Hi Kerri,
Without a more precise place of origin, it is quite difficult to offer you specific information. The names are quite distictive so perhaps someone in the Fermanagh area will recognise them and offer you more information.
You can look at the frequency of the names in the mid-19th century and their variant spellings on the Irish Times website here: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID= You can check for a combination of two surnames to see if there were many of both families living in the same place at that time.
You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64). Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here: www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at.Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38). Microfilm copies of the books for all of Ireland are available at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/tithe-applotment-books-and-the-primary-griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS).
Have you checked the immigration records in Australia? You have the name of the ship and a date, so this will help a lot. Generally, more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. The University of Woolongong has produced, on microfiche, a complete index and transcript of all information concerning immigrants of Irish origin recorded on ships' passenger lists between 1848 and 1867. These are useul for finding out an exact place of origin as well as parents' names. The Public Record Office of Victoria has good online databases of settlers at www.prov.vic.gov.au Otherwise, other records may be found in the Colonial Office Papers of the UK National Archives, class reference CO 201. This class contains a wide variety of records, including petitions for assisted passages, emigrants' lists, records of emigrants on board ship, peitions from settlers for financial assistance and much more.
1796 Spinning Wheel Premium List. 2,500 names for Co. Fermanagh. www.failteromhat.com
1796-1802 Freeholders. Public Records of Northern Ireland (PRONI), D.1096/90.
1797 Yeomanry Muster Rolls. PRONI T. 1021/3
1837 Freeholders, Parliamentary Papers 1837, Reports from Committees, Vol. 11 (1)
1841 Certified copies of census returns for use in claims for old age pension. National Archives of Ireland & PRONI, Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) Fim 258357.
Please make sure you link anyone else in your family who is interested in their Irish heritage to our site - and indeed anyone else you know of Irish heritage.
Kind regards,
Sinead Cooney
Genealogist (Ireland XO)
