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Doran of Ballinakill County Galway

GalwayBallinakill Derrybrien (Galway)

I am searching for Catherine Doran born about 1810 in County Galway.  I found a baptism record for a Catherine Doran baptised November 1810, parents Andrew Doran and Sarah Duanne but I can't be certain that is the right person.  Do you know of any way I can make sure I have found the right person?  I don't have her parents' names and birth dates.  I only have the name of the man she married, Thomas Fury (Furey).  I do know she came to the USA (Nyack, New York) but I'm not sure if she came alone or with one of her children and when she came.  The children I am aware of are Sarah Fury, born about 1834 in County Galway, and Michael Fury, born 26 April 1844 in County Galway.  I think her husband, Thomas was a Tinker and died of starvation but I don't have anything to prove that.  I also believe they had 4 other children and I think they all died in Ireland.  As you can see I have very little information on Catherine Doran and the U.S. Census records are not much help as the dates she gave are all different depending on the year she gave the information.  The same goes for her daughter, Sarah.  About the only thing constant is County Galway.  I did contact both East and West Galway Genealogy Societies and neither said they had any record of Catherine Doran and Thomas Fury marrying in their records.  Any help or guidance will be appreciated.

Mary Todd

mtodd81

4 replies

Hi Mary!

I searched on the subscription site Roots Ireland for all of Ireland and there were no 1810 Catherine Doran baptismal records in Co. Galway. There were four 1810 records in other counties. Also did not find the marriage record nor did I find any Fury baptismal records with parents Thomas Fury and Catherine Doran.

There is a Sarah Fury baptismal record in 1830 in Tuam with father Thomas Fury but the mother is Catherine Naughten.

Where did you find the 1810 baptismal record you cite? You posted in Ballynakill (Derrybrien) parish in Co. Galway. Do you have any info that points to that parish?

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Roger,  thank you for your reply.  The document I found was on Ancestry.com.  It was  Ireland, Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers 1763-1912.  Someone else had Ballynakill (Derrybrien) for her in their tree but they didn't have any documentation.  I only have County Galway from the census reports.  I remember my mother singing Galway Bay to me when I was a small child so I think they lived near Galway Bay but I really don't know where in Galway Ballynakill is located. 

I have had DNA matches to other people who have the name Doran in their tree but they don't know anything about a Catherine and the can't help me with Galway.  I don't know if the match is actually the Doran family but it is possible.  One of the DNA matches is for a Ellen Doran born 1859 (quite a bit after 1810) in England.  She married in New York in 1874.  Another was a Mary Doran born and died in Ireland but no years listed.  The parish in Galway sounded promising to me.

Mary Todd

mtodd81

Mary:

There are actually four Ballynakill civil parishes in Co. Galway which makes it very confusing when researching. Two of the parishes are in the northeast corner of Co. Galway. Ballynakill Derrybrien is in southern Co. Galway near the border with Co. Clare. The fourth parish is in far northwest Co. Galway bordering Co. Mayo and the Atlantic Ocean and I would not consider that parish real close to Galway Bay.

johngrenham.com would be a good resource to see where th four parishes are located.

Good luck with researching this line. Let me know if you have further questions.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks, Roger.  I will contact John Greham. 

mtodd81

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