Rusk Family

Hello Anthony,

I'm not related but found the civil marriage record for Thomas and "Ellen" Duffy as well as the birth and baptism records for three of their children. I also found information about the family in an Irish land record and more information about the family in Scotland. Most of these are copies of original records. If you do not have these documents I can send them to you in a follow-up reply.

Kind Regards,

Dave Boylan

Hi Dave

That is fantastic. I would really appreciate it if you could forward that to me.

Best wishes

Anthony

Hello Anthony,
Many thanks for your quick reply. I'll be working on the Rusk genealogy this coming weekend and will forward everything I've found as soon as possible. In the meantime if I have any further questions I write back again.
With kind regards,
Dave

Hi Dave, thank you again. Please let me know if you need anything.

Best wishes

Anthony

Thanks Anthony, I'm just finishing up with the birth and baptism records and am accessing land records for the Rusk and Duffy families in County Monaghan. From there I'm going to see what I can find in Scots records. Hopefully I'll be done by sometime tomorrow.

Thanks again,
Dave

Hi Anthony,

I've hit a bit of a snag with the research in that a couple of the records could not be copied, and so I have to transcribe them. These are Scots records, but I'll be working on them and get everything to you as soon as possible. So far I'm up to about 8 pages of information, and so it has taken longer to finish up.

Thanks,
Dave

No worries Dave. Thank you for taking the time to do this, I appreciate it.

Attached Files

Hello Anthony,

It took a while to complete the research, though I did solve the attachment problem I had been having. The delay was also the result of locating more records pertaining to your ancestors than I had anticipated, and also because of the Christmas holidays.

I found a copy of the original civil registration marriage record for Thomas Rusk and Ellen Duffy at the free irishgenealogy.ie website. The record shows they were married “by License,” in the Castleblayney, Monaghan Registrar’s Office on 3 August 1865. At the time of the marriage both Thomas and Ellen were of “full age,” meaning they were 21 years of age or older. Thomas is listed as a Bachelor at the time of marriage and Ellen as a Spinster. The terms Bachelor and Spinster mean they had not been previously married. The marriage record further shows that Thomas was employed as a, “Car Driver.” No occupation is recorded for Ellen. Thomas’s residence at the time of marriage was “Monaghan, Parish of Monaghan. His father is James Rusk, who was a farmer.

The marriage record further shows that Ellen’s residence at the time of marriage was, “Dernalubina, (Ballybay) Parish of Tullycorbet. Ballybay is the name of the Civil Parish in which Ellen lived, while Tullycorbet is the name of the Catholic Parish, indicating that she was Roman Catholic, though the marriage record does not give the religious affiliation of either Thomas or Ellen. Ellen’s father is shown to be James Duffy, a farmer.

The Registrar who married Thomas and Ellen was John Mitchell, who recorded the marriage in the Castleblaney Registration District on 16 October 1865. The witnesses to the marriage were Mathew Callan and Ellen McCabe. Ellen McCabe signed the marriage register with an X, meaning she could not write. Thomas Rusk also signed the marriage register with an X. The marriage record is attached to this reply.

The marriage record shows that Thomas had been living in Monaghan (Town) and that Ellen’s residence was Dernalubina. The actual spelling of her town is Derrynaloobinah. A Google Map shows that Derrynaloobinagh, by the shortest route, is 10.7 miles south of Monaghan Town. See the map at: https://is.gd/ehKQi8

For a Google Street View of downtown Monaghan, go to: https://is.gd/wYZVXh

For a Google Street View of Derrynaloobinagh, see: https://is.gd/mXzsxM

Another Google Map shows that Derrynaloobinagh is actually a suburb of Ballybay: https://is.gd/u76RxM

Derrynaloobinagh, in Irish, means, “the oakwood of the windings.”

Because Monaghan Town and Derrynaloobinagh are at least 10 miles apart, I have a suspicion, though cannot prove, that Thomas Rusk may have been either from Ballynaloobinah, Ballybay, or another town nearby, as he and Ellen would likely have attended the same church, St. Patrick’s, in Ballybay, where they may have met one another. Thomas may have been living in Monaghan Town for employment purposes before he married. But as you know, Thomas, Ellen, and their children did live in Ballybay. You’ll see records coming up that confirm that their residence was Ballybay.

You can actually view a full color Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period showing Ballybay and Derrynaloobinagh. The map also shows the location of the R.C. Chapel in north Ballybay. This chapel would have been across the street from the present day St. Patrick’s Church. Just north of the R.C. Chapel is Cornamucklaglass. More on Cornamucklaglass a little later. Just east of Ballybay is Lough Major.

The Ordnance Survey Map comes from the GeoHive website link at: http://bit.ly/35Pj0rU

Once at the map make sure the Menu is closed so that you can view the full map.

Your records shows that Thomas and Ellen had four children in Ballybay, including John, Mary Ann, Andrew and James. I found the civil registration birth records for all four children at the irishgenealogy.ie website.

Before getting to these birth records however, I’d like to briefly go over civil registration in Ireland:

Civil registration began in the 32 counties of Ireland in 1845, when the government began to record Protestant civil and church marriages. Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations began in the 32 counties of Ireland on January 1, 1864, though not all births, marriages, and deaths were recorded in the early years of civil registration, or even later years for that matter.

Today, the irishgenealogy.ie website has recorded birth and marriage records from 1864, and marriage indexes from 1845. The birth and marriage records are available into the 20th century. For example civil registration birth records are indexed and copies of the original records digitized from 1864 to 1918. Births after 1918 are not yet available online, but will be added to the irishgenealogy.ie collection in the future.

Marriage indexes only are available at irishgenealogy.ie from 1845 to 1863. Beginning in 1864 marriage indexes as well as copies of original marriage records have been digitized to the year 1943.

Death records at irishgenealogy.ie are only indexed from 1864 to 1877. Beginning in 1878, copies of original death records are digitized to the year 1966.
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John Rusk was born in Ballybay on 27 October 1866. His father is Thomas Rusk whose residence is Main Street, Ballybay. Thomas’s occupation is “Shopkeeper.” John’s mother is Ellen Rusk, formerly Duffy. Thomas reported the birth to the local Registrar, James William Young, who recorded the birth on 3 November 1866. John’s birth is Number 143 in the birth register, which is attached to this reply.

