Callaghan/Duffy Families In Clondavaddog
Seamus Callaghan,
Hello Seamus. My name is William J. Duffy of New Jersey, USA. As per your Ancestry profile statement, I'm contacting you through Ireland Reaching Out, instead of Ancestry, where I reviewed your Callaghan tree. I'm also a member of Ancestry where I have my Duffy Family Tree.
Could you please help me in researching my "possible" Duffy/Callaghan connections to Clondavaddog? I've been researching my Duffy genealogy for many years and as of now, have hit that proverbial "brick wall"!! First some background.
When my great-grandfather William Duffy left County Donegal between 1868-1879 ( unknown exactly when ), along with his brother John Duffy, sisters Ann Duffy and Bridget Duffy ( unknown if they came together or separeately ), I believe they left behind their parents John Duffy( date of birth approximately 1820 )and Catherine Callaghan Duffy ( date of birth approximately 1820 ). My most daunting task is trying to determine "where" in Donegal did they reside, what civil parish and townland, before coming to America. As of now I do not know. This is why I'm turning to you Seamus, since you have a "Callaghan" connection in Clondavaddog, Donegal.
A review of the 1857 Griffith's Valuation, which is all I have to go on for that period, of Donegal reviels the following:
A. There are 35 John Duffys found in 21 civil parishes and in 34 townlands;
B. There are 77 Callaghan families found in 12 civil parishes that also have a John Duffy residing.
I've decided to concentrate on those 12 civil parishes where there is a John Duffy and a Callaghan family. I do not know Catherine Callaghan Duffy's father's first name so as to narrow it down further, only the last name of Callaghan.So why contact you, you ask? Because out of those 12 civil parishes, Clondavaddog civil parish contains 29 Callaghan families and 2 John Duffys, out of those 77. The most of the 12 civil parishes.
Attached are documents to assist you in helping me.
Thank You
William J. Duffy
