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Reilly family - Mayo, Ireland and early county records

Mayo

I'm so pleased to have found this community! I'm hoping for a bit of advice on how to best proceed to trace my Reilly roots in Mayo. I'm sure I'm not alone in researching a very common name with few details. Here is what I know:

Martin Reilly (my gg grandfather) was born 2 Nov 1838 in Mayo, His father was James Reilly (b. in Mayo 21 May 1813)and supposedly Sarah Gerrity (Geraghty). I have no confirmation of her name other than tribal knowledge.

Martin immigrated to the U.S. in approximately 1858 and married Bridget Taugher/Thorhar/Thorham/Conners/Vaughn (her last nameis a mystery for another day) in Cairo, Illinois on 28 Jun 1865. By 1869-70, they were living in Pottawatomie County, Kansas where they raised a large family and were successful cattle ranchers. His father, James, lived with them for a time - at least from 1870-1875, based on census records.

Martin died in Emmett, Pottawatomie, Kansas on 22 Aug 1924. There is a memorial to James engraved on Martin's headstone, which indicates that James diedon 20 Jun 1885. I have been unable to locate any records to confirmwhat happened to James after 1875 when he was in Kansas through the time of his death in 1885.

My question is this...what successhave folks had with researching early Mayo County RC records with very vague details and extremely common names? Any best practices you might be able to share? I'm finding records that are close..but nothing that is solid enough to make any firm connections to where my family specifically lived before coming to the U.S.

Many thanks in advance for any advice!
Leslie

leslie.i.rieth…

2 replies

Leslie:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Mayo RC Parish records vary. Some parishes have records back to the early part of the 9th century while others particularly in the West start much later. I went on Roots Ireland and found a May 1838 baptismal record in Balla RC parish. Father was James and mother Sarah McHale.

You may want to subscribe short-term to Roots if you have a lot of ancestors to research.

Have you considered autosomal DNA testing?

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Leslie,

 I have just read your post. The place in Mayo where most of the Reilly's settled when the were driven out

of Beffney in Co. Cavan  was on the Mullet Penninsula in West Mayo (Kilmore Erris Parish). There was more

Reillys per square mile there one  time than in Cavan.  My Own Reillys ended up on the Inniskea Islands off the Mullet..

There are also numerous Geraghty families on the Mullet and indeed Toghers too.   There is very little hope of tracing anyone 

before the famine times unless you had specific information. and the suggestion of DNA is definately your best bet. 

Good luck in your search

Thomasbawn Reilly

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