I'm trying to find out about my great grandfather (Andrew Holmes). He enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1888 in Fort Leith Scotland and his papers say that he was born in Moneymoore, Lissan, Derry. He is down as a presbyterian. I know his father was John from his marriage certificate. His father's profession is very difficult to read but it may say Seargant/Blacksmith. I've drawn a blank about his life before enlistment. He has entered his next of kin as his brother Francis Purdy (even though he was married at the time!). I don't know if his father remarried or if Purdy is a middle name. Any help would be brilliant.
Kind regards
Liz
Wednesday 20th Feb 2013, 09:41AM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Liz,
Thank you for your message.
As civil registration became mandatory in Ireland in 1864, you should be able to find Andrew?s birth record in these records. Civil records are available from the General Register?s Office in Dublin. Here is their website:
http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm
You can search the indexes to these records online at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347
For more information on these records go to http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Irish-civil-registration.html
You could also search in Church records for information. Presbyterian registers are held in three main locations:
- in local custody
- in the Public Records of Northern Ireland (PRONI) http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
- at the Presbyterian Historical Society http://www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com in Belfast.
PRONI has microfilm copies of almost all registers in Northern Ireland and also lists of records held by the Presbyterian Historical Society..
Have you tried looking in the 1901/1911 census records to see if any of his family was still in the area at teh time? These records can sometimes give lots of useful information. You can search these here:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
Some other websites that you may find helpful 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/derry/index.html
It may also be an idea to contact Derry Genealogy Centre for assistance, howevr a fee may apply. Here are their contact details:
Derry Genealogy,
Harbour Museum,
Harbour Square,
Derry,
BT48 6AF
Phone: +44 28 71377331 EMail:genealogy@derrycity.gov.uk
I hope that some of these links are helpful. Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 23rd Apr 2013, 11:10AM