I'm looking for any information about my ancestor Thomas Murphy, buried 1809 in Comber, the father ofthree Murphy brothers who left Omagh, County Tyrone, in 1788, to come to America. Could someone help identify their Parish? Does anyone else share these ancestors? Thank you!
Julie,
There isn’t anywhere in Co. Tyrone named Comber. However there are two townlands named Cumber, so possibly your ancestor was connected to one of them. One is in the parish of Aghaloo and the other Donacavey. If he was RC, then neither parish has any records for the period you need. Aghaloo’s start in 1846 and Donacavey in 1857. If he happens to have a gravestone then you might find his burial through that but otherwise it’s unlikely any documentary records would exist that far back.
Hello Elwyn, Thank you so much for your message. I believe Thomas Murphy (1740-1809) is buried in the "town" of Comber located near Belfast.
However, he lived in Omagh for much or some of his life -- and that is where his sons were born. So I am looking for a Parish name in Omagh so I can search records there. His son John Murphy was born in Omagh in 1760, and later came to America. Any suggestions for how to search for information about John or his father Thomas?
Also, what does it mean, "if he was RC"?
Thank you, Julie
Julie,
RC means Roman Catholic. There were no statutory birth death or marriage records (vital records) in Ireland in the 1700s or early 1800s and so you need to rely on church records – where they exist – and to do that you need to know the person’s denomination.
Omagh is in Drumragh parish. No denomination in that parish has any records for someone born in the 1700s though. (The oldest is the Church of Ireland, which start in 1801). If Thomas was born in Omagh in 1740, then sadly, there’s unlikely to be any record of that event at all.
Thanks for all your help Elwyn. I really appreciate it. I'm searching the passenger lists through ancestry.com and might find something there.