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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Antrim => Topic started by: geniesio on Monday 14 March 11 16:35 GMT (UK)

Title: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: geniesio on Monday 14 March 11 16:35 GMT (UK)
Hi everyone

I am new to roots so this is my 1st posting of which i am sure there will be many!!

I have a difficult task - i am looking for info on a Catherine / Kathleen Duffy who was a house keeper in Keady and who had a baby girl - Kathleen Loftus (per birth Cert) on 3rd July 1916, born at 111 Ormeau Road, a C Bradley was present at birth - from Street Directory it looks like it was a private residences i think her husband Patrick Bradly worked in Gasworks.

While the father's name is not on birth cert the child's name is loftus and not Duffy - St Malachy's state fathers surname but not anything else - where do i go from here to get any further info on parents???


Kathleen Loftus was "adopted" out from Nazareth House to a family in Aghagallon.

Any help would be gratefully received
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: Vita Brevis on Monday 14 March 11 17:16 GMT (UK)
Hi, do you know if Catherine/Kathleen married?  I have a similar saga.  Is Duffy the name of the family who adopted her?  You may find a marriage cert for her in the name of Loftus & that may give her father's name, as you have her dob, it shpuldn't be too difficult.  Just a thought but worth a shot.
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: geniesio on Monday 14 March 11 17:24 GMT (UK)
No the daughter Kathleen Loftus was "adopted" by the McKenna family from Aghagallon. Too many Kathleen / Catherine Duffy's to be sure which is right one - don't think she married Loftus. the family was told that the child was sent to family as temporary measure by the mother - she told the family that she would come back for her but she never did.
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: Vita Brevis on Monday 14 March 11 17:30 GMT (UK)
what exactly is written on birth cert & where did names Duffy & Loftus come from?
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: geniesio on Monday 14 March 11 19:41 GMT (UK)
Mothers details are: Kathleen Duffy a housekeeper Keady Co armagh. childs name on birth cert is kathleen loftus. no details about father on birth cert.

Baptism cert same details but fathers details just has his surname as loftus.
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: Vita Brevis on Monday 14 March 11 21:11 GMT (UK)
Assuming that Catherine/Kathleen working in Armagh & therefore possibly born in Armagh herself, a search on Armagh records shows 2 births but the date a wee bit soon for her if child born in 1916 (that of course means nothing as we don't know what age she was at the time)  also a search for Loftus in Armagh produces 2 births but both female again wrong dates ... a bit of a mystery, but then again as you know the records are a bit of a hit & miss, I'll keep looking.
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: aghadowey on Monday 14 March 11 21:17 GMT (UK)
Irish birth certificates for that date do NOT have a space for the child's surname- if the parents are married it's surname is assumed to be the father's surname, if the child is illegitimate it will be the mother's surname.
This is confirmed by the civil registration index which shows Kathleen Loftus DUFFY July/Sept.1916 Belfast registration district volume 1 page 252
http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=collectionDetails&c=fs%3A1408347
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: geniesio on Monday 14 March 11 21:54 GMT (UK)
Not sure what you mean aghadowey? link isn't showing anything.

But birth cert i have has 11 column's in the 3rd column is the childs name - kathleen Loftus?? column 5 which is where fathers name and dwelling place is supposed to be is blank as is column 7 where his rank or profession is supposed to be. in column 6 where mothers info is - kathleen duffy a housekeeper Keady co armagh.


If they were married why is fathers details not there - if illegitimate why is childs name not just kathleen duffy same as mothers?
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: shanew147 on Monday 14 March 11 22:04 GMT (UK)
The link given by aghadowey is the search page - you have to enter details to start an actual search.

I believe Loftus is Kathleen's middle name, and since no father is listed her surname is assumed to be the same as her mother - i.e. Duffy. That's what she is indexed as on the BMD Index.

The 3rd column on a birth cert is for child's first names(s)


Shane
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: aghadowey on Monday 14 March 11 22:43 GMT (UK)
The link I posted is for the search page- just enter 'kathleen loftus' as the first name and only 1 entry for all Ireland- the details of which I posted.
You can see the headings on the birth certificate here-
www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,450377.0.html
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: geniesio on Tuesday 15 March 11 09:14 GMT (UK)
Never Knew that! We just always assumed that her surname was loftus. I must recheck her baptismal cert because again i was led to believe that her fathers name was on that and "apparently" it was down as Loftus. the plot thickens.
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: geniesio on Tuesday 15 March 11 14:12 GMT (UK)
Isn't it possible that Loftus was put in column 3 as a clue given that she wasn't able / allowed to put the fathers details on birth cert.

Lady at St Malachy's confirmed that while it was highly unusal for fathers name to be on baptism cert - it is in this case on baptism cert as loftus but no 1st name. She said he would have to have been in a position of authority to get name on baptism record.
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: aghadowey on Tuesday 15 March 11 14:19 GMT (UK)
The fact that the father's full naem isn't on the certificate makes me suspicious that 'Mr. Loftus' was really the father- surely the priest would have either put in the full name or omitted the name if in doubt. Could be that he misunderstood that 'Loftus' was the child's middle name- perhaps maiden name of granny, etc.
Title: Re: Duffy / Loftus Ormeau Rd 1916
Post by: geniesio on Tuesday 22 March 11 21:09 GMT (UK)
Apparently the mother Kathleen / Catherine Duffy went to 44 Bray street for a few mths after birth - initially she must have intended to keep baby. The family were always told that the father died in the war and that was why the mother couldn't cope. There is a Katie Duffy and an Edward Loftus in Keady in 1911 - mother was supposed to be from Keady. In Nov 1916 she was placed into st joseph's on the Ravenhill Rd and a Mrs Catherine Mckenna from 28 Cavendish st helped to place her with the family in Aghagallon. Where do i go from here????