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I posted a message at the end of 2013 but on the Kilcolman Roscommon message board by mistake. However I did get several replies, so thank you to everyone who got in touch back then,

I am trying to trace my Conry/Conroy ancestors who belonged to the Kilcolman Mayo parish.  The earliest record I have is of Thomas and  Catherine who I believe was called Walsh before her marriage, although the marriage is listed as Conway. They had 5 or 6 children that I can find, Mary, Catherine,  Michael, Patrick and Anne, and possibly Margaret, but that could be Mary (Mary Kate as my great grandmother was known).  The family came to England some time before 1881 and settled in Stoke on Trent. Patrick and Anne seem to have stayed behind in Ireland or were living elsewhere in England.

In England Mary married Thomas Johnston,  also from Mayo and whose father was Andrew. However, I have no other record apart from a possible baptism in Bekan parish in 1860 giving the mother as Margaret Halligan.

Anyone with any connections?

PatJW

Monday 25th Apr 2016, 08:40AM

Message Board Replies

  • For reference here is the 2013 message and comments. http://www.irelandxo.com/ireland/roscommon/kilcolman-roscommon/message-…

    Pat:

    Welcome back!

    Did any of the baptismal records you located on Roots show a townland for the family? Here is the link to the 1855 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Kilcolman parish http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/mayo/kilcolman.htm There are a couple Conroys and a Conry but no Thomas. Also, here is the parish register for Claremorris.

    http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1056

    You may want to consider autosomal DNA testing.

    Roger McDonnell

     

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Monday 25th Apr 2016, 02:43PM
  • Many thanks Roger. I will have a look at the links. Yes I think I do have some townlands, although I'm never sure what is what with the records. I have Cloonanerrick, Middle Mace and Knockatubber. I think they may be townlands. I looked on Griffiths many years ago but was very confused by the townlands etc, however, I didn't think to look again now I have more info from Roots, so I'll do that.

    I don't know what autosomal DNA testing is but will look it up!

    PatJW

    Monday 25th Apr 2016, 06:52PM
  • Pat:

    Knockatober and Mace Middle are townlands in Kilcolman parish. Can't find Cloonanerrick. 

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Tuesday 26th Apr 2016, 12:37AM
  • Many thanks Roger. Some clarity at least. I'll do a bit more research. I also have Knockatubber and Rockfield, so they seem to have moved around within the parish as all these are coming from baptismal records.
     

    PatJW

    Wednesday 27th Apr 2016, 06:55PM
  • Rockfield is also in Kilcolman parish.

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Thursday 28th Apr 2016, 12:00AM
  • Hi, i know this was posted a few years ago but hoping it will still be seen. My great grandma was the daughter of margaret conroy, lived in hanley stoke-on-trent. Margaret had a brother michael and an older sister catherine that we know of and her mum was catherine and father thomas from mayo ireland. I have found baptisms for michael and catherine both listing the mother as catherine walsh, and then a child named mary born the same year as my 2x great grandmother (not sure if mary and margaret are the same person or not). I was just wondering if you got any further with your findings. My great nan used to have uncle patrick come and stay over but i never could find who uncle patrick was, although now i see your post it seems that their were other brother and sisters i am yet to find.

    Thanks in advance stef x

    Stef

    Wednesday 29th May 2019, 09:11PM
  • Hi Stef,

    It seems as if this is the same family as mine.  Margaret was listed on the Census but, as the information was verbally given and, as I understand it from an aunt, the family had very strong Irish accents, this could very easily been misheard and I believe it was Mary Kate, my great grandmother.  I never met her so it's interesting to hear that an Uncle Patrick visited, presumably from Ireland.  I must do some more research on him.  My grandfather was Andrew Johnston, son of Mary Conroy and Thomas Johnston.  Presumably he was your great uncle?  I haven't been able to find any further back yet from Thomas Conroy and Catherine Walsh, although I have a possible record for Catherine that I have to look at.

    Are you on Ancestry?  I have recently joined and saw a connection between a Stef and my tree.

    Best wishes,

    Pat

     

    PatJW

    Friday 31st May 2019, 08:31AM
  • Hi Pat, yes i am on ancestry. If your great grandmother was mary then there was definately mary and margaret, my great grandmother was margaret conrys daughter. I have the marriage certificates for margaret and have confirmed through irish parish registers that this is definately my family, however like you i am at a great halt with thomas and catherine.

    Yes my grandma always told me they were very strong irish accents and I know that they were a very catholic family.

    Stef

    Stef

    Tuesday 4th Jun 2019, 06:42PM
  • Hi Steph.

