Looking For Attyrory Rock Family Members

Dear Attyrock Family:

Thank you for your post to the Ireland Reaching Out message board.

I have found a church baptism record and a civil birth record for a John Rock born to parents named Michael Rock and Mary Keaveny.  

Here is the information contained:

Civil Birth Record

John Rock born 31 May 1877, birth registered 5 June 1877.  Residence:  Elphin Street, Boyle.

Father:  Michael Rock

Mother:   Mary Keaveny

Informant was his mother whose name was noted as Mariah (a variant of Mary).  

Church Baptism Record:

John Rock baptised 3 June 1877.  Residence:  Elphin Street, Boyle.

Father:  Michael Rock

Mother:  Mary Keaveny

Sponsors:  Eugene Lavan and Bessie Lee

There was a note that the birth date could be 31 May 1877 and that the celebrant was Fr M.Coogan,CC.  

The original record is in the link below:

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633916#page/134/mode/1up

If you think that this may be your ancestor, Roots Ireland may have other family baptism records that you can view.  You can also view the register online for free through the National Library of Ireland, but it is not indexed.  

Please let me know if you need any further assistance.  If you would like a volunteer to meet you when you visit, please let us know and we can arrange this.  

Kind regards,

 

Jane

 

 

Dear Attyrory Rock family, 

I live in adjacent townland to Attyrory. Attyrory is in the parish of Creagh and is located near Ballinasloe but in County Roscommon. I can meet you in March when you visit from Massachusetts. 

Sorry to disappoint you but there are no Rock family in Attyrory or adjacent townlands. They were not enumerated in the 1901 or 1911 census. I located some baptismal and civil birth records of Rock children, which are the same five names you have although the year of birth of John Rock differs considerably. All these children are listed as Attyrory (Civil parish of Creagh, Galway East & Catholic parish of Ballinasloe (Galway East) but County Roscommon. Margaret -1859,  Catherine (Katie) - 1864, John -1866, Anne -1872, Ellen ( Nellie)- 1875. I checked www.irishgenealogy.ie and there were no deaths of Rock children registered. You mentioned that there are three children of Michael Rock and Mary Kelley unaccounted for based on Census data in USA 1900. Perhaps some births were before 1864 which was before civil registration. However, it is likely that their baptisms would have been recorded in the records of Ballinasloe Parish as one daughter, Margaret, born 1859, was recorded in Ballinasloe Catholic parish. I don't think it is going to be easy to verify if there were nine children. 

I looked at land transactions for the townland of Attyrory and Michael Rock name does appear in the published land records 1856 - 1857. However, a Michael Rock is registed with a small holding in Hillsend, Parish of Moore. Tracing land records in Attyrory does show that Michael Rock lived in Attlyrory. Michael Rock's name had replaced an Andrew Egan  by 1864 on a small land holding in Attyrory but by 1882 Michael Rock's name is replaced by John Ward.Your records probably show Michael Rock and family in USA between 1875 and 1882. The house is removed from land records by 1891 suggesting the house is derelict. I think I have an approxmiate idea of the plot where Michael Rock lived in Attyrory and can show you the field in March which I think will be exciting for you. 

The name Dominick Kelley appears as a baptismal sponsor for John Rock in 1866 and Ellen Rock in 1875.  Perhaps he was a sponsor because he was a neighbour in Attyrory but my research shows Dominick Kelly was married to a Sarah Rock from Cappaleitra, Moore. Cappaleitra would be about 10 miles from Attyrory. It's probable that this Sarah Rock Kelly and Michael Rock were siblings?  But, there are no Kelly descendants in Attyrory but people recall where they lived until they died in the 1950s or thereabouts. However, I will make some more enquiries but I think it will be difficult to locate relatives without further 'clues'. Nonetheless, the link to Dominick Kelly and to Rock family in Cappaleitra might be another lead. 

Hope this is of some help and look forward to meeting you in March.