The child born after John was Mary Anne, who was born in Ballybay on 2 November 1868. Her father is Thomas Rusk, a “Car Driver,” whose residence was Ballybay. Her mother is Ellen Rusk, formerly Duffy. Thomas reported the birth to the Registrar, whose name was Lancaster Joyce. He recorded the birth on 12 November 1868. Mary Anne’s birth is Number 417 in the register, which is attached.

Andrew was born after Mary Anne. He was born in Ballybay on 9 September 1870. His father is Thomas Rusk, a “Car Driver,” whose residence is Ballybay. Andrew’s mother is Ellen Rusk, formerly Duffy. Nancy Duffy was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local Registrar. Nancy could likely have been Thomas’s mother or his sister. The Registrar, Lancaster Joyce, recorded the birth on 23 September 1870. Andrew’s birth is Number 18 in the attached birth register.

The fourth Rusk child, James, was born in Ballybay on 20 September 1872. His birth record was a bit of a challenge to uncover as the irishgenealogy.ie index transcribed his last name as Rush, instead of Rusk. In any event, James’s father is Thomas Rusk, a “Publican,” residing in Ballybay. His mother is Ellen Rush, formerly Duffy. George Perry, the Registrar, recorded James’s birth on 1 October 1872. The birth is Number 148 in the attached register.

The birth records show that the father Thomas, had three occupations between the birth of John in 1866 and the birth of James in 1872. These were Shopkeeper, Car Driver, and Publican. He sounds like a very enterprising fellow in supporting his growing family.

Earlier I had mentioned that I suspected Thomas and Ellen may have been Roman Catholic. With this in mind I next wanted to see if there were any baptism records for the four Rusk children. To do this I went to the Find My Past (FMP) website, which is mainly a subscription-based or Pay-As-You-Go website, but does not charge to search Catholic baptisms, marriages, and available church burial transcriptions for all of Ireland for much of the 19th century.

The search engine for the FMP baptism transcriptions can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/jnmqmuv

The search engine for Catholic marriages can be accessed at: http://tinyurl.com/jzylkjy

For Catholic Parish burial transcriptions go to the search engine at: http://tinyurl.com/j9qe5p9

Not all Catholic Church in Ireland kept burial records.

Attached to the FMP baptism, marriage, and burial transcriptions are links that will take you to copies of the original parish registers held by the National Library of Ireland (NLI) in Dublin.

I haven’t included the full baptism transcriptions to this reply as they are lengthy and are also under copyright. But I have provided links to the transcriptions so that you can see what they look like before accessing copies of the original Catholic marriage record, and copies of the original baptism records for their children.

If you go to the FMP website, you’ll need to register to search and access the parish register transcriptions of baptisms, marriages, and burials. Registration is free, as are copies of the original baptism records from the NLI.

I located all four baptism transcriptions at the Find My Past website, which notes they were baptized in the Tullycorbet Catholic Parish. The Tullycorbet Catholic Parish Church is actually located in Ballybay. Ballybay is the name of the Civil Parish that existed back then. The name of the parish church is St. Patrick’s.

To view the baptism transcription for John Rusk at the FMP website, go to: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F2111863

You’ll see that John was baptized on 28 October 1866. His name John is recorded in the Latin, “Joannes.” His residence at the time of baptism was “B Bay,” that is, Bally Bay. His father Thomas’s surname is transcribed as “Rush,” rather than Rusk. John’s mother is Ellena Duffy. Ellena is the Latin for Ellen. You can access the register where John’s baptism may be found at the NLI link at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632793#page/27/mode/1up

There are two facing pages to the register. John’s baptism is on the right-hand page, 6th entry down from the top. The baptism register can be difficult to read because it is dark. But, you can enlarge the page 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. The two names following the names of Thomas and Ellena are the name of the godparents. Their names appear to be Joannes (John) Doherty and Margaritta Coyle.

Mary Anne’s baptism is next. In the FMP transcription her first and middle name are in the Latin, Maria Anna. She was baptized on 3 November 1868. Her baptism is the 6th entry down from the top of the right-hand register page at the NLI link at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632793#page/35/mode/1up

The names of the godparents are difficult to decipher, but the godfather appears to be Hugo (Hugh) Duffy, who may have been Ellen’s brother. The first name of the godmother appears to be Anna, but I could not clearly make out her last name.

Andrew was baptized after Mary Anne. The FMP transcription shows that his first name is in the Latin, Andreas. He was baptized on 10 September 1870. His residence at the time of baptism was B Bay. See: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F2112305

You can access a copy of Andrew’s original Tullycorbet baptism record at the NLI link at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632793#page/43/mode/1up

His baptism is on the left-hand page, which is very dark and almost impossible to read. His baptism is the 3rd entry down from the top of the page. The first names of the godparents appear to be Patricius (Patrick) and Sarah, but I could not make out their last name.

James is the youngest child of Thomas and Ellen, but his baptism transcription does not record his first name. He was baptized on 22 September 1872. To view his baptism transcription from the FMP website, go to: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F2112516

The link to his baptism register entry at the NLI website can be found at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632793#page/51/mode/1up

James’s baptism is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the left-hand page. His first name is difficult to read, but I make it out be Jacobus, which is the Latin for James. The first names of the godparents appear to be Jacobus and Sarah, but I could not decipher their last names because the handwriting leaves a lot to be desired.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BALLYBAY

You are fortunate that the Rusk children were baptized in the time period when they were in the Tullycorbet Catholic Parish, as the parish registers of baptism, as well as marriage cover less than a 20 year period. According to the NLI website, Tullycorbet baptisms are available from April 1862 to 2 January 1881. Marriages are available from 22 May 1862 to 15 June 1876. You can see the availability of the baptism and marriage register entries, as well as a map of the Tullycorbet Catholic Parish in County Monaghan at the NLI link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0289

The Catholic Parish Church in Ballybay is called St. Patrick’s. In turn, Ballybay is situated in the townland of Cornamucklaglass, which in the Irish language can be loosely translated as “Round Hill of the Green Pig,” the name of which may be based on the appearance of a local topographical prominence.

