Hi Lori,
Only just logged on now and see your last message now. Thanks for the Carnaross church record. there are still farrellys in Carnaross parish.
Glad you getting a geography lesson of North Meath, East Cavan. Hopefully there will be something at the end of it. Have you ever visited Ireland? Google Maps good for geography. Also try www.osi.ie, click "explore maps" and this will bring up a few options in a small black box to the right of Ireland map. There are maps linked to Griffiths valuation in www.askaboutireland.ie/griffithvaluations. The folio number is printed in the land parcel. You will usually be fit to pick out the same land parcel on google maps, unless a very progressive farmer had removed too may ditches. Sometimes Griffith maps do not download, as happened all last week to me or take a long time to download.
Yes you have to watch out for different versions of the name when you check church records. Alot of people didn't read or write. The priest wrote up the church register, so the spelling of the name and if given the townland was the priest version of what he heard and how he thought it should be spelt. Depending on the state of the registers or the quality of the priest handwriting, then the person computering the register, had to make it out. If you have a name that is localised or not very common, then there is a higher risk of “butchering it” Another thing, I see is the priest writing down the incorrect first name or maiden name of the mother. Happens less often with the fathers first name. It is obvious when you have an index listing children on front of you
If it was a mixed marriage, normally the non catholic converted to Catholicism prior to marriage and the family was reared catholic. I must check with the priest, you had to be confirmed (usually aged 9-12) to sponsor a child. I'm not sure if a non catholic who had received confirmation in their church could sponsor a catholic child at baptism. Normally a non catholic would not pass the threshold of a catholic church even for funerals until maybe 20 to 30 years ago. Things have all changed nowadays.
Normally www.rootsireland.ie do not record the baptism sponsors or marriage witnesses. You have to refer to the original entry to obtain these.
Another website that has church records and you can get more info free is the LDS/the Mormons at www.familysearch.org. At their home page, page down to bottom of page and click "United Kingdom and Ireland" dataset. Page down to Ireland databases and click "Ireland, birth & baptism 1620-1881" and search then. I have got Moynalty entries on it before, but it is not a comphrensive dataset unlike RootsIreland. In RootsIreland check online sources and then just above the bullet points, click the link for online sources. It give the dates of records that are available by county. Moynalty Roman Catholic 1830-1900, Carnaross Roman Catholic 1805-1900, Lurgan Roman Catholic as best I recall was late 1700s-1900 with a few decades missing in 2 places. Lurgan relates to the area surrounding Virginia town. In addition to parish records, there are 1821 Ireland censuses for a number of Co Cavan parishes.
Some counties are not computeries on rootsireland. go to www.irishgenealogy.ie for a few more counties. This website is free and usually has a PDF link to parish register entry.
I reviewed Moynalty catholic registers Wednesday.
Baptism
29 aug 1854 Pat to Peter Farrelly and Anne Gorry sponsors Phil fox, Anne Figan or Gargan? Attachment PICT1151
10 Mar 1845 Mary to Pat Gorry and Anne Carr. Sponsors James Callaghan and Peggy Carr. Attachment PICT1157
9 oct 1847 Anne Gorry, a note on it that I cannot make out. sponsors were patrick cassidy and margaret coldrick. Attachment Pict 1156
Marriage
4 feb 1834 Larry Walsh married Bridget Gorrey. witnesses ? Walsh and Joseph Walsh. Attachment Pict 1161
I would not consider Gorden and Gorry the same name. I'd be inclined to think Gorry, Garry are catholic , Gowen, McGowen are catholic. I'd give precedence to searching Gordan/Gorden/Gordon first then the other names you have identified.
Gorden search
I found the Bailieboro Presbyterian cemetery. There were no Gorden headstones, at least the legible ones. I’ll try Ervey Presbyterian church another day. I think there was a cemetery around it. I haven't found any of the Gorden relatives from Killagriff or identified the location of there farms yet, per Griffiths list. There are Church of Ireland Gordan families around Bailieboro. I have identified some people from one of these families, but did not contact them.
Did you check newspaper archives for death notices or obituaries, even for subsequent generations? If you get lucky, you may get cousins names. Did you try find john’s marriage to Mary Grace. Grace is not a common Irish surname either, if she was Irish.
Property transfers records are not computerised for Ireland yet. I hope to get to Dublin in the next few weeks. I’ll look up Killagriff land records in the valuations office. Check www.valoff.ie for more information. They have a search service, if you wish to use them. Get a quote first as they will charge you the service. Property records all commence at Griffith valuations date. Most of my area went to 1966, but I knew the names at that stage or had a chance of getting answers from family or neighbours. I did see records go to 2000s.
Irelandxo.com sent me details to set up an irelandxo e-mail address. I let you have it when I get around to it. In the mean time, my own e-mail address in cmccormack_cmf@hotmail.com if you want to send to it for privacy rather than the bulleton board. There is an underscore in the middle of it, other people have been caught out!!
Regards
Catherine