Donnelly's from Clogher, Tyrone, Ireland

Kevin,

Ioannes is simply the Latin for John. Many RC parish registers were compiled in Latin as that was the language the clergy used. He would have been known to his family as John, never as Ioannes.

The date of John & Ann’s marriage was 27.1.1864 and it was registered in Dungannon civil registration area.

I searched for the children’s births and I found that the 4 dates of birth are as you have given them. However Cassie’s birth is registered under the name Mary. The first 3 children were registered in Clogher but Margaret’s birth was registered in Omagh.

Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church which looks to have been in the Dungannon area. Then the family spent some time in the Clogher area before ending up somewhere near Omagh. If you get the townlands (addresses) from the various certificates, together with John’s occupation, I’ll see if I can identify precisely where they lived, and when they moved from one location to the next. You can view the original certificates on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2 (sterling) to a view a certificate.

I noted this family and wondered whether they might be yours. (We’d need to do a bit more research to find out).:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Aughancloy_Urban_Aughancloy_Town_in_17_files/Mill_Street/1724205/

Same household in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Aughnacloy_Urban/Mill_Street/854145/

Elwyn,

Thank you so much for your information. My Great Grandfather, Patrick John Donnelly, was a carpenter/cabinetmaker. I have inherited many of his tools from my grandfather. It was said that his father was a capenter also but I have not found any records to verify. My Aunt had visited Ireland once and I remember her telling me that the Donnelly's were from Fintona. Looking at the map, Fintona is closer to Omagh than Clogher. 

If I visit Ireland, where might I have the best luck finding records? Omagh seems like a bigger city. I really don't know much about Ireland at this point. Would I need to go to Belfast to find records?

You mentioned that custom to marry in the brides church. Anne Shevlin married John in  Dungannon. So perhaps that Shevlin's come from the Dungannon area. 

I believe Patrick came to America in around 1890. Do you know where most people would have departed from? Belfast or some other point of departure?

Thanks again for any help.

Kevin,

I am unclear as to what records it is that you are seeking. Can you clarify?

If you want to find out where your family lived, I’d suggest you look at the marriage certificate I have found plus the 4 births. That will give you addresses for each of the events (plus information on John & Ann’s fathers, eg John’s father’s occupation which you said you were unsure about). Ann Shevlin’s address will be on her marriage certificate. With the addresses, I can try and find the various properties for you using on-line sources.

As far as Northern Ireland is concerned, most of the major sets of records are centralized and kept in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast, but some of the others eg RC parish records, and the statutory births, deaths and marriages, are on-line. You already have the link for the births, deaths & marriages. Parish records are on:

http://registers.nli.ie/parishes

Each county has a library with a local studies section and that’s worth visiting for contextual material eg there might be information on trades such as carpentry, or a history of the town/townland where your family lived. But they generally don’t keep family material as such, save perhaps on some of the big landowners or industrialists.

Regarding the likely point of departure, there were sailings to America from Londonderry, Belfast, Queenstown (Cobh today) but by far the biggest port of departure was Liverpool. Far more migrants left Ireland via Liverpool than ever went directly. (Liverpool was a sort of European clearing house, and there were daily departures there as opposed to monthly from ports in Ireland). Someone leaving Tyrone in the 1890s would have jumped on a train to one of the Irish ports I mentioned. Then either sailed from there or caught an overnight ferry to Liverpool.