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info on Catholic McElroy of Ballymena or Toomebridge

AntrimKirkinriola (Antrim)

Mary Ann McElroy or McIlroy was born on March 1, 1866. We are in possession of a Roman Catholic missal that has " Ballymena, Springwell Street 1883 or 1885 written on the inside cover. She was baptized under the name Maria as was the custom in Catholic Churches to use the Latin. Mary McElroy emigrated from Ireland approximately 1884 and went to Philadelphia, PA to serve as a domestic at a house in Media, Pa. We have information on her death certificate that her father's name was William. The mother's name was listed as unknown. We suspect that her mother died young and that her father remarried. Mary married an Antrim man, James Kane (O'Kane), who was baptized with the name Jacobus (Latin for James). James was born May of 1865 and arrived in Philadelphia, PA, USA in 1883 and sought employment as a plasterer. Mary McElroy and James Kane were married in the Catholic Church in Philadelphia in 1889. If anyone has any information on the Catholic McElroy's it would be appreciated. Bob

Dublinwoods

1 reply

Hi,

Bob thank you very much for your message. I hope that someone with information makes a connection with you and helps you to further your research.

In the meantime, have you tried looking in church record for more information? Catholic records for Kirkinriola/Ballymena start as early as 1836:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Antrim&parish=Kirkinriola&churchid=394

Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. Alternatively, as you can see from the above link the Ulster Historical Foundation have copies available. Here is their email if you would like to contact them, please note however that a fee may apply:

enquiry@uhf.org.uk

Civil registration became mandatory in Ireland in Ireland in 1864 so you should also be able to find a civil record of Mary?s birth. Civil records are available from the GRO, here are their contact details:

General Register Office

Government Offices

Convent Road

Roscommon

Ireland

Tel:+353 90 663 2900

Locall:1890 25 20 76

Fax:+353 90 663 2999

Homepage: http://www.groireland.ie/

Have you already tried searching for the McElroys/McIlroys in the 1901/1911 census records? If you have not, you can do so here:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/

Have you looked for record of the family in the parish in Griffith?s Valuation? This is a property valuation survey carried out in Ireland 1848-64. Here are the McElroys recorded in the parish:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&Submit.x=44&Submit.y=22&Submit=Submit&familyname=mcelroy&firstname=First+Name&baronyname=&countyname=ANTRIM&unionname=&parishname=KIRKINRIOLA

Here are the McIlroys: http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&Submit.x=20&Submit.y=6&Submit=Submit&familyname=mcilroy&firstname=First+Name&baronyname=&countyname=ANTRIM&unionname=&parishname=KIRKINRIOLA

Some other websites that you may find useful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm

Irish Genealogy Tool kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/

Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/antrim/index.html

From Ireland: www.from-ireland.net

IGP: http://www.igp-web.com/antrim/

Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,    

Genealogy Support

 

IrelandXO member

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