Gilroy: Denis and Mary Alice (née Green)

Denis & Mary Alice married on 29.9.1897 at Sessiagh RC chapel. His father was Hugh, another farmer, and hers was Thomas, again a farmer. Her townland was Cornagee, his Drumbargy.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1897/10471/5813011.pdf

Bridget died 9.4.1901 (just a couple of days after the census was taken!). Denis was the informant and is named as her son.

Griffiths Valuation for Drumbargy in 1862 lists Hugh Gilroy on plots 1 & 2. Altogether he had about 13 acres.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch

Probate abstracts taken from the PRONI wills site:

Administration (with the Will) of the personal estate of Hugh Gilroy late of Drumbargy County Fermanagh Farmer who died 7 February 1900 granted at Armagh to Dennis Gilroy Farmer the Son.

The above will is on-line on the PRONI wills site. It mentions his wife Brigid, sons Dennis & James, daughters Alise, Ann Jane & Catherine and son in law Hugh Kerrin.

Gilroy Denis of Drumbargy Belnaleck county Fermanagh farmer died 25 May 1942 Administration W/A Londonderry 21 July 1944 to Patrick Gilroy farmer. Effects £345 15s.

The above will is not on-line but should be held in PRONI in paper format. You can view it there free, or they will copy it for you, for a fee.

Dear Elwyn,

Thank you so much for your reply to my query. Your information has been remarkably helpful! I followed up on the links above to read, in detail, what was available. 

Using this new information, I have researched a number of sites again to find out birth details for both Dennis Gilroy and Mary Alice Gilroy (née Greene) but am still coming up with nothing. Could I please ask you to see what you can find? I would really appreciate it.

Also, I would be interested to see what information (marriage/birth/census) you could find out about their respective parents: Hugh Gilroy & Bridget Gilroy (née ?) and Thomas Greene & his wife.

Thank you so much again for your time and effort. Your help is invaluable.

Siobhán

Siobhan,

The RC parish records for Cleenish (the parish which includes Drumbargy & Cornagee) only have baptism records for 1835-1839 and 1859 onwards. Marriages don’t start till 1866. Consequently I don’t think you are going to find Hugh & Bridget’s baptisms, nor their marriage, nor probably the baptism of Denis c 1854. You might want to search what records there are in case you come across any siblings. You will face a similar problem searching for early Green records too. RC records are mostly on-line on the nli site:  

https://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

Farmers were usually listed in the tithe applotment records. Those for Cleenish relate to 1834. There were no Gilroys in Drumbargy then so it looks as though Hugh acquired his farm there some time after 1834. There was a Patrick Green farming in Cornagee then, but I don’t know what relation he was to Thomas Green.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/fermanagh/tithe-applotment-books/parish-of-cleenish.php

The 1901 census of Cornagee seems to be missing so I can’t tell you who was farming there then. This is the 1911 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Gortahurk/Cornagee/517842/

Hugh Greene married Margaret Monaghan in 1903. Hugh’s father was another Hugh.

Griffiths Valuation for 1862 lists 2 Greene properties in Cornagee. One held by Hugh & the other by Thomas.

Hugh senior died 18.12.1896 aged 82. His son Hugh was the informant.

Probate abstracts:

Greene Hugh of Cornagee Letterbreen county Fermanagh farmer died 3 November 1929 Administration Londonderry 6 February to Margaret Greene the widow. Effects £13.

Greene Margaret of Cornagee Letterbreen county Fermanagh widow died 24 November 1939 Probate Belfast 12 January to Bernard McCauley farmer. Effects £97 15s. 5d.

Thomas Green appears to have died in 1876, aged 84. He was replaced in Griffiths by Mary Greene. She in turn was replaced by Frances Greene in 1886. Mary Greene died 11.3.1884 aged 84. Her death certificate describes her as the widow of Thomas Green, farmer. The informant was Frances Green, grandson, of Cornagee.

Frances’ name remains in the Valuation records till 1907 when he is replaced by John McManus. Francis had died by the 1911 census. (I can’t find a death certificate though).  He married Mary McSherry on 27.8.1891 and the marriage certificate states his father was Thomas Green. So that appears to make him Mary Alice’s brother.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1891/10676/5890739.pdf

I don’t see a birth in Ireland for Mary Alice Green, so I’d be inclined to accept she was born in England (as the 1911 census indicates). The Thomas who died in 1876 aged 84 is most unlikely to be her father, so I’d suspect he had a son also named Thomas who was Mary Alice’s father. And that that Thomas went to England to work, so accounting for her birth there. Possibly Francis was also born there. (I don’t see a birth in Ireland for him). You would need to search English birth records for Mary Alice and Francis.

Children to Francis Green & Mary McSherry:

Edward 5.8.1892

John 15.6.1894

Mary 12.12.1896

Thomas 1.10.1899 Died Cornagee 12.5.1900.

James 4.11.1901

Widowed Mary and 4 children farming in Woaghternerry in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Enniskillen_Rural/Woaghternerry/515840/

Probate abstracts:

Greene John of Woaghternerry county Fermanagh farmer died 25 July 1932 Administration W/A (d.b.n.) Belfast 23 April to Mary Greene widow. Unadministered Effects Nil. Former Grant Belfast 31 March 1936.

Greene Mary Alice of Woaghternerry county Fermanagh spinster died 28 July 1937 at The Mental Hospital Omagh Administration Belfast 29 April to Mary Greene widow. Effects £18.

Greene Mary of Woaghternerry county Fermanagh widow died 10 July 1942 Probate Belfast 18 August to Francis McSherry farmer. Effects £234 7s.

Dear Elwyn,

Thank you so much for your incredibly detailed response. So much information to work through and I am very grateful for your time and effort. Am sure I will have more questions as I move forward and will jump back on here when I do.

Thanks again,

Siobhan

Dear Elwyn,

Hello again :))

I have been able to go through all of the above links for information. However, the only item I cannot find is the death certificate for Mary Greene (d.o.d 1884). Can you please let me know where you found this please? In general, I am having so much trouble locating any information for the Green(e) family, particularly Mary Alice and Francis, her brother, either in Ireland or the U.K. Do you have any suggestions?

Many thanks for your help,

Siobhan

Siobhan,

Here’s a link to Mary Green’s death certificate in 1884:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1884/06325/4813828.pdf

Can’t really help you with Mary Alice Green’s birth in England. It is such a common name. There are several dozen born there around 1874. Unless you order up all the certificates I can’t see how you might trace her. There’s loads in Lancashire and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where she was born.

Elwyn,

Thanks so much for your help. Appreciate it :))

Siobhan