Maguire / Michel c. 1815

You don’t say what denomination your family were but I’ll assume RC since most Maguires were RC. The RC parish records start in 1838 for baptisms and 1817 for marriages. So that’s too late for Thomas & Mary’s births or their marriage but you might find daughter Mary’s marriage in 1833. The records are on-line on the NLI site.

Maguire is the most common surname in Co. Fermanagh. There’s 2056 of them in the 1901 census of the county. So you will find the name in all the main reference sources. The difficulty is establishing whether they are related to your family. Not sure about the surname Michel. That’s very rare. In the 1901 census there are only 5 in Ireland, none of whom lived in Fermanagh. Michael is a bit more common with 456, but again none in Fermanagh. Mitchell is fairly common in the county with 73 in 1901, though none of them were RC.

Here’s a couple of sites with information specific to genealogy in Fermanagh:

http://search.atavus.org

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/fermanagh/index.htm

Research in the late 1700s and early 1800s in Ireland is very difficult. There are very few records to consult and so the scope for tracing this family is quite limited. If Thomas and Mary died after 1864 you should find a death certificate but there’s a lot of deaths to search through.

I am not aware of any work to do a one name study on Maguire. That would be quite a challenging task. Maguire is the name of the original native tribe in that part of Ireland, which is why the name is so common, but that doesn’t mean they are all related.

DNA testing might be the only way of matching up with families in Ireland today.

Dear Elwyn,

Thank you for your helpful advice.   The Michel surname appeared as the mother's maiden name on the Australian death certificate of Sarah Ellen Maguire (1893).  The information about Mary Maguire's marriage came from the RC parish register via the NLI website.​  Your information about  surname frequencies in the 1901 census was very helpful and I will follow up with the website you have recommended.

IGG

Dear IGG,

Was Eliza a 'needlewoman' who arrived on the vessel 'Cornwall', arriving 9 February 1850?

Did she marry Daniel LYNCH at St. Mary's (now Cathedral) R.C. Church in Sydney on 2 March 1851?

I have keen interest in the Maguire & Sons Blacksmith business operating in Enniskilen, say, 1880s.