Bleakley

Hello J Feona, if you want to spread your search as I do not think we have a volunteer in Clones, I may be wrong, most Irish counties and some smaller places have private Facebook pages dealing with genealogy and lost families, if you are on Facebook search for Monaghan and Clones, I see two Monaghan Genealogy pages and a Clones Notice board page.

While your spelling in different I was a member of the Irish Genealogical Research Society, their 2019 journal has a DNA study of the Clones area and one main family was Blakely, the names sound alike so it may interest you. They have a website but mainly for members, membership is fairly cheap, if memory is correct about €20 or $25 or that general area, I am not a current member but got the journal when I was and it stuck with me as I know people from Clones but not of those names.

Good Luck

Pat

Thank you for taking the time to respond.  I am a member of Facebook for my sins so will look up Clones on there.  Of course the other difficulty is Clones appears to straddle both sides of the border, half in co. Monaghan and half in Fremanagh.

Regards, J Feona King

Old Bird,

The parish of Clones is partly in Monaghan and partly in Fermanagh.  Looking at the 1901 census of Ireland the name was more common in Fermanagh than in Monaghan, so that may be a hint as to the more likely area. In 1901 there were 99 in Fermanagh but only 24 in Monaghan. I am sure you know that Bleakely can also be spelled Blakely so include that in any searches you make. (Spelling varies all the time in Ireland).

If you know what denomination the family was that may assist with the relevant records to search. Clones RC records start in 1848 but Clones Church of Ireland has records from 1682.

You are just so kind and helpful. A 'star' in my world. My GG Grandfather William Bleakley (1839-1883) went to England and married a woman, Sarah Preston Aug, 12th 1866 in  All Saints Church, Paddington, a Church of England, but that may have been due to Sarah's religion.  I suspect and info I have found leads me to consider Williams family were Church of Ireland.  You will never guess what I have realised looking at the certificate, William and Sarah were a double wedding.  Their witnesses were married at the same time and William and Sarah were their witnesses, witnesses if that makes sense.  Both men and their fathers were recorded as Gardeners and all 4 are recorded as living inthe same building.  Fascinating.  Thank you for prompting me to look at the record again.

Griffiths Valuation 1862 lists a Christopher Blakely in Liskilly and another in Tattinbarr. Both in the parish of Clones, Co Fermanagh.

There’s a copy of the Church of Ireland records for that parish in PRONI. Some years records are also on rootsireland.

Christopher Bleakley of Liskilly died in 1873. He was a farmer and so may not be the right family.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

Hi,

I am descended from the Bleakley/Blakely family of Bosallagh townland near Aghadrumsee Church not far from Clones. Yes there are Bleakley/Blakely descendants in and around Clones. I live in Madison, Wisconsin, and have done extdensive work on this branchof the family. they lived in Bosallagh before 1750 and one branch lives there today.

Good luck,

Jeff