Mary Hillas and John Connelly of County Down

Dori:

The RC records for the parish of Downpatrick start in 1851. This link provides the actual parish register for a 30 year period from 1851-1882. 

https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0410

I think it is possible but not probable that the John Connelly/Mary Hillas couple who married in 1820 in Magherlin is the same couple who had Rebecca and Patrick Connelly in the late 1830s in the Downpatrick area. The lack of RC records for Downpatrick greatly hinders your search.

I checked on the subscription site Roots Ireland and the earliest Mary Hillas baptismal record on their database is in 1836 so no record is available for your Mary Hillas.

The blacksmith, John Connelly, that you mention may be related to Rebecca and Patrick but we can't confirm with records.

If you have not done so already, you may want to consider DNA testing. Possibly you will have matches with people who have connections to the same Connelly/Hillas line and have more info on the family.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Roger McDonnell

Hi Roger,  Thank you very much!   I really appreciate your help and advice.   I have checked my DNA which confirms county Down input (along with other Norther Irish counties) and has provided many hundreds of relatives working on their trees. I do hope there might be someone out there with another piece of the puzzle. At the moment, of all those I've connected with through various sites and DNA, I appear to be the furthest forward.  I feel my best hope now would be to find someone who has knowledge of their ancestors locally, although not using any of the family tree sites.   I am an analyst by nature and experience and I've really enjoyed exploring whatever I can find, but I'm reaching the limits of the information available.   Although the time difference between the wedding and Rebecca's likely birth in 1838 is significant I am tending towards this Mary Hillas and John Connelly being Rebecca's parents.  It would mean them having children for 18 years after marriage but I note that their (proposed) daughter Rebecca had her last surviving child 19 years after marriage.  My intention in exploring and linking the John Connelly in Whitehaven is to explore other possible children of the couple to fill the gap such as his father George and perhaps, by extention, find more relatives currently in the area. The Whitehaven connellys remained close to their Downpatrick family and one of his daughters returned to marry, settle, and be mentioned in the 1901 Irish census.  I also found a widow of a Philip Connelly in Whitehaven, born in County Down and of the 'right' age to be Mary and John's son Philip's widow.     'Ancestry' suggests a direct connection between our Mary Hillas and the wealthy Hillas family in Sligo. Whereas she may well link with them way way back, it seems very unlikely to me that such a close link is feasible due to both physical and social distance. In any case the dates suggest a physical impossibility.   

Is it possible there may be a record of 19th century blacksmiths?  I looked at blacksmiths named Connelly in the 1901 census and may attempt to work backwards from that. 

Dori:

I'm not aware of a blacksmith directory.

There may be some value in reviewing all the birth, marriage and death civil records for Connolly/Connelly in the Downpatrick registration district at the free site www.irishgenealogy.ie

Roger

I would like to get in touch with the person enquiring, Dori, as I am researching the same family members as they are in my tree at present. I have added my e mail address if they wish to contact me direct.

johnkcrossan985@gmail.com

Regards

John K Crossan

John:

If Dori is still using the same email address that she used in 2021 then Dori should get a notification about a new comment. Hopefully, she will respond.

Roger McDonnell

Thank you Roger. I'm in touch with John :)