Owen McCormick & Catherine Merryman

Hello Jimmy,

While working on another genealogy project I came across your message at Ireland XO, and found what I believe is the marriage index for your Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick. After some preliminary research I also found what I believe are the baptisms for Owen and Catherine in County Westmeath. As soon as I am done with the current project sometime today, I'll do a little more research to see what else I can find and then send everything together that I found about your ancestors.

Did your ancestors live in Providence Rhode Island?

Best Wishes Jimmy,

Dave Boylan

Greetings Dave!  

My ancestor Edward Donnelly did indeed emigrate to Providence, Rhode Island. I do not know where he married, or when or where he came from in Ireland. My source is the US Census. I very much appreciate your efforts and any information that you may provide. According to the 1860 US Census, Edward was 30 and Margaret was 25. They had one child, William, age 1, born in Rhode Island. Their marriage date was 12 January 1858 but I do not know where the marriage took place. The 1870 Census lists both Edward and Margaret as age 39 and with 5 children.  The 1880 Census shows Edward as 52 and Margaret as 47, now living in the same home as 4 children, a daughter in law, and three boarders, Owen McCormick 36, born in New York, Mary McCormick 70, born in Ireland, and Catherine McCormick, 30, born in Rhode Island. I guess these are related to Margaret whose parents may have been Owen McCormick and Catherine Merryman, married in Collinstown, Westmeath on 13 February 1831. I do not know where Edward Donnelly was born. I understand marriages took place usually in the bride's parish. I assume that most of my ancestors were Catholic.  Again, thanks for your help, God bless you and your family during these uncertain times. Stay safe and I keep you in my prayers.

Jimmy

Hi Jimmy,

Many thanks for your reply and very kind words.

After finishing the other project I mentioned in yesterday's reply, I began working on your family history and have been going back and forth over the pond from America to Ireland (genealogical speaking), looking for, and uncovering records. Some of the information I've found you'll no doubt already have, but some you may not.

After finding the records I need to put everything into a narrative format, and then go over the records again to make sure what I found is as accurate as possible, and to also make sure everything is sourced. This may take a few days and I hope you don't mind waiting a little bit longer, but with everything closed down because of this nasty virus going around, I'll have plenty of time to work on your family history.

It may take a day or two, and possibly longer if I uncover anymore information in records from the U.S. and Ireland, but I'll write back with tall the information as quickly as possible, or even sooner, if I have any questions

Again Jimmy, many thanks for your reply.

God Bless,

Dave

Attached Files

Hello Jimmy,

Your Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick were married in Providence, Rhode Island on the date you mentioned, 12 January 1858. The index of the marriage below is from the FamilySearch website, which is free to access after establishing a free account:

Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916
Name: Edward Donnelly
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 12 Jan 1858
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male

Spouse's Name: Margaret Mc Cormick
Spouse's Gender: Female

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 30 January 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

The index above may not include all the information that may be found on the marriage record itself. For information about how you may order the marriage record for Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick, contact the Rhode Island State Archives at:

Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster St, Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2353
____

The Rhode Island State Archives website can be found at: https://www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/state-archives

I believe you are anxious to especially find more records from Ireland concerning Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick. Let’s start with Margaret as you seem to have the most information about her.

Your records show that Margaret’s parents were Owen McCormick and Catherine Merryman and that Owen and Catherine were married in Collinstown, Westmeath on 13 February 1831. This would have been a church marriage record, as civil registration didn’t begin in Ireland until 1845, when only civil marriages and Protestant marriages were recorded by the government. Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations did not commence in Ireland until the year 1864.

I found both a transcription, as well as a copy of the original 13 February 1831 Collinstown Catholic Parish marriage record for Owen McCormick and Catherine Merryman at the Find My Past (FMP) website, which is mainly a subscription-based or Pay-As-You-Go website, but does not charge to search Irish Catholic baptisms, marriages, and available church burial transcriptions for all of Ireland for much of the 19th century.

Best of all, attached to each baptism, marriage, and burial transcription are links that will take you to copies of the original Catholic Church registers where the event can be found, as you’ll see in just a mine. The Catholic registers are held by the National Library of Ireland in Kildare Street, Dublin, near the Irish Parliament called the Dáil Éireann (Lower House of the Irish Parliament).

Owen’s surname is transcribed as, “Mc Cork,” in the FMP transcription which you’ll be able to view after registering at the FMP website. Registration is free.

The transcription can be found at: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FMAR%2F0997212%2F1

You can access a copy of the original Collinstown marriage entry for Owen and Catherine at the following National Library of Ireland link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635115#page/60/mode/1up

There are two facing pages to the register. The marriage for Owen and Catherine the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page. You’ll see two marriages that took place on 14 February, after the marriage of Owen and Catherine.

You can enlarge the register by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

These old parish registers can be difficult to read because of the handwriting.

There actually appear to be three witnesses to the marriage. They are Thomas Drum, and Alice and Anne Masterson.

Unfortunately, the marriage entry does not record where Owen and Catherine were living at the time of the marriage in the Collinstown Parish. They did not necessarily live in Collinstown itself, but may have resided in one of the surrounding towns. By the way Jimmy, Collinstown was in the Civil Parish of St. Feighins, and is situated just south of Lough Lene and Lough Sheever.

I now wanted to see what information I could find about the Collinstown Catholic Church, where Owen McCormick and Catherine Merryman were married on 13 February 1831.

To do this I went to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, where I learned the Collinsntown Catholic Church is Called St. Mary’s, and that it was constructed circa 1830, the year before Owen and Catherine were married.

Go to the Buildings of Ireland link for more information and for a slide show of the exterior of the church: https://is.gd/b00TLR

A Buildings of Ireland map also shows the location of St. Mary’s Church in Collinstown:
https://webgis.buildingsofireland.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?REG_NO=154008…

For a Google Street View of St. Mary’s Church in Collinstown, see: https://is.gd/Ngjeys

To view the location of the R.C. Chapel on an Ordnance Survey Map of Collinstown from the 1837 to 1842 time period, go to the Geohive link at: https://bit.ly/3dYpvgo

I next looked for Margaret McCormick’s baptism record at the FMP website, but didn’t find it. I looked for her baptism in the Collinstown Catholic Parish, as well as the nearby Catholic Parish of Castlepollard. Castlepollard baptisms and marriages go back to 1763, and deaths back to 1764, though there are gaps in the registers. Go to the following National Library of Ireland link at learn more about the Castlepollard Catholic registers and to view a map of the Castlepollard Catholic Parish, as well as other Catholic parishes in the area, including Collinstown: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0912

I then expanded the search for Margaret’s baptism to other Catholic parishes in Westmeath without result, and expanded the search once again for all of Ireland, but with no success.