To view a Google Map of St. Patrick’s Church in Ballybay, go to: https://is.gd/BRQUzP

For a Google Street View of St. Patrick’s in Ballybay, go to: https://is.gd/JtwMqo

According to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, St. Patrick’s Church was constructed between 1857 and 1859, with the tower added in 1877. You can read more about the architectural details of the church and view a slide show of the exterior as well as interior of the church at the following Buildings of Ireland website link at: https://is.gd/sGmfIY

You can also view a Buildings of Ireland map of St. Patrick’s Church and nearby graveyard in Ballybay at: http://webgis.buildingsofireland.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?REG_NO=41307005

GRIFFITHS VALUATION

Next I wanted to see if I could find Thomas Rusk, or his father James, as well as Ellen Duffy’s father James in an Irish property tax record called Griffiths Valuation. Griffiths Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for County Monaghan was completed by the year 1861.

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 for the owner. This person was called the “Immediate Lessor.”

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

I found an Occupier named James Rusk who may be Thomas’s father. James leased property in a townland called Drumar, Civil Parish of Ballybay. A Google Map shows that Drumar is only 1.6 miles north of Ballybay. See: https://is.gd/U9A0Gg

A Google Street View shows the road that leads to Drumar: https://is.gd/aG7DeG

Below is a transcription of the Griffiths Valuation entry for James Rusk from the askaboutireland website:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 18, 19
Civil Parish: Ballybay
Townland: Drumar
Occupier: James Rusk
Immediate Lessor: Emilie Leslie
Description of Tenement: House, offices & land
Area of Land, First Parcel: 12 Acres, 1 Rood, 35 Perches
Area of Land, Second Parcel: 1 Acre, 2 Roods, 25 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land, First Parcel: 8 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land, Second Parcel: 1 Pound, 10 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 1 Pound
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 11 Pounds
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Griffiths Valuation shows that James Rusk leased two different parcels of land a house and offices from an Immediate Lessor named Emilie Leslie. The first parcel of land was over 12 acres in size and valued at 8 Pounds and 10 Shillings. The second parcel of land was over an acre in size and valued at 1 Pound and 10 Shillings. The house and offices were valued at 1 Pound. The total valuation of the property was 11 Pounds. James would have had to pay a percentage of the value of the property toward the tax. An office in a Griffiths Valuation record could be any type of outbuilding such as a barn, stable, blacksmith shop, piggery, etc. The map reference numbers at the top of the valuation (18, 19) refer to location markers of James’s property on an Ordnance Survey Map from the time period. The two parcels of land that James leased did not necessarily border one another. You can access the Ordnance Survey Map from the askaboutireland website. I found locations 18 and 19 on the map of Drumar, But, I have not been able to link or attach these maps to replies such as this. But, I can show you the approximate locations of the two properties in Drumar on another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period. The Ordnance Survey Map comes from the GeoHive website and can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/34tqnDH

On the map, just below and a little to the right of the first R in Drumar, you’ll see an oblong structure. This is Map reference 18. The oblong structure would be James’s house. Plot 19 is just to the left of the D in Drumar. These two plots of land did not border one another.

Concerning Ellen Duffy’s father James Duffy, there are eight entries for a James Duffy in Griffiths Valuation in the Civil Parish of Ballybay. In six of these entries he shown to be the Occupier, but two other entries he is shown to be the Immediate Lessor.

In one of the entries he is leasing property in Derrynaloobinagh, but only land, and not a house or outbuildings. He leased the land from the Immediate Lessor, Emilie Leslie, who was also the Immediate Lessor for James Rusk’s lease in Drumar. It’s possible that James Duffy worked for and lived on the estate owned by Emilie Leslie. In this case he would not have been enumerated in Griffiths Valuation as leasing a house along with the land.

If you recall, Ellen Duffy was living in “Dernalubina,” at the time she married Thomas Rusk in 1865. As you saw earlier Derrynaloobinagn is just west of the town of Ballybay. I don’t know if these entries pertain to the same James Duffy or to different individuals with the same name.

One parcel of land that James leased in Derrynaloobinagh was over 5 acres of land and valued at 8 Pounds and 10 Shillings. The second parcel is over 2 acres and valued at 3 Pounds and 10 Shillings. The total valuation of the property is 11 Pounds. The map locations for these properties are 19 and 20. The transcription is below:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 20, 21
Civil Parish: Ballybay
Townland: Derrynaloobinah
Occupier: James Duffy
Immediate Lessor: Emilie Leslie
Description of Tenement: Land
Area of Land, First Parcel: 5 Acres, 3 Rood, 5 Perches
Area of Land, Second Parcel: 2 Acre, 0 Roods, 20 Perches
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land, First Parcel: 8 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land, Second Parcel: 3 Pounds, 10 Shillings
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 1 Pound
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 11 Pounds
____

To see where James Duffy’s leased land was located in Derrynaloobinagh, go to the Ordnance Survey Map from GeoHive at: http://bit.ly/36Sg8dQ

Where the first letter O in the name Derrynaloobinagh is situated on the map, is reference number 19. Reference number 20 is located above the letter B in Derrynaloobinagh. On this section of property you’ll see the letters OSI, which stand for Ordnance Survey Ireland.

Occupiers named James Duffy leased houses in the townlands of Cornamucklaglass, Drumhawan, and Edenanay, but again, I don’t know if these individuals were Ellen Duffy’s father. Occupiers name James Duffy also leased only land in the townlands of Corrybrannan and Corkerran. All these townland were in the Ballybay Civil Parish.

SCOTLAND RECORDS

Anthony, I found the Rusk family in an 1881 census index from Ancestry.com. The index shows the family living in 19 Berry Hill Raws, town of Wishaw, Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire. The word “Raws,” should actually be Rows.