    I always assumed Margaret and Mary were the same person. Are you saying they are two different people?  If so I'm confused as I have Mary's marriage certificate but can't find both of them on the census together nor can I find an Irish parish record of Margaret's birth.

    Pat

    PatJW

    Wednesday 5th Jun 2019, 10:08PM
  • Looking at your Ancestry info I'm not entirely sure we are looking at the same family as your Catherine Walsh was born on a different date from mine as well as me having no record of Margaret and Mary,  There are a lot of Catherine Walsh's! There are two other trees on Ancestry that come up in the Hints are both are exactly like mine but not yours. I'm a bit confused!

    PatJW

    Wednesday 5th Jun 2019, 10:15PM
  • Hi i do not have an exact date of birth for catherine walsh as their are conflicting ages on the census between 1881 and 1901 however i do know it is definately my family as they lived at 28 swan street and then my great grandma married and moved to 3 swan street, my mum and grandma both remember them being at this address. I have irish records for michael, catherine and mary being baptised and then an irish record of mary being born however i do not have the birth certificate for margaret. I have margarets marriage certificate, and census records that all match as well as knowing that they definately lived at 3 swan street. I will continue to search for more records to confirm.
    Stef x

    Stef

    Thursday 6th Jun 2019, 05:08PM
  • Hi Steph,

    Think I've cracked it!  I was thinking Margaret and Mary were the same generation, but Margaret was the daughter of Mary I've realised!  Sorry, only just had time to go through my records more thoroughly, life's been a bit hectic lately.

    Maggie was the daughter of Mary Conroy and Thomas Johnston, am I right?.  i.e. she was Margaret Johnston. So she was the sister of my grandfather Andrew.  I didn't know anything of the Catholic side of the family when I was young as my grandad married outside the Church and as far as I know was more or less cut off, although I do know my Aunt Dorothy remembered seeing Mary, her grandmother. 

    I have Thomas and Mary's marriage certificate.

    So, we are related!  I cannot get any further back with the Conroys though before the marriage of Thomas and Catherine in 1855,  I am also tracing the Johnstons, the family Mary married into but have not found anything concrete yet.  It's quite difficult with Irish records as so much was lost plus people were generally illiterate and didn't actually know their birthdate either.  If I come across anything more, I'll let you know.

    PAt

    PatJW

    Sunday 9th Jun 2019, 09:10AM
  • PS I still think Margret and Mary are the same person.

    PatJW

    Sunday 9th Jun 2019, 09:12AM
  • Hi again. Ive just noticed that our DNA has matched on ancestry so the connection is definately there. Mary and Margaret are definately two seperate people as Margaret married John Smith and Mary married Thomas Johnston. Strange how they are never both on the census together, they would have been sisters, just trying to find a birth cert for margaret now. The census results seem to vary her birth from 1865-1870.

    Stef

    Stef

    Thursday 22nd Aug 2019, 08:09PM
  • Hi Stef,

    Mary married Thomas Johnston, my ancestor. Margaret was Mary's sister and I have her date of birth as 1868 from the 1911 census, she married John Smith.  On the 1911 census she is called Maggie, she is a widow, aged 43 living at 3 Swan Street with 7 children, including another daughter Maggie.  She also has her mother Catherine Conroy living with her aged 84. I have not found a birth record for her as I assumed she was Mary.  To confuse matters there is a daughter of Thomas and Mary, also called Maggy! Mary was married to Thomas Johnston in 1884 so perhaps she was not at home when the 1881 census was taken and I have always assumed she was just mistranscribed as Margret!

    I shall do some more research today and see what I can find. And, yes, we are definitely related!

    Pat

    PatJW

    Saturday 24th Aug 2019, 09:08AM
  • Hi Steph,

    I have still not found a birth record for Margaret although I have found all the other children.Mary's birth is 1865 but on her marriage certificate she is 23 in 1884 which would make her 19 at marriage. One of the problems is that they were illiterate and had not real idea of when they were born!  I am wondering if Margaret was indeed their daughter or if they just adopted her.

    Pat

    PatJW

    Saturday 24th Aug 2019, 01:24PM
  • Hi Steph,

    I have still not found a birth record for Margaret although I have found all the other children.Mary's birth is 1865 but on her marriage certificate she is 23 in 1884 which would make her 19 at marriage. One of the problems is that they were illiterate and had not real idea of when they were born!  I am wondering if Margaret was indeed their daughter or if they just adopted her.

    Pat

    PatJW

    Saturday 24th Aug 2019, 01:24PM

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