But I did find what I think is the Castlepollard baptism for Margaret’s brother Richard, who was baptized on 14 September 1835. The FMP transcription shows that his father was Owen McCormick and that his mother was “Catha.” No maiden name is given for Catherine in the transcription which you can view at the following FMP link: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6470849

The Castlepollard register where Richard’s baptism is recorded is very faded and difficult to read. It is the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635091#page/114/mode/1up

Because of the fading of the register it is hard to describe the location for Richard’s baptism on the page, but scroll down the left page until you come to the number 14. Richard’s baptism is here. If you enlarge the register to its maximum, you can see that his father was Owen and that his mother was Cath. You can just barely make out her last name of Merryman. The first name of the godfather looks like Bryan, but I couldn’t tell what his last name was. The first name of the godmother looks like Mary, but again I couldn’t decipher her last name.

I also found the baptism for Margaret’s sister Catherine, who was baptized in the Castlepollard Catholic Parish on 8 January 1839. The FMP transcription gives her parent’s names as Owen Mc Cormack and Cath Merryman: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4447643

Catherine’s baptism is the 4th entry down the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635093#page/17/mode/1up

The baptisms in this register are not spaced very well. What you can do is count 8 lines down the page, and you’ll come to Catherine’s baptism, where you’ll see that her godparents are Owen and Ellen Mc Cormack.

A Google Map shows that Castlepollard is only about 4½ miles northwest of Collinstown: https://is.gd/suSfEy

The Catholic Church in Castlepollard is St. Michael’s, located on Church Street. According to the Buildings of Ireland website, the current structure contained “the fabric of an earlier T-plan chapel to site.” This means that the McCormick children would not have been baptized in the present day church building, but in an older church building that had been on the same site.

For more information and a slide show of St. Michael’s go to the Buildings of Ireland website link at: https://is.gd/05uE2n

For a Buildings of Ireland map of St. Michael’s Church in Castlepollard, see: https://webgis.buildingsofireland.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?REG_NO=153020…

For a Google Street View of St. Michael’s Church, go to: https://is.gd/FFRSAN

An Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period shows that the former church structure in Castlepollard, called the R.C. Chapel, is in the same location as the current church: https://bit.ly/3aMA4B3

Once the page downloads, make sure to click on “Close menu” to view the full map of Castlepollard.

I think that Owen McCormick and Catherine Merryman would have had more children along with Margaret Richard and Catherine.

If Margaret’s age of 25 is accurate in the 1860 U.S. Census when she and her family were living in Cranston, Rhode Island, she would have been born and baptized around 1835. If she was 39 in the 1870 census she would have been born circa 1831, and if 47 in the 1880 census she would have been born circa 1833.

Because her brother Richard and sister Catherine were baptized in Castlepollard, it’s also possible that Margaret was baptized there too.

Concerning Edward Donnelly, do you know when he died, as his death certificate may give the names of his parents.

Often, people from the same locales in Ireland moved to the same area in the United States, which means there’s the possibility that Edward Donnelly came from the Collinstown and Castlepoolard area of County Westmeath. But still I would need to know the names of his parents to find his baptism record.

A clue to who his father may have been is his and Margaret’s son William H. Donnelly, who is 1 year old in the 1860 U.S. census in Cranston, Rhode Island. Many Irish followed naming patterns where the first born son was named after his father’s father, while the first born daughter was named after her mother’s mother.

If you ever do find out who Edward’s parents were, please let me know and I’ll see if I can find his baptism.

I next wanted to see if I could find the FMP baptism for Owen McCormick. I figured that if he got married in 1831, his year of birth could have been anywhere from 1800 to 1814. I looked for his baptism in both the Collinstown and Castlepollard Catholic Parishes. I only found one baptism for an Owen McCormick between 1800 and 1814. He was baptized in the Castlepollard Catholic Parish on 22 June 1809. His father was Michael McCormick. His mother was Ann Clavin. See the FMP transcription at the following link: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4507339

A copy of Owen’s original baptism record can be found at the National Library of Ireland link at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635090#page/42/mode/1up

His baptism is the 5th entry up from the bottom of the right-hand page. I almost missed locating the baptism because the record starts off with the baptism of Ellen, who was his twin sister. Jimmy, do you have any twins in the family?

The godfather for Ellen and Owen McCormick was Owen Coyle. The first name of the godmother was “Bid,” which is short for Bridget. I could not make out her last name.

This Owen McCormick could be your Margaret McCormick Donnelly’s father, but I can’t be 100 percent certain of that.

As you mentioned in a previous communication, Irish marriages traditionally took place in the bride’s parish, and so what I did now was to see if I could find the baptism record for Owen’s wife, and Margaret’s mother, Catherine Merryman. Having been married to Owen McCormick in 1831, I figured she would have been around the same age as Owen and born between 1800 and 1814. I looked for her baptism record in the Collinstown Catholic Parish.

As an aside the Collinstown Catholic baptisms go back to 1807, while marriages commence in 1784. Death records also begin in 1784, according to information at the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0918

Once the National Library of Ireland page downloads you’ll also be able to see a Catholic Parish map showing the location of Collinstown and the surrounding Catholic Parishes in County Westmeath, including Castlepollard.

I actually found only one FMP baptism transcription for Catherine Merryman in the Collinstown Parish between 1805 and 1815. The baptism took place on 31 January 1809. Catherine’s parents are Thomas and Mary Pinnell. You’ll see that the FMP transcriber erroneously gives Thomas’s surname as “Pinnell.” This is because in the original baptism record the parish priest did not have to record Thomas’s surname. His surname was understood because Catherine’s surname is recorded as Merryman. Her surname would be his surname.

I also think that Mary’s maiden name is incorrect. It should actually be Ginnell, though in the baptism record itself you can see why the FMP transcriber would write Pinnell.

See the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4829287

Once again, it’s unfortunate that the residence of the Merryman family is not recorded in Catherine’s baptism record, the original of which you can access at the following National Library of Ireland link:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635116#page/10/mode/1up

Catherine’s baptism is the 2nd entry down from the top of the left-hand register page. Below is my own transcription of the baptism entry for her:

31. B. Cath. Merryman. PP. Thos, & Mary
Ginnell. S.S. Jno. Halpin & Judy Merryman
____

The capital B stands for Baptism. The double initials P.P. stand for Parents.
The double S.S. in the second line of the baptism stands for Sponsors. Sponsors were the godparents, who are recorded as Thomas Halpin and Judy Merryman. Judy Merriman may have been Owen’s sister.

I went back to the FMP website to see if Thomas Marryman and Mary Ginnell had any more children baptized in the Collinstown Catholic Parish. I found two more transcriptions. Both children were baptized after Catherine.

