Emigrated to Canada

Trish:

How can we assist you? I assume the Michael/Beatrice marriage was in Canada. By the way, I have had no success finding the Patrick Walsh/Bridget Early marriage.

Roger McDonnell

I have also tried with Patrick and Bridget,I have now got their death certificates,but no clues there,I also went to the graveyard with the map I was sent and a gardener there helped me find the grave as the sections are not numbered,I went to the library and looked on find your past but  no luck,ancestry had 85 pages with Bridget Earley marriages so hoping to get through them next time,you used to get half an hour free on the computers with your library card at the moment they are giving you 45 minutes if nobody has pre booked it,when I ordered the death certificates the lady did a quick search to look for a marriage but could not find one,I seem to think that my uncle Michael did not marry until the 1940's think my mother told me,don't think I have enough information to find the marriage I know it was in Canada but don't know what part,just saw the bit about Canada ( and posted twice) have not got the hang of things,Thankyou for looking again for my grandparents and for all the help on my mother's side as well,will let you know if I have any luck at the library.

Hello Trish,

There is information submitted to Ancestry.com showing that a Michael Walsh had married an Ann Beatrice, but there is no record of when or where this marriage took place to prove the marriage, and so it must be suspect. I’m not saying that Michael did not marry someone named Anne Beatrice, or someone with the first name of Beatrice. It’s just that there are no records that I could find online to confirm this.

The Ancestry.com submission also shows that Michael was born in Derrygullinaun, Carrowmore, Mayo, on 6 September 1900. This is the date of birth you have for him.

Further, the Ancestry.com source also notes that Michael died in Canada in 1975, but is buried in Bloomfield, Connecticut. His name on the gravestone is Michael J. Walsh. His year of birth is 1900 and year of death is 1975. On the same gravestone is his wife, Anne B. Walsh, born 1908. Her year of death is 2009.

Michael’s birth is not backed up by any records on the Ancestry.com submission, nor, as mentioned earlier, is his marriage to an Anne Beatrice. Also, there is no death record for him or Anne online to confirm that they were married, or that Michael died in Canada but was buried in Connecticut.

I also accessed Michael’s ship’s passenger list at Ancestry.com. The passenger list is the one you mentioned where Michael arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 26th April 1924, on board the Ship Celtic. In the passenger list however, Michael states that his nearest relative in Ireland is his mother in County Cork, not County Mayo. The handwriting in the passenger list is not clear in some places and so I could not make out where in County Cork where Michael’s mother was living.

Trish, did the Walsh family move from County Mayo to County Cork?

Also, are you sure you have been researching the Michael Walsh in your direct line? The Middle initial of the Michael Walsh’s name in the ship’s passenger list is B., while Michael’s middle initial on the gravestone in Bloomfield, Connecticut is J.

If you discover Michael’s exact place and date of death, you’ll need to obtain his death record to see if his wife is recorded on it. You’ll also have to see if you can find his wife’s death certificate to see if her maiden name is recorded on it.

I found a digitized copy of Michael’s birth record at the free irishgenelaogy.ie website, showing he was born in Derrygullinaun on 25 November 1900. His father is Patt Walsh, of Derrygullinaun. Patt’s occupation is farmer. Michael’s mother is Bridget Walsh, formerly Early. You can access Michael’s birth record at the following link: https://is.gd/cegYLV

His birth is Number 52 in the register.

NOTE: I am not always confident that dates of birth in civil registration birth records are accurate, as I’ve seen too many that do not give the correct date of birth for a child. For example, I’ve discovered over the years that birthdates of a child in civil registration birth records were recorded days and weeks after the child’s date of baptism.

Concerning Michael’s parents, Patrick Walsh and Bridget Early:

Roger McDonnell kindly looked for, but did not find a marriage record for them.

I looked for Michael Walsh and his parents Patrick and Bridget in the 1911 census, as this census shows how long a couple had been married, as well as how many children they had, and how many children were still living as of 1911.

I found the Walsh family in the 1911 census transcription at the National Archives of Ireland website at: https://is.gd/FQcmex

Once the census downloads, make sure you click on, “Show all information,” to view the full census page.