Marie

mariemonaghan05@gmail.com 

Thank you very much,Marie for that fantastic help!!!

 

All the best,

 

Jane

Dear Jane, 

No bother. Glad to help. Regards, Marie 

 

Dear Attyrory Rock Family, 

 

I just noticed that I have a mistake in my information above. First line of paragraph 3 should read: I looked at land transactions for the townland of Attyrory and Michael Rock name does not appear in the published land records 1856 - 1857. 

Kind regards, Marie 

I am new to this website and just discovered your post this morning.  Were you able to visit Attyrory in March, or did you have to postpone your trip?  I am a Rock/Kelly descendant living in Massachusetts, and I have been spending a great deal of time exploring the Rocks of Roscommon during the pandemic. I am happy to share any information that I have. My great-grandparents from Attyrory were Dominick Kelly and Sarah Jane Rock.  Dominick Kelly was the brother of Mary Kelly (or Kelley), married to Michael Rock -- your great-great-grandparents.  (Mary Kelly was Sarah Jane Rock's sister-in-law and also her aunt.)  The Rocks were originally from the Clonburren/Cappaleitrim area near Shannonbridge.  I've traced them back to Antony Rock (1770-1848) and Margaret Kenny (1788-1848).  Eight of Michael Rock and Mary Kelly's nine children immigrated to the US, to the Malden area of Massachusetts.  It is possible they may have had two sons named John -- one born 12 Jun 1866 (baptismal record) and one born in 1874 (your great-grandfather).  If the first John had died, it wouldn't have been unusual to "recycle" his name.  Unfortunately, I haven't found a civil record documenting the second birth, so this must remain a theory for now.  I have a public family tree on Ancestry.com, CPFitzgerald Family Tree.  If you can access that, it might be useful to you.  I have also been working on writing a (not-so-brief) narrative of Antony Rock's descendants, the first three generations, which is a bigger project than I first imagined.  If you didn't get to Attyrory in March, I hope that you will get there soon!
 

i am researching the Rocks and Kelley's from Rosscommon/Athlone.  My husband great grandparents came to Massachusetts early 1909s.  I was able to have my MIL do her ancestry DNA before she passed as well ive done my husband and children. Many Tocks in their DNA matches so I know I'm on the right track but more could be done if we can work together on it.  My email is rksass@icloud.com so would love to communicate with anyone that help us tie these together.  Catherine Kelly married Michael Walsh.  I believe her father to be John Kelly and Catherine Rock.  Kaye 

 

My Great Grandfather John Rock was born in Killahornia in the parish of Creagh. Killahornia (Cuillagharney) .It as about 4k  distant from Attyrory. My Ggf married a Honoria Gaffey in Cornafulla,  Roscommon, about 20km from Killahornia.  My ggf was born John Mulstones  in 1831. By the time he married  Honoria Gaffey he had changed his name to Rock. It appears if was not unusual to change names around  these times. When researching this I  noticed there were records for an Antony Rock and an Antony Mulstones in Clonburren  and a Luke Rock and Luke Mulstones in Rathpeake . I suspect that a  number of Mulstones' families changed their name to Rock. The Mulstones name appears almost exclusively in South Roscommon. A John Rock emigrated to the USA . He was employed as a cartman in the El Presidio military fort in San Francisco. There wax a Hedge School Teacher in South Roscommon called Johnny Mulstones.  Hedge School teachers lost their income when the State Primary School system  was introduced and it is known that many of them emigrated to the US. I suspect he may be the John  Rock in San Francisco.   A Mary Mulstones emigrated to Boston and there is a record of one Mulstones in Mayo and one in Cork. Apart from these all the rest appear th have been born in South Roscommon. I believe  the Mulstones  named died out because a number ber of famiies changed their names to Rock.

It would be interesting to know if there is a record of the  birth of Antony Rock Clonburren or if it has been calculated from some other record. Ditto for  Luke Rock , Rathpeake. 

 

Best wishes,

 

Michael Rock