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Thomas Burke from Galway

Galway

Hi,

I'm very happy to find a website like this! Any help you can provide is much appreciated.

I'm tracking my great-great grandfather Thomas Burke. He was born in Galway on 10 February 1858 to Lawrence Burke and Anna Frakey, but I don't know the parish or townland. He left Ireland in 1883 at age 24 for the United States and ended up in Dekalb County, Illinois. He was married to Hanora Donlin (also from Ireland) in Illinois in 1858 and died in 1942. If any other info from his life in the US would help, I can provide it.

The only ship records I could find that matched was a 24 year old Thomas Burke on the City of Berlin ship that left Liverpool on 13 April 1883 and arrived in New York on 22 April 1883. I seem to have hit a wall and would love to find any information about his life in Galway or family who stayed behind.

Thanks!

IrelandXO member

1 reply

Justin:

I checked the Roots Ireland indexes for an 1858 baptismal record for a Thomas Burke with parents Lawrence and Ann. There were 9 Thomas Burke records from 1855-1861. None of the nine had a father Laurence/Lawrence and only one in 1859 had a mother named Ann. That record was in the Mullagh RC church. The father was Michael.

Roots does not have all the parish records available for Co. Galway.

Did Thomas have siblings that you are aware of?

Later this summer the National Library of Ireland plans to place the all RC parish registers online for free searching. Without know ing the correct parish, it would be dificult for you to find a record for Thomas.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

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