Help locating data on two side of family line.

Thomas:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I assume Francis Gallagher and the McGarrigles were Roman Catholic? Unfortunately, there are very few RC records in Co. Donegal pre-1840 so I don't think you will find a Francis Gallagher RC baptismal record or records for the McGarrigles/Dades? 

You may want to add Francis' story to our XO Chronicles site  https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy/ancestor-database

Roger McDonnell

Thomas,

The 1856 Scottish civil marriage certificate should tell you whether Francis’s parents were alive or dead at that date. It should also give you his father’s occupation. If either parent was dead it should say (dcd) after their name. If nothing is there then they were alive. 

Death registration only started in Ireland in 1864, but if either was alive after that year, and they had a distinctive occupation, we might just be able to trace them in Irish records.

Thomas,

I think the answer to the missing marriage is that some of the dates you have are not correct. I searched for Patrick’s birth in Kinning Park in 1881 and did not find it. However there is one in 1880 GROS ref 644/14 336. That certificate should confirm his parents names and also show the date and location they married.

I agree there’s no marriage for Francis & Elizabeth in 1856 but there is one in 1861. Francis Gallagher & Elizabeth McGarigle in Hutchesontown (part of Glasgow)  GROS ref 644/10 12.

If it’s of any use to you, Francis & Elizabeth are in the 1881 Scottish census (which is also on Scotlandspeople) in Kinning Park, with 7 children aged 1 to 17. GROS ref 644/14 42/18. The census should tell you where Elizabeth was born.

Regarding Elizabeth’s death certificate, if it doesn’t say Francis was dead then you should assume he was alive. If he was dead it’ll say “widow of…” If alive, “wife of…”. The information is of course only as accurate as the informant’s knowledge.  If her daughter was the informant you would expect it to be reasonably accurate. Where it was, say, a hospital official, then there’s always more of a chance of a mistake.

Thomas,

The Glasgow marriage was in 1856, but it wasn’t registered with the civil authorities at the time as it should have been. There was a delay of 5 years. (Presumably the priest omitted to send it off). So if you are looking for it on Scotlandspeople, search under 1861. The actual date on the certificate though is 16th Sept 1856 at Portugal St Chapel, Glasgow.

Francis’s parents were John Gallagher, labourer & Catherine Wilkinson (both were alive in 1856). Elizabeth’s parents were Patrick McGarigle, tailor, & Catherine McDivit. Patrick was dead, and Catherine alive.

I searched the Irish RC parish records for a Gallagher – Wilkinson marriage  mid 1830s or earlier but without success. However many RC parishes don’t have records for that period so that may explain it.  Gallagher is a very common surname in Co. Donegal – there’s over 8000 in the 1901 census of the county – and tens of thousands of folk from Donegal went to Scotland for work. (Very easy to get to and plenty of jobs). So I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where the family came from. But the RC parishes there rarely kept any records until the 1850s. Very hard to research them. Use this site (search under civil records):

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/

Deaths were recorded in Ireland from 1864 onwards. You could search for them in the Donegal and Londonderry areas for John & Catherine Gallagher perhaps born c 1800 – 1810 who died in the same place. (With the surname being so common, that won’t be an easy search).

Check all the Scottish censuses to see if a specific place of birth is given for Francis. Usually it says “Ireland” but sometimes you get more than that. A parish or townland.

Another approach might be to check Scottish Poor Law records. If your ancestors claimed under the Poor Law in Scotland (as many many Irish did), then the Poor Law file usually records their parish of origin in Ireland as well as details of next of kin there. Poor Law records for the Glasgow area are kept in the Mitchell Library. They will normally do a look up for a small fee. You might want to contact them:

http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/the-mitchell-library/archives/collections/poor-law-archives/Pages/default.aspx

Catherine McGarrigal (nee McDevitt) died in Hutchesontown in 1871 aged 63.  GROS ref: 644/10 1208. You should get her parents names from that death certificate.