Devlins of Birch Grove, Roscrea

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Hello Jefferey,

If you log onto irishfamilyhistoryfoundation website, it allows you to trawl through parish church records.  This is free to join and you only have to pay to open the particular record you wish to view.  I have scanned all the records for Bridget Devlin in 1893 and her death record is registered in the Roscrea civil parish list.  There is only one Bridget Devlin who died that year so the chances are that this is your ancestor.   I try to help people in tracing their ancestors but I'm sure you can appreciate that for financial reasons  I don't open these records.  If you open it it may give you the name of the graveyard in which she is buried.  Co. Tipperary is divided into two sections. North Riding and South Riding.  You'll find that the North half of the county was very much  protestant .  I don't know if your g aunt was rc or protestant, but hopefully the record will tell you where she is buried.

If I can be of any more help, then please just let me know.

Kind Regards,

Anne Dennehy

Hi Jeffrey,

Got your reply this morning.  I rang the library in Roscrea and found out that there are two catholic graveyards. One in St. Cronans RC church and the other is a couple of miles outside the town Dungar graveyard.

I rang the parish office and spoke to the secretary.  I told her i was trying to find out where Bridget Devlin was buried.  I gave her the details and she said she'd get back to me in a day or two.  

I found out that the Birch Estate is actually in the parish of Roscrea.  I don't know if they had a private burial ground but the librarian assured me if they had it would be strictly for family members.  Everyone knew their place back then!!!

There's a nice local website roscreaonline if you want to see it for yourself.

I live in Clonmel in South Tipperary and all our graveyards are fully searchable online but the librarian in Roscrea said they don't have that done yet and in the current financial climate it looks like it won't be done anytime soon.

I'll get back to you as soon as I hear anything from the parish office.   The secretary wasn't too sure if they had all the burial records, so fingers crossed.

Kind regards,

Anne

Jeffrey,

Forgot to ask? Did you open the death record for Bridget on the irishfamilyhistoryfoundation.  ? What information did that contain?

It's not expensive , just about €6 or so.

Can you let me know what it said?

Anne

Jeffrey,

The secretary of the parish office in Roscrea rang me today and informed me that their buriel records only started in 1910, so there doesn't seem to be a record of your g aunt's buriel.

The local parish priest then came on the phone and said she is buried in one of three sites. Dungar graveyard, St. Cronans Roman catholic graveyard and there are also some catholics buried in St. Cronans Church of Ireland graveyard.  I'm so sorry that I couldn't find the information you needed.

The priest gave me the phone number of the man who tends the Dungar graveyard and I have tried ringing him but didn't manage to catch him in.

It would be a very very longshot if he somehow knew where she is buried.  One has to think that as all her family emigrated , her grave may have fallen derelict.  Many people never even had a tombstone so the chances of actually finding where she is buried are pretty slim.

I will keep ringing the number he gave and if I hear anything I'll get straight on to you.

Kind regards,

Anne

Thank you again for going through all this trouble for me.  I emailed St. Cronan's Church and hope to get a response. Thank you for the other leads too.  Hopefully as more records come online it will be easier searching.  I'll keep you updated and I come across any new information.

Regards,

Jeff

Jeff,

The caretaker of the Dungar graveyard rang me last night and when I told him what I was looking for and the date involved, he informed me that your aunt isn't buried in Dungar.  That graveyard was opened on Easter Sunday 1894.  He can't remember ever seeing the name of Devlin on a headstone in roscrea.  He is retired and meets up with friends every morning for coffee so he is going to tell his friends and see if they will keep their eyes open for her name.

All the best 

Anne

We aren't have much luck tracking down the gravesite of Bridget's husband Peter. 

It is amazing how many Devlins lived in Philadelphia and how many shared the first name - Peter, Mary, Frances, John, Nellie, Elizabeth. Annie, and Bernard.

Not much creativity back in the 1800s.  Anne - thank you again for all off your help.

Jeff