Connor and McGrory

Michael,

Ideally you need to get Patrick and Mary Ann’s parents names from perhaps death certificates in the USA, to distinguish them from the many other people of those same names.

If they were both born in Magheralin then you won’t find baptism records for them as they don’t go back that far.  The parish records start in 1815 and can be viewed free on the national library site. Unusually for an RC parish, there are burial records 1815 onwards too. So presumably Patrick & Mary Ann’s parents will be there, provided they died after 1815.

http://www.nli.ie

I looked at the tithe applotment records for 1834. These list those with land (so mainly farmers but not normally labourers, servants and others without land). There are 3 or 4 Connors in Magheralin then but no McGrory, suggesting Mary Ann’s family weren’t farmers. But if you think Patrick’s brother who stayed in Ireland was a farmer, then he may be in the 1834 list, or his father. Townlands are listed so that gives you a general area to search.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/down/tithe-applotment-books/magheralin-parish.php

They had all left those townlands by the 1901 census save for this widow:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Ballyleany/Ballyl…

There are some Connors from Magheralin listed on the Rosdavies site:

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/SURNAMES/C/Connor.htm

Michael. Mary mcgrory is the sister of my ancestor Daniel rodgers. Their other sister is a Margaret who married a Mooney. There is information about Patrick and Mary in The Early Irish Experience in Wayne County Pennsylvania by Gene Tagle. 

Sylvia.  I obtained a copy of The Early Irish Experience in Wayne County Pennsylvania.  Thank you for that reference.  Did your ancestor Daniel or his sister Margaret emigrate to the United States?  

Hello Michael. Yes Daniel Rodgers / Rogers and his two older sisters emigrated from Ireland to the United States. 

Michael. Have you learned anything new about the Connors in Ireland? They came to America with their neighbors McAvoy whose father William was buried in the grave near St Coleman in Moira as there was no Catholic Church in Magheralin at the time (circa 1820-1835). My ancestor Mary who married Patrick Connor sometimes used the last name McGrory and sometimes Rogers as her maiden name. 

A pamphlet entitled "The Sesqui-Centennial History of St. Juliana's Catholic Church, Rock Lake, Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania" printed in 1988 provides some history of the McAvoy Family and the Connor family in the establishment of the Irish Settlement which was to become Rock Lake, Pennsylvania.

In that pamphlet, it states "Another story tells of the time a letter came to the Pleasant Mount post office for Patrick (Connor) from his brother in Ireland but there was twenty-five cents postage due on it. The letter remained in the post office for six months before he could secure the money to redeem it."  

In reviewing the Ros Davies Surnames of County Down as suggested above, a Hugh Connor of Magheralin Parish, Ballyleny that married Mary Bailie of Drumnabreeze on 1/29/1815 at Magheralin Catholic Church could possibly be Patrick's brother.  In addition a Will was probated in 1824 for a James Connor of Ballyleny.  That could be Patrick's father?  The search continues.

The documents from Honesdale, Pennsylvania (maybe same one you have) said Patrick’s father was a William. His younger son was a William as well. He was supposed to have come to america with Patrick but broke his leg and went back to Magheralin. After William the father died he was buried in a graveyard beside st Coleman’s church in Moira because there wasn’t a Catholic Church in Magheralin according to the document. William the son and the mother Roseann (august 1760-May 15, 1856) then came to America and settled near Paul. 

Sylvia.  Not sure which documents you have, but I believe the William you are referring to is William McAvoy.  He was the husband of Roseann and father of Paul McAvoy and William McAvoy.  Paul McAvoy and Patrick Connor and his family emigrated together.

Yes. You are right.