I am looking for information on myrelatives, William (Gilwee) born in Ireland, June 9, 1824 and his wife Mary Coffey, born in Ireland May 31, 1831. They immigrated to America and settled in Bloomington, Illinois, where they were laid to rest in 1908 and 1906 respectively. Thank you ever so much.
hi Lenore
I found 10 Mary Coffey (& surname variants) birth / baptism records 1831 at www.rootsireland.ie/ but none for William I'm afraid.
None of the Coffey records is from Sligo however.
Col
I know the William Gilwee you are seeking. He was the oldest brother of my second great grandfather, James Gilwee. William was the only child of John and Margaret (Mullins) Gilwee to have been born in Ireland and was a very small child when they immigrated to Canada. John was a laborer who was employed along with hundreds and hundreds more to build the Rideau Canal. William lived with his family in or near Ottawa, Ontario then Farnham, Quebec, Albany, New York, and finally Bloomington, Illinois (as did James Gilwee) William fought in the Mexican American war in the American Army. His wife was Mary Coffey who, you are correct, immigrated with her family in 1839. I have lots more information, including William's obituary, maybe Mary's as well. Feel free to contact me and I will share what I have.
Patty Harrington
William Gilwee was my grandfather's father. Do you have information on place of birth and original name/name change?