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Mary O'Brien Downing, b. Circa 1790 Tallow Parish

WaterfordTallow (Waterford)

I am hoping that someone knowlegible aboutTallow parish might be able to help me uncover some additional information on my great-grandfather's family. Mary O' Brien Downing, my great great grandmother,is listed as a baptismal sponsor for the daughter of James Bossidy and Catherine O'Brien of West Street in Tallow parish on Jan 28, 1832. Catherine and James Bossidy were married in Tallow parish on July 1, 1829,and the register gives Catherine's address as Cooleogooda. I am assuming that Mary and Catherine were sisters, and I have located other siblings named Nancy, James and Edmundin US census records; theirparents' names wereMatthew O'Brien and Catherine (unknown surname). Unfortunately I have not found records for these other O'Briensin any of the Tallow parish registers on the NLI website.

Mary O'Brien married James Downing, for whom I can find no recordseither before or after Mary immigrated to the US and settled in Boston, Massachusetts with her children around 1845; I suspect she was widowed bythis time.I have foundseven children born between around 1817 and 1835: Mary, Patrick Bryan (my great grandfather), Matthew, John, Catherine, Richard, and Ann. Naturalization records for Patrick, Matthew, and Richard state that they werenatives of County Cork, however I have found no baptismal records for them on Irishgenealogy.ie. Both Matthew and Richard subsequently married women from Tallow parish whoI foundinthe NLI parish registers (Margaret McCarthy from Baannahealy and Johanna Maria Barnett, respectively), soI suspect that Mary O'Brien Downing,as a widow, settled in a the same neighborhood as friends and family from her native parish. My great grandfather Patrick married a women named Bridget Barry who was also a native of County Waterford, and while I suspect she was from Tallow I couldn't find her name in the NLI Tallow parish registers.

I think I have exhausted most of the resources that arereadily available and I needto reach out forhelp fromsomeone "on the ground" so to speak. Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide.

Best regards.

Beverley Downing Penzien

bevpenzien

2 replies

Beverley:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I don't think we have any parish liaisons in Co. Waterford. 

I looked at all the townlands in Co. Waterford which start with COOL  There are two townlands in Lismore and Mocollop civil parish just to the north of Tallow civil parish called Coolydoody North and Coolydoody South. Possibly this may be the townland shown as Cooleogooda.  You did not mention the marriage year for James Downing and Mary O'Brien. I searched on Roots Ireland from 1820-1840 and the only record that came up was in 1824. The wife was shown as Honor Brien and the marriage was in Knockanore RC parish. Knockanore was directly to the east of Tallow. Lismore parish is just to the north of Tallow. You may want to look at both registers for your O'Briens.  http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1113 http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/…

Let me know if you have questions.

Roger McDonnell

 

Date of Marriage:22-Feb-1824
Parish / District:Knockanore
County:Co. Waterford
Husband JamesDowning
Wife HonorBrien

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you very much for your reply.  I shall look in the Lismore-Mocollop registers.  I don't think the 1824 marriage record you found is my great-great grandparents, as from what I have pieced together my great grandfather was born around 1821 and had an older sister born around 1817. I will let you know what I find! 

Thanks again.

Beverley Penzien

 

bevpenzien

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