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Owen Donnelly

ArmaghArmagh (Armagh)

Hello,

We have searched for many years for any information on our great great grandfather, Owen Donnelly or any decedentsthat may still be in Armagh. Owen was born about 1768 and married Margaret McCracken (her last name has been spelled various ways) whom he married in about 1795 in Armagh. We know that Margaret and at least one of their sons came to Canada somewhere around the 1830's but we can not find where Owen came with them and assume that he had died in Armagh. Margaret died August 4, 1847 in North Burgess, Lanark County, here in Ontario, Canada. Would love to hear from anyone that would have information on Owen Donnelly or the family. Thank you.

IrelandXO member

7 replies

You don’t say what denomination the family was. I’ll assume RC. I don’t think any RC parish in County Armagh has any baptism records for the 1760s. Armagh City has baptisms from 1796 and marriages from 1802. All too late for you. There probably are no records that you can use to trace this family that far back. Probably DNA testing is the only way you may link in with family from the 1700s.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

That you for the information Elwyn.  The Donnelly family were RC.  To define it a little more, Owen Donnelly was born in Mullaghbawn, Parish Forkhill, County Armagh, Ireland.  Would any records exist for deaths in that area around 1820's or a little later?  We assume that Owen died there as there is no record of him coming to Canada with his wife or children.  Thank you again.

 

IrelandXO member

Statutory death registration didn’t start in Ireland till 1864, and the RC church generally doesn’t keep burial records, so unless he happens to have a gravestone, there would not be a record of his death in the 1820s. (Mullaghbawn RC parish has According to the PRONI guide, no records earlier than 1844).

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hello, Owen and Margaret Donnelly are my 4x great grandparents.  If we are talking about the same people, the dates I have are close to yours, not exact.  Their son Patrick was my 3x, his son James was my 2x, and his son Thomas was my great grandfather.  Patrick settled in Pierce County, WI after leaving Ontario.  Does this sound like the same family?  Which of their children did you decend from?

IrelandXO member

Julie, our gg grandfather was Arthur Donnelly son of Owen and Margaret who was born in Armagh in 1802.  Arthur and his wife, Ann Kelly, had 12 children.  Our great grandfather was Micheal Donnelly who married Mary McGill.  Michael and Mary are the parents of our grandfather Christopher Donnelly.  There is only one Donnelly that I can find that moved to Wisconsin and that was Catherine, a daughter of Michael and Mary.  Catherine married Cornelius VanHeuklon and they resided in Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin.  Can't find a Patrick at all in the family.  I'm sure there must be a connection someplace.  I'll go through my files, and they are extensive, later today and see what I can find.

 

 

IrelandXO member

Just went through some more files and it looks like your Patrick and our Arthur were brothers.  I gather that we are distantly related. (o;

 

 

IrelandXO member

Sounds like 4th cousins once removed.  :-)  Thanks for checking and replying!

IrelandXO member

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