RootsChat.Com
Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Galway => Topic started by: rachelralph on Tuesday 01 November 11 10:17 GMT (UK)
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i have just this weekend been given by my husbands uncle a beautiful family tree that he has spent years doing. he knew i was also doing the same tree but until now we have been unable to compare and discuss it. sadly his health is now fading and he is only able to talk for a few minutes before he has to rest. the one thing he asked me to do was to try and find out about his granny holt. i have already done a little research into this and found her marriage in athlone in 1884 to samuel holt. the marriage record gives as follows
date of marriage: 15/11/1884
pariah/distinct: ATHLONE county: co. Rosscommon
husband wife
name: Samuel J Holt Maria McDonnell
address: barracks ballinasloe
denomination: civil parish civil parish
occupation: SOLDIER SERVANT
age: 38 20
status: bachelor (not previously married) spinster (not previously married)
husbands father wife's father
name: William Holt James McDonnell
denomination
occupation: MASON LABOURER
husbands mother wife's mother
name: not recorded not recorded
witness 1 witness 2
name: Hugh Dougherty Catherine McDonnell
notes: rev J J Ryan: st peters church, Athlone: both catholic: grooms name given as Samuel Joseph Holt.
i cannot scan the image as it wont work for some reason but that is how it appears in front of me.
i am now looking to find her birth. i was given the most possible birth as 1862 Roman Catholic Parish of Ballinasloe.
any help anyone can give me would be very very gratefully recived as this is something i would like to find for husbands uncle before time runs out.
thank you xx
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Since the date is before 1864, you are looking for a baptism rather than a birth...
Have you located Maria on later census returns to see what she gives as her place of birth ?
Shane
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thank you i did mean a baptism rather than birth. maria and her husband samuel came to england shortly after their marriage so all i know from the census is ireland. i only knowe her birth from the marriage record.
a few things that i do know that might help. maria was also known as mary. her daughter was at birth called kathleen marion and then used mary agnes. maybe these are marias family names?
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RC records for Ballinasloe (Creagh & Kilclooney) go back to about 1820. The records are available in the National Library on microfilm Pos. 2432. Copies of the baptisms also seem to be available in FamilySearch centres - ref 1279217 item 9-17
It might also be worth checking the pay-website at RootsIreland (http://www.rootsireland.ie), as they have transcripts of many Galway parishes.
Early baptism records dont give much details so it might not be easy to trace the correct family without a more definite location..it's possible that Maria was just living and/or working in Ballinasloe at the time and was born elsewhere..
Have you tried the 1911 census ?
Shane
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the 1911 census for maria (just looked) does say galway ireland. so at least i can definately say she was from galway.
i think all my husbands unlce is looking for is marias mother name and where she was actually from. or at least thats all im hoping he is looking for! ::)
rootsireland didnt really turn up anything definate either, although i have to admit im not the best at working all these sites.
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p.s. I just realized the marriage took place in the groom's parish rather than the bride's - more than 20km from where she lived.
Was it a registry office marriage ?
S.
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Maybe try the parishes adjacent to Ballinasloe in case the McDonnell's moved at some stage - labourers and their families often did. The four that I see are : Clontuskert to the south, Aughrim to the west, Fohenagh to the north west and Ahascragh to the north. (all these have records back to the late 1820s).
If the family were from somewhere other than Ballinasloe then there are quite a number RC parishes to check in Co. Galway - see these maps on the Irish Times website :
Galway East RC Parishes (http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/galwayerc.htm)
Galway West RC parishes (http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/galwaywrc.htm)
Shane
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the holts lived in ahasgragh parish ballinasloe co galway, best luck in your findings there
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hello raindancer, sorry for the delay in replying i have only just noticed your post ::)
thank you for that information. may i ask how you know this information? i have put this research on hold for a while as it was getting frustrating. however my husbands uncle is also looking into this line and his health is now failing him. i would dearly love to find out who maria mother was. if you have any further info i would be most grateful.
thanks again x
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This is from another part of Galway and there is no way of knowing if it's the same person but may help you if you get more info.
With James being a labourer they may have travelled around and maybe Maria was just living in Ballinasloe just before she married - just a theory !
Maria McDonnell
Baptism 21 May 1864
Place Portumna, Galway, Ireland
Parents James McDonnell & Mary Geoghegan
Also have you tried tracking down her sister Catherine (her bridesmaid ?) You may get some leads through her !
Tara