Mary Anne Matthews b.1831, Banbridge, Down, Nth Ireland. My 2nd G-Grandmother was a Potato Orphan.

Lester,

A birth in 1831 and the parents’ marriage are long before the start of civil registration in Ireland. To trace them you would need to search the relevant church records (which may not be on-line). Banbridge is in the parish of Seapatrick.

There are about 10 churches in Seapatrick. Most have records for the period you are interested in and copies are held in PRONI in Belfast.  This link explains what records exist:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/proni-guide-church-records

If you are unable to go yourself, you could employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

Here’s a link to the RosDavies site which lists quite a few Matthews in Seapatrick parish.

This link explains what records exist, parish by parish:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/proni-guide-church-records

If you are unable to go yourself, you could employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society is running an Ulster DNA project in conjunction with FTDNA and can offer testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

Thanks for your input Elwyn,

Since I first posted, I have seen the passenger list for the first batch of "potato orphans" to Australia and Mary Ann Matthews name is right under a girl called Marshall, so I think the item I saw suggesting her name may have been Marshall was just a transcription error. Another item recently seen is possibly from a poor/workhouse record, produced for the girls being put forward for assisted passage to Australia. Does anyone know, did the poor/workhouse keep good records and do they still exist today?

If anyone can help, Thanks,

Lester

For the period you are interested in, the only surviving records for Banbridge Workhouse are the Board of Guardian's minutes. The Board met weekly to discuss the usual business issues eg purchasing food, appointing staff, paying bills, monitoring disease etc. The minutes often contain mentions of arrangements for inmates being given help with transport costs to other countries but rarely with individual names. The Banbridge minutes are in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. They are not on-line. A personal visit is required to view them.