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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: lagunasf on Friday 19 March 10 11:21 GMT (UK)
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I'm hoping someone can help me decipher the birthpace in Ireland of Mary Walsh. I thought it might be Galway, but it appears to have too many letters. Also her rank or profession, which looks like "Coon", is a bit of a mystery.
lagunasf
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very difficult to make anything out of those two - I've attached enlargements of the two relevant sections.
The best I can get for the placename is C..ls..ney ?
Shane
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Rank or profession- cook.
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I agree Cook is the only occupation I could think of that makes sense, but not so sure it is that, as the 'y' from Yarra Glen that runs down into the last letter is a bit deceiving and I can't see a tall stroke for the beginning of 'k'
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The 'k' in cook is there (The first part of the 'k' isn't very tall but if you keep enlarging your screen you should see it).
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this is the best I can enhance the placename - see below
do you have a high resolution version of the image ?
Shane
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Yes, sorry, I think you are right. I've just had another look at the 'k' in 'Her Mark' and apart from the first tall stroke they are quite similar. So, thank you, that has cleared one part up.
shanew147, that was the best image I could give you as I only have a very poor copy.
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I was wondering 'Carlurney', but there's no record of such a place online (a Google search yield 0 results).
None of the letters in the word appears to have a dot, whereas the other 'i's visible have very prominent dots. My putative second R matches the ones in Yarra Glen, which also extend well above the level of other x-height characters.
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I'd say whatever the place name is it's spelt phonetically, so might require some creative searches to find out what the actual name is.
I am assuming that the details were written by the registrar/minister based on what Mary said.. rather than written by her.
Shane
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Mary Walsh has put an x for her mark so obviously couldn't write, therefore unfortunately I think you are right in saying it was a phonetic translation by the minister. As this ceremony was performed in Australia he undoubtably didn't have a good knowledge of Irish place names.
Thanks everyone for your input.
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Now that you have given me the idea it is spelt phonetically I'm thinking it might be Killarney
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Any chance that you've found siblings of Mary's in Australia? I'm thinking their marriage or death certificates might give the same place of birth.
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I have very little info on Mary Walsh, apart from her parent's names. I can't even find shipping records of when they migrated to Australia, nor can I find their death certificates.
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I have very little info on Mary Walsh, apart from her parent's names. I can't even find shipping records of when they migrated to Australia, nor can I find their death certificates.
maybe her parents stayed in Ireland...
what year is this marriage ?
Shane
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They were married in 1892 and she was 26. I had assumed she came out with her parents, but maybe not.....
Forgot to mention I have her death certificate and it was completed by her husband who gives her place of birth as Queenstown Australia, (can't understand why he would get it wrong ) but I'm assuming this is incorrect as surely she would have given her correct place of birth at her marriage.
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If it is phonetic (which is highly likely) and if lagunasf is looking to the West (a bit adrift from Galway, I admit), then could we be in places like Collooney (Irish: Cúil Mhuine) and Coolaney (Cúil Aine) in Sligo?
Killarney (see above) would also be Cill Airne, but then there are dozens of place-names with "Cill" (=church) anglicised to "Kill-" or "Kil-"
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Assuming her age is accurate Mary's birth may just have made Civil registration in 1864 (although without a placename finding the right Mary will be difficult) and could be included on the IGI (www.familysearch.org) which includes parents names.
Can anyone make out what her mothers maiden name is ?
Shane
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Her mother's maiden name is Quilton
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allowing for the phonetics again (and the different mother's first name) ... this is the closest I see on the IGI
Birth : Mary Anne Walsh
Date: 11 Mar 1868, Waterford, Ireland
Father: Daniel Walsh
Mother: ANNE Culleton
The IGI includes some civil registration records between .1864 and the late 1870s. Walsh was, and still is, a common surname in Co. Waterford.
Shane
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Her death certificate gives her names as Mary Margaret Elizabeth Albert mn Walsh and lists her parents the same as the marriage certificate ( Daniel Walsh and Margaret Walsh mn Quilton, so I think that was probably not them on the IGI. She died in Nov 1929 and her age is given as 64yrs, so it looks like she was born in either 1865/1866
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her husband who gives her place of birth as Queenstown Australia, (can't understand why he would get it wrong ) but I'm assuming this is incorrect as surely she would have given her correct place of birth at her marriage.
May be a red herring, but Cobh (Cork) used to be called Queenstown. Possibly that's what he meant (with the registrar assuming Australia), and she came from somewhere near there?
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Thanks for taking an interest but I think he meant Queesntown Victoria Australia as it was only 2 towns away from where she died, and the death cert also says 'all her life in Victoria', so this possibly indicates she came to Australia as a very small child, shortly after 1865.
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Fair play, twas just a thought. ;)