Thomas Burke/Bourke

Hi Gerry

Thomas Bourke / Burke is a very common name; do you have an approximate birth year or county to help narrow down the possibilities?

Col

Sorry I forgot you had mentioned Ballinakill.

I searched birth/baptisms on www.rootsireland.ie/ for Thomas Burke (+ surname variants) in Ballinakill C of I parish & R C parish with no year specified but got no results. Derrybrian is not listed. 

I tried with just the surname (no forst name) in those 2 parishes but only got records from the 1860's & 70's 

Do you happen to know if he was R C?

The Nat Library of Ire has the R C registers free at http://registers.nli.ie/; there are baptisms for Derrybrian 1839-51 if but are probably too late.

The Irish Census (free at http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/) has 711 Burkes in Galway but Ballinakill & Derrybrian are not in the list of Townlands or parishes! There are 41 Thomas Burkes of various ages so if you have an approximate birth year, which is before 1821, he could be there with his family.

Col

Col

Hi, I've just back from holiday from here where I was too trying to find a Thomas Burke from Loughrea area, (Ballinakill comes under Loughrea). Have you looked into the Burke's of Marble hill? Marble hill is just up the road (up the hill) behind Ballinakill, and there was a big Burke family at Marble Hill, there was definitely a Thomas Burke there. If you google Burke's of Marble Hill you should find lots of info on it. It was a fabulous place until it was burnt down, but you can see from the ruins there how wonderful it used to be. Probably not the right Thomas Burke, but may be worth a look, and it's a very interesting place / family to read about. I do have an interesting link about it all which also lists the family and descendants etc. I could email it to you if you want to send me your email address? Don't know if this is any help but worth a look. Hope I may of helped, Lorraine

Hello Lorraine

Well, Thomas Bourke/Burke farmed in the Lilydale - Karoola area just a bit east of Launceston, Tasmania.  He was a farmer but I don'tthink too successful because the land around there is pretty ordinary, unlike along the North West Coast of Tasmania which is basaltic.  Anyway his records indicate  that he was born around 1829. Ireland;  he died 29th Dec 1899 at Karoola, Tasmania.  Naming styles were Francis, William, Patrick, Thomas.  As far as temperament is concerned there seems to be a genetically inspired trait  for petty argument.  Physical build seems to be stocky but As I understand William Henry Burke, my paternal grandfather was tall and slender and an athlete. He ran in the Stawell Gift, year unknown so far.

A son, Stanley ?? was also tall and thin as I.  I wonder if I have given you sufficient background information to make an educated guess.  My email is   gfgmburke@bigpond.com

Thank you Lorraine. Now I have to make use of Google Maps and find out where Marble Hill is. 

This appeared in the Melbourne Argus 15th October 1869. This is the only real clue that I have that Thomas Burke did in fact come from Ballinaki(e)ll, Galway.

I had heard Dad referring to Galway in affectionate terms but he never said and I suspect definitely did not know of his ancestral connection to Galway.

THOMAS BURKE, Ballinakell, co. Galway, arrived

here 13 or 14 years ago. -any Information to Patrick Egan, Thurles Castle Hotel, King-street, will oblige.

WANTED to know present address of THOMAS

BOURKE, who left Tasmania in 1853. Also, address of HENRY and SARAH BOURKE. Address Mr. George Wilson, Tallarook, for James Wheatley.

  All the best

Gerry Burke

Well I have just come back from holiday, I'd stayed in Ballinakill, and visited Marble Hill which i can tell you is definitely in Ballinakill! I shall try to email you the info I have on Marble Hill, it may help, it may not! But definitely intersting Burke's!! Are you on ancestry? And have you done ur DNA?