Barrett/Barrett

Genie:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

You mentioned that you have baptismal records for Thomas and Mary. The Killala RC records do not begin until 1852. What parish were the records from? Were your Barretts Church of Ireland?

Roger McDonnell

Genie:

Thanks for the clarification. The family lived in Srah townland in Kilcommon civil parish in northwest Mayo. The RC parish was Belmullet which was the largest village in the area and now a town. The baptismal records for Bellmullet parish start in February 1841 and likely Edward and Isabella were born right before the baptismal records started. The marriage records start in January 1836 which explains why you located the marriage record but not the baptismal records for the two older children. The link to the parish register is below.

Killalla was then and is now the Diocese for the churches in that part of Mayo. There is also a parish called Killala.

Townlands are the smallest land division in Ireland and a number of townlands form a civil parish which usually has different borders than the RC parish. Kilcommon is a very large civil parish encompassing a large swath of land in northwest Mayo.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Roger

http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0742

No. Srah is the townland and Kilcommon is the civil parish. The RC parish is Belmullet.

Spelling of townlands in the 19th century can varely widely particularly when you consider that Gaelic was used by many people. The official English spellings for townlands were standardized in 1851. 

Roger

Genie,

You ask whether it was common for the spelling of place names to change so much. Short answer is yes. These were anglicised versions of Irish gaelic names.  So the spelling was just an approximation of the Irish equivalent. Spelling often varied according to the whim of the person recording the information. So all factors combined to provide many different spellings both of place names and surnames. If you take an English example like the word jail which can also be spelled gaol (both provide the same sound to the ear) that may help understand why these sorts of variations occur.

I looked in the current phone book for Mayo and there are 111 entries for Barrett. Quite a few around Belmullet.

https://www.eirphonebook.ie

Dear Genie,

The new indexing helped me to find your posts, and your information renewed my enthusiasm for my searches, my cousin and I , both Barrets from paternal ancestors,recently visited Belmullet, first time in Ireland.We learned by experience more about townlands, which had also confused me over the last  several years, especially looking at Griffiths Valuations records.

Our earliest known ancestor, Francis Barrett, was likely located at Shraigh, Belmullet area in 1834, as well as Joyce ancestors in another townland Cartron, also in Belmullet area. We were shown these places in person by a wonderful friendly person connected to the Cultural Centre there, and an email contact for the last five years,and our trip to Ireland, though short, was very satisfying. The sun shone and the wind calmed the day we got to Belmullet! There are still some Barretts there, but nowhere near what the population sustained in the early and mid 1800s. (Thank you, Roger for providing the link to Belmullet parish records , they have so many names that seem like familiar neighbors by now)

If you are interested in possible ancestors-in-common, I included a word processed document with oictures about my Irish ancestors from Belmullet, (and then Wisconsin) on my post titled Barretts, Joyces and Monaghan's, a great combination. Most of my family left Ireland early during the famine years.

I now have a question about how to use the autosomal DNA test results recently received.

Debra Barrett

d

Genie,

I would be happy to make  email exchanges, there are some names that definitely occur in my tree- Anthony Barrett's third wife, after the first two died, was Sarah Gaughan and I have been able to find nothing about her history before she came to America, or family of hers that remained in Ireland.

There are two Catherine Monaghans in my tree, both GGgrandmothers. Again, this is a branch which has interested me, particularly Catherine (1834-1917)who married Patrick Joyce, my GGgrandfather in 1856. She came to America from Belmullet at age 19, in 1854.

I also have Kellys in my tree, they are children of Daniel Kelly and Ellen Early, in Erin Prairie, Wisconsin. My tree is on Ancestry.com and I can share it with you, if you would like to look. The tricky part is that there are so many Barretts, but if enough names, dates and places match up and you can find a connecting person, that is so rewarding. My email is barrettd103@gmail.com. I can also email you my overview piece on the Barretts, Joyces and Monaghans, it is attached to my Ireland Reaching out post, at the bottom.

