Hello Stoko,
You’ll no doubt have many, if not all of the records you’ll see in this reply. But you can compare what you have, with the records I found as a confirmation of your Powell, Clohessy, and O’Hara findings in Irish and English record’s research.
Based on the information kindly provided by Carolyn in her reply of 21 July 2025, I uncovered the combination birth and baptism records for John Powell and Eliza Powell at the free National Library of Ireland website for the Catholic Parish of St. Canice's, Kilkenny City, County Kilkenny. These are copies of the original baptisms, not transcriptions.
Most Catholic baptism records in the 19th century do not include the child's date of birth, but these do, showing that John was born on 20 October and baptized on 23 October 1859.
Eliza was born on 22 August and baptized 24 August 1863. Both records are attached to this reply.
The 1859 record for John shows that the first name of his godfather was Edward. His last name looks like "Devot," but I could be wrong about the spelling of the last name. The godmother is Bridget Purcell. The name of the priest who baptized John looks like it could be James Magher. To the right of the priest's name is the name of the area in Kilkenny City where John was born-Black Abbey.
The 1863 record for Eliza shows her godfather was Philip Murphy and that her godmother was Bridget Tuit. The priest who baptized Eliza was the Rev. J. O'Hanlon. Eliza was born in Black Abbey.
I next wanted to see if I could find the church marriage record for Thomas Powell and Anne/Hanna Clohessy. I looked for their marriage transcription at the Find My Past (FMP) website for County Kilkenny, and found it. They were married in the St. Canice's, Kilkenny City Catholic Parish on 27 July 1859. The transcription spells Thomas's surname as "Pawel." See the FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FMAR%2F1296760%2F1&tab=this
The marriage transcription provides a link that takes you to the St. Canice's, Kilkenny City Catholic Parish registers at the National Library of Ireland. Here I downloaded a copy of the original marriage record which is attached to this reply.
A copy of the original marriage record shows that the witnesses to the marriage were Edward Devitt and Eliza Power. The priest who married Thomas and Anne was James Magher, who was also the priest that baptized John Powell in 1859.
The record also shows that at the time of marriage Thomas was living in Michael's Lane, and Anne in Black Abbey.
The July marriage of Thomas and Anne took place three months before their son John was born on 20 October 1859, and baptized on 23 October 1859. This is an indication that the marriage took place when it did so that their child would not be born out-of-wedlock.
At the FMP website I located the St. John's Catholic Parish, Kilkenny City baptism transcriptions for four more Powell children. These are Mary (1861); Anne (1865); Joseph (1867); and Margaret (1869). In addition, I located a baptism for Thomas Powels who was baptized in the St. Mary's Catholic Parish, Kilkenny City in 1872.
A record that you uncovered, but which I didn’t find, was the combination birth and baptism for Mary Powell, born 15 Jun 1874, and baptized on 17 June 1874.
I also looked for, but didn’t find a civil registration birth record for Mary Powell born 15 June 1874. More on civil registration records later in this reply.
In the FMP baptisms that follow you'll see that Mary's last name is transcribed as, "Pouall;" that Anne's last name is transcribed as "Pernel;" and that Joseph's last name is transcribed as "Power."
The FMP transcription shows that Mary was born on 27 November 1861, and baptized on 29 November 1861. Her mother Anne's maiden name is spelled "Cloughry." See:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5739085&tab=this
A copy of the original birth and baptism register entry for Mary, attached to this reply, shows that her godfather was James Parsons. To the right of James Parson's name is the residence of Mary and her parents at the time of the baptism, which is John's Green.
The first name of Mary's godmother is Mary, whose last name I could not decipher with complete certainty.
The name of the priest who baptized Mary was Joseph Dunphy.
The FMP transcription for Anne shows she was born on 25 January 1865, and baptized on 26 January 1865. As mentioned earlier her last name is transcribed as "Pernel." Her mother is Anne Clohesy:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6613591&tab=this
A copy of Anne's original baptism record shows her godparents were Michael Ryan and Anne Germain. At the time of the baptism she and her family were living in Michael's Lane. The priest who baptized Anne was John Kelly. See the attachment.
Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations began in Ireland in 1864. These records can be accessed for free at the irishgenealogy.ie website.
Knowing this I uncovered the civil registration birth record for Anne at the irishgenealogy.ie website, which you can access at: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1865/03584/2321043.pdf
Anne’s birth is the last entry in the register at number 236. It does show the family were living in Michael’s Lane, Kilkenny. The record also shows her last name was Powell, rather than Pernel.
