Researching William Willis (1830-1877) and his wife Mary Naughton (1830-1890) who farmed in the townland of Ardnacally. Son John went to Youngstown, Ohio, son Richard to Scranton, Pennsylvania. Children who remained in Ireland and married were: Rose who m. John Jennings, Patrick who m. Mary Hughes, Susan who m. Martin Feerick, Mary who m. Patrick Glynn, and Margaret who m. Edward Murphy.
Hi,
thank you for your message.
You could try searching in civil records for information on the family. Civil registration began in 1864 so any births, marriages, deaths will be in these records. Civil records are available from the GRO in Dublin. Here is their website:
http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm
You can search the indexes to these records online at:
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347
You can search the 1901/1911 census records to see if there were any family members still in the area at the time.http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
To go back earlier you will have to look at church records. 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 Robeen parish, follow this link:
For information on Church of Ireland records check:
http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/.
You could also check for record of the family in the land acts pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. 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 which may be helpful 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
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/mayo/index.html
i hope these are helpful.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support