Looking for the Doherty family

Hi Murray,

Have you looked up the church records in New Zealand? Have you tried checking the land records called the Tithe Appointment Books (1823-1838) or the Griiffiths Valuation Books (1848-1864) or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Here are the URLS for the listed above:

• http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
• http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
• http://familysearch.org/

Do you know much about their emigration? Would you know what dates or the reason why they had left in the first place? Also would you have any idea who they might have travelled with? More information would have been given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which port your great grandmother arrived at, this could be a good place to find out more information. It could also be a good place to find out an exact place of origin. Most Catholic records are held locally. One site that might be of use to you is:

• http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/

Once you are here you are able to 'browse' an overview of available records per county. If you have any difficulty, you could try writing to the parish priest for further 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. Many were destroyed in the Public Records Office in Dublin in 1922. Most are still held by the local clergy, although some are held in the National Archives of Ireland and others are held in the Represantative Church Body Library in Dublin. A list of all the surviving registers are available in the National Archives. The URLS are listed below:

• http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
• http://www.nationalarchives.ie/

Presbyterian registers are held in three main locations:

• in local custody
• the Public Records of Northern Ireland (PRONI):http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
• the Presbyterian Historical Society:http://www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com in Belfast

PRONI has copies of microfilm of almost all registers in Northern Ireland and lists of records held by the Presbyterian Historical Society. For the rest of Ireland, almost all records are in local custody. It can be difficult to locate these as many congregations in the South have moved, amalgamated or simply disappeared over the last sixty years.

Yours sincerely, 

Paul Dwyer

Hi Murray,

Have you looked up the church records in New Zealand? Have you tried checking the land records called the Tithe Appointment Books (1823-1838) or the Griiffiths Valuation Books (1848-1864) or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Here are the URLS for the listed above:

• http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
• http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
• http://familysearch.org/

Do you know much about their emigration? Would you know what dates or the reason why they had left in the first place? Also would you have any idea who they might have travelled with? More information would have been given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which port your great grandmother arrived at, this could be a good place to find out more information. It could also be a good place to find out an exact place of origin. Most Catholic records are held locally. One site that might be of use to you is:

• http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/

Once you are here you are able to 'browse' an overview of available records per county. If you have any difficulty, you could try writing to the parish priest for further 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. Many were destroyed in the Public Records Office in Dublin in 1922. Most are still held by the local clergy, although some are held in the National Archives of Ireland and others are held in the Represantative Church Body Library in Dublin. A list of all the surviving registers are available in the National Archives. The URLS are listed below:

• http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
• http://www.nationalarchives.ie/

Presbyterian registers are held in three main locations:

• in local custody
• the Public Records of Northern Ireland (PRONI):http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
• the Presbyterian Historical Society:http://www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com in Belfast

PRONI has copies of microfilm of almost all registers in Northern Ireland and lists of records held by the Presbyterian Historical Society. For the rest of Ireland, almost all records are in local custody. It can be difficult to locate these as many congregations in the South have moved, amalgamated or simply disappeared over the last sixty years.

Yours sincerely, 

Paul Dwyer

Hi Paul,

Thank you very much for your response.

I have tried to do a fair bit of research on the immigrant ships that came out to New Zealand, we are fairly sure Grace arrived in 1858 and think the ship was the Palmya. However the records are very schetchy in the it just says Mr J Doherty and 4 children we think his wife may have died on the journey but we can't confirm that this is the family I'm looking for.

The Doherty's came from Moville/Londonderry in North Donegal, I've found some reference to John Doherty in the Griffith valuation but no confirmation that it is the Doherty's i'm looking for.

Grace Ellen (my great grandmother) was illiterate all her life. I have a copy of her will signed with an X.

I'm trying to get any information both sourced here in New Zealand or through Irish records.

Hopefully the websites you have provided might help.

I will let you know if I have some success.

Best Regards

Murray Healey