I've seen Ballinrobe on some records from familysearch.org so I am starting here.
My great grandfather Peter Walton was born Aug 21, 1866 to Peter and Catherine Kelly. He had a older brother Patrick and I can't find his birth. According to the English and USA census birth date seems to be about 1858. Looking for more info on his parents. They came to America in 1886 with Peter (the father) dying soon after and Catherine in 1899 in Lawence, MA.
Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Civil registration only became mandatory in Ireland in 1864. Prior to this births, marriages and deaths were recorded by the local parish church. Given the date of Patrick?s birth it is in these records that you will find his birth record. If you can find this it will give you his parents? names and you can further your research from there.
Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For Ballinrobe parish, follow this link:
Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
Have you tried using the land records pertaining to 19th century Ireland as a way to confirm the parish of origin? These records do not contain any genealogical information but they can sometimes be used to tie a person to a specific place. There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites that you may find useful are in your research are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/mayo/index.html
The US National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/
I hope that some of these are useful and that you are able to confirm Peter?s parish of origin.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support