Along with 38 year old Thomas and 35 year old Ellen Rusk, 7 of their children are also in the household. See the index below:

1881 Scotland Census

Registration Number: 628
Registration district: Cambusnethan
Civil Parish: Cambusnethan
Town: Wishaw
County: Lanarkshire
Address: 19 Berry Hill Raws
Occupation: Labourer
ED: 20
Household schedule number: 18
Line: 7
Roll: cssct1881_207
Household Members:

Name Age

Thomas D Rusk 38
Helen Rusk 35
John Rusk 14
Andrew Rusk 10
James Rusk 8
William Rusk 6
Thomas Rusk 4
Mary Rusk 18 Mo
Michael Rusk 10 Mo

Source Citation
Parish: Cambusnethan; ED: 20; Page: 5; Line: 7; Roll: cssct1881_207
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In going through the names of the Rusk children I suddenly noticed that Thomas and Ellen’s daughter Mary Anne is not in the household with the family. Her birth record shows that she was born in Ballybay on 2 November 1868. This means that Mary Anne was either in school somewhere, visiting another household, or deceased by the time the 1881 census was enumerated in Scotland on Sunday, 3 April of that year. She would have been 12 years old in April of 1881 but would have turned 13 in November.

I wondered if perhaps she died not long after she was born in Ireland. To find out I went back to the irishgenealogy.ie website to see if I could find the death index for a Mary Anne Rusk either during, or sometime after 1868. If she had died before 1878 there will not be a copy of Mary Anne’s original death record. Only deaths recorded after 1877 have been digitized to date at irishgenealogy.ie.

I found what I believe to be Mary Anne’s death index. Her death was recorded in the Castleblaney Registration District 1869. At the time of death she was 1 year old. See the index below:

Name MARY ANNE RUSK
Date of Death 1869
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Castleblayney
Deceased Age at Death 1
Returns Year 1869
Returns Quarter 4
Returns Volume No 16
Returns Page No 340
Source Citation: irishgenealogy.ie
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If you would like to order Mary Anne’s death, you can do so from the General Register Office (GRO) in Roscommon Town, County Roscommon. If you would like the death record, please let me know and I’ll send instructions about how to purchase it. A photocopy of birth, marriages, and death records from the GRO cost 4 Euros.

What the 1881 census doesn’t tell you is that the Rusk family in that year fell on hard times, as they had to apply for relief. I found this information at Ancestry.com’s, “North Lanarkshire, Scotland, Poor Law Applications and Registers, 1849-1917.” The register for the Rusk family covers two pages. The left-facing page shows that the Rusks were living in 19 Berryhill, 1st Row, Wishaw in May 1871, and were from Co. Monaghan, Ireland. This document also shows that Thomas is 38 years old and employed as a “Surfaceman.” He is “R. Cath,” and “Wholly” disabled. The cause of his disability is Bronchial Asthma. A note in the application also states that Thomas had “Entered House No. 52 Berryhill, June 14th 1873 and left said house 24th Decr 1876.”

For the definition of the occupation “surfaceman,” go to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Link at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surfaceman

The right facing page of the Poor Law document gives more information about Thomas and his family. For instance, it shows that Thomas’s parents were James Rusk, a “Labourer,’ and Elizabeth Hoy, who are “both dead.” This page also gives information about his wife Helen Duffy and their children. Helen is shown to be 36 years old and from County Cavan. The document also states that the family “Came from Ireland 8 1/2 years ago to Overtown.” The “Result of Application,” shows the family had been “ Relieved.” Both pages of the Poor Law Application are attached.

Thomas Rusk applied for more Poor Law relief on 1 November 1882. The left-facing page of the application shows that and the family were residing at 19 Berryhill Rows, Wishaw. The application also shows that Thomas is a 39 year old iron worker and a Roman Catholic, who was “Wholly” disabled with bronchial asthma.

The right-facing page gives much the same information about his wife Helen Duffy and the children as the 1881 application does, and shows the family did receive relief. Both pages of the 1882 Poor Law Application are attached.

At ancestry.com I came across submissions of the Rusk family by kat4412 in her Rafferty Family Tree page at: https://is.gd/xMzo6E

I’m not sure if you have to have a subscription to Ancestry.com to access the Rafferty Family Tree by kat4412. If you do not have a subscription your local library may already provide ancestry.com to its patrons for free. Another option you have to access a free, two week trial subscription to ancestry.com, but you will have to provide credit card information to sign up for the free trial. The other option, of course is to take out one of the subscription packages ancestry provides.

Kat4412 submitted a copy of the original death record for Thomas Rusk, which is attached to this reply. This record shows that Thomas died on December 9 1884 at 6:45 P.M. in an address of 19 Berryhill Rows, Wishaw. His occupation was “Surfaceman.” He was married to Helen Duffy. The cause of death was “Phthisis 2 years.” Phthisis is pulmonary tuberculosis. The death record also shows Thomas’s parents were Thomas Rusk, a Farmer who was deceased. Thomas’s mother was Elizabeth Rusk, “M.S. Hoy,” meaning, “Maiden Surname Hoy.” Elizabeth Rusk was also deceased. Thomas’s widow Ellen reported the death to the local Registrar, Thomas Allan. The death is Number 284 in the register.

Five days after Thomas died, on December 14, 1884, his widow, “Helen Duffy or Rusk,” applied for relief. Her address was 100 Berryhill rows, Wishaw. The left-facing page of the application shows that Helen was from County Cavan, that she was a 36 year old widow whose occupation was, “House duties,” who was R. Cath, and who was “Partially” disabled with dependent children. The right-facing page of the application gives the names, places of birth, and ages of the 6 children in the household with her. The application further shows that her parents were Michael Duffy, a labourer, and Mary Ann Reel, who were both dead. This information was a surprise as the marriage record for Thomas Rusk and Ellen Duffy shows that Ellen’s father was James, not Michael. It was also a surprise in that it gives the names of Helen’s parents, including her mother’s maiden name. The application also shows that Helen’s husband Thomas Rusk had been a “Pauper,” who died on the “9th instant,” meaning December 9, 1884. The result of Helen applying for Poor Law relief is that she and her children received “Board,” which I take to mean food for herself and the children. Both pages of the Poor Law record are attached.

Because this Poor Law application gives the names of Helen’s parents, I now had enough information to look for her baptism in County Cavan, which I’ll get to in a bit.

I accessed a Google Map of Wishaw, which you can view at: https://is.gd/jTa7Bn

I then looked for Berryhill Rows, Wishaw but didn’t find it. I did find Berryhill Crescent just west of the City Centre, but this appears to be a more recent housing development.