Madge Merryman was baptized on 5 September 1810. Her Father is Thos, whose last name was again incorrectly transcribed as his wife’s maiden name of “Ginnell.” Madge’s mother is Mary Ginnell. See the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6693006

Madge’s baptism can be found on the left-hand register page, 2nd entry down from the top at: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000635116#page/15/mode/1up

My transcription is below:

5. Bd Madge Merryman. PP Thos & Mary
Ginnell. SS Jno. Cormick & Mary Marryman
____

Notice that Madge’s last name is spelled, “Merryman,” while the godmother Mary’s last name is spelled, “Marryman.” The godfather’s first name is recorded as “Jno.” Jno is the abbreviation for John.

Next, I found that Richard “Maryman” was baptized on 29 March 1812. His father is recorded as Thos “Gonnell.” Richard’s mother is Mary Gonnell. See the FMP transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6693059

A copy of Richard’s original baptism record is the last entry below the March 1812 subheading on the left-hand page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635116#page/20/mode/1up

I’ve transcribed Richard’s baptism below:

29. Bd Richard Merryman P.P. Thos & Mary
Ginnell. SS Peter Fox and Madge Fagan
____

Madge Merryman may have been named after her godmother, Madge Fagan.

Genealogical research involves going from the newest back to the oldest to see how far back in time a person’s line goes. This means I now wanted to see if I could find the marriage record for Thomas Merryman and Mary Ginnell at the FMP website.

I found their FMP transcription showing they were married in Collinstown on 10 June 1807. See:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FMAR%2F1455854%2F1

A copy of Thomas and Mary’s original marriage record is on the left-hand register page, first entry below the June 1807 subheading at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635115#page/31/mode/1up

Below is my transcription of the marriage record:

10. Md Thos Merryman & Mary Ginnell
Prest. Pat Merryman & John Ginnell
___

The initials Md,. Stand for Married. The “prest” abbreviation stands for “present,” signifying that Pat Merryman and John Ginnell were present at the marriage as witnesses. Pat Merryman may have been Thomas’s brother while John Ginnell may have been Mary’s brother.

There will not be baptism records for Thomas Marryman and Mary Ginnell in Collinstown as the Catholic baptism registers, as noted earlier, begin in 1807, which happens to be the year that Thomas and Mary were married in the parish.

Jimmy, your ancestors come from a town with a very interesting name. Collinstown is the English name, but the name in Irish is “Baile na gCailleach,” which some interpret as “town of the veiled women,” or “town of the old hags,” but which I interpret as “Town of the old women,” or “Town of the old Witches.”

Go to the following wikipedia link to view the sign for Collinstown in both the Irish and English versions: https://is.gd/sb0wCP

You can read a brief description of Collinstown from the 1837 edition of “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, by Samuel Lewis. The online Topographical Dictionary comes from the Library of Ireland website link at: https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/C/Collinstown-Demifore-Westmeath.p…

AMERICAN RECORDS

Looking at the 1870 census for the family of Edward and Margaret Dinnelly in Providence, Rhode Island, I wanted to see how old their children were so that I could see if there were any birth records for them, though I knew from prior research that William would likely have been their first-born child.

I looked for the Donnelly births at the free FamilySearch website and found that Edward and Margaret’s son, William “Donally” was born in Cranston, Rhode Island on 24 October 1858, just 9 months and 12 days after his parents were married. That’s cutting it close!

His mother Margaret’s maiden name is not recorded in the index below from the aforementioned FamilySearch website:

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: William Donally
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 24 Oct 1858
Event Place: Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male

Father's Name: Edward Donally
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

Attached to the index is a copy of the original Cranston birth register where William’s baptism is recorded. The register spans two pages. William’s birth is the 6th entry down the page. Just to the right of William’s names you’ll see the following notation: M.W. 1st. These mean that William was Male, White, and the 1st born child of Edward and Margaret “Donally.”

The birth record also shows the family were living in Cranston at the time of the birth and that Edward’s occupation was “laborer.” The birth record also shows that both of William’s parents came from Ireland.

The child after William in the 1870 census is 9 year old Annie M. “Donley.” I found her birth index at the FamilySearch website. Annie was born in North Providence on 15 September 1860. The index is below:

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: Annie M. Donley
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 15 Sep 1860
Event Place: North Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): North Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Female

Father's Name: Edward Donley
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

Attached is a copy of the original North Providence register where Annie’s birth is recorded. The entry for Annie is the 20th birth recorded from the top as well as from the bottom of the register.

The 1870 census shows the child in the Donnelly household after Annie is 5 year old Katie. She is 4 years younger that Annie, and so I wondered if the Edward and Margaret may have had a child between Annie and Katie. I found that they did. They named this child Catherine. She was born in Cranston on 15 September 1864.

Her FamilySearch birth index follows:

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: Catherine Donnelly
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 15 Sep 1864
Event Place: Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Cranston, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Female

Father's Name: Edward
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

A copy of the original Cranston birth register recording Catherine’s birth is attached. Hers is the 6th entry up from the bottom of the birth register. Annie’s mother’s maiden name in the birth record looks like McCormian.
Edward’s age is recorded as 40, while Margaret’s age is 33

I next found the birth indexes for twins named Joseph Thomas Donnelly and Catherine Donnelly at the FamilySearch website. They were born in Cranston on 19 July 1866.

See the indexes for Joseph and Catherine below:

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: Joseph Thomas Donnelly
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 19 Jul 1866
Event Place: Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Cranston, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male

Father's Name: Edward Donally
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.

AND

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: Catherine Donnelly
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 19 Jul 1866
Event Place: Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Cranston, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Female

Father's Name: Edward Donnelly
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

A copy of the original Cranston register where their births can be found is attached to this reply. Their births are the 4th and 5th entries up from the bottom of the register

You’ll see that the birth entry for Catherine notes she is a twin.

The name of their parents are Edward Donally, age 35, and Margaret “McCormic,” age 33, both born in Ireland.

Catherine Donnelly may be the Katie Donnelly in the 1870 census, even though she is listed as 5 years old in the census, rather than 4 years old.

This appears to be the second child that Edward and Margaret named Catherine, which normally signifies that the Catherine Donnelly who was born in 1864 had died. I did not find a death record for her. But, I don’t believe Catherine is Joseph Thomas’s twin. Census returns show that Edward is his twin, not Catherine. It looks like a mistake was made by the person who recorded the 1866 birth record, recording that the twin was Catherine, instead of Edward. What this further means is that the Catherine Donnelly who was born on 15 Sep 1864, did not die, as the 1870 census shows she is 5 years old, 2 years older than her twin brothers Edward F. and Joseph T. Donnelly.

Speaking of Edward, I did not find a birth index or a birth record for him at the FamilySearch or Ancestry.com websites, which makes it even more feasible that he, not Catherine, was born the same day as Joseph, 19 July 1866.