The census shows the Walsh family were, “Residents of a house 2 in Derrygullinaun (Carrowmore, Mayo).” The census also shows that 43 year old Pat, and 32 year old Bridget Walsh were living in the household of Bridget’s widowed mother, 73 year old Catherine Early. Catherine, Patrick, and Bridget are all shown to be able to speak both Irish and English. The census further shows that Pat, a farmer, and his wife Bridget, as of 1911, were married for 12 years, and in that time had five children, with the five children still living. All five children, including 10 year old Michael, were in the household with their parents and grandmother, Catherine Early.

You can view a copy of the original 1911 census for the household of Catherine Early at the following National Archive of Ireland link: https://is.gd/WuCzoi

If the 12 years of marriage is accurate in the 1911 census, Patrick and Bridget would have married in 1899. The 1911 census was conducted on 2 April of that year. If Patrick and Bridget were married after 2 April, their marriage year would have taken place in 1898.

The National Library of Ireland holds Catholic Parish marriage records for much of the 19th century, but at this point in the research I didn’t know if the National Library of Ireland would have parish registers up to the years 1899 for the particular Catholic parish that Bridget Early had belonged to, as marriages were traditionally held in the bride’s parish.

To determine the Catholic parish that Derrygullinaun was located in, I first needed to see what Civil Parish it was in. To do this I went to the IreAtlas, which shows that Derrygullinaun, County Mayo was in the Kilbelfad Civil Parish. See: https://is.gd/8xNNzX

I now had to see if Kilbelfad was also the name of the Catholic parish, or if the Catholic parish was called something else. To do this I consulted a book by Brian Mitchell called, “A Guide To Irish Parish Registers,” printed by the Genealogical Publishing Co., in Baltimore, Maryland in 1988. The book shows that the Catholic Parish in the Civil Parish of Kilbelfad was called Backs. The book also shows that Backs is a split parish, with one chapel in Rathduff, County Mayo, and another chapel in Knockmore, County Mayo.

The Backs Catholic Parish was also the parish for those living in the Civil Parish of Ballynahaglish, according to Mitchell’s book.

The Shane Wilson website, which is an extremely valuable resource, confirms this and further shows the locations of the chapels in Rathduff and Knockmore on a map. See: https://is.gd/DxMm2h

A Google Map shows that Rathduff is closer to Derrygullinaun than Knockmore is. The marriage may have taken place in the Rathduff Catholic Church, Backs Catholic Parish, that is, if Bridget had lived in Derrygullinaun or one of the surrounding towns. See the Google map at: https://is.gd/gQbzN9

The following is a Google Street View of the Catholic Church in Rathduff. The house in the foreground and off to the side of the church may be the presbytery, which in the U.S. is called the rectory: https://is.gd/JxIQ8D

I went to the National Library of Ireland website to see what years are available for baptisms and marriages in the Backs Catholic Parish. Baptisms are available from 28 August 1848, to 16 August 1879. Marriages are available from 1 December 1848 to September 1879. There may be gaps in these registers however.

For the availability of Backs Catholic Parish registers and a map of the parish, see: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0738

The Backs Catholic Parish registers held by the National Library of Ireland do not go far enough into the late 19th century to have a copy of the original marriage record for Patrick Walsh and Bridget Early.

The subscription website RootsIreland only has parish registers for the church in Backs, Knockmore, but not for the Backs, Rathduff Catholic Church. Baptism registers for the Backs, Knockmore Church at RootsIreland are available from 1829 to 1911, while marriages are available from 1815 to 1911.

Trish, what you’ll have to do if you want to see if there may be a church marriage record for Patrick Walsh and Bridget Early, is write to the Backs Catholic Parish directly. You can also see if there is a baptism record for Michael Walsh, born on 25 November 1900.

The parish has its own website at the following:
http://www.killaladiocese.org/parishes-ministries/parish-details/?paris…

At the website you’ll see the church in Rathduff is called St. Teresa’s Church, while the church in Knockmore is called Church of Christ the King. Contact information for the Backs Parish churches is at the bottom of the website page, and includes a physical address as well as email addresses. If you write to the parish asking that a search be made for the marriage of Patrick Walsh and Bridget Early circa 1898-1899, and baptism of Michael Walsh in 1900, make sure that you mention that you have already checked with the National Library of Ireland in Dublin for the marriage and baptism, but that the library only has Backs Catholic Parish marriages and baptisms up to the year 1879.