But at Wikipedia I uncovered the following about Berryhill Rows:

“In the 1930s the burgh council undertook a massive housing development program in the area to the east of Glasgow Road stretching from the village of Craigneuk to Berryhill. The entire area became known as Craigneuk. At the same time much of the area known as the "Berryhill Rows" was demolished to make way for the King George V Playing Fields.”

You can read the full Wikipedia article about Craigneuk at the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigneuk

For a Google Map of King George’s Field, formerly Berryhill Row off the Scotland Road and Netherton Street, Wishaw, go to:https://is.gd/XDJPBL

For a Google Street View of King George’s Field, see: https://is.gd/ZDUR0K

Seven years after she applied for relief under Scotland’s Poor Law, 49 year old Helen Rusk, born Ireland, and 7 of her children were enumerated in the 1891 census. By this time they were living in an address of Douglas Park, Civil Parish of Bothwell, Lanarkshire. The oldest child is 22 year old John Rusk, the youngest 8 year old Maggie. The 1891 census index below is from Ancestry.com:

1891 Scotland Census

Name: Helen Rusk
Age: 49
Estimated birth year: abt 1842
Relationship: Head
Gender: Female
Where born: Ireland
Registration Number: 625/1
Registration district: Bothwell
Civil Parish: Bothwell
County: Lanarkshire
Address: Douglas Park
ED: 12A
Household schedule number: 340
Line: 13
Roll: CSSCT1891_225

Household Members:
Name Age
Helen Rusk 49
John Rusk 22
Andrew Rusk 20
James Rusk 18
Williams Rusk 16
Michiel Rusk 13
Mary Rusk 10
Maggie Rusk 8

Source Citation
Parish: Bothwell; ED: 12A; Page: 16; Line: 13; Roll: CSSCT1891_225
____

Back at the Raffrty Family Tree page at ancestry.com submitted by kat4412, I found the death record for Ellen Rusk, showing she died on August 3rd at the Royal Infirmary, Glasgow. Her residence had been 9 Douglas Park, Bellshill. The death record also shows Ellen was the “Widow of Thomas Rusk, Railway Surfaceman.” At the time of death Ellen was 57 years old. Her parents are recorded as Michael Duffy, a farmer who was deceased, and Mary Ann Duffy, M.S. Reil, who was also deceased. I could not make out the full cause of death, but part of the cause appears to be “Dislocation.” The person who reported the death to the local registrar was Ellen’s son John Rusk, whose address appears to be 59 Parkhead Rows, Bellshill. Ellen’s death record is attached to this reply.

I couldn’t find Parkhead Rows on a modern Google Map, but did find East Parkhead Rows on a 1910 – 1914 map of Bellshill from the National Library of Scotland, which you can view at: https://maps.nls.uk/view/75650916

This area of Bellshill appears to be the present day Mansfield Road/Strachan Street areas of the city as shown in the Google Map at: https://is.gd/lRkeuS

Anthony, I’m not sure how much information you have about the Rusk family in Scotland, and I don’t want to duplicate anything you may have already uncovered about them in Scotland, as I believe you are mainly looking for records about the Rusk and Duffy families in Ireland. But, as noted earlier, kat4412 in her Rafftery Family Tree submitted to ancestry.com, has a lot of information about the Rusks and the Duffys. She may have found a lot of her records at a very good website called Scotlands People, which I have used to great effect in the past. Scotlands People is a Pay-per-view based website. Go to the following links for more information: https://is.gd/vwb4wX and https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/our-charges

I now want to go back to information shown earlier in the North Lanarkshire, Scotland, Poor Law Applications and Registers for “Helen Duffy or Rusk.” This 1884 poor law application, on the right-hand facing page, notes that her father was Michael Duffy and her mother Mary Ann Reel who were both deceased. But if you go back to the 1865 marriage record for Thomas Rusk and Ellen Duffy, you’ll see that Ellen’s father is recorded as James Rusk, not Michael Rusk. Ellen Duffy Rusk’s death record also confirms that her father was Michael Duffy and that her mother was Mary Ann Duffy, whose maiden surname was, “Reil.”

The 1881 as well as 1882 poor law applications for Thomas Rusk also show that his wife Helen was born in County Cavan. Helen Rusk’s 1884 poor law application also confirms that she was born in County Cavan, which borders County Monaghan on the southwest.

With this information I accessed the FMP website to see if I could uncover a baptism transcription for Ellen/Helen Duffy, daughter of Michael Duffy and Mary Ann Reel.

I found what I believe to be Ellen’s baptism transcription at the FMP website.

The transcription shows that Ellen was baptized in the Drumgoon Catholic Parish, County Cavan, on 26 May 1840. Her father is Michael Duffy and her mother Mary Ann “Real.” The Drumgoon Parish is alternately called Cootehill. You can access the transcription at: https://is.gd/F5lqLh

It took a while to locate Ellen’s baptism in the Drumgoon registers, as the FMP transcription is incorrect about her month of baptism. The register actually shows she was baptized on 26 July 1840, not 26 May 1840. Her baptism is the first entry at the top of the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634838#page/53/mode/1up

The names of the godparents are very difficult to decipher, but it looks like the godfather may be Thomas Monaghan. The first name of the godmother looks like it could be Sara. I could not make out her last name.

The National Library of Ireland website shows that the Drumgoon baptism commence on 22 February 1829 and end on 12 September 1879, while marriages in the parish start on 3 May 1829 and go to October 1872. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0824

I looked for the church marriage transcription at the FMP website for Michael Duffy and Mary Ann Real/Reel in County Cavan, as well as County Monaghan, as well as the rest of Ireland, but did not locate it.

They were likely married before the year 1829, as I found the FMP baptism transcription for their son Jacobus (James), who was baptized in the Drumgoon Catholic Parish. The transcription records that the baptism took place on 9 May 1824. See https://is.gd/JHaYsY

But, how could that be, as the Drumgoon baptisms begin in 1829? It’s because the transcription is in error again. I found the National Library of Ireland baptism record for Jacobus Duffy, showing his baptism actually took place on 9 May 1829. His baptism is on the right-hand register page, 11 lines up from the bottom of the page at the following NLI link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634838#page/4/mode/1up

The godparents are Patrick Kelly and Nancy Reel. Nancy Reel may have been Mary Ann’s sister.

