IrelandXO - Connecting the Irish Diaspora

Help finding the parish of John James McGarry

Cork

Hello! I've been doing some research on my ancestors, but as soon as I found the Irish roots, I hit a wall! So I'm looking for the parish of John James McGarry. Unfortunately, I know little about him while he was still in Ireland, but hopefully someone on here might be able to help me. Thank you so much!

Full Name: John James McGarry

Birth Date: November 25, 1832

Place of Birth: County Cork

Spouse: Bridget Butterworth of County Limerick

Children:

-- Margaret McGarry (born in around 1855 in London)

-- Johanna McGarry (born in around 1858 in London)

-- Mary McGarry (born in around 1860 in London)

-- Daniel John McGarry (born in around 1860 in London, 6 months after Mary)

-- James McGarry (born in around 1863 in London)

-- Patrick Joseph McGarry (born on Feb 19 1869 in Pennsylvania, USA)

At some point between his birth and 1861 (sorry, I don't have a more specific date - probably before 1855 when his first child was born), he moved to St. Marylebone parish in London, England, where he worked as a police constable and lived with his wife, children, and a boarder named Catherine Newnham (born in about 1840), who was also from Ireland, although I'm unsure if they met there or in England.

Then, on October 15, 1866, he arrived with his family in New York City on a ship named Malta. He and at least part of the family mentioned above then moved to Armstrong, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh). He died 4 years later in 1870 of a broken spine, in an injury most likely related to his work as an ore miner.

Like I said, most of the information I have on him is what happened to him once he left Ireland, so I'm not sure how much it will help. Any clues to a parish would be much appreciated though. Thanks again!

IrelandXO member

14 years ago

1 reply

Hi Marissa

Thank you for your Query. You have some good information but it can be difficult to find the parish name / place of exact origin if you have not found it on emigration / naturalization records and unfortunately it can be the key to finding any existing church records. You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) https://familysearch.org/

The Tithe Applotment List might be of use to you, or at least interesting for you. These lists constitute the only nationwide survey for the period, and are valuable because the heaviest burden of the tithes to the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, fell on the poorest, for whom few other records survive.

Here are some links for heritage/ genealogy services in Cork that may be able to assist you further in your research:

http://www.corkcitylibraries.ie

http://www.corkarchives.ie/

http://mallowheritagecentre.com/

http://www.skibbheritage.com/

Also have you checked the uk records?

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/

Here are some other websites that may be of help to you:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/

http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

http://ifhf.rootsireland.ie/?gclid=CKLT_Pa4wrUCFYUf4Qod4EoAGg