Seeking decendants of Michael McNamara father Daniel

Hi Kate,

You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38)  The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38): Microfilm copies of the books for all of Ireland are available at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/tithe-applotment-books-and-the-primary-griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) https://familysearch.org/  .  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.

Have you checked the immigration records in Australia? Generally, more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. The University of Woolongong has produced, on microfiche, a complete index and transcript of all information concerning immigrants of Irish origin recorded on ships' passenger lists between 1848 and 1867. These are useful for finding out an exact place of origin as well as parents' names. The Public Record Office of Victoria has good online databases of settlers at www.prov.vic.gov.au Otherwise, other records may be found in the Colonial Office Papers of the UK National Archives, class reference CO 201. This class contains a wide variety of records, including petitions for assisted passages, emigrants' lists, records of emigrants on board ship, petitions from settlers for financial assistance and much more. All of which may yield clues as to your great grandfather's relatives in Ireland. 

Another possible source of information would be the Public Records Office in Northern Ireland.  http://www.proni.gov.uk/

Information regarding genealogy records in Derry are available at http://derry.rootsireland.ie/ for a fee. 

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,

Cynthia O'Connor

Genealogy Support

Ireland Reaching Out

Thank you for your reply. 

Over the past twenty plus years I have searched all available records and in recent times with the excellent records on line have search (I think ) all websites.

I have been able to obtain Michael's arrival, marriage and death certificates.  He arrived in Melbourne on the "Rodney" 29 March 1858 and it would seem he may have meet his future wife Ellen Griffin from Tipperary on the ship.

Fortunatley he stated Ballycarton as his birth town.  Many on arrival in Australia only said they came from Ireland making searching very difficult.

I have found his father in the Tithe/Griffith's papers.  Michael states his mother as Mary Ann Doherty.  Records in Australia are excellent.  Although not all shipping records help, as is the case with other relatives.

Michael's religion in Australia was Catholic.  As Michael married a girl from Tippeary he may have changed religion.

Apart from his life here in Australia I have been unable to find details in Ireland.

Hi Kate, 

Some of these sites related to church records may be of use to you if you haven't tried them already.   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/.  Presbyterian registers are held in three main locations: in local custody, in the Public Records of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and at the Presbyterian Historical Society 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.   http://www.proni.gov.uk/guide_to_church_records.pdf . 

If you have any difficulty, you could try writing to the parish offices for more assistance. 

All the best.

Cynthia

Thank you.  Since posting I have found Daniel's death on NLI register for 1863 but no grave info. Also siblings on Rootsireland, however no marriage info for Daniel or Maryann (Doherty)  or Maryann McNamara death. As they were RC Parish Aghanloo, farmers of Ballycarton, they seem to be on the boarder of Limavardy and Milliigan parishes, which I have searched without success.  I have found relatives of Charles brother of Michael in America sadly they have no i formation. If I purchase the death certificate will it have much information?

Death certificates were only introduced in Ireland in 1864 so you won’t get one for a death in1863. (You are lucky to have found burial information in the RC parish registers as generally most RC parishes don’t keep such records).

There’s no requirement to record where someone is buried in Ireland, and so tracing a burial is just a question of enquiring locally, as to which cemeteries were in use. Bear in mind too that some people had family plots in graveyards where they used to live, so they are not always buried in the churchyard associated with the church they attended prior to death. Farmers would often be wealthy enough to afford a gravestone, so fingers crossed they had one.

With wealthier families you sometimes get a notice in the paper stating what the burial arrangements are. In general burial in Ireland is 3 days after death, so searching the papers 1 and 2 days after death can be productive.

Thank you.  I doubt if they were wealthy as their land and home no longer exist.  However I have a relative visiting in the next twelve months, so hopefully they may be able to do further research and have some luck!

Hi Kate,

My name is Gerard Bell, Mother maiden name was McNamara. I am from Belfast in ireland.

My mothers family are the McNamaras from Ballycarton, Aghanloo, Limavady, Derry.

I have some information going back to a GGG grandfather called DANIEL MCNAMARA, from Ballyclose Street in Limavady.

He was married to a Rose-Ann Lagan in 1867 in Limvady.

I know we are definately related in some way. But I need to check my details of around this era and Daniels family to see the connection to your Michael McNamara.

Can you email me more information about Michael and I'll try and tie it together with my info.

And I'll give you as muich information about Daniel etc.

My suspicion is that your Michael is  cousin or brother of my Daniel.

I cant remember when Daniel was born but I suspect it was around 1840/1842 around the same time as your Michael.

They are certainly from the same place.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Gerard Bell

gerardbell16@gmail.com