Knowing that Patrick Walsh and Bridget Early were married circa 1898-1899, I looked for them in the 1901 census. Their son Michael should be in the census with them, but I also wanted to see if they were living in the household of Bridget’s mother Catherine Early.

The 1901 census took place on the evening of Sunday, March 31.

The 1901 census transcription from the National Archives of Ireland shows that 35 year old Patrick, and his 32 year old wife Bridget are living in the household of 62 year old widow, Catherine Early. They are shown to be, “Residents of a house 2 in Derrygullinaun (Carrowmore, Mayo).” The census shows that Patrick is Catherine Early’s son-in-law, and that his occupation is “General Labourer.” Patrick and Bridget’s two children are in the household. They are 2 year old John, and Michael, whose age is not recorded in the transcription. When a National Archives of Ireland census transcription doesn’t give the age of the youngest child in the household, it is usually a sign that the child is less than a year old.

To access the 1901 census transcription for the household of Catherine Early, go to: https://is.gd/B618D4

Once again, make sure you click on, “Show all information,” to view the full census page transcription.

For a copy of the original 1901 census, go to: https://is.gd/nYo9bO

The copy of the original census shows that Michael Walsh is 7 months old.

For the next search I wanted to see if I could find the birth and baptism records for Bridget Early Walsh. The little information I had about her was that her mother’s first name was Catherine, and that Bridget was likely married in 1898 or 1899. I also thought she would have been in her late teens or early 20s when she married. There was also the possibility that Bridget was born in Derrygullinaun or a nearby town, and that she was baptized in the Backs Catholic Parish.

Her birth and baptism records would give the first name of her father and the first and maiden names of her mother.

I only found one birth record for a Bridget Early at irishgenealgy.ie that took place between 1870 and 1880. The birth record shows that she was born in Derrygullinaun on 21 December 1878. Her father is Patt Early, a farmer living in Derrygullinaun. Bridget’s mother is Catherine Early, formerly McHale. The father, Patt Early singed the birth register with his “mark,” that is, the + sign, which means he could not read or write.

Bridget’s birth record is Number 249 in the birth register at: https://is.gd/ctIRY9

I also found the Backs Catholic Parish baptism transcription for Bridget “Earley” at the Find My Past (FMP) website, showing that she was baptized before her date of birth recorded in the civil registration birth record. The transcription shows that Bridget was baptized on 1 December 1878, while the birth record noted above gives her date of birth as 21 December 1878. Her father is Pat Earley. Her mother is Catherine McHale. You can access the transcription at: https://is.gd/xGP74G

A copy of Bridget’s original baptism record from the National Library of Ireland can be found at: https://is.gd/vzfz0I

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.

To find her baptism scroll down the tight-hand page of the register until you come to the subheading, “December – 78.” Her baptism is the first entry under the December – 78 subheading.

Bridget’s godfather is Richard Forrestal. Her godmother is Catherine Melvin. The baptism record also shows that Bridget and her parents were living in Derrygullinaun when the baptism took place.

She was not the first child that Patrick Early and Catherine McHale had named Bridget. The Backs Catholic Parish registers also shows that a daughter named Bridget was baptized on 24 February 1856. The FMP baptism transcription can be found at: https://is.gd/Ln6qiC

Bridget’s baptism is on the left-hand baptism register page, 6th entry down from the top at: https://is.gd/NDsCsA

Her godparents are John McHale and Bridget Rourke. The baptism record also shows the Early family were living in Derrygullinaun,

The births of two children named Bridget means the first-born child had died.

I also found the baptism and or birth records for five more children of Patrick Early and Catherine McHale. Their names and dates of baptism are below. I’ve also included the births of the two Bridget Early children so you can see the full chronology of the births, though it’s possible that Patrick and Catherine had more children than what I found online. The names below are from the FMP and FamilySearch websites:

Bridget Early, 1856
William Early, 1857
Michael Early 1866
Catherine Early, 1868
Mary Early, 1870
Edward Early, 1873
Bridget Early, 1878
____

Patrick and Catherine Early may have had two or three more children between the birth William in 1866 and the birth of Michael in 1866.

