Hello, I'm looking for the Parish of origin of my Great Great Great Grandfather, James Fitzpatrick, who emigrated to Canada between 1840 and 1851. James was born in Ireland between 1832-1834. On one record, I actually have a month of birth (May). His wife was Margaret Bergan (there were different spellings of her last name (ex bergin). I could not locate a marriage register in Canada so I believe that they may have married in Ireland or Scotland before migrating to Canada (guessing married 1850-1851 ish). Margaret was born between 1834-1836. Upon arrival in Canada, they settled near Quebec City in a village called Bourglouis/Portneuf. They began having children in 1853 and had 10. They eventually moved to Montreal where James died in 1909.
James was a very proud painter as all the records I have of him identifies him as a painter. I found a James and Margaret Fitzpatrick of the right age range in a 1851 Scotland Census that shows James as an Apprentice Painter. I'm not sure that this is the right guy but it may be a strong lead, which would indicate that his port of departure to Canada was Scotland in 1851ish.
My great great Grandfather, also a James, also became a Painter so perhaps painters were prominent in the family. Another particular clue that may help in locating James is that there are quite a few men called Hugh in the family history. I believe that James had a brother called Hugh (1834-1836) who died of drowning near Quebec city in 1956. I found a Hugh Fitzpatrick living near James and Margaret in the 1851 Scotland Census.
If the Hugh record I found (death record of 1956) is indeed Jame's brother, then the parents names would be yet another James Fitzpatrick (a tailor) and Rose Hand (no records found of these people in Canada).
I recently participated in a Fitzpatrick DNA Study (led by Dr Colleen Fitzpatrick in the USA (it can easily be found online). The study links me with a dozen other Fitzpatricks in a group called the 9 of Clads that traces our origin to Cavan County. This in itself is a great starting point for my search but my ancestors (ggg grandfather James) may have moved away from Cavan before migrating to Canada. All the Canadian records I have of James do not specify the County of origin. The only other potential county where I may take this search to is Monaghan. The Hugh I found in the 1851 Scotland Census shows Hugh coming from Monaghan, so I plan on joining this County also.
Any help in locating the Parish of origin of James (1834-1836) would be so appreciated. I'm hoping to someday bring the family back to Ireland and it would be so much more meaningful if I can actually walk in my ancestors village.
Kevin Fitzpatrick
Stittsville, Ontario, Canada
Monday 31st Dec 2012, 04:08PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to narrow down a place of origin without more information. The fact that Fitzgerarld is such a common name in Ireland doesn't help either.
Have you tried looking into James emigration? Generally more information was given at the port of arrival rather than that of departure. If you knew which port he arrived at it may be a place to find more information-and perhaps even an exact place of origin. You should try checking the National Archives and Library of Canada at the following site:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html
The Natioanl Archives of Scotland and the UK may also be helpful. They may have some record of James entering the country before he emigrated to Canada. Here are their websites:
The National Archives Scotland- family history: http://www.nas.gov.uk/familyHistory/
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
You could also check the land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. These do not offer any genealogical information but they can be used to tie a person to a specific location. The only problem is that if multiple results come back you will have no way to confirm whether they are relevant or not-however it may be worth a try! There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith's Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
As Bergan is a less common name in Ireland I used the irishtimes surname search engine to see how many Bergan households were recorded in Griffith's Valuation. Only 33 results came back. You can see the results here:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&Surname=Bergan&UserID=
However, the variation Bergin had alot more results...
Some other websites which may help you in your search are:
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 Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
Family History: https://familysearch.org/
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/cavan/index.html
http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/monaghan/index.html
Alternatively, you could try contacting the Cavan Genealogy Centre for possible assistance, however there will probably be a fee for their services. Here are their contact details:
Cavan Genealogy,
1st Floor,
Johnston Central Library,
Farnham St.,
Cavan.
Phone: (049) 436 1094 Email: cavangenealogy@eircom.net
I hope that this helps and that you are able to establish a connection to a parish in Ireland.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 26th Feb 2013, 11:43AM