DEVITT FAMILY

Hi Steve,

Thank you very much for your message. I hope that someone with information makes a connection with you and helps you with your research.

You could try searching in Church records for more information. Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. It also shows you where copies of the records are available. For Killilagh parish (also sometimes known as Lisdoonvarna) follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Clare&parish=Lisdoonvarna&churchid=630

For Rath parish follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Clare&parish=Rath&churchid=799

As you can see from the above links Clare Genealogy have copies available. Here is their email if you would like to contact them, however please note that a fee may apply:

clareheritage@eircom.net

Civil registration began in Ireland in 1864 so any births, deaths or marriages in the family after this date would be recorded in these records. Civil records are available from the General Register?s Office. Here is their website:

http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm

You can search the indexes to these records up to 1958 online at:

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347

I did a search for their father James in Griffith?s Valuation. This is a property valuation service carried out in Ireland 1848-64. I found one result in Rath parish 1855:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&Submit.x=-1212&Submit.y=-562&Submit=Submit&familyname=Devitt&firstname=james&baronyname=&countyname=CLARE&unionname=&parishname=

It is possible that this is Mary?s father.

Have you tried looking at records and resources on Clare County Library?s Genealogy page? They have a great collection, they also have a Donated Material section (on the right hand side of their webpage) where you may be lucky and find something relevant:

www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm

Some other more general websites that you may find useful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/clare/index.html

From Ireland: www.from-ireland.net

Irish Genealogy Toolkit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/

Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,    

Genealogy Support

Hi Emma,

Thank you for your reply. Appreciate all the links you have listed. I have searched most of these, but a second visit won't hurt. I am not sure about the James Devitt of Moyhill, Rath. When Mary Devitt's brother, John, arrived in Australia in 1858, his immigration record states that his father was dead and his mother, Ellen, was alive in Rath. Hence, the father died prior to 1858. I found a record for James Devitt, Moyhill, stating that he died around 1865, so perhaps he was not our man.

I appreciate the wonderful job all the volunteers are doing at Ireland Reaching Out.

Hoping to visit Ireland in 2015, after an absence of 38 years.

Regards,

Steve Devitt

Hi Killilagh Parish,

I am finally making my trip back to Ireland in September 2016. I will be there from 4th to 12th September and I will be based near Lisdoonvarna at Slieve Elva B&B. I will have a rental car during my visit, so I will be able to cover plenty of ground. I would be pleased to meet any of the team from Ireland Reaching Out. As I have stated before, my great-grandfather's sister Mary was born in Roadford circa 1840, but I am not sure if this refers to the village of Roadford or the general district of Roadford which encompassed several Parishes, including Killilagh.

I have also received information from another Devitt relative which nominates the hamlet of Tooclae in the townland of Boherboy as the origin of our Devitt family, but I can find no positive evidence of this. Another family anecdote has our Devitt family located in the townland of Teergonean, which is adjacent to Boherboy.

I know from Griffith's Valuation that there were Devitts in the following Killilagh townlands :Caherkinallia, Gortaclob and Lough North. The Tithe Applotment Books show Devitts in Loughe, Cahircinnally North ( Caherkinallia ?) and Knocknaranhee West (Knocknaranhy ?)

Hoping to hear from you before I begin my trip home to Ireland.

Best regards,

Steve Devitt

Steve

My Great grandfather MICHAEL HARKIN married BRIDGET DEVITT (Devit  ?) on 26/1/1859 in Ballarat. She was 17 at marriage therefore born 1841/1842 and was 79 at death on 20/7/1920, therefore born 1841 in County Clare. Ties in so far.

her parents were Michael Devitt and Anne Nagle. 

The Kilfenora   Parish baptism records show  a number of Devitt and Nagele baptisms but not the ne I want

          - Father  -Michael Devitt; Mother -Anne Nagle; Child  -Anne Date of Baptism 23/9/1836

          - Father- Michael Devitt;  Mother - Honora Nagle; Child Biddy(Bridget); Date of Baptism 1/9/1840 - about the time of Bridget's birth but I cant find her baptism record

          - Father  - Michael Devitt, Mother Anne Nagle; Child - Michael, Date of Baptism 2//9/1843

There are a lot of connections between the Harkin, Devitt, Nagle, Drony, Harkin and Donohoe families that can be found in the Marriage, Baptism and Birth records that are now on the Clare County Library website as from February 2019 and I am sure you will find some connections there.  I have not followed the Devtt line much am having enough problems follwing the Harkin line. 

I have Birth Cerificate Records for 1868 from the District Registry of ROADFORD, Superintendents District of ENNISTIMON for a Bridget Nagle and Thomas Droney ( a Harkin married a Droney).

The townlandsyou have mentioned in one of your posts "Caherkinallia, Gortaclob and Lough North. The Tithe Applotment Books show Devitts in Loughe, Cahircinnally North ( Caherkinallia ?) and Knocknaranhee West (Knocknaranhy ?)" are all within a kilomtere or two of lisdoonvarna, ballyteige and Ballygastle wher my Harkin family  came from.

If you want to talk my home phone is 0398793097(Croydon, Victoria) or 0419117652.

Email gavharkin@bigpond.com

Gavan Harkin

14/5/2019

Hi Steve & Gavan

I have a Catherine Devitt in my Maternal line. She came out to Australia with her mother, (Catherine Devitt born Behan) on the Kingston in 1854 to Tasmania. From records it appears Catherine Jnr was born about 1840 in Clonboy, while her older brother John was born in 1832. I have a record of John's baptism and also his parents marriage after his birth. It appears there may have been other children but only mother Catherine, John (eldest) and Catherine (the youngest) came to Australia. John married and had several children.

Not sure how they may fit in records as I cannot trace anything for Catherine's husband John. I do not know if he had died before they came to Australia or what happened to him.

I have done a DNA test with Ancestry and am also in Gedmatch.

regards

Liz Smith  

Steve,

Dont know if the attached file will help you.

Gavan Harkin