Because the Backs Catholic Parish marriage registers go back to the year 1848, I looked for the FMP marriage transcription for Patrick Early and Catherine McHale, and found it. Pat Early and Kate McHale were married on 31 January 1855, according to the FMP transcription at: https://is.gd/l7jWVF

A copy of the original church marriage for Pat Early and Kate McHale is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page at: https://is.gd/aJb1Cl

The witnesses to the marriage were Edward Masterson and Mary Monahen. At the time of the marriage Pat and Kate were living in “Derigullinaun.”

Concerning Patrick Walsh, if he and his wife Bridget followed Irish naming patterns, the first-born son would be named after his father’s father. The 1901 and 1911 census enumerations show the oldest son of Patrick and Bridget is John. This is an indication that Patrick’s father may have also been named John.

I found a baptism transcription at the FMP website for a Patrick Walsh, son of John Walsh and Margaret Caroline. Patrick was baptized in the Backs Catholic Parish on 10 April 1870. You can view the FMP baptism transcription for Patrick at: https://is.gd/3qM7XK

A copy of Patrick’s original baptism is the 4th entry down from the top of the right-hand register page at: https://is.gd/lDjr

The first name of Patrick’s godfather is Michael. I couldn’t make out his last name. Patrick’s godmother is Bridget Walsh, who may have been John Walsh’s sister. The baptism record also shows that John, Margaret, and Patrick were living in Barnfield when the baptism took place.

I also found Patrick’s civil registration birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website, showing he was born in Barnfield, Mayo, on 13 June 1870. Once again a birth record has a child born after his date of baptism. The birth record shows that Patrick’s father is John Walsh, a “Cooper” living in Barnfield. Patrick’s mother is Margaret Walsh, formerly “Caraline.” Patrick’s birth is Number 276 in the register at: https://is.gd/8JPNJ0

A Google Map shows that Barnfield, by the shortest route, is 2.3 miles southeast of Derrygullinaun. Trish, do you know if Patrick Walsh’s parents were John Walsh and Margaret Caroline/Caraline?

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

I now wanted to see if there were any people named Walsh, Early, or McHale leasing property in Derrygullinaun, Civil Parish of Kilbelfad, County Mayo, in an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation. Griffiths

Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for Derrygullinaun and surrounding townlands and parishes, was completed by the year 1856, which is the year that the first-born Bridget Early was born and baptized.

Unlike a census, Griffiths Valuation did not enumerate individual members of a family, such as husband, wife, and children in a household residence. Those named in the valuation were individuals who paid to lease property, such as land, houses, and outbuildings. Each person who paid to lease the property was called an “Occupier.” The other person listed in Griffiths Valuation was the person who owned the property, or who worked as the middleman collecting the rent on Gale Day for the owner. This middleman was called the “Immediate Lessor.”

You can access Griffiths Valuation transcriptions and original copies of Griffiths Valuation for free at the askaboutireland website link at:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

I didn’t find anyone named Walsh or Early leasing property in Derrygullinaun in Griffiths Valuation. But, there is an Occupier named Bridget McHale who did lease property there. She was likely related to Catherine McHale who married Patrick Early in the 1890s.

Griffiths Valuation shows that Bridget McHale leased over 16 acres of land in common with another Occupier named Michael Vrislane. The land was valued at 1 Pound and 15 Shillings each for Bridget and Michael Vrsilane. They each leased their own houses. The value of their houses was 5 Shillings each. The total valuation for Bridget McHale portion of the lease was 2 Pounds. The total valuation for Michael Vrislane’s portion of the lease was also 2 Pounds.

They leased their property from an Immediate Lessor named the Honorable Edward S. Perry, who owned all of Derrygullinaun.

The Griffiths Valuation page for Derrygullinaun is attached to this reply.

