Hello
My great-great-grandfather emigrated to Canada circa 1830. His name was Peter Barrett. He had 3 brothers who also came; Thomas, Patrick and Dominic. They came as a result of a request for workers to build the Rideau Canal, under Colonel By. It is now a world heritage site. An old newspaper article mentions the parish Kilbride but I have also seen min connected to Killalla and Ballycastle.
They would have boarded a ship in Sligo headed for Montreal or Quebec City and then made their way to Ottawa.
Thomas's father-in-law was John Byrne near Balluadare Sligo (Drommard?) if that helps.
Peter was married here in Ottawa in 1831 to Mary Smith. They have many descendants.
Thursday 31st Jan 2013, 06:41PM
Message Board Replies
-
Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Have you tried looking into Peter?s immigration records? Generally more information was given at the port of arrival rather than that of departure so this may be a place to find more information and maybe even confirmation of place of origin. A good place to start is the National Library and Archives of Canada. Here is their website:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html
It may also be an idea to do a search for the Peter and his brothers at the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild: http://immigrantships.net/arrivals/
You could also try searching for Patrick or his brothers at Family Search. This is a huge database of genealogical records compiled by the Church of the Latter Day Saints. It includes some baptismal/marriage records from 18th century Ireland and Canadian records also.
Church records are often used as genealogical sources for the first half of the 18th century as Civil Registration did not become mandatory in Ireland until 1864. However, you really do need to know the name of the parish as most records are held locally. If the family were Catholic, one website which you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For Co. Mayo follow this link:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/mayorc.htm
(Note: Kilbride Civil Parish is part of Ballycastle Roman Catholic Parish)
For Church of Ireland Records check 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/bunclodyunionindex.pdf
Do you know Peter?s parents? names? If you do, you may be able to find them in the Tithe Applotment Books. These are land records were compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland. Although they do not give any genealogical information they can sometimes be used to tie a person to a specific place. You can search these records here:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
You may also want to check the later land records called Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found here:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites which you may find useful 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 National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/mayo/index.html
I hope that this is helpful. Remember to post any new information you find. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Wednesday 3rd Apr 2013, 09:02AM