I am trying to find my Irish Parish. Looking for William Minielly
William Minielly (17861874) was born in Donegal, Ireland. He sailed to Canada in 1815 on the ship Eliza. In 1831 William married Elizabeth Mackey (1808-) and settled in Lanark County. They had five sons and two daughters born in Lanark. In 1846 they moved to Lambton County, settling in Plympton Twp. (William married a second time, to Isabel McLeich).
Kathie639:
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!
I checked this irish Times web site http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/ which shows you where surnames were found in mid-19th century Ireland. The surname Minelly did not show up so I tried McNeely and that name and variants were found in Co. Donegal. The site will show you all the variants and numbers and where found. McNeely was found primarily in Killaghtee and Kilbarron parishes which are in southwest and southern Donegal but the surname was also in other parishes.
I can't tell if your ancestors were RC or non-RC but it is very difficult to find church records back to the late 1700s.
You may want to consider autosomal DNA testing. Possibly you might match someone with more information on your family in Ireland.
Roger McDonnell
They were non-RC. I see if I can find any more information on the spelling. Thank you
I don't know about a Minielly parish but, my great grandmother was a Robina Bridget Maneely.
I have often wondered about the spelling as there seems to be a fair bit of difference in some, but have come across records where Maneely was spelled Minielly.
Her father was Michael Maneely, his gravestone was marked "native of Clones". Parish baptism records show he was baptised in Killeeven. To my understanding Clones/Killeeven is on County Monaghan??
He emigrated to Canada approx 1871, settling in Vankleek Hill area, Hawkesbury, Ontario.
I have found out that William's last name was spelt Mineally. Also the Principal Family was Father Charles MacNeely.
Hi Kathie639, I'm not sure if this thread is monitored by any of the participants any more, but I thought I'd reach out and try. I am not positive I can be of help, but for my own family search I've discovered a Land Ownership application dated Nov 23, 1835 in North Elmsley Township, Lanark County Ontario, for one "Willm Minelly" of a 200acre lot.
The part that brings me to post here is that the west half of the same lot, on the same date, is also applied for by one Eligh (believed abbreviation or transcription mistake and could/should be Elizabeth) Kirk.
That lot is definitively owned later by an Andrew Kirk as shown in the local 1851 census, and 1/2 of lot 8 down the road likewise by his twin brother William Kirk, also in 1851. Both were 35 at the time and believed born in Mullinboys (twnshp?), Inver Parish, Donegal Co Ireland in 1816 to a James and Elizabeth Kirk. I believe James died in 1827 and that their last child was born in 1820.
I'm curious, even though the birth date and last name of Elizabeth in your description above would not seem to fit, if there is any connection here? Is it possible Elizabeth was born before 1808 and that Mackey was her maiden name, adopted again perhaps after being widowed when James Kirk died?
Sorry to be so long winded here.
Incidentally, Andrew Kirk died in 1861 in Lanark and William his brother (my direct ancestor), likewise moved to Lambton County sometime between the census mentioned above, and 1861 when he is found in Lambton.
Thanks for your time,
Bob Kirk
An addendum to my message from yesterday. I found the cemetary info for Uttoxeter United Church Cemetary in Plympton and (as you know) the dates and names for Elizabeth were correct, and so not the family connection for my own. I do still believe that William Minielly was likely the one selling the property to my own ancestors in 1835 in Lanark, according to the info mentioned previously. Good luck in your search!