To the left of Bridget McHale and Michael Vrislane’s names is the map reference number 1{ab. This map reference number is a location marker for their property on an Ordnance Survey Map of Derrygullinaun. This map is available at askaboutireland.

I downloaded the map and found map reference 1a and 1b. Map reference 1a is toward the upper center of the map. Just above 1a is map reference 17 B, above which is Map reference 1b. The land that Bridget McHale and Michael Vrislane had leased was not contiguous, but was separated by a large parcel of land, 17B, reserved for the owner, Edward S. Perry.

Toward the bottom center of the map is the label for the town in block letters – DERRYGULLINAUN.

Best of Luck in finding more information about Michael Walsh.

With Kind Regards,

Dave Boylan

SOURCES:

Ancestry.com
irishgenealogy.ie
National Archives of Ireland
National Library of Ireland
IreAtlas
A Guide To Irish Parish Registers
Shane Wilson website
Google Maps
Google Street Views
RootsIireland
Backs Catholic Parish website
Find My Past
AskAboutIreland
Griffiths Valuation
Ordnance Survey Maps

Thankyou very much for all your hard work,there is a lot to take in,it looks like the Michael on the ship is the wrong one,I found a picture of the grave online so that looks possible,I don't know if he had a second name,most of the family did,I got Bridget's birth from rootsireland and it is the same one as you had,but find that I have been looking at the wrong  Patrick Walsh,Roger warned me that even when you have your DNA done,ancestry will match you up with people with similar names,I was given Michael walsh and Catherine Mullany as Patrick's parents and thought it was right as some of the male names were similar,I will definitely write and see if they can find the marriage,I'm glad you contacted me I thought I was doing so well,you would think having my DNA done would help,but I am further back on my mother's side thanks to Roger,I was only about 6 when my grandfather died and don't remember him at all,I don't remember my grandmother that much either,I don't remember john or William and only met Michael once when he came to England,I knew,Edward (Ned) 1903,my auntie Annie who was registered as Ann Catherine and also as Annie Kate 1906,May registered as Maria and also as Mary,1909,Patrick Joseph 1914,Thomas Vincent 1916(my father)and Kathleen 1919,it seemed they were Baptism with one name and registered with the name they preferred,I kept finding two birth dates for them it was very confusing at first,there is nobody left in the family to ask about my grandparents or great grandparents so did not know what they were called ,I got johns birth certificate from rootsireland 13 August 1898,but only found 6 September 1900 for Michael,Edward I found 18 July 1903,which is the one he used,I am in touch with his son,have 28 November 1906 for Ann Catherine but there is another date for Annie Kate,have Maria known as May 30 August,but also registered as Mary,hopefully I will get news about a marriage as they ended up having 8 children.thankyou for putting me on the right track,I am getting better but struggle at finding things out.

You’re welcome Trish, and many thanks for writing back.

There’s a lot of information in Ancestry.com’s user submissions that are not sourced, or just inaccurate. This information in turn is perpetuated by other researchers who may or may not have the same ancestors, until it becomes a challenge to straighten everything out with the correct information for the ancestor(s) in your direct line.

Over time you may be able to settle what confusion there may be about your ancestors. I have been researching over 30 years and still haven't found basic information about some of my great great parents, such as when they were born, and the parishes where they were baptized. But the search continues.

Roger and the other registered volunteers at Ireland Reaching Out are always good resources to consult when you have a problem with your genealogical research, as they are very knowledgeable about what Irish records are available that may eventually help you tear down your brick walls.

Once again, thank you for writing Trish. Don’t give up on your research.

Best of Luck,

Dave

I am signed up to rootsireland until next March as Roger found lots of my mother's side on it,I have found Patrick's baptism on it father John Walsh mother Margaret Carabine it  has the sponsors Michael Harahoe and Bridget Walsh.

it also had a brother John born 6 September 1867 it says address Barnfield but had the district As kilmoremoy the parents are the same but no sponsor's.

I will keep on looking and write my letter,at least my grandmother will have the right husband this time,I'm glad I did not hand out the family tree's,I have only been doing this for two or three years so am learning all the time,I'm glad I found this site,I will get someone to check for me next time I am stuck.

Thank you for writing Trish. Keep up the research, and please let me know if you learn anything new.