I next went to the 1880 census for the Donnelly family when they were living on Putnam Street, Providence, to see if any other children were added to the family. The census shows the 22 year old Bella is in the household. She was born in Massachusetts, and is the same age as 22 year old William. I looked for but did not find a birth index for Bella in Massachusetts at the FamilySearch website.

The twins Joseph and Edward are in the household, both 14 years old. Catherine, or Katie, is not in the household with her family in the 1880 census.

The next record I found for the family of Edward “Donly” and Margaret McCormick was the birth of their daughter Mary Elizabeth “Donly,” who was born in Cranston on 12 March 1868. She too, is not in the 1870 census with her family.

The index of her birth from FamilySearch is below:

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: Mary Elizabeth Donly
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 12 Mar 1868
Event Place: Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Female

Father's Name: Edward Donly
Mother's Name: Margaret McCormick

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

Attached is a copy of her birth in the Cranston birth register. The register is very faded. Her birth is the 5th entry up from the bottom of the register.

I could not make out what the address of the family was because of the fading. The birth record shows that Elizabeth’s father Edward was 40 years old and employed as a “Laborer.” Her Margaret is 35 years old. She and Edward were born in Ireland.

Sadly, Mary “Elizebeth Donnolly” died a little over three months after she was born. She died in Providence on 26 June 1868. The index from FamilySearch is below:

Rhode Island Deaths and Burials, 1802-1950
Name: Mary Elizebeth Donnolly
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 26 Jun 1868
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 0

Father's Name: Edward Donnolly
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Deaths and Burials, 1802-1950." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 22 January 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
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Attached is a copy of the original Providence “Return of a Death” record for Mary Elizebeth Donnolly. The record shows she died on Prairie Avenue when she was 3 months old. The cause of death was “Diarhoea.” The duration of the disease was 1 week. This is an indication that Mary may have died from Cholera.

A Google Map shows that Prairie Avenue is located in Lower South Providence: https://is.gd/1j96CK

For a Google Street View of Prairie Avenue in Providence, go to: https://is.gd/EFOen9

More specifically, Mary died at 136 Prairie Avenue, as that is the address of her father in the 1869 Providence, Rhode Island, City Directory, which I found at Ancestry.com. See the listing below:

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name: Edward Donnelly
Residence Year: 1869
Street address: 136 Prairie av
Residence Place: Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Occupation: Laborer
Publication Title: Providence, Rhode Island, City Directory, 1869

Source Information
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
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I then found a birth index at FamilySearch for a James Donnelly, son of Edward and Margaret, who was born in Providence on 20 December 1869. The index follows:

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: James Donnelly
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 20 Dec 1869
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male

Father's Name: Edward
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
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I didn’t locate a copy of James’s original birth record in the Providence birth registers. Also, James Donnelly is not in the 1870 or 1880 census enumerations with his parents, and so I’m not sure if he was the son of Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick.

The 1880 census shows that Edward and Margaret had an 8 year old son named Owen born in Rhode Island, and so I looked for his birth index at FamilySearch, and found it. Owen was born in Providence on 10 September 1872. The index only lists his parents are Edward and Margaret:

Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
Name: Owen Donnelly
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 10 Sep 1872
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male

Father's Name: Edward
Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 March 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
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I didn’t find an attached copy of Owen’s birth in the Providence birth registers at the FamilySEarch website.

TWO DONNELLY MARRIAGES (OR MAYBE NOT)

All of the following Donnelly marriage indexes and attached marriage intentions and marriage records were found at the FamilySearch website.

The next two marriage indexes and marriage records may or may not pertain to your Donnelly and McCormick ancestors. I couldn’t find enough evidence to prove either way if they belong to your line or not.

The index below is for the marriage of 27 year old Matthew Carson Scott and 17 year old Catharine Eliza Donnelly. The marriage took place in Providence on 2 May 1880. Catherine’s parents are Edward Donnelly and Margaret. Margaret’s maiden name is not recorded. Matthew’s parents are Samuel F. Scott and Isabella.

The index follows:

Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916
Name: Matthew Carson Scott
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 2 May 1880
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Birth Year (Estimated): 1853

Father's Name: Samuel F. Scott
Mother's Name: Isabella

Spouse's Name: Catharine Eliza Donnelly
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 17
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1863

Spouse's Father's Name: Edward Donnelly
Spouse's Mother's Name: Margaret

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 30 January 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
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I can’t be 100 percent positive this marriage refers to the daughter of Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick.

If the marriage of Matthew Carson Scott and Catharine Eliza Donnelly does refer to Edward and Margaret McCormick Donnelly’s daughter, Catherine would have been 14 years old rather than 17 years old in 1880.

Attached is a copy of the Providence register entry where the marriage of Matthew Carson Scott and Catharine Donnelly is recorded. The marriage is the first one in the register and shows that Matthew Carson Scott was employed as a “Merchant.” His place of birth is posed as a question, “U.S?” The marriage record also shows that this was his 2nd marriage, and that he and Catherine were married by, “R.J. Sullivan, R.C. Pastor.”

Something about this marriage seemed unusual, and so I did a little more investigating and found that Matthew Carson Scott had married Jane Elizabeth Donlon in Manhattan, New York, on 19 January 1880. His age in this record is 26. His place of birth was Philadelphia, His parents are Samuel Scott and Isabella Maywood.

This marriage between Matthew Carson Scott and Jane Elizabeth Donlon took place less than 4 months before this same Matthew Carson Scott married Catherine Eliza Donnelly in Providence on 2 May 1880.

In addition, the 19 January 1880 marriage index shows that Jane Elizabeth Donlon’s birth place was Providence, that her age was 19, that her father was Edwin Donlon, but that her mother was none other than “Margaret McCormick.”

Jimmy, I had to look twice at this marriage index, as I hadn’t found any records that Margaret McCormick had married an Edwin Donlon, or had a child by him. I also didn’t find a birth record for a daughter named Jane or Jane Elizabeth Donlon whose mother was Margaret McCormick.

See the FamilySearch New York marriage index below:

New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940
Name: Matthew Carson Scott
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 19 Jan 1880
Event Place: Manhattan, New York, New York, United States
Event Place (Original): Manhattan, New York
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Birth Year (Estimated): 1854
Birthplace: Philadelphia

Father's Name: Samuel Scott
Mother's Name: Isabella Maywood

Spouse's Name: Jane Elizabeth Donlon
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 19
Spouse's Marital Status: Single
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1861
Spouse's Birthplace: Providence

Spouse's Father's Name: Edwin Donlon
Spouse's Mother's Name: Margaret McCormick

"New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 29 November 2018. New York Municipal Archives, New York.
____

I found a copy of the original church marriage record for the couple, which is attached to this reply. Ancestry.com accessed the marriage from the New York, Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970. The marriage record was sent from the Episcopal Diocese to Bureau of Vital Statistics, Health Deparment of the City of New York.

