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Graham and Byrnes

Loughrea (Galway)

My gg grandfather, Matthew (Mike) Graham was born in 1824 in Loughrea, Galway. He came to st. Louis, Mo USA before 1860 with his wife,  Jane Dempsey and daughter Mary, who was born in Sheffield, England in 1851.  Matthew had a sister,  Margaret Byrnes,  still living in Loughrea, who sent her son Patrick over to his uncle Matthew in St. Louis. Patrick married Mary White in St. Louis and  they had seven children. I wonder if I might have relatives still living in Loughrea.  Thank you!!                    Lynn McGoogan

graceknapp@att.net

2 replies

Lynn:

You don't mention the religious denomination for Matthew (Mike) Graham. Roman Catholic or Church of Ireland? The subscription site Roots Ireland has records for both the Loughrea RC parish and the Loughrea C of I parish back before 1824 so possibly he was from a nearby parish which does have records back to the 1820s.

Have you considered DNA testing? There is a East Galway Genealogy and DNA Facebook group which may be of interest.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/555977884943692

There was a Graham family in Loughrea in the 1901 census. The mother was born in Galway but the children were born in Dublin city. The mother died between 1901 and 1911 and the 1911 census shows just the three unmarried children.

1901 census http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Loughrea_Town/B…

1911 census http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Loughrea_Urban/…

The 1855 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Loughrea civil parish does not show any Graham records but there was a Thomas Byrne in the town. Not sure if he was connected to Margaret. https://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/galway/loughrea.php

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you, Roger! 

Matthew Graham was Roman Catholic. I have had my DNA tested which showed my ancestry is 87% Irish, mostly from Munster and Connaught, which matched what I knew about my family history. The Grahams and the Byrnes are the only ones that I know what town they were from. I will check the East Galway DNA Facebook page.  Thank you, again. Have a good day and a blessed Easter!

Lynn McGoogan

graceknapp@att.net

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