I'm looking for infomation on Patrick Creely or "Crealy". He was born around 1813. He married a woman named Elizabeth McConnell. We are not sure when they left- it was likely they left in the 1840's. They had two children, James and Anna, both born in Ireland.
Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Have you tried looking for information in church records? Civil registration did not begin until 1864 in Ireland for records of births, deaths and marriages prior to this were kept by the local parish church.
Newtownhamilton belongs to the Catholic parish of Creggan Lower. Unfortunately records here so not begin until 1845. You can see this at the Irish Times website:
However, in the19th century new Catholic parishes were created so starting dates can sometimes be misleading. Many parishes changed their geographical spread so you may find earlier records relating to your family in the records of adjoining parishes. It may be an idea to look at Creggan Upper as records there begin 1796 (although fragmented)
Church of Ireland records sometimes tend to have an earlier start date as it was the official church of the country at the time. Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
You could also check for record of the family in the land acts pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites that you may find helpful 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
Family Search: www.familysearch.org
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/armagh/index.html
I hope this is helpful. 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