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Mary, Don't know what happened there. I typed a reply and it just sent the smiley! I doubt if the 1871 David Q is right - dates too far out - but the 1915 death looks very possible. This is the one in the Shankill Graveyard book with right father's name. Good to know it is Summers St, which will help to get the death cert from GRONI. This might identify whether it is the right man (e.g. by reporter) and then I would know my gg grandmother was called Ann. This might help me identify a marriage, since they may well have married after 1845.

I didn't know there was a source of Irish BMDs on the web. Maybe it is Ancestry.co.uk which I have always resisted because I thought there wasn't much Irish data on it.

Thanks again for this. It looks hopeful.

Your right of course about Alexander. It might have nothing to do with the Caledons. I had also considered that Godfrey might be the mother's name. Trouble is all these people were born before birth registration started. I have had a look at the marriage records in GRONI Belfast but couldn't find a Quinn/Godfrey marriage. Of course it could be a grandmother's maiden name. I have had a bit of a lead recently in that there is a David Quinn burial in the Shankill Road graveyard book and he had put on his stone that it was also a memorial to his father and mother James and Ann - suggesting that they were buried elsewhere, which would fit. David Quinn is not a very common name. However, this David Quinn died in 1915. The UHF site only has one in 1903 (+ my grandfather who died in 1971). Next stop GRONI again and try for David Quinn's death cert and a marriage between James Quinn (of whom many) and an Ann. Tricky to corroborate though. Don't you just love Irish records.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

My g g grandfather was James Quinn, born around 1830 +/- According to family lore he worked on the Caledon estate in Co Tyrone as a land steward. I definitely know he was a land steward (son's wedding cert) but no actual evidence for the Caledon estate. He had two sons that I know of - Godfrey Alexander (some evidence of Caledon here - Alexander is the family name of the Earls of Caledon) b. 1854/5 and David (b ?). As far as I know they were Church of Ireland ( sons certainly were when migrated to Belfast). Have tried local C of I churches - Caledon, Middletown (part of Tyholland) and one other near Caledon I have forgotten the name of. I cannot find the sons baptisms. Any ideas, especially other churches I could try.

Thanks for the offer but I think we have pretty well exhausted our interests in Monaghan. I have done a lot of research in the church records available on microfilm in the Public Records Office in Belfast (I live in London (England)  but visit once or twice a year). Are you aware of the two Presbyterian churches in Monaghan town itself First Pres and 2nd Pres (latter known also as Ballyalbany). Of course maybe you mean Monaghan County, in which case they are legion.