Because of the handwriting I couldn't make out the occupation of Anne's father Thomas with certainty.
The FMP transcription for Joseph "Power" shows his birth took place on 30 May 1867, and that he was baptized on 31 May 1867. See the transcription:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4630668&tab=this
A copy of the original birth and baptism record shows that Joseph's godfather was Richard Spittle, and that his godmother was Bridget Quinlan. At the time of the baptism Joseph and his parents were residents of Michael's Lane in Kilkenny City.
Joseph Powell’s birth record shows he was born in Michael's Lane, Kilkenny on 30 May 1867. In this record his last name is Powell, rather than Power.
His father Thomas is a "Labourer" living in Michael's Lane. Joseph's mother is Hannah Powell, formerly Clohesey. Thomas Powell reported the birth to the registrar, John Potter, who recorded the birth in the Kilkenny registration district on 8 July 1867.
Thomas Powell signed the birth register with "his + mark," which means he could not write his name.
Joseph's birth is number 259 in the register at: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1867/03474/2276198.pdf
As you can see the surnames Power and Powell appear to be used interchangeably between church baptism records and civil registration birth records.
Margaret Pouall was born on 10 November 1869 and baptized on 10 November 1869, according to the FMP transcription for St. John's Catholic Parish, Kilkenny City. Her mother's first name is transcribed as "Haima," and her maiden name as, "Cloherty." See the transcription: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5739157&tab=this
A copy of the original record, attached to this reply, shows that Margaret's godparents were Patrick Power and Ellen Hill. I couldn't make out the name of the residence where Margaret and her parents were living at the time of the baptism, because the name looks like it is partially hidden in the fold of the register's spine.
I also could not make out the name of the priest who baptized Margaret.
I next looked for Margaret's civil registration birth record at the irishgenealogy.ie website but didn't find it recorded in any of County Kilkenny's registration districts. These registration districts included: Callan, Carrick-on-Suir, Castlecomer, Kilkenny, New Ross, Thomastown, Urlingford, and Waterford. This is an indication that her birth was not reported to the district registrar. The person who reported a birth, marriage or death record was called an "informant." For a birth record the informant could be the child's mother, father, a relative, and a midwife, or an official at a hospital, infirmary, or union workhouse.
Thomas “Powels” was born on 5 January 1872 and baptized on 6 January 1872 according to his FMP birth and baptism transcription. His mother Anna's maiden name is transcribed as "Clanchy." See:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F7128557&tab=this
A copy of Thomas's original birth and baptism entry is very dark. I had to lighten it to make out the details, but it still can be a challenge to decipher. In the original baptism record it looks like his mother's maiden name is spelled "Closehy." The names of the godparents look like William Maher and Margaret Closehy. The priest who baptized Thomas was M. Cody. The residence of the Powell family at the time of the baptism was Lees Lane.
The original baptism register spans two pages, and is attached to this reply.
I also located a copy of the original birth record for Thomas at the irishgenealogy.ie website. His is the last entry in the register at number 178: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1872/03260/2194877.pdf
Earlier in this reply you saw that Thomas Powell and Anne Clohesy were married in the St. Canice Kilkenny City Catholic Parish, and that their children John and Eliza were baptized in St. Canice’s.
Information from the National Library of Ireland website shows that the St. Canice's, Kilkenny City baptism records are available from 6 April 1768 to 24 January 1881. There are gaps in the baptism registers however.
St. Canice’s marriages are available from 12 June 1768 to 13 February 1881. There are gaps in the marriage registers as well. For more information and a map of the Catholic parishes in Kilkenny City, go to the National Library of Ireland website link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0990?locale=en
St Mary’s Parish, Kilkenny City baptisms are available from 6 August 1784 to 17 April 1881. There are gaps in the St. Mary’s baptism registers however.
St. Mary’s marriages are available from January 1754 to 134 April 1881. There are gaps in the marriage records as well. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0992?locale=en
The St John's Parish Kilkenny City baptism records at the National Library of Ireland are available from January of 1809 to February 1877. Marriage are available from 24 June 1809 to 30 May 1872. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0991?locale=en
With this information I looked for Thomas Powell's baptism record in the Kilkenny City Catholic parishes at the FMP website. I found it, though it was a bit of a challenge to find because his mother's name is transcribed as "Thusan Gills." His father’s first name is John.
Thomas was baptized in St. John's Catholic Parish, Kilkenny City, on 26 June 1828. See the FMP transcription: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4584663&tab=this
A copy of the original baptism record from the National Library of Ireland, attached, shows that Thomas's godparents were Con Murphy and Mary Murphy. The "Do" to the right of Mary's name means Ditto.
