I am seeking confirmation of the home parishes and other information for my GG grandparents, James Shea and Catherine Cooper. I do not know details of their departure from Ireland or their arrival in the U.S., but by James' obituary in 1898 indicates he came from Tipperary about 50 years ago. Birth and other records from St. Mary's Church (also known as Govans and Star of the Sea), show they were settled in Baltimore by 1853, where their son, Michael James Shea was born. There are several other members of the Cooper family at this parish, John (married to a Winifred?), Maria, and Michael. Catherine's tombstone indicates she was born in 1826 in County Waterford, while James' records indiate he was born in 1821 in Tipperary. It's possible, though not confirmed that Catherine arrived in 1851 on the ship Chesapeake. Any help confirming information about their families, parishes, and departure from Ireland would be most appreciated!
Sunday 10th Mar 2013, 06:47PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Although you have posted this message on the Carrick parish page, you do not mention any connection if any to this parish in your message. Is this the parish in Tipperary that James? originated from?
If you are unsure of what parish they came from it may be possible to try and narrow it down using the land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. However, you may need to know the names of their parents or any family that remained in Ireland. Also, these records do not contain any genealogical information, so although they may give you a starting point for your search, there is no way to confirm the results are relevant to you without further research.
There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
If these records give you some parish names to go by, you can then search in church records in that parish. For information on what church records are available and how to find them check the National archives website:
http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/parish-records-marriage-licences/
You may also be able to find some record of the family after 1864 in civil records that may also help you narrow down a parish. These records are available from the GRO in Dublin. However you can search the indexes to these records online at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347
With regards to James and Catherine?s emigration details, the best place to find information on this would be in US immigration records/passenger lists. Here are some websites that may be useful:
http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/US-immigration-records.html
http://www.theshipslist.com/index.html
You could also try contacting the Family History Centres in Tipperary and Waterford for assistance, however a fee may apply:
Tipperary: tipperarynorthgenealogy@eircom.net
Waterford: wfh@eircom.net
I hope that some of these links are helpful to you. 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
Tuesday 7th May 2013, 10:06AM