Michael Duffy was baptized after James. Michael’s baptism took place on 19 December 1832. His FMP baptism transcription shows that his parents are Michl Duffy and Mary “Reek. The spelling Reek, instead of Reel, is the result of the handwriting in a copy of the original register where Michael’s baptism can be found. His baptism is on the left-hand register page, 8 lines up from the bottom at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634838#page/18/mode/1up

I couldn’t make out the first name of the godfather and it is difficult to determine what his surname was, but it appears to be Bonnan. The godmother is Kitty McMahon. To the extreme right of Kitty McMahon’s name, but on the same left-hand page, is the residence of the Duffy family at the time that Michael was born. This residence is Carolina, which had been located in the Civil Parish of Drumgoon, when civil parishes had existed in Ireland. See the IreAtlas entry for Carolina at: https://is.gd/3iw0TH

This is exactly the information I was looking for, as it’s possible that Ellen Duffy was also born in Carolina, County Cavan. A Google Map shows that Carolina is only 3 miles northeast of Cootehill: https://is.gd/apmpVq

For a Google Street View of the Carolina area, see: https://is.gd/XUlKY8

A Google satellite image shows you how close Carolina is to the border with County Monaghan: https://is.gd/jHYENX

The child baptized after Michael was Mary. Her baptism took place on 25 April 1835 according to the FMP transcription at: https://is.gd/5H6PIS

Mary’s baptism is on the right-hand register page, 2nd entry up from the bottom at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634838#page/28/mode/1up

There doesn’t appear to be a godfather recorded in the baptism record. The godmother’s first name is Mary. I could not clearly make out her last name. To the right of Mary’s name, once again, is the word, “Carolina,” which was the residence of Mary and her parents at the time of the baptism.

The last child whose baptism I found at the FMP website was Margaret Duffy. She was baptized on 6 August 1837. Her mother’s maiden name in the transcription is, “Reilly.” But, after you view the original baptism record, you’ll be able to see why the FMP transcriber thought it was Mary. See the FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5046829

Margaret’s baptism is on the right-hand register page, 10th entry down from the top at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634838#page/38/mode/1up

The name of the godfather appears to be James Light, but I can’t be positive about that. The name of the godmother is Mary Reagan. The residence of the Duffy family is not recorded.

To recap, the names and dates of baptisms for the 5 Duffy children baptized in the Cootehill Catholic Parish are:

Jacobus (James), 1829
Michl, 1832
Mary, 1835,
Margaret, 1837
Ellen, 1840
____

There is a Drumgoon and a Cootehill in County Cavan, but because Carolina is only 3 miles from Cootehill, the Duffy’s Catholic Church would have been located in Cootehill. A google map on the other hand shows you that Drumgoon is almost 30 miles west of Carolina: https://is.gd/8gWD6Q

An Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period shows the location of the R.C. Chapel in Cootehill, where the Duffy children were most likely baptized. The map comes from the GeoHive website: http://bit.ly/2Zw5DKG

If the “Menu” on the map is open, you’ll want to close it to view the full map. The R.C. Chapel is just to the right of the Menu. The church you see in the top center of the map is the Church of Ireland, and is called All Saints Church.

The Roman Catholic Church in Cootehill is called St. Michael’s. The present day St. Michael’s is not where the Duffy children were baptized, as this church was constructed between 1927 and 1930, according to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website. The Buildings of Ireland site places the location of the church in the Magheranure Townland section of Cootehill. For a description of the architectural details and a slide of St. Michael’s go to the Buildings of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/Ko44oi

For a Buildings of Ireland Map location of St. Michael’s, see: https://is.gd/OLiCQo

I found another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1888 to 1913 time period which shows the old location of St. Michael’s R.C. Church just off Chapel Lane in Cootehill. You can view this map at: http://bit.ly/37eECy7

The old St. Michael’s would have been located approximately where the St. Michael’s Hall is situated just of Chapel Lane, as evidenced by the modern Google Map at: https://is.gd/Rx8B6b

The following link will take you to a Google Street View of St. Michael’s Hall: https://is.gd/x1OVFD

The Buildings of Ireland site shows that St. Michael’s Hall was constructed in 1905: https://is.gd/XAt5QS

The “Appraisal” section of the Buildings of Ireland description of St. Michael’s Hall notes that the old St. Michael’s Church had been demolished in 1929.

The information about Ellen’s father in County Cavan shows that his name was not James, as was recorded in the marriage record, but Michael. This also means that the James Duffy in Griffiths Valuation in Derrynaloobinah, County Monaghan, could not have been Ellen’s father, unless he also went by the name of James.

I looked for a Griffiths Valuation entry for a Michael Duffy in Carolina, County Cavan, but did not uncover an entry for him, though I did find an entry for a Hugh Duffy in Carolina, who may have been related to Michael.

I also looked for a Michael Duffy in the townland of Derrynaloobinagh, where Ellen Duffy had been residing when she married Thomas Rusk in 1865, but I did not find him in that townland.

CONCLUSION

Evidence found in the Scotland poor law records for the Rusk family shows that Thomas was from County Monaghan and that his parents were James Rusk and Elizabeth Hoy, though I could not find baptism transcriptions at the FMP website for Thomas or any siblings he may have had. This is likely due to the Tullcorbet, Monaghan Catholic baptism registers not being available until1862, whereas Thomas and any siblings he may have had would have been baptized before the year 1862.

The 1884 poor law record for Helen Duffy Rusk shows that not only was she from County Cavan, but that her parents were Michael Duffy and Mary Ann Reel, who were both deceased by 1884.

Baptism records for the Duffy family uncovered at the FMP website show that the Ellen Duffy’s parents had lived in Carolina, County Cavan, which was in the Civil Parish of Drumgoon. Carolina, Cavan then, would be the ancestral home of your Duffy ancestors, as far as I could determine from the records shown earlier in this reply.

See if you can make contact with kat4412 whose Rafferty Family Tree is available at ancestry.com. You and she may be cousins. Your connection, according to the Rafferty Family Tree would be through Thomas and Ellen Rusk’s son William, your grandfather. William married Lizzie Rafferty in the Mossend Catholic Church on 28 April 1899. The Mossend Catholic Church is also called the Holy Family Catholic Church, according to the Holy Family Mossend link at: http://www.holyfamilymossend.co.uk/history.htm

I am surmising you already have this information, and so I’ll close here.

