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AntrimBallymoney (Antrim)

I've written earlier about our quest to find information about my great-grandfather, Joseph Dinsmore. I received valuable information previously -- the will of my gg-grandfather, Hugh Dinsmore, and the Griffith's Valuation. I am seeking advice about getting the priest of a RC Church in Ballymena to respond to my requests. I have emailed three times and sent a hard-copy letter to the priest, asking if there were church records of my great-grandfather, Joseph Dinsmore. I have not received any response. I included in my snail-mail letter the fact that "among our possessions is my great-grandfather's prayer book. In his handwriting, he wrote that he was from Ballymoney, Antrim, Northern Ireland and also Ballinaloob. It's dated 23 Oct 1868. The prayer book is called Mission Book: A Manual of Instructions and Prayers: Adapted to Preserve the Fruits of the Mission From the Works of St. Alphonsus Liguori. It was published in Dublin in 1867."

We have the baptism records of all of Hugh Dinsmore's children but my great-grandfather, Joseph, and his sister (my great-aunt), Elizabeth.

Would you suggest that I call the church -- it is located at 14 Presbytery Lane, Dunloy, Ballymena -- to see if there are records? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to be intrusive, but I was told by another RC priest in that area that I should inquire about that information at the above mentioned church because his church didn't have any records.

Many thanks and all best from New York,

Christine

ChristineDinsmore

2 replies

Christine,

Sadly, with the current level of interest in genealogy, many churches in Ireland get rather a lot of requests for information from the parish records. Not all have the resources to respond to them. I would suggest that calling to see the priest should be your last resort.

Ballinaloob is also known as Ballynaloob and is between Ballymoney and Ballymena and is in the RC parish of Dunloy. As far as I am aware, their earliest records start in 1840.

If you want to check Ballymoney?s records (it's a separate parish), the baptisms appear to start in 1815 and marriages in 1846. 

Some of the early RC parish records, including Dunloy & Ballymoney  have been copied and are held in PRONI in Belfast and the National Library in Dublin and are also on the rootsireland site.

If the baptism you are looking for falls within the available years, I suggest you use rootsireland or one of the 2 copies I have mentioned. If it was earlier, or later than about 1880, then you will need to contact the priest. He will have the only copy of the later records, and you?ll need to ask what earlier records exists.  I would not turn up unannounced. I would ring in advance and try and make an appointment. Bear in mind that, if he gives permission to view the records, he needs to sit with you, to ensure their safety, so try to limit your visit to no more than an hour, as he has many other things to do. There?s no fee, but a donation to church funds is often appreciated.

Elwyn

Ahoghill AntrimIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for your quick response and your solid suggestion. Much appreciated. I will say that Ireland Reaching Out is a gem!

Regards from New York.

Christine

ChristineDinsmore

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