I am looking for any information about my Great Grandfather Michael Conway. He emigrated to the United States around 1885. He landed in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. He married an unknown woman and had 2 sons, Hugh and Michael. His wife died, and he married again, to a woman named Elizabeth McGrath who was also from Ireland. He became a liquors dealer in Philadelphia. He raced sullied. He passed away in Philadelphia in 1918. In his obituary it stated he was from Sluggagh Park, County Derry. I cannot find any information on that location. I don't know if that is a parish, townland, or what. I know his father was Edward Conway, and his mother was Martha Higgins. I am stuck, so any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Marianne Gallagher
MarianneDVM
Thursday 11th Jun 2020, 05:19AMMessage Board Replies
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Marianne,
I have looked for Sluggagh Park in Co Londonderry/Derry but without success. It’s possibly a corruption of another name but if so I can’t work out what.
You haven’t said when Michael was born but I will assume it was before 1864. If so, we have to rely on parish records to locate him. I assume he was RC. I searched the on-line records for a marriage between Edward Conway & Martha Higgins and for baptisms of children to a couple of that name, but without success. So possibly the family lived in a parish that doesn’t have records for the years you need.
The tithe applotment records have 2 Edward Conways listed, farming in the parish of Ballynascreen:
http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/derry/tithe-applotments/ballynascreen-…
The 1831 census (which is the only census surviving pre 1901 census) has an Edward Conway farming in Altiaskey, parish of Ballynascreen, so he’s one of the two in the tithe applotment records. His family consisted of 4 males, 3 females & 1 servant:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughinsho…
Griffiths Valuation (1859) lists 1 Edward Conway in Co. Londonderry. He farmed in Ballinderry townland, parish of Ballinderry.
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameS…
I looked for possible deaths for Edward & Martha. Death registration only started in 1864. There were no deaths for Edward that might fit and none for a Martha at all. So perhaps both died pre 1864 in which case there may be no record unless they have a gravestone.
Sorry but I can’t really offer any warm leads as to where he may have lived.
Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Thursday 11th Jun 2020, 09:11AM