I think my Hughes come from either the parish of Tynan or the parish of Eglish. My question: Eglish parish records are not available before 1862. Was this parish not founded/opened until that time? Was it part of another parish before 1862? Are the early records for this parish missing?
Thank you for any insight. Jan
You didn't mention if the family was Catholic or Protestant. Church of Ireland records for Eglish are available as follows:
Family History Library
Baptisms 1803-1864
Marriages 1803-1845
Burials 1803-1865
I assume the records you are enquiring about are RC records. Outside the large cities, few RC parishes kept records till the 1820s. Even then some were slow to get started. Eglish does not appear to have started till 1862. It wasn’t part of another parish prior to that date, it was simply not keeping any records or if they did, they are lost.
Your posts are very detailed and meticulous, hope that next time you will have more good articles to share with readers.
Thank you, Patricia. Yes, I was looking for RC parish records. Ancestry had sent, as a hint, an 1825 date of a Baptism for Eglish parish for a Hughes. There is no source other than the parish of Eglish. I had thought that this meant it was probably a Baptism for the Church of Ireland rather than for the RC parish of Eglish. You have confirmed my hypothesis. Jan
Seashore,
There are several parishes (4 or 5) of the name Eglish, the records of some date back to the early 1800s. It is possible that the Ancestry record relates to one of the other parishes.
Best wishes, Kieran
Kieran, thank you. That is an excellent point, but the record that someone attributed to a Hughes relative said "Eglish, Armagh." I think there is only one Eglish parish in Armagh. It was my contention to the person who had the tree that there was no proof that the record was for our Joseph Hughes because Eglish RC records did not go back that far. I suggested it might have been a Church of Ireland parish that Ancestry had copied. That was why I was checking to see when this RC parish actually began keeping records. I thought it was possible there were some records available that were not online, but it doesn't appear so. It is disappointing that so many people think that the hints sent by Ancestry are fact. In this case, someone was not aware of there being a RC parish named Eglish and a civil parish named Eglish, the latter usually associated with a Church of Ireland parish boundary. Thanks, again! Jan
Seashore,
Even if your family is of a certain religion, don't rule out that members may have been married in or baptized in another religion. I have seen it many times. In my own family research, a family of four children in Co. Meath had two children bap. in the RC church and the next two in the COI. In New York in the 1840s, my Irish ggg-grandparents had their three children each baptized twice, once in the Episcopal church, once in the RC church.