 12 OCT 1841); Johanna (d.o.b. 14 DEC 1844); and Ann (d.o.b. abt. 1849). It is believed all the children were baptised at St. James' Catholic Church (Horeswood) and St. Brigid’s Catholic Church (Ballykelly). Canadian records indicate that the Nolan family may have departed Ireland about 1856 (port of departure unknown). No Canadian records have been identified regarding Brigida or Joannes, thus these children may have died in Ireland prior to the family’s departure.
MURPHY Family – The Murphy family resided in the Townland of Boolabaun, (Rossdroit Civil Parish) near Davidstown, southwest of Enniscorthy, in County Wexford. My Great-Great Grandparents were Daniel Murphy (d.o.b. unknown) and Mary Redmond (d.o.b. unknown). I have determined that Daniel and Mary had at least three children: Peter (d.o.b. 24 June 1833); Daniel (d.o.b. 16 FEB 1835); and Mary (d.o.b. 14 April 1838). Records from the National Library of Ireland indicate all their children were baptised at the Davidstown Catholic Church. Canadian records indicate that their son Daniel departed Ireland (port of departure unknown) for Canada about 1856. Daniel married Johanna Nolan (daughter of Thomas and Johanna) in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1874 and died in 1903. I am seeking any information concerning this family’s Irish roots, particularly Daniel and Mary and their children Peter and May.
Any information or source leads will be sincerely appreciated.
M.Murphy
murphma
Monday 18th Mar 2013, 05:56PMMessage Board Replies
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Hello
Thanks for the information you have posted.
You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
The Tithe Applotment List might be of use to you, or at least interesting for you. These lists constitute the only nationwide survey for the period, and are valuable because the heaviest burden of the tithes to the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, fell on the poorest, for whom few other records survive. The information in the Tithes is quite basic, typically consisting of townland name, landholder's name, area of land and tithes payable. Many Books also record the landlord's name and an assessment of the economic productivity of the land. The tax payable was based on the average price of wheat and oats over the seven years up to 1823, and was levied at a different rate depending on the quality of land. For Parishes where the registers do not begin until after 1850, this information can be useful, as they are often the only surviving early records. They can provide valuable circumstantial evidence, especially where a holding passed from father to son in the period between the Tithe survey and Griffith's Valuation.
If you find a townland/ place where you ancestors came from then your next option would be seeking out the church records of marriages and baptisms.
ROMAN CATHOLIC: 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: 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/bunc…
PRESBYTERIAN: Presbyterian registers are held in three main locations: in local custody, in the Public Records of Northern Ireland (PRONI) http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm and at the Presbyterian Historical Society http://www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com in Belfast. PRONI has microfilm copies of almost all registers in Northern Ireland and also lists of records held by the Presbyterian Historical Society. For the rest of Ireland, almost all records are in local custody. It can difficult to locate these as many congregations in the South have moved, amalgamated, or simply disappeared over the last sixty years.
Best regards Michael.
Michael Browne
Thursday 18th Apr 2013, 09:24AM