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Eugene "Owen" Gillespie (born 10/7/66 in Meenaneary) and Mary Gillespie nee McGinley

Killybegs Upper (Donegal)

Good morning.  Hope everyone is  healthy and well.

Background.  We determined that my great grandfather...Eugene Owen Gillespie...was born in Meenaneary on October 7, 1866.  His father was James Gillespie and his mother was Bridget Gillespie nee Cannon.

He married my great grandmother Mary Gillespie nee McGinley on August 15, 1894 in Philadelphia.  Officiating in the presence of their wedding was Michael Gillespie and Annie McGinley.

They had four children.  James (born 1895), Eugene (born 1897), Anna (born 1899) and my grandmother Mary (born 1902).  When my grandmother was born, they lived at 313 West Penn Street in Philadelphia.

The sponsors for their baptism at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Philadelphia were:  James Gillespi and Mary McGill (James), Daniel Moriarity and Mary Burns (Eugene), John McCue and Annie McCue (Anna) and Dennis McGlynn and Mary McGonagle (Mary).

Mom is 88 years old and we are still trying to find the birthplace of her grandmother (Mary Gillespie nee McGinley).  

We think she was born in the Glencomcille area.  Her date of birth is estimated to be February 1, 1868 (DOB on her death certificate).  Her gravestone says she was born in 1870.  She died in Winter Park, Florida on February 17, 1960 and is buried in Philadelphia.  

My gedmatch number is A374874 and my mother's gedmatch number is LK7308308.  My wife is much much better at ancestry research than me.  She has my family tree on Ancestry.com.  Her Ancestry.com name is Jill Jacoby Brugger.

Thanking you in advance for any light you can shed.  Hope everyone has a gret day.

RABJr

7 replies

RABJr:

The baptismal records for Glencolumbkille RC parish start in 1880 so we only have civil records to search.  Civil registration for births started in 1864. I searched the free site www.irishgenealogy.ie for the years 1864-1871 and there were seven Mary McGinley births in the Glenties reigstation district which includes Glencolumbkille.

Not having her parents names is makes it difficult to determine if we have the correct record.  We do know tha she had a sister Anne.

One of the seven records was for a birth on February 10 1871 for a Mary McGinley with father Charles McGinley and mother Anne Craig. They lived in Rossbeg which is in Inishkeel parish. Inishkeel is northeast of Glencolumbkille parish. See last record at this link

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

Note: I looked for siblings of this Mary and there were many. I did not find an Anne but there was a Hannah anda Grace Also, if Anne was born pre -1864 no record is available.

Two of the other records were for Mary McGinleys born in January.

Mary McGinley born January 19 1871 father Neil McGinley mother Ellen McGinley (her maiden name) lived in Malin Beg. This family had an Anne but she was in Ireland in the 1901 census so likely this is not the correct Mary McGinley.

Mary Anne McGinley born January 4 1866 father John McGinley mother Hanah McEntyre Also in Malin Beg. I did not see an Anne for this family but she may have been born pre-1864

See first record  https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

Let me know what questions you have.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Good afternoon.  Hope you are healthy and well.  Thanks so much for your research.  I will look at both records.  Mary's death certificate lists her father's name as "James," mother unknown.  Thanks again.  Hope you have a great day.

 

RABJr

RABjr:

OK so with a father James there are records in other parts of Donegal and one has a mother with the surname McCue which matches some of the sponsor names in your notes. See next to last record at this link

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

I know this Mary was born in September and 1865 is earlier than your 1868 and 1870 but many immigrants made themselves younger and changed their date of birth.  Derryharriff is in Raymunterdoney civil parish on the northwest coast. 

Roger

 

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

My great, great grandfather and GGMother came from Ireland with their son during the famine. Their names were James Gillespie, Bridget (Breslin) Gillespie and Patrick Gillespie. Patrick was born around 1845 in Ireland. They settled in the coal region near Pottsville, Pennsylvania area near other SW Donegal Irish. They were on the 1850 US census. Bridget's father's name was Denis Breslin. Other children who were born in Pottsville were Denis, Charles, Mary Ellen and Bridget.

lmdmedley@hotm…

Good morning.  Hope you are healthy and well.  Thank you so much for sharing the information.  I will look at the 1850 census.  My great grandfather Eugene "Owen" Gillespie married my great grandmother Mary Gillespie nee McGinley on August 15, 1894 in Philadelphia.  My great grandfather died in Centralia, Pennsylvania in the 1940s.  He was a coal miner.  Do yo have your great grandparents birth records and emigration records?  Hope you have a great day and enjoy the holidays.

 

RABJr

I do not have my great, great grandparents birth records. I used U.S. census records, obituaries, and citizenship records to determine the approximate dates they were born. James Gillespie was born in Ireland around 1820 and died in Palo Alto, Pennsylvania in 1894. Bridget Breslin Gillespie was born in Ireland around 1826 and died in Palo Alto, Pennsylvania in 1906. They first appeared on the 1850 Census and lived in Minersville, Pa.
 

Their children

Patrick died in 1892, Dennis 1925, Charles 1919, Mary Ellen Gillespie McCarthy 1927 and Bridget Gillespie Loughry 1915. Only Patrick, according to the census, was born in Ireland around 1845. My great grandmother was Mary Ellen Gillespie McCarthy. 

 

 

 

lmdmedley@hotm…

Thank you.  I will check out these records.  Hope you have a great day.  Wishing you an early happy new year!

 

RABJr

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