My husband's grandfather was John Judge born on August 15, 1901 and he states in his U.S. immigration and naturalization papers that he was from Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim. His mother was listed as Mary McGrath and his father as John Judge on his New York City marriage license. I cannot find this family in Kiltyclogher in the 1901 or 1911 census. There is a 16 year old Mary McGrath in Kiltyclogher in the 1901 census...
Kay,
John Judge & Mary McGrath were married in 1893 in Co. Fermanagh:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…
John Patrick Judge was born at Cornacully, Co. Fermanagh 7th Nov 1898.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…
Family in 1901:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Lattoon/Corn…
1911:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Lattone/Corn…
John jnr in 1911:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Lattone/Corn…
There’s no John Judge birth registered in Ireland for 15th August 1901. Irish people in those days didn’t celebrate birthdays and often didn’t really know exactly when they were born. If officialdom later asked for a date of birth then they often just made one up. Cornacully is about 2 miles from Kiltyclogher. It was the nearest big town, and folk might give it as their address if asked where they came from (on the basis that no-one in the USA would have heard of a townland called Cornacully). (In the 1901 census there were 10 houses in Cornacully and the total population was 46). The family farm today is on the Cornacully Rd, Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh BT93.
Here’s a couple of probate abstracts from the PRONI wills site which suggests there were Judges still farming there up until the 1980s anyway:
Judge John of Cornacully Tullyrossmearn P.O. county Fermanagh farmer died 31 January 1928 Administration Belfast 7 June 1951 to James Judge farmer. Effects £23.
Judge Edward of Cornacully Tullyrossmearn P.O. county Fermanagh farmer died 30 May 1939 Administration Londonderry 17 December 1946 to Patrick James Judge farmer. Effects £148 5s. Unadministered Grant P.R. 2.10.1986.
Thank you so much for all of the time that you spent looking all of this up. I have spent lots of time studying the 1901 census and the John Judges married to a Mary and trying to find marriage records with a maiden name etc. I had also read that August 15th was a common "birthday" due to some type of registration date so I have been open to another birth date. I spent alot of time on a different family in Mayo until I finally found the mother's maiden name and it wasn't McGrath. I will look at this information that you supplied. Thanks again.
I have attached a letter which I found in parish records in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast from someone in Pettigoe, Co. Donegal in 1908 writing to his Minister, asking for proof of age (ie a baptismal certificate). All he knew was that he was between “70 and 78 years of age.” He clearly had only the vaguest idea and couldn’t narrow it down to within 9 years. (The likely reason for the letter was that the old age pension was being introduced in 1909 for people aged 70 and over. Documentary proof of age was required. Thus, probably for the first time in his life, establishing his age accurately became relevant to him). I think that not knowing when you were born was pretty typical then.
Elwyn, I am writing again to thank you for your help in putting me on the right track to locating my husband's Judge/McGrath family in Fermanagh. After I received your reply I found some promising activity on Ancestry. My husband did the DNA matching and we have confirmed that this is indeed his family. Thank you so much for the lengthy replies that you provide for all of us who are searching. We are hoping that we will one day be able to travel again so that we can see these places and meet some of these people.
Kay,
I am delighted to hear that. Really pleasing that not only have we identified the right family and location, but it sounds as though you have found there are family still in the area. That's great.