The marriage record is attached, and confirms that Jane Elizabeth’s mother is Margaret McCormick.

Your Donnellys and McCormicks were Catholic, but this marriage took place in the Protestant Episcopal Church. In Ireland, the Episcopal Church was called the Church of Ireland. These marriage records show that Matthew Carson Scott, in less than 4 months, had married in a Protestant ceremony in New York, but then in a Catholic ceremony in Providence.

In the 1880 census I found 26 year old Matthew Scott and his 16 year old wife, Kate Scott, living on Poplar Street in Philadelphia The census, from Ancestry.com, shows that Matthew is employed as a “Silversmith,” that he was born in Pennsylvania, and that his parents were born in Ireland.

The 1880 census shows Kate’s occupation is keeping house. She was born in Rhode Island while her parents were born in Ireland. The 1880 census is attached to this reply. Matthew and Kate are the 2nd and 3rd entries up from the bottom of the census.

Jimmy had you heard any family stories of one or even two of Edward and Margaret McCormick Donnelly’s daughters marrying a Matthew Carson Scott from Philadelphia?

It’s possible that the two marriages of Matthew Carson Scott do not have anything to do with your Donnelly family, even though it appears they may. I just can’t tell for sure from the two very unusual 1880 Providence and New York marriage records.

MORE DONNELLY MARRIAGES

Below is an index for the intention to marry for William Henry Donnelly and Mary Jane Barney. The groom is 24 year old William Henry Donnelly. His estimated date of birth is 1859. His parents are Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick.

Mary Jane Barney is 22 years old. her estimate year of birth is 1861. Her parents are Joseph and Mary Barney. Mary’s maiden name is not recorded:

Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945
Name: William Henry Donnelly
Event Type: Marriage Notice
Event Date: 28 May 1883
Event Place: Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birth Year (Estimated): 1859

Father's Name: Edward Donnelly
Mother's Name: Margaret Mccormick

Spouse's Name: Mary Jane Barney
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 22
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1861

Spouse's Father's Name: Joseph Barney
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945." Database with images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 3 April 2020. Various city archives, Rhode Island.
____

A copy of the original intention to marry record is attached. The intention for William and Mary Jane is at the top-left on the right hand page. This copy of the original intention gives more information than the above index. For example, the original shows that William was residing in Providence and that his occupation was “Painter,” which is his occupation in the 1880 census. The intention also shows that William’s father Edward was employed as a “Laborer,” and Edward and his wife Margaret were born in Ireland.

The marriage intention further shows that Mary Jane’s residence was providence but that she was born in in Vermont, while her parents, Joseph and Mary were born in Canada. Her father’s occupation is “Carpenter.”

The intended marriage was to be performed by the “Rev. C. P. Gaboury at Prov.”

The groom, William Henry Donnelly filed the intention with the City of Providence on 28 May 1883.

Family search also has the index for the marriage record itself, but in this record, Mary Jane’s last name is Boynin, rather than Barney. Why? I don’t know. See the index below:

Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916
Name: William Henry Donnelly
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 20 Sep 1883
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birth Year (Estimated): 1859

Father's Name: Edward Donnelly
Mother's Name: Margaret Donnelly

Spouse's Name: Mary Jane Boynin
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 22
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1861

Spouse's Father's Name: Joseph Boynin
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary J. Boynin

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 30 January 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

Attached is a copy of the original Providence marriage register, which shows that William’s occupation was “Painter.” The marriage also shows that William was born in Providence. Mary Jane was born in Vermont. I was surprised to see that William and Mary Jane were married, not by the Rev. C. P. Gaboury, but by an Episcopal Rector named Delancey C. Rice.

In Ireland, an Episcopalian would be a member of the Protestant Church of Ireland.

EDWARD FRANCIS DONNELLY

Below is the marriage intention index for Edward Francis Donnelly, son of Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick. Edward married Margaret Gaffney in Providence on 12 February 1884. At the time of marriage Edward was 24 and Margaret 22. Margaret’s parents are Michael Gaffney and Mary Leonard.

Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945
Name: Edward Francis Donnelly
Event Type: Marriage Notice
Event Date: 12 Feb 1884
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States • Edit
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birth Year (Estimated): 1860

Father's Name: Edward Donnelly
Mother's Name: Margaret Mccormick

Spouse's Name: Margaret Gaffney
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 22
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1862

Spouse's Father's Name: Michael Gaffney
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary Leonard

Citing this Collection
Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945
____

A copy of the original marriage intention register is attached. The copy of the original marriage intention for Edward and Margaret is on the right-hand page, at the top right. Edward’s residence is Providence. His occupation is shown to be “Painter.” His place of birth is Cranston. His father Edward is shown to be a “Laborer.” Both parents were born in Ireland.

Margaret Gaffney’s residence is Providence. Her place of birth was the 9th Ward of Cranston. Her parents Michael Gaffney and Mary Leonard were born in England. Michael’s occupation is “Teamster.” Edward filed the intent to marry on February 12, 1884. The marriage intention shows that William and Margaret were to be married by the Rev. Clune.

FamilySearch also has the index of the marriage record. See below:

Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916
Name: Edward Francis Donnelly
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 20 Feb 1884
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birth Year (Estimated): 1860

Father's Name: Edward Donnelly
Mother's Name: Margaret Donnelly

Spouse's Name: Margaret Gaffney
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 22
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1862

Spouse's Father's Name: Michael Gaffney
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary Gaffney

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 30 January 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

A copy of the Providence register where the marriage of Edward Francis Donnelly and Margaret Gaffney can be found is attached. Their marriage is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the register. They were married by “Michael M. Clune R.C. Pastor.”

The following is the intention to marry index for 21 year old Joseph Thomas Donnelly, son of Edward Donnelly and Margaret McCormick, and 21 year old Bridget Phillips, daughter of Peter and Mary Phillips:

Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945

Name: Joseph Thomas Donnelly
Event Type: Marriage Notice
Event Date: 11 Feb 1885
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Birth Year (Estimated): 1864

Father's Name: Edward Donnelly
Mother's Name: Margaret Mccormick

Spouse's Name: Bridget Phillips
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 21
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1864

Spouse's Father's Name: Peter Phillips
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945." Database with images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 3 April 2020. Various city archives, Rhode Island.
____

A copy of the original intention to marry is attached to this reply, and is located at the top of the left-hand register page in the right column. The marriage intention shows that Joseph Donnelly was living in Providence, but that his place of birth was South Providence. His occupation was “Mule Spinner.” A mule spinner was a machine operator who spun textiles in the yarn trade. The marriage intention also shows that Joseph’s parents Edward and Margaret were born in Ireland and that Edward’s occupation was “Laborer.”