Thank you again.

Dave

I contacted Bishop John Fleming about my Grandparents Marriage,he sent my details to North Mayo Heritage,they had no luck either,so said for me to contact a Father Michael Flynn at the Backs Parish Church became of where Bridget was living,they said it was better to do the marriage search for Bridget Earley,rather than Patrick Walsh as the wedding would be where she lived,Father Flynn has just contacted me to say he could not find a marriage either,so either they married somewhere else in Ireland or in another country.

Hi Trish,

It is possible that the priest who married Patrick Walsh and Bridget Early forgot to record the marriage in the parish marriage register, which means it wouldn't have been recorded in the civil registration system either. Between Roger searching for the marriage in RootsIreland, my searching for the marriage at the FMP website, combined with the search by the North Mayo Heritage and by Father Flynn, I believe we would have found the marriage.

On the off-chance that Patrick and Bridget married in England or Wales, I looked for their marriage at the FreeBMD website, but didn't find it.

Unfortunately, it does not look like the marriage record for Patrick Walsh and Bridget Early has been recorded, Trish.

I know how disappointing this can be as I could not locate the church marriage, or the town marriage record for my great grandparents who married in the U.S. in 1863. I have spent countless hours going through actual church records, town records, newspaper notices, as well as looking for their marriage online, but without success.

Thank you for the update Trish.

Dave

Yes North mayo heritage think that the marriage was most likely at the church at Backs Knockmore and not properly recorded,so I will print all the replies from them all and put with my tree,I will now start looking for his father John and mother Margaret Carabine's Marriage and any more siblings and carry on as far as I can,I have still my mother's side at Cornonagh to return to when I can't get any further,Thankyou to you and Roger for all your help.

You're welcome Trish,

Dave

You're welcome Trish,

Dave

I have now got 4 children for john Walsh and Margaret Carabine 

Martin baptism 14 November 1863

Michael baptism 28 September 1865 Margaret has called herself Peggy on this one but still father John and at Barnfield 

John birth 6 September 1867 baptism 7 October 1867 only one that has his father as a farmer (pat was a farmer as well in Ireland)

Pat baptism 10 April 1870 (my Grandfather)

Have not found the marriage for john and Margaret yet but hoping to go to the library again as I can search other sites there.

I also had a look for a Martin woods as he is the first child so hopefully he will be the father of the john woods that married Margaret Carabine but no Barnfield so had to give up,all my father's side left Ireland sometime in the 1930's have got my grandfather in Harrogate in1939 but they could have lived somewhere else before Harrogate,so I never went to mayo so don't know the different places,we only went to Northern Ireland where my mother came from.

I have found another pat Walsh at Barnfield,I was just looking through the birth certificates of my aunties and uncles and noticed one family seemed to be sponsors more than others there name was barrett and there was a Mary,Maria,Ann and Anthony,so i went back on rootsireland and looked at the Barnfield births,I found.

Tom Walsh 4 January 1856

Anthony 30 March 1858

John 7 June 1862

Pat 26 February 1865

Parents Owen Walsh and Sally Barrett,one of the sponsors on pats certificate was Mary Barrett

There are loads of Walsh family's at Barnfield Charles,John,Patrick,Michael,Owen and Thomas.

When my cousin died without a will we got a family tree given by Fraser and Fraser  pats birth was down as 1865 but no more details

am I just guessing because of the name Barrett or is there a chance it is the right one,I don't want to print out for my family if I am giving my poor grandmother someone else's husband again.

Just realised I missed Owen off

Owen 4 November 1870

I found a birth for his possible father Owen 8 November 1841 at Barnfield his parent down as patt Walsh and  Bridget

But a message at the bottom says he is a twin to Martin and Martin has his parents down as john walsh and Bridget heneghan,life is never easy.

Agreed Trish. Irish genealogy isn’t always easy. But it seems like you are making good progress with RootsIreland, exploring all the possible connections with your Walsh family in County Mayo. The trick is to set aside all those Walshes not in your line, from those Walshes, and related surnames that are in your line.

That’s the challenge with Irish genealogy.

Best of Luck with your continued research Trish.

Dave