Best Wishes Anthony, and have a happy New Year.

Dave

Hi Dave

This is absolutely wonderful, thank you for taking so much time and going into so much detail on this! If only I could ask for your assistance on every branch of my family tree!

You are a real credit to the website!

I did have most of the information from Scotland, but as you say it was more the Irish origins I was interested in. I was aware of the counties people were from but not necessarily the towns.

You have been a tremendous help in painting more of a picture for the Rusk branch of my family.

Many thanks and best wishes

Anthony

You're welcome Anthony and many thanks for your reply. If there are other Irish ancestors in your family tree that you'd like me to look for, please let me know. I don't know if I'll be able to find as much information as I did for the Rusk and Duffy ancestors, but I can give it a go after I finish another project I'm working on.

Once again thank you.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Hi Dave

No worries. I am actually looking for some more information on my Daly ancestors, i've hit a brick wall.

My great grandfather X2 was from Crettyard/Doonane, Co Laois, his name was John Daly. His parents were Michael Daly and Bridget Harman.

I've found his baptism record, his parent's marriage record and his sister's baptism record, but nothing else. I have most of the information from when he moved to Scotland, its more the Irish origins I am interested in, e.g, more info on his parents, what happened to his sister, their life in Crettyard as miners.

If you have time, I would appreciate it if you could take a look, if not then don't worry at all. You've been more than kind to assist so far.

Thanks again

Anthony

Hi Anthony, Can you send a little information? I believe I found John Daly's 1847 baptism record in the Doonane Catholic registers, as well as the marriage for his parents, but can you tell me the the name, baptism year, and place of baptism for his sister?

Thank you.

Dave

Hi Dave

That's the one.

Her name was Mary, baptised on 15th February 1850. The baptism was in the same parish as John.

Thanks

Anthony

Hi Anthony,

Thank you for your reply. I'll see what other records I can find. If John's parents Michael and Bridget died after 1877, there may be a civil registration death record for them. Also, I'll see if I can find a marriage record for John's sister Mary in Ireland. If she had been born in 1850 and had married in Ireland, there may be a civil registration marriage record for her, as civil registration marriages are available online from 1864 into the 20th century, as are civil birth records.

I'll also check land records for John's father Michael and for the Harmon family in and around Doonane, as well.

Kind regards,

Dave

Hi Dave

Thanks for this.

I have no indication as to when they died. Their son's marriage entry is just a church one in Scotland in 1872, but it doesn't include any details about the parents. Not sure why there isn't a civil marriage record.

Best wishes

Anthony

Hello Anthony,

To begin the search for the possible death records of Michael and Bridget Daly, I had to first find out what Registration District in Queens County that Crettyard was located in. I found this information in a round-about way by first locating the death record of a John Daly, who died on 7 April 1895 in Crettyared. He was 89 at the time of his death. His death was reported to the local registrar by his son Michael, of Crettyard. The record shows the death was recorded in the Carlow Registration District, Queens County, by G.A. Taylor, the local registrar.

This John Daly may have been Michael Daly’s brother, and your John Daly’s uncle. I’ve attached the death record to this reply. John Daly’s death is at Number 114 in the register.

If your Michael Daly had died before 1878 there would not be digitized death record for him, but only an index which gives very little information. Death indexes are available from 1864, when civil registration of births, marriages, and death began in Ireland. Beginning in 1878, there are death indexes as well, but also copies of the original death records.

Because John Daly died so close to the 1901 Ireland census, I wanted to see if his son Michael was living in Crettyard, and so I went to the National Archives of Ireland website, where I did locate 40 year old Michael Daly, his 30 year old Johana, and their two children in the census address of house 10 Crettyard. The census shows that Michael was a farmer born in Queens County, while his wife Johana was born in nearby County Kilkenny. The two children were born in Queens County. Also in the household is the Daly’s niece, 18 year old Mary Brennan, from County Kilkenny. Because she and Johana Daly were from Kilkenny, I suspect they were sisters. You can view the census transcription at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Queen_s_Co_/Newtown/Cr…

In any event, knowing that births, marriages and deaths for Crettyard were recorded in the Carlow Registration District, I next looked for the death records and or death indexes for Michael Daly and his wife Bridget. I did not find a death index or a death record that I could identify as possibly being John Daly’s father Michael recorded in the Carlow Registration District from 1864 onward. This is an indication, though not a certainty, that he died before Civil Registration began in Ireland in 1864.

I then looked for Bridget’s death recorded in the Carlow Registration District and found one possibility. I located the death index for a 40 year old Bridget Daly in the year 1864. Unfortunately, the index does not record where Bridget died. You would have to order her death record from the General register Office in Roscommon Town, County Roscommon, to see if she died in Crettyard. Photocopies of birth, marriage, and death records from the GRO are 4 Euros. See the death index below:

SR District/Reg Area - Carlow
Death of BRIDGET DALY in 1864

Name BRIDGET DALY
Date of Death 1864
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Carlow
Deceased Age at Death 40
Returns Year 1864
Returns Quarter 1
Returns Volume No 3
Returns Page No 410
____

Having died at age 40 in 1864, means that Bridget would have been born circa 1824, and so could possibly be John’s mother, but again, there’s no way of knowing if she was just from the death index alone.

I next looked for the civil marriage and or death record for Mary Daly recorded in the Carlow Registration District, but found neither that I could identify as having been recorded in the Carlow Registration District, Queens County.

I also looked for Mary’s marriage transcription at the FMP website for the Catholic Parish Church of Mayo and Doonane, which is the church that parishioners in Crettyard would have attended. According to the National Library of Ireland, marriages in the Mayo and Doonane parish begin in 1843 and continue to 1881. See:
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0715

I didn’t find a marriage transcription for a Mary Daly for the 1860s to 1881 that I could identify as being the daughter of Michael Daly in the Mayo and Doonane Catholic registers.