Bridget’s residence is Providence. The street where she was living looks like either Davis or David Street. Her parents Peter and Mary Phillips were born in Ireland. Peter’s occupation is “Laborer.”

Joseph, the groom, filed the intention to marry in Providence on February 11, 1885. He and Bridget were to be married in, “St. Mary’s R.C., Prov.”

Next is the marriage index for Joseph and Bridget, only in this record Joseph’s middle name is James, rather than Thomas. Also, this index does not give the maiden name of Joseph’s mother Margaret.

The marriage of Joseph James Donnelly and Bridget Phillips took place in Providence on 13 February 1885:

Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916

Name: Joseph James Donnelly
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 13 Feb 1885
Event Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Event Place (Original): Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Birth Year (Estimated): 1864

Father's Name: Edward
Mother's Name: Margaret

Spouse's Name: Bridget Phillips
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 21
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1864

Spouse's Father's Name: Peter
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary

Citing this Collection
"Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 30 January 2020. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

A copy of the original Providence marriage register entry for Joseph and Bridget is attached, and is the 2nd entry up from the bottom of the register. The marriage record shows that the R.C. Clergyman who married the couple was M.C. Kennedy.

The two things I’m disappointed about are that I couldn’t pin down when Edward and Margaret McCormick Donnelly had died. I found indexes of marriage Rhode Island residents named Edward Donnelly and Margaret Donnelly, but don’t know which, if any, refer to your ancestors. I even found a copy of the original death record for an Edward Donnelly, but again, I don’t know if this is your ancestor.

Below is the Rhode Island index for this death record from ancestry.com, which shows that an Edward Donnelly died on 15 July 1896 at 56 years of age:

Rhode Island, Death Index, 1630-1930
Name: Edward Donnelly
Kin 1: Peter Donnelly
Kin 2: Catherine Donnelly
Death Date: 15 Jul 1896
Age: 57 Yrs

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, Death Index, 1630-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
____

A copy of the original death record is attached, though this record comes from FamilySearch. It shows that Edward died at 91 Nichols St., Ward 3, Providence. The record also shows he was married at the time of death and that his occupation had been, “Watchman.” His place of birth was Ireland. His parents were Peter and Catherine Donnelly, who were born in Ireland. His place of burial was St. Francis Cemetery. The person who reported the death to the city officials was his wife, but her name is not recorded, unfortunately. The cause of death was, “Apoplexy.” Edward’s doctor was Dr. O’Leary. The undertaker was Eugene J. McCarthy.

At age 57 years in 1896, Edward would have been born circa 1839, that is, if his age is accurate.

I also found one other death index for an Edward Donnelly who died in Providence on 6 August 1888 at age 68 years. Kin number 1 is listed as Terrance Donnely. Kin 2 is recorded as Catherine Donnelly. These “Kin” would have been his parents. At age 68 years in 1888, Edward would have been born in 1820. This may be too early of a birth year to refer to your Edward Donnelly:

Rhode Island, Death Index, 1630-1930
Name: Edward Donnelly
Kin 1: Terence Donnelly
Kin 2: Catherine Donnelly
Death Date: 6 Aug 1888
Age: 68 Yrs

Source Information
Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, Death Index, 1630-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
____

I also looked for late 19th and early 20th century death indexes for Margaret Donnelly at Ancestry.com. There are several indexes for a Margaret Donnelly having died in Providence, but none that could pertain to her show that her “Kin,” of her parents, were Owen or Catherine. None of the indexes recorded that she was the widow of Edward.

Do you have any idea where and when Edward and Margaret died?

It took a little longer than expected to finish the research. The biggest challenge was not with the Irish records but with the Cranston and Providence Rhode Island indexes found at the FamilySearch website. There were so many birth and marriage indexes not in chronological order at the FamilySearch website concerning the Donnellys that I had to go through each one to see what information they contained, place them in order of birth or marriage, and then had to see if the indexes were accompanied by copies of the original Cranston or Providence birth or marriage record.

The birth records that really took a while to sort out were those for Catherine Donnelly and her twin brothers, Edward and Joseph, because Catherine, in the 19 Jul 1866 Cranston birth register, is recorded as Joseph’s twin, not Edward, who actually was his twin.

Then there are the marriage records for Phillip Carson Scott, who married Jane Elizabeth Donlon in Providence, on 19 January 1880, and then married Catherine Eliza Donnelly, on 2 May 1880. This caused a little confusion because the marriages took place so close to one another concerning the same groom, in the same year, but in different cities and different religious ceremonies. This prompted some further research to see what the circumstances were for these marriages, but came up empty.

One of the questions I had but could not answer was, were Edwin Donlon and Edward Donnelly, the fathers named in the marriage records, the same person, as they had names similar to one another.

The other thing is I did not find the birth of a Jane Elizabeth Donlon whose mother was Margaret McCormick. It’s possible I may have missed the connection here, which means I can’t say with any certainty if these two marriage records are connected with your line of the Donnelly/McCormick families.

Concerning the records I found for the Donnellys and McCormicks in Ireland and the U.S. : If you have any doubts that a record, or several records, do not pertain to your particular Donnelly and McCormick lines, do not add them to your family history files, until you’ve had more time to look into them, as you don’t want to include the wrong information in your family history.

There are 16 attachments with this reply. They are:

William Donally 1858 birth record
Annie Donley 1860 birth record
Catherine Donnelly 1864 birth record
Joseph Thomas Donnelly and Catherine Donnelly 1866 birth records
Mary Elizabeth Donly, 1868 birth record
Mary Elizebeth Donnolly 1868 death record
Scott and Donnelly 1880 Providence marriage record
Scott and Donlon 1880 New York marriage church marriage record
Scott 1880 Philadelphia census
Donnelly and Barney 1883 marriage intention
Donnelly and Boynin 1883 marriage record
Donnelly and Gaffeny 1884 marriage intention
Donnelly and Gaffney 1884 marriage record
Donnelly and Phillips 1885 marriage intention
Donnelly and Phillips 1885 marriage record
Edward Donnelly 1896 death index
____

With Kind Regards Jimmy,

Dave

Hello Dave!

First, I want to thank you so very much for your efforts and research. All this infromation is truly amazing. I would like you to know how much I appreciate your work and how much it means to me.  My father was the youngest in his family, born in 1923. He died young, when I was 5 years old and I never knew much about the Donnellys. I apologize for not thanking you sooner. I read your post just after Easter Sunday and then I had some challenges accessing the internet.

