Finn / Coleman Charleville Limerick, Ireland

Hi there,

Charleville is very clise to the County Limerick border, which is why you probably found it written like that rather than actually being in County Cork. It might be a good idea to check for records in both counties, just to be sure.

There are Roman Catholic church reocrds available for the diocese of Charleville (Cloyne). These date from 1827 for baptismal records and 1774 for marriage records. You can find them at the National Library of Ireland, Pos. 5001; from 1827, Pos. 5002. If you have any difficulty, you could try writing to the parish priest for more assistance.

Civil registration records are available from the General Register Office (GRO). These start from 1864 however. You can access the website here: http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm

Do you know when they left Ireland?

Have you tried checking the Ellis Island records (www.ellisisland.org) or the Castle Garden records (www.castlegarden.org)? Generally, more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which city they arrived at, this could be a good place to find more information.

You could also try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64). Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here: www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at.

There is a book you might be interested in called Tracing you Cork Ancestors by Tim Cadogan (1998).

Please make sure you link anyone else in your family who is interested in their Irish heritage to our site - and indeed anyone else you know of Irish heritage.

Kind regards,

Sinead Cooney

Genealogist (Ireland XO)

Hello Sinead,

I will take on board the helpful research references you have supplied in your message, thanks.

I am not sure if I left a reply to your comments before or not......but just in case I havent, I am trying, with very little success at this point in time, to trace my Finn family connections in Ireland. 

My great grandfather was Edmund Finn. According to his Australian death certificate he was born in Limerick, c.1859.

Whilst I have no reason to doubt his age at time of death (78 yrs it says on his death certificate) I have found a copy of one of his daughter's Australian birth certificates which states that Edmund came from Charleville, Cork, and not Limerick. I know that Charleville is close to Limerick but surely Edmund would have given the correct place of departure or place of previous residence in Ireland, on his daughter's birth record in Australia ? 

Edmund's father's name is believed to have been Patrick (Finn) and mother Helen but no record of Helen's family name before she married Patrick. I dont even know if Patrick and Helen came out to Australian or not.

I would love to hear from anyone with connections to the Finns from either Cork or Limerick who thinks they might have some info on this elusive family, both in Ireland and Australia.

Edmund seems to first appear in Australian records in Como, New South Wales, Australia some time around 1880,  as a railway construction worker. He may have left Ireland in 1876 or thereabouts.

Please, anyone with any clues please ?

Regards,

Jim Kelton (Finn)

all graves are uploaded onto the www.historicgraves.ie website. 

Effin Graveyard http://historicgraves.com/graveyard/effin/li-effn

Kilquane Graveyard - http://historicgraves.com/graveyard/kilquane/li-klqn