SHELLEY's emigration to Nova Scotia, Canada

Afternoon

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out and apologies for the delay in getting back to you.

Have you already tried irishgeneaogy.ie where parish records for Kerry are available for free?

Best wishes
Clare Doyle
Genealogy Support

Only 8 returns for Shelley in irishgenealogy.ie http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/search.jsp?name2fm=&name2l=&namefm=&namel=Shelley&location=kerry&yyfrom=&yyto=&submit=Search&sort=&pageSize=100&diocese=&parish=¢ury=&decade=&ddBfrom=&ddMfrom=&ddDfrom=&mmBfrom=&mmMfrom=&mmDfrom=&yyBfrom=&yyMfrom=&yyDfrom=&ddBto=&ddMto=&ddDto=&mmBto=&mmMto=&mmDto=&yyBto=&yyMto=&yyDto=&locationB=&locationM=&locationD=&member0=&member1=&member2=&member3=&member4=&member5=&member6=&member7=&member8=&member9=&namef0=&namef1=&namef2=&namef3=&namef4=&namef5=&namef6=&namef7=&namef8=&namef9=&namel0=&namel1=&namel2=&namel3=&namel4=&namel5=&namel6=&namel7=&namel8=&namel9=&keyword=&event=B

Do any of the names match?

Martine

Thank you Martine for replying and sorry for this late acknowledgement as I have only just seen it. One name matches the name of my 3xGGrandmother Johanna Shelly. She is a sponsor for the baptism of Bridget Fitzgerald 1 February 1810 in the parish of Listowel, Kerry. I only know the family was from Kerry because it is stated on a death record in Nova Scotia.

Do you have any suggestions of where I may proceed from here. Johanna's husband was Edward and they had several children as stated. I look forward to hearing from you.

Hello again Martine,

Following a visit to Nova Scotia archives and looking at all of Terence Punch's publications regarding Irish immigration to Nova Scotia....he lists their origins as Dingle, County Kerry. Funnily enough he ascribes this to the marriage record of Catherine Shelly and when I looked at the church record, this information was not written in the register available on Familysearch. I found a tombstone memorial as well at Holy Cross cemetery in Halifax. I guess I can now start looking at RC church records for Dingle. I would be grateful for any suggestions you might have. 

Many thanks,

Jan

Hi Jan, this is a juicy one! There are no families called Shelly or Shelley in Kerry around 1850 according to Griffith's Valuation. There are only 6 returns for that name, all in Co. Laois (Queen's Co.) John, Jeremiah and William.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&Submit.x=20&Submit.y=7&Submit=Submit&familyname=Shelley&firstname=First+Name&baronyname=&countyname=&unionname=&parishname=

I am guessing that Shelley is Johanna's marriage name.

The Church records I sent you list Matthew, Joseph, Edmund, Catherine and Mary with the surname Shelley. Relations of Edward's possibly? (Since the surname pool in Kerry is so small)

I have sometimes seen Edward used interchangeably in Kerry records with Edmund.

The 1901 Census gives no returns for Shelley in Kerry and only 111 in the whole of Ireland.

Thinking about it, probably your best bet is to look for every single record you can find in Nova Scotia

Census Records

Passenger Lists

Land records

Newspaper Announcements/Articles

Wills

Headsones/Cemetary Records..... findagrave.com has 164 returns for Shelley, Canada

Church Records

Close Neighbours who may have travelled from the same place in Ireland

Military Records

Death Certificates which sometimes give a lot of information about a person. I recently found the birth surname of a woman called Mary in her daughter's death certificate. As far as I know it was not recorded in any other existing record.

since one of them may contain further information. My own great uncle Luke Brennan gave his complete address when questioned at Ellis Island about his place of origin! From a quick look at Canadian records for Shelley, you may be slightly hampered in that a number of Shelley families came directly from homes in England to Canada, but again the surname pool is small in comparision to many other Irish names.

Do let me know how you get on....and certainly if you can find Johanna's birth surname we may be able to make a bigger Irish Search. What interests me is that I have not found any Kerry baptism with a child with the surname Shelley.

Warm wishes

Martine

PS do you know where Edward was from in Ireland?

 

 

 

Thanks Martine!

All the best

Clare

Genealogy Support 

Hello again Martine,

Thanks for the tips...I too have found several Shelly family members via Find A Grave all in Halifax NS Canada buried at Holy Cross cemetery...one record states Kerry as the origin of Elizabeth Whales born Shelly. I found a marriage for her sister Catherine taking place in 1871 in Halifax where her parents names are given as Edward and Johanna...again no maiden name. I have been unable to trace any birth records and other family death records give no further information. I believe they arrived in Halifax in 1845 according to a record given in a book published by Terence Punch. However, as yet I have been unable to access the primary source itself.

However, I shall continue looking for my DUGGAN family as well as they arrived in Canada in the mid 1700's  as far as I can gather. Family lore has it that they were from Cork city or county, All of menfolk were fishermen and farmers. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack when so little is known about the family's origins for sure. I keep hoping I will find a paper trail at some point although I have found a land dispute recorded in the 1750;s but it does not give the relationship of the men,

Once again, thank you for your tips and I shall keep looking!

Jan

Hi again Martine,

Don't know whether you saw my addition to a former post regarding the SHELLY's from Halifax Nova Scotia and my recent trip there. Found them listed as coming from Dingle, Co.Kerry in a Vol.2 of Terence Punch's publication Irish Immigrants to Atlantic provinces in Canada.  I look forward to hearing what you think.

Many thanks,

Jan