The first name Con is an abbreviation for Cornelius
The column to the right of the names of the godparents is for the residence of Thomas and his parents. The residence looks abbreviated and so I could not make it out.
I also uncovered the FMP baptism transcription for Thomas's younger brother Peter, who was baptized in St. John's, Kilkenny City on 28 June 1829. His father is John "Pole," and his mother, Susan "Giles." See: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4971690&tab=this
The original baptism record from the National Library of Ireland shows that Peter's godmother is Anty Walsh. No godfather is recorded. The initials for the residence of the family looks like "ML," which could be a reference to Michael's Lane. To the right of the initials ML are the numbers 2 and 6, which means that John and Susan made a donation of 2 Shillings and 6 Pence to the church for performing the baptism.
The first name Anty is short for Anastasia.
You had mentioned in your reply to Carolyn that you found the 24 August 1836 baptism for Thomas Powell in the St. John's Parish registers. His parents are John Powel and Susan/Susanna Gibbs. I believe you may have found this baptism at RootsIreland.
I didn’t find Thomas’s 1836 baptism at the National Library of Ireland website because, as mentioned earlier, there are gaps in the St. John’s registers held by the library from 6 July 1830 to 31 January 1842.
I next looked for the FMP marriage transcription for John Pole/Powell/Power etc., and Susan Giles/Gills/Gibbs/Gyly in the Kilkenny City Catholic parishes, as well as Catholic parishes throughout County Kilkenny, but did not find it. I also looked for their individual baptism transcriptions at the FMP but without success.
I then wanted to see if John Powell was recorded in an Irish property tax record called Griffiths Valuation. The valuation for Kilkenny City was completed by the year 1849.
You can search Griffiths Valuation at the Ask About Ireland website: https://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Only one John Powell is recorded in Kilkenny City, in Griffiths Valuation. He was living in Campion's Lane, in a section of the city called "Gardens," in the St. John's Civil Parish.
See the index below:
Griffith's Valuation Record Information
Tenant
Family Name 1 POWELL
Forename 1 JOHN
Landlord
Family Name 2 EMPSON
Forename 2 JOSEPH
Location
County KILKENNY
Barony COUNTY OF THE CITY OF KILKENNY (WITHIN THE MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY)
Union KILKENNY
Parish ST JOHN
Townland GARDENS
Place Name CAMPION'S LANE
Place Type OTHER
Publication Details
Position on Page 44
Printing Date 1849
Act 9&10
Sheet Number
Map Reference 1 3
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A copy of Griffiths Valuation is attached to this reply. John Powell is recorded at number 3 Campion's Lane, and shows that his landlord was Joseph Empson. John leased a house in Campion's Lane which was valued at 9 Shillings. He would not have been required to pay a tax on the house, as only those properties valued over 5 Pounds were subject to the tax.
It is not possible to tell, just from Griffiths Valuation alone, if this John Powell was Thomas's father or "that most drunken and poetical of all cobblers" in 1840s Kilkenny.
Next I looked for Anne/Hanna Clohessy's baptism record in one of the Kilkenny City Catholic parishes but didn't find it. I expanded the search to other County Kilkenny Catholic parishes and found one possibility showing that an Anne Clohessy was baptized in the Freshford Catholic Parish on 9 December 1825. Her father is John Clohessy and her mother "Cathn" (Catherine) Fanton. See the FMP transcription: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F6581970&tab=this
A copy of Anne's original baptism record, attached to this reply, shows her godparents were Edwd Clohessy and Bridget Clohessy. The 2:8 in the baptism record may represent a donation of 2 Shillings and 8 Pence that John and Catherine made to the church for baptizing Anne. The baptism record also shows that Anne and her parents were living in Picketstown at the time of the baptism.
The Freshford Catholic Parish borders Kilkenny City to the northwest, and so it is possible this is the Anne Clohessy who would later marry Thomas Powell in St. Canice's, Kilkenny City, on 27 July 1859.
I then looked for, but didn't find the marriage record for John Clohessy and Catherine Fanton.
O'HARA AND POWELL RECORDS IN ENGLAND
In your post to Ireland Reaching Out dated 20 Jul 2025, you had mentioned that your great grandparents, James O'Hara and Elizabeth Powell, had moved to England from Ireland.