I then wanted to see if I could find Michael or Bridget Daly, as well as any Harmans in Griffiths Valuation living in Crettyard, which was in the Civil parish of Killabban. Griffiths Valuation was completed in Queens County by the 1850, the year that Mary Daly was born. I was surprised not to have found Michael Daly in Crettyard in Griffiths Valuation, though I did find other Dalys. These include:

Anthony Daly, leasing a house but no land
Giles Daly, leasing a house but no land
Robert Daly, leasing a house but no land
Mary Daly leasing a house and garden
Mary Daly leasing land
____

I didn’t find any Harmans in Crettyard in Griffiths Valuation.

It may be that Michael and his family were living in Crettyard, but did not pay to lease the house they were living in. If so the lease would have been paid by another Occupier, perhaps named Daly.

Or, it’s possible that by 1850 Michael and his family had moved to another townland in the Civil Parish of Killabban, and so I went through Griffiths Valuation again for anyone named Michael Daly leasing property in the Civil Parish of Killabban.

I found two entries, one for a Michael Daly leasing a house in the townland of Rahin, and another Michael Daly leasing a house in Clonbrock.

A Google Map shows that Rahin is 24.7 miles west of Crettyard by the shortest route. See: https://is.gd/sDIaXP

But, another Google Map shows that Clonbrock is 9/10ths of a mile north of Crettyard: https://is.gd/hnHI7P

I think it’s plausible that your Michael Daly and his family moved to Clonbrock from Crettyard, though I can’t prove that conclusively just from the Griffiths Valuation record.

For a Google Street View of Clonbrock, see: https://is.gd/9gaGjt

Because there’s the possibility that Michael Daly in Griffiths Valuation leasing property in Clonbrock is your ancestor, I’ve included the Griffiths Valuation transcription below, showing that he leased his house from an Immediate Lessor named William Edge. The value of the house was 10 Shillings:

No. and Letters of Reference to Map: 69 g
Civil Parish: Killabban
Townland: Clonbrock
Occupier: Michael Daly
Immediate Lessor: William Edge
Description of Tenement: House
Area of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Land: -
Rateable Annual Valuation of Buildings: 10 Shillings
Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 10 Shillings
____

That Michael Daly leased only a house and no land is an indication that he was not a farmer.

I now wanted to see if I could find any Dalys in Crettyard in the Tithe Applotment Books at the National Archives of Ireland website.

Three Occupiers named Daly are shown to have leased property in Crettyard in the Tithe Applotment Books. The tithe record was compiled in 1824. See the index at the following link: https://is.gd/h1T8Mz

You can also view copies of the original Tithe entries for the two William Dalys and John Daly at the following link: https://is.gd/eK5dLH

The three Dalys are on the right-hand Tithe page, beginning at Number 1451. At 1451 is William Daly Senior. At 1452 is William Daly Junior, while at 1452 is John Daly.

On the left-hand Tithe page are the Occupiers for the townland of Clonbrock. But no Dalys are recorded there. I also did not find any Harmans recorded in the Tithe Books leasing property in Crettyard or Clonbrock, or anywhere in the Killabban Civil Parish, or in Queens County.

Sorry Anthony that I could not find any records that specifically pertain to Michael and Bridget Harman Daly and their daughter Mary. Records for them don’t appear to be online. The other possibility of course, is that I missed locating records for them.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Hi Dave, apologies for my delayed reply.

Thank you very much for taking the time to look at this. It's definitely one of the more difficult branches to trace back. I had located the Clonbrock address and thought it was the most likely.

Are your Boylans from Louth at all? My Boylan family are, near lurgangreen.

Best wishes

Anthony

Hi Anthony,

My great grandfather John Boylan was from County Cavan, though I've never been able to uncover his baptism record because I don't know the maiden name of his mother, even after 30 years of research. I believe John came from, or lived near Crosserlough, Cavan, though can't prove that conclusively.

Many thanks for writing back Anthony.

With Best Wishes,

Dave

Hi Dave

I have been thinking about how we have been unable to locate the family for the most part.
I'm curious if they have a connection to Castlecomer in Kilkenny. John's father in law Mark O'Neill invested in a coal mine there and lived in the area for a while. It isn't long after that he moves to Scotland and so does John it seems. I wonder if they knew each other before John married his daughter in Scotland.

That is my current research angle. Wish me luck.

Hi Anthony,

It is possible that John knew his father-in-law, Mark O'Neill before moving to Scotland, as it wasn't uncommon for people from the same county, Civil Parish, or Catholic Parish in Ireland, to settle in the same areas in their adopted country.

I do wish you lots of luck Anthony and let me know if you find anything new.

With Kind Regards,

Dave

Hi Dave

I hope you are well and keeping safe.

I'm at a brick wall with one branch of my tree. My great grandfather x 3 John O'Halloran was born in Ireland around 1855-1859. On his death cert his parents as shown as Thomas O'Halloran and Julia Joyce.
I'm trying to figure out where he came from,but I cant seem to find anything. Would you be able to assist? Thank you, Anthony

Hello Anthony,

I found absolutely nothing concerning Thomas O'Halloran, son of Thomas O'Halloran and Julia Joyce in Ireland. Nor did I find anything about any siblings he may have had. The databases I searched for him and his siblings were: the Find My Past website; FamilySearch; Ancestry.com; the church records collection at the irishgenealogy.ie website and the civil registration collection at the irishgenealogy.ie website.

Do you know if he and his family were Protestant or Catholic?

Sorry Anthony,

Dave

Hi Dave,

Thank you.

They were Catholic. Funny thing is, his marriage cert says his father was Thomas; however, the poor law application states his father's name was John.
I'm not sure which to go with. I suppose the application would have been made by him, so could be more likely.

Best wishes

Anthony

Hi Anthony

Even with the father's name John, I still did not find a baptism record for Thomas, or his siblings, or a marriage record for John O'Halloran/Halloran and Julia Joyce, or Thomas O'Halloran/Halloran and Julia Joyce

It may be the family worshiped in a Catholic Church with registers that aren't available until the 1860s or 1870s, or had been destroyed by fire or are two faded to read anymore.

I wish I had better news Anthony.

Thank you,

Dave

Hi Dave

Thanks as always for your efforts, you are a credit to the site.

Best wishes

Anthony

You're welcome Anthony.

Dave