Greetings from the U.S. I am researching my Irish roots, one branch of which came from Knockash, Loughrea. The journey-takers included my g-g-grandfather, Patrick Silk (b ~1828), and his siblings Ann Silk and John Silk. Patrick can be found in the U.S. as early as 1865 in a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania called Mahanoy City, where he was a stone mason and filed a petition for naturalization. Patrick married Mary Golden (also from unknown County in Ireland) probably in the U.S. I can trace them to their deaths using U.S. records, but am struggling with the Irish end of things. The only evidence that they came from Knockash was a classified ad that Patrick and Ann took out in search of their brother, John, in a publication called The Boston Pilot. I do not know the names of their parents or when they emigrated from Ireland. Despite my best efforts in searching Ancestry.com and other Irish sites, I have found no other information about this family in their Irish homes.
I am writing in hopes that someone may recognize the family names or suggest additional sources of information.
Many thanks.
mcguirk
Wednesday 22nd Oct 2014, 06:16PMMessage Board Replies
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Ann Marie:
Knockash is a townland in Kilteskil civil parish which is immediately to the southeast of Loughrea civil parish.
I checked the 1856 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Loughrea and Kilteskil parishes. There were no Silks in Kilteskil parish but there was a Robert Silk who lived on Main St. in Loughrea.
http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/galway/loughrea.php
http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/galway/kilteskil.htm
I did check Roots Ireland www.rootsireland.ie and located an 1819 baptismal record fro a Patrick Silk in the Tynagh RC church records. Tynagh is a parish to the east of Loughrea. I also located an 1828 baptismal record for an Ann Silk in the same church. Not sure if these records are for your ancestors and possibly 1819 is too early for your Patrick.
Roots is a pay site to view transcriptions of church records.
Roger McDonnell
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Wednesday 22nd Oct 2014, 07:00PM -
Dear Roger, You are very kind to help me with this search! I appreciate your clarifying what town is next to what and which parish the towns are in. In the classified ad posted in the Boston Pilot in 1868, the town was spelled "Knuckass" :-) in County Galway. We Americans are all class!
I suspect that you are correct that 1819 may be too young for my Patrick Silk. The birth year range I have for him is 1826-1833. I have no idea when his siblings, Ann and John, were born, but 1828 sounds plausible for the Ann that you found in Tynagh. I have no idea if folks moved around in the early 1800's from one parish to another, so although this tidbit from the Boston Pilot narrowed down the search, I am still looking for a needle in a smaller haystack.
Thank you again!
Ann Marie
mcguirk
Friday 24th Oct 2014, 09:26PM