The following records may pertain to your great grandparents and their relations in England:
I uncovered the marriage index for James and Elizabeth at the FreeBMD website, which shows their marriage was recorded in the Haslington (Lancashire) registration district for the December quarter (October, November, December) of 1888. See the index below:
Marriage December 1888
James O'Hara
Elizabeth Powell
Registration District: Haslingden
Volume: 8e
Page: 237
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A copy of the full marriage record is found in Volume 8e, Page 237 of the General Register Office (GRO) birth records.
The GRO is located in Southport, England. For information and costs about ordering birth, marriage, and death records from the GRO, go to: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/login.asp
The FreeBMD website shows what may be found on a marriage certificate recorded in England and Wales:
District, Church, Parish, Location,
Date of Marriage, Forename & Surnames, Ages,
Marital Conditions, Professions, Addresses,
Father's Forename & Surname, Father's Occupations, for both parties present.
Witness names, Priest/Vicar's Name,& Signature
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The GRO has its own website where you can also search for birth indexes as well as death indexes, but not marriage indexes. The big difference between the two websites is that birth indexes at the GRO website often include the maiden name of the child's mother. Birth indexes at the GRO website only provide the maiden name of the child's mother beginning with births recorded in the September Quarter of 1911.
I found the birth indexes for twin O'Hara children at the GRO website whose mother’s maiden name is Powell. These children are Richard and Hannah O’Hara. Their births were recorded in the Haslington registration district in the June quarter of 1890.
Richard's birth record can be found in Volume 8E, page 93 of the GRO birth registers.
Hannah's birth record is in Volume 8E, page 94 of the GRO birth registers. See the indexes below:
Name: O'HARA, RICHARD
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1890 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 93
AND
Name: O'HARA, HANNAH
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1890 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 94
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I also found the GRO death index for Hannah O'Hara. Her death was recorded in the Haslington registration district in the December quarter of 1890. The index shows she was age 0 when she died:
Death December Quarter 1890
Hannah O'Hara
Age 0
Registration District: Haslingden
Volume: 8e
Page: 94
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Here's what can be found in death records:
District, Location, Date & Place of Death,
Forename & Surname, Sex, Maiden Name,
Date & Place of Birth, Occupation, Usual Address,
Informant's Forename & Surname,
Informant's Qualification, Informant's Address,
Cause of Death, Signature of Informant,
Registration Date, Registrar's Signature.
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At the FreeCEN (Free Census) website I found what I believe to be James and Elizabeth O'Hara in the 1891 census of England, living in an address of Reeds Lane, Haslingden, Civil Parish of Higher Booths, Lancashire.
James, age 26, and Lizzie, age 27, are in the household of 28 year old Richard Fulcher, and his wife, 26 year old Anne, and their two children, 4 year old Thomas and 11 month old Richard.
Lizzie O'Hara is shown to be Richard Fulcher's sister-in-law, which means Lizzie O'Hara and Anne Fulcher were Powell sisters. Earlier you saw that Anne Powell was born on 25 January 1865 and baptized on 26 January 1865.
Both Richard Fulcher and James O'Hara are shown to be employed as General Labourers.
The 1891 census shows that Richard Fulcher was born in Wales.
The census also shows that James O'Hara is from County Mayo and that Lizzie O'Hara is from County Kilkenny. Your records show that James was from County Mayo and Elizabeth from County Kilkenny. In addition, the census shows that Anne Fulcher, like her sister Lizzie, was born in County Kilkenny.
You can view the 1891 census transcription at the FeeCEN link at: https://tinyurl.com/mrk793h5
You'll notice that James and Lizzie's son Richard is not in the household with his parents and the Fulcher family. I looked for Richard in the 1891 census to see if he was recorded in another household, but found he was not. I also looked for his death index at the FreeeBMD and GRO websites, but didn't find it. He was either left out of the census, or if he died, his death may not have been reported to the registrar.
At the GRO website I found the birth index for Mary Agnes O'Hara, whose birth was recorded in the Haslingden registration district for the June quarter of 1891. The June quarter includes the months of April, May, and June, but she may have been born after the 1891 census was taken on the evening of Sunday, 5 April of that year. The birth index further shows her mother's maiden name was Powell. See the birth index for Mary Agnes below:
Name: O'HARA, MARY AGNES
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1891 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 125
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For the next search I wanted to see if I could find the marriage index for Richard Fulcher and Anne Powell at the FreeBMD website. I uncovered the civil marriage index which shows the marriage of Richard Fulcher and Annie Powell was recorded in the Haslingden registration district in the December quarter of 1885.