 As you suggested, I have requested an original copy of the Edward Donnelly & Margaret McCormick 12 January 1858 marriage certificate from Providence, Rhode Island. Perhaps that will indicate Edward's parents and help determine where in Ireland he was born. I too am unable to find his death record. I followed all the Irish links that you provided and discovered an Edward Donnelly baptized 8 March 1831 in Mayne Parish, adjacent to Collinstown, Westmeath. He was the son of Patrick Donnelly and Mary Gilsenan, married in the parish on 12 September 1829. This seems a logical match so I hope I can find something to verify Edward's parents. I printed your research notes and thoroughly enjoyed all of it. I searched for information on the church and found that the parish priest in Collinstown is currently a Father Donnelly from Mullingar. I intend to write him a note. (You discovered that my ancestors Owen McCormick and Catherine Merryman were married in his church in 1831, just after it was built.) I hope to take my family to visit these parts of Westmeath.

Your methodolgy for researching the American Records was impressive. My family particularly enjoyed that you found a few sets of twins among our ancestors and asked if we had twins in the family. My cousin has twins. We have triplets. I plan to continue researching and hope to find out more family history. Your guidance on decoding the Irish records is very helpful. All of my ancestors are from Ireland. In another branch, my Great Grandfather, John Carroll married Catherine A. Heeney in Salem, Massachusetts in 1883.  Catherine was age 22, born in Ireland,and her parents were Patrick and Catherine Heeney. John Carroll was born in Salem to Michael Carroll and Rose McGuire (married January 1852), both from Ireland. Michael Carroll is listed with various birth years, 1821,1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1827.  His parents were Dominick and Ann Carroll. Rose McGuire Carroll also has several different birth years listed, 1828, 1830, 1832, 1833, and 1840. Her parents were Patrick McGuire and Jane McDonough. Can you tell me how to search through Irish records to find these ancestors? 

Dave, as my oldest daughter relayed to me, people like you make us proud to claim Irish heritage. Thank you very much indeed for all you efforts. Please know that we keep you and your family in our daily prayers. Be safe and best wishes.

Sincerely,

Jimmy        

Attached Files

Hi Jimmy,

Many thanks for your reply and kind words. They are very much appreciated.

I think the sites I use the most are Find My Past (FMP) and the irishgenealogy.ie website. The FMP site is subscription with the exception that it does not charge to search for Irish Catholic baptisms, marriages, and burials/deaths. I highly recommend this site because it has millions of records that in other websites you’d have to pay for.

For statutory records of birth, marriage, and death I use the free irishgenealogy.ie website. Statutory records are also known as civil registration records. Civil registration began in Ireland in 1845 when the government began to record civil marriages as well as Protestant marriages, but not Catholic marriages.

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations began in Ireland in 1864. Sometimes I use the FMP and irishgenealogy.ie websites in conjunction with one another to look for both Catholic baptism, marriage, and burial records as well as civil registration birth, marriage, and death records that took place after 1863.

For the ancestors you mentioned in your reply, that is, the Heeneys, Carrolls, McGuire, and McDonoughs, I went to the FMP website, because all of these ancestors were born and baptized before civil registration of births and Catholic marriages in 1864.

For example, the search engine for the FMP baptism transcriptions can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/jnmqmuv

The search engine for Catholic marriages can be accessed at: http://tinyurl.com/jzylkjy

For Catholic Parish burial transcriptions go to the search engine at: http://tinyurl.com/j9qe5p9

Many Catholic parishes in Ireland however, did not keep burial records, but some did, as you will see later.

I believe you will have to register with Find My Past to search for the Catholic parish church records. But registration is free.

I looked for the Irish baptism records for those of your ancestors who were born in Ireland and only found what I believe is the FMP baptism transcription for Rose McGuirel, whose parents were Patrick McGuire and Jane “McDonnagh.” The transcription shows that Rose was baptized in the Donymore Catholic Parish, County Meath, on 22 June 1828. This is one of the years of birth you have for her. In the transcription her mother’s maiden name is spelled in the variant name of, “McDonnagh.”

You can view the baptism transcription for Rose at the following Find My Past link: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6704146

Attached to the transcription is a link that will take you to the Donymore Catholic Parish baptism register where Rose’s baptism can be found. The Catholic Church registers are held by the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin. You can access the Donymore parish register at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635140#page/10/mode/1up

There are two pages to the register. Rose’s baptism is on the right hand page, 3rd entry below the June subheading.

You can enlarge the baptism register by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

The FMP transcription spells Jane’s maiden name as McDonnagh, but in the baptism record it is spelled, “McDonagh.” You’ll see the initials Sp below Rose’s name. These initials stand for “Sponsors,” meaning godparents. The first name of the godfather is John. I couldn’t make out what his last name was. Rose’s godmother is Catherine Clusker.

Another search at the FMP website reveals that Rose had 2 siblings baptized in the Donymore Catholic Parish. The names and years of baptism are below. I’ve included Rose’s name to show the full chronology of the McGuire baptisms.

Anne McGuire, 1825
Rose McGuire, 1828
Peter McGuire, 1830
____

The FMP transcription shows that Anne McGuire was baptized on 6 July 1825. Her parents are Pat McGuire and Jane “McDonogh.” You can view the transcription for Anne’s baptism at the following: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6508391

Anne’s original baptism record is the 2nd entry below the July subheading located on the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635140#page/7/mode/1up

Her godfather is James Coyle. Her godmother’s first name is Mary. Mary’s last name looks like it could be Bud, but actually may be Bird.

Next, Peter McGuire was baptized on 27 December 1830. His mother Jane’s maiden name is also transcribed as, “McDonogh.” You can view the FMP transcription at the following link: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6508465

A copy of Peter’s original baptism is on the left-hand register page, 5th entry down from the top: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635140#page/14/mode/1up

His godparents are Patt McGuirck and Anne Allen.

I was hoping that one of the McGuire baptism records noted where the family was living when each children was baptized. But no residence was recorded for the family.

I looked for but did not find a marriage record for Patrick McGuire and Jane McDonough anywhere in County Meath.

Peter, there are two possible chapels where the McGuire children were baptized, depending on where they lived. It took a couple of hours to narrow down these chapels because there are two locations in County Meath called Donaghmore, of which the Catholic Parish of Donymore is a variant. There is a Donaghmore near Navan, and a Donaghmore near Ashbourne.

The two chapels we are interested in are in the vicinity of Ashbourne, one is at Curragha; the other at Donaghmore itself.

You can view the R.C. Chapel at the Curragha crossroads on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period at: https://bit.ly/2zAQgI5

But, another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1888 to 1913 time period shows the chapel is no longer at the Curragha crossroads, but has been moved a little to the south. The chapel is now called St. Andrew’s R.C. Church: https://bit.ly/35arGJH

If the McGuire children were baptized in Curragha, there baptisms would have taken place in the old R.C. Chapel at the Curragha crossroad, not at St. Andrew’s.

