Michael Kelley and Catherine (Kate) Burns

Terri:

On the subscription site Roots Ireland there is a May 15 1854 baptismal record for a Catherine Kelly with father Michael Kelly and mother Catherine Beirne. The RC parish was Gortletteragh in Co. Leitrim. Gortletteragh is in southern Co. Leitrim near the border with Co. Longford. I think this baptismal record corresponds to the marriage you found on Find MyPast. There was also a sister Mary Anne baptized December 1 1852.

Burns would be a variant for Beirne.

Roger McDonnell

Hi Roger,

Thank you so much for confirming my suspicion about the Burns variant of Beirne and for taking the time to look up this information.  I am reasonably sure that this is the family I'm looking for, especially if people responsible for documenting names (such as on a marriage certificate or census) did so phonetically.  In Massachusetts, the Irish pronunciation of Beirne may very sound like Burns.

Best

Terri D.

Hi Roger,

Thank you so much for confirming my suspicion about the Burns variant of Beirne and for taking the time to look up this information.  I am reasonably sure that this is the family I'm looking for, especially if people responsible for documenting names (such as on a marriage certificate or census) did so phonetically.  In Massachusetts, the Irish pronunciation of Beirne may very sound like Burns.

Best

Terri D.

Hello Teri D,

There was a Michael Kelly married Catherine Beirne on the 9th January 1850 Mohill, County Leitrim.  

All The Best

Peter C

Thank you!  Was it customary for a bride and groom to come from the sane place?  I'm trying to locate records for Michael Kelly (or Kelley) and it would give me a starting place.  The problem with this is that his name is so common, I woud have no way of being reasonably sure I have the right Michael Kelly.

Best

Terri

Hello Terri - I came across your posts while researching (always researching) my great-grandmother's roots.  I have been researching for years now and as you must know there are so many people with the same names its really impossible although I don't give up hope.

I see that you are looking for Michael Kelly's.  I also am searching for Sarah Kelly with a father Michael.  My Sarah Kelly was born 1852/3 in Queens County.  I have a copy of the marriage certificate, they were married in Manchester, England and it shows Michael as father, occupation Bricklayer.  I too have searched all of Ancestry and I see you have come up with some of the same people as me - Catherine Beirne or Burns and this is the closest I have got.  I even had a researcher on Ancestry who has used my Sarah Kelly history onwards which I don't think is the right person although it might indicate that the family were living in Liverpool at that time.

I thought I had a connection to a family called Foey.  William and Dinah were witnesses at the wedding of Sarah Kelly to Williiam Mather in Manchester and William and Sarah witnesses at the wedding of William and Dinah Wardle.  I found that Dinah's mother was called Catherine Kelly although it didn't get me any further.  Maybe nothing in it, maybe they were just friends but there are a lot of coincidences.   https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2967/images/40366_29…

I have all but given up with the researching as I've been at it for years.  I wish I had asked my own grandmother questions while she was still alive but I was young and not interested in history.  My  grandmother was called Sarah Jane, maybe after her mother.

I wish you luck with your search.  If I find anything relevant in future I will come back to you.

Best Wishes

Marie