Irish Ancestry

[Mobo]

 

The Potato Market - Drogheda

 

[KatieC]

I'm stuck and at my wits end.  For years I've been unsuccessfully following the O'Hara family line to Ireland, hearing stories from various older family members that they were of aristocracy and kicked out of Ireland and went to Scotland.  I can trace the O'Hara line only to a point in Scotland and beyond that I cant find them there... so it leads me to believe they came to Scotland at that point... bur from where in Ireland I have no clue.  Specifically I'm looking for Edward O'Hara and Sarah Bashford c. 1800.  But from what county, I dont know.  I dont even know where to start looking.   

The only thing I know for certain is that the family was Roman Catholic.

[Mobo]

 

Katie

As your 'Irish' moved to Scotland, have you tried posting your query on the Scotland Board ?? 

You don't actually say what info you have - does 1800 stand for Edward & Sarah's birth dates, or the date of their marriage ??  Did they marry in England or Ireland ??  Are they on any Census Returns? What was their religion ??

 

[KatieC]

I've been a regular at the Scotland boards for a while, but I cant find any info on the family past a certain point, which is why I'm looking to Ireland.  I've checked the Scotland's People website and can only take the O'Hara line so far.

This is the info I have:

Rose Ann O'Hara b. 1886 Glasgow Scotland
dtr of
John Bashford O'Hara (b/d unknown but presumably in Scotland)
married to Agnes Liddell McGowan (married July 6 1869 Glasgow Scotland)

John Bashford O'Hara is the son of
Patrick O'Hara (exact b/d unknown - year 1806, location unknown but presumably in Scotland.  Died Dec 27 1886 Glasgow Scotland)
married to Catherine Ann O'Neil (married Aug 1 1841 Glasgow Scotland)

Patrick O'Hara is the son of
Edward O'Hara and Sara Bashford
Birth date, death date, marriage date unknown for both Edward and Sarah.

Scotland's People website has no information on either Edward O'Hara or Sarah Bashford.

I know for certain that as far back as the O'Hara family can trace, the family religion has been Roman Catholic.

[Mobo]

Judging by this, John & Patrick should appear on Scottish Census Returns, no ??  That's where you should look first to see if a County of Birth was shown.  Also scrutinise the page, as more often than not, Irish neighbours were usually family or friends from the same place, and sometimes there are clues to be found.

Do you have the marriage certificates for them ?  These will show the church they married in.  Catholic Parish Registers give a lot more information than normal, sometimes the County of Birth, so if you write to the Parish Priest (enclosing a small donation to the church) he will usually look up the registers for you.

This is explained more fully on the post

A Few Pointers to Help you trace your Irish

on the link below

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,78216.60.html


 

[KatieC]

I've got the marriage certificate for Patrick's second marriage to Ann McDonald.  They were married in Aberdeen Scotland in Ann's home (address listed as Residence is the same as in the colum 'where when and how married') 'according to the forms of the Roman Catholic Church'.  Scotlandspeople website does not have a birth record for Patrick O'Hara or his father, Edward O'Hara which is why I believe they came TO Scotland FROM Ireland, but again, from where in Ireland I do not know.

[Calgarian]

Mobo

A few weeks ago you gave me some advice on tracking my family in Co. Armagh.  You suggested the website of City of Armagh Ancestry.

I had already tried that twice with no reply but decided to try one more time.  Guess what?  Third time lucky.

I have received an e-mail from them but am not very happy with their reply.  This is what they say:

They have a database which only they can access so they want 20 pounds for a search, that is over 40 canadian dollars.  I am willing to pay this if I can get the information I am seeking.  The problem is that you have to mail a cheque or credit card details to Armagh.  I am not comfortable with this, especially as it took three go's to get a reply.  I wish they had a form on their website for application of information where you put your credit card info like the other websites.  Has anyone else gone through this process and what was the outcome.

[Mobo]

 

Aw - that's a shame Cal !

All I can say is that normally, if you write to a Heritage Centre in Southern Ireland, they usually reply with a list of people of that surname from the Index to Griffiths's Valuation of Ireland 1848-1864, and a description of the village or town from Lewis's Typographical Dictionary . From which you can decide whether or not it's worth paying for research.  In my case, I used a professional and sent him cheques by post, but some Heritage Centres do research themselves and have a credit card facility on their site.   

However, as I've said before, Northern Ireland is out of my experience, and perhaps do things differently there.  Perhaps you could try googling for a Researcher in Co. Armagh

Just out of interest, here is a sample from Griffiths's Valuation

[linmey]

Well, I imagined it wasnt going to be easy to find my Irish ancestor which is why I asked for some tips, but oh boy, having just read all the above posts I now feel a little depressed.
    Oh well, I ilke a challenge. Wish me luck, and i look forward to reporting back.
               Best wishes Linda.