You can view the former location of the old Curragh R.C. Chapel at the Curragha crossroads on a Google Street View at: https://is.gd/A4QsZR

Another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period shows an R.C. Chapel at Donaghmore, near Ashbourne. See the map at the GeoHive link: https://bit.ly/2yb3N8T

You’ll see on this map, just to the right of the chapel a label that states, “Site of old church.” I do not know when the old church fell into disuse or when the church that replaced it, had been built.

I believe however, the R.C. Chapel on the map was also replaced by a newer structure at the same location in the 1880s. For Google Street View of St. Patrick’s Church in Donaghmore, see: https://is.gd/HUSyjc

A Google Map shows that St. Patrick’s Church in Donaghmore is 6.4 miles southeast of Curragh by the shortest route: https://is.gd/AlCxt9

One of the challenges with finding baptisms for your Carroll and Heeney ancestors, is that we do not have the maiden names of their mothers. It was only through knowing that Rose’s mom was Jane McDonough, that I could pinpoint her Donymore, Meath Catholic Parish baptism at the FMP website and at the National Library of Ireland.

Even if I did have the maiden names of Michael Carroll’s and Catherine Heeney’s parents, there would be no guarantee that I would uncover their baptism records because many Catholic Parishes in Ireland do not have baptism and marriage registers that go back to the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s. Family historians with ancestors who belonged to the Church of Ireland fare even worse, as about half of the Church of Ireland parish registers, and many other valuable historical documents such as Irish wills, were destroyed in the disastrous Four Courts fire in Dublin in 1922 during the Irish Civil War.

In the case of the Donymore Catholic registers, we are fortunate in that they do predate the 1820s. The National Library of Ireland shows the Donymore baptisms commence on 30 April 1802. Marriage are available from 17 June 1802. Donymore is also one of the Catholic parishes that does have death or burial records, beginning on 7 June 1802, though there is a 10 year gap in the death registers between 1823 and 1833. The death records are available until 1863.

For confirmation of the availability of the Donymore Catholic registers, and to view a catholic Parish map of Donymore and surrounding Catholic parishes, go to the National Library of Ireland website link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0924

You’ll see on the parish map that Donymore is a Catholic Parish that is split, with the Catholic Parish of Ratoath in between the two halves.

I looked for the Donymore burials for anyone named McGuire/Maguire and found two at the FMP website. One is for a Bridget Maguire who died on 11 December 1836. Her address at the time of death was Kilmoon. You can view the transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBUR%2F0147535

A copy of the original death entry Bridget Maguire in the Donymore register is on the right-hand page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635140#page/76/mode/1up

Once the register downloads, count 8 lines down from the top of the right-hand page to come to the entry for Bridget. The entry does not give any more information than the transcription.

I also found the Donymore Parish death transcription for Patt (Patrick) Maguire at the FMP website. He died on 1 October 1844. The transcriber for FMP spells the name of his residence as “Nilmoon,” though it should be Kilmoon, as that is a town located in the Catholic Parish of Donymore See Patrick’s death transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBUR%2F0130714

Patt Maguire’s death is on the left-hand death register page, 7 lines down from the top at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635140#page/79/mode/1up

Once you see the original death record entry for Patrick you can see why the FMP transcriber spelled the name of his residence as Nilmoon, rather than Kilmoon.

I don’t know if this death record pertains to Rose’s father Patrick, though it may. It is also feasible that your McGuire/Maguire ancestors came from Kilmoon, which was actually located in the Civil Parish of Kilmoon, but, as mentioned earlier, Catholic Parish of Donymore.

Adding to the Google Map shown earlier, you’ll see that Kilmoon is just north of Curragha and 9.7 miles north of St. Patrick’s Church in Donaghmore: https://is.gd/o5v11p

If Rose and her family lived in one of the towns in the parish of Kilmoon or town of Kilmoon itself, they likely would have attended the Catholic Chapel in Curragha, as it was much closer than the Catholic Chapel in Donaghmore.

The following link will take you to an Ordnance Survey Map of Kilmoon from the 1837 to 1842 time period: https://bit.ly/2yWvaDt

I didn’t find the death records for any McDonoughs recorded in the Donymore Catholic registers.

Concerning Michael Carroll and Rose McGuire in Massachusetts, your records show they were married in January of 1852. However, I found an index of their marriage as well as a copy of their original Salem, Mass marriage record showing the marriage took place on 22 June 1851. These records come from the free FamilySearch website.

See the index below:

Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001

Name: Michael Carroll
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 22 Jun 1851
Event Place: Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
Event Place (Original): Salem, Essex, Massachusetts
Gender: Male

Spouse's Name: Rose Mcguire
Spouse's Gender: Female

Citing this Collection
"Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001." Database with images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 6 April 2020. Citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
____

Attached to this reply is a copy of their original marriage record at Number 88 in the Salem marriage register.

Stay safe and healthy Jimmy. Again, many thanks for your reply.

Dave

Attached Files

Dave,
I hope all is well. Rhode Island recently digitized and provided access to certain records. I have attached the marriage record for Edward. (The clerk had beautiful penmanship!) I now see that Edward's parents were William and Mary. I had no luck finding any baptismal record and cannot tell where in Ireland Edward was born. Can you help?
Jimmy

Hello Jimmy,

Based on his age of 28 in the 1858 marriage record, and based on the names of Edward’s parents, William and Mary, I looked for the Irish baptism record for Edward Donelly/Donnelly but did not find it.

I then wanted to see if there were any baptism records for other children of William and Mary Donelly/Donnelly in Ireland but came up empty again.

I also looked for Edward’s baptism under the Latin name of his father William. In the Latin, William is spelled alternatively as Gulielmo, Gulielmi, or Gulielmus.

With the Latin spelling of William’s name, I once again looked for, but did not uncover a baptism record for Edward.

The other challenge with finding Edward’s baptism record is not knowing the maiden name of his mother Mary.

Then too there is always the possibility that the church where Edward was baptized may not have registers that go back far enough in time to have recorded his baptism circa 1830.

Sorry I couldn’t find Edward’s baptism Jimmy.

Dave

Dave,

Thank you very much for searching for Edward and his parents William and Mary.  I very much appreciate all that you have done to help me find my roots. Alas, there probably aren't any more records to show where these Donnellys were in Ireland. My family here in the U.S. was excited to travel to the town where Edward was born. Once the pandemic ends, we will visit other areas where you discovered Edward's wife, Margaret McCormick, and that side of the family lived.  The knowledge that you provided means so much to our family.  Be well Dave, and know that you are in our family prayers.

Jimmy  

Many thanks Jummy and thank you for the kind words.

I hope you and your family can make it back to Ireland after all this nastiness ends.

God Bless,

Dave