Marriage December Quarter 1885
Richard Fulcher
Annie Powell
Registration District: Haslingden
Volume: 8e
Page: 150
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At the FreeREG website I uncovered a transcription of the church marriage record for Richard and Annie, showing they were married in St. John's Church, Bacup, Lancashire, on 24 Oct 1885. Both Richard and Annie were living in Heald at the time of the marriage.
Richard's father is Stephen Fulcher. Annie's father is Thomas Powell. One of the witnesses is Lizzie Powell. See the full transcription at: https://tinyurl.com/yc7p6n7z
It looks like St. John's in Bacup was a Church of Ireland Parish, rather than a Roman Catholic Parish. See: https://facultyonline.churchofengland.org/CHR/ChurchDetails.aspx?id=17047
Switching over to the GRO website, I uncovered the birth indexes for 8 Fulcher children whose births were recorded in the Haslingden registration district from 1887 to 1902.
Each birth index shows the mother's maiden name is Powell. The indexes also show the birth of twins, Charles John Fulcher and Hannah Fulcher. They were born in 1894. The twins gene may have come from the Powell side of the family. Earlier in this reply you saw that Lizzie Powell O'Hara's twins, Richard O'Hara and Hannah O'Hara, were born in 1890, and their births recorded in the Haslingden registration district.
The 8 Fulcher birth indexes are below:
Name: FULCHER, THOMAS
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1887 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 103
Name: FULCHER, RICHARD
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1890 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 93
Name: FULCHER, CAROLINE
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1892 M Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 96
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TWINS
Name: FULCHER, CHARLES JOHN
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1894 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 98
AND
Name: FULCHER, HANNAH
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1894 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 98
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Name: FULCHER, ROBERT
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1896 S Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 92
Name: FULCHER, CATHERINE
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1899 J Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 91
Name: FULCHER, ALBERT
Mother's Maiden Surname: POWELL
GRO Reference: 1902 S Quarter in HASLINGDEN
Volume 08E Page 125
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Moving ahead in time I found the death indexes for Annie Fulcher and Richard E. Fulcher at the FeeBMD website. Both were recorded in the Haslingden registration district:
Death March Quarter 1915
Annie Fulcher
Age: 49
Registration District: Haslingden
Volume: 8e
Page: 183
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Death March Quarter 1941
Richard E Fulcher
Age: 80
Registration District: Haslingden
Volume: 8e
Page:292
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Earlier in the 1891 census you saw that Richard Fulcher was born in Wales. Going back to the GRO website looked for his birth index and found a possibility.
A Richard Evan Fulcher's birth was recorded in the Conway registration district for the December quarter of 1862. His mother's maiden name is Evans. His middle name appears to have been taken from his mother's maiden name:
Name: FULCHER, RICHARD EVAN
Mother's Maiden Surname: EVANS
GRO Reference: 1862 D Quarter in CONWAY
Volume 11B Page 490
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For information about the Conway (aka Conwy) registration district in Wales, go to the UKBMD link at: https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/conway.html
Indications are that Richard had an older brother named Richard Humphrey Fulcher, whose birth was recorded in the Conway registration district in the June quarter of 1860.
Richard Humphrey would have died between 1860 and the birth of younger brother Richard in 1862:
Name FULCHER, RICHARD HUMPHREY
Mother's Maiden Surname: EVANS
GRO Reference: 1860 J Quarter in CONWAY
Volume 11B Page 541
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I didn't find the death index for Richard at either the GRO website or the FreeBMD website.
Below is a GRO birth index for Mary Jane Fulcher, whose birth was recorded in the Conway registration district in the March quarter of 1865. Her mother’s maiden name is Evans:
Name: FULCHER, MARY JANE
Mother's Maiden Surname: EVANS
GRO Reference: 1865 M Quarter in CONWAY
Volume 11B Page 55
—-
I didn’t find a marriage index for a Fulcher groom and an Evans bride at the FreeBMD website.
In your research for James O'Hara and Elizabeth Powell in England, had you come across the Fulcher surname in relation to Elizabeth’s sister, Anne Powell?
As you can see this reply is getting lengthy, and so I’ll end here.
This reply includes 12 attachments, but not all 12 can be sent at once, and so 6 of the attachments will be sent with this reply, and the additional six in a follow-up reply.
Kind Regards,
Dave Boylan
SOURCES
National Library of Ireland
Find My Past
irishgenealogy.ie
Griffiths Valuation
FreeBMD; FreeCEN;FreeREG all can be accessed from the FreeBMD home page at:
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/
General Register Office, (GRO) Southport, England
UKBMD