I have only recently connected Francis Barrett to his townland Shraigh, getting info on the early 1800s is not easy. But new sources are opening up all the time. He would be in Shraigh around the same time as your Thomas Barrett and Winifred Kelly.

Debra

In case you are interested, here is more info on Srah"

https://www.townlands.ie/mayo/erris/kilcommon/glencastle/srah/

In case you are interested, here is more info on Srah"

https://www.townlands.ie/mayo/erris/kilcommon/glencastle/srah/

Roger,

Has anyone transcribed the parish registers that you linked on this posting? I find them both fascinating and frustrating since they are in the right place and time period right before my ancestors left Ireland, and some are very hard to read, with the townlands cut off the edge and writing unclear.

Debra 

Debra,

We related at least two different ways. I am also a descendent of Francis Barrett and Susan Dougherty and of Anthony Barrett and Catherine Monaghan. My GG Grandparents were RIchard Early/Earley and Mary Barrett. Mary was the daughter of Anthony and Catherine. Thank you so much for locating where in Ireland they came from. Also Richard Early was the Brother of your Ellen Early and Daniel Kelly. RIchard and Ellen are both the children of Patrick Earley and Catherine Connolly. Based on every thing I have seen online it seems that the Earley/Earlys originated in Knockshanbo, Belmullet, County Mayo, but I have also heard that possibly some of their younger kids were born in Glencastle. I am wondering if you know where in Mayo the Monaghans and Doughertys are supposed to come from? I'm not sure if you have any links to any of the other families in Erin's Prairie, Wisconsin but I suspect we might. One of my other GG Grandma's from there was Sabina Murphy both of her parents Patrick Murphy and Catherine Geraghty/Gerrity are supposed to be from Belmullet as well. She married Nicholas Keating whose parents John Keating and Bridget Mclaughlin were from Mayo as well, but I'm not sure where in Mayo. From what I have seen online it appears that close to half of Erins Prairie came from Belmullet/Erris, and Kilmore/Kilcommon. I'm pretty sure that the Dixon's, Lavalle's, Padden's, Heffrons, McNally's, McAndrew's, Joyce's, Meenahans, Reilly's, Lally's, Maloney's, Stephen's, Conroy's, Conway's, O'Malley's, O'Connell's, Deane's, and many others were all from the area. Please let me know if you have any information on where the Geraghty/Garrity/Gerrity's Originated from. Also don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Debra:

I'm just noticing your May 5th question. Roots Ireland has manually transcribed the parish registers. Roots is a subscription site. Also, last year Find My Past and Ancestry combined on a project to automate the transcription of the parish registers and they had some success but some of the records transcribed have errors. Again, FMP and Ancestry are subscription sites.

Roger

Joe,

It is always good to hear from another kin. I did a diagram today, trying to see where exactly your tree fit into mine, and best I could see is that Julia Joyce (1876-1956) my GG aunt from Erin Prairie, married Edward Anrhony Early ((1877-1936) connecting to the Early family and her sister, my Great grandmother Nell Joyce (1866-1958) married into the Barrett family, also from Erin Prairie.

Patrick Early(1810-1902) married Catherine Kate Connolly (1816-1883) and had a son Richard(1842-1923) and some of their chiil,dren were Richard,(1842-1923), Ellen (1835-1913), Anthony (1838-1919) (who was uncle of  Edward who married Julia Joyce.) and Mary 1843-?

There are also discrepancies,my only Mary Barrett (1826-1862) was the sister of Anthony Barrett (1832-1914) my GGgrandfather, Francis' son.

My Sabina Murphy (1874-1941) married John Dixon , not Nicholas Keating.

I don't have a spouse for Richard Early, mentioned above.

I have no Patrick Murphy or Catherine Geraghty.

If looking for Geraghtys I would contact Rosemarie Geraghty at Ionad Deirbhile, the cultural centre in Belmullet, she helped me over the last year, and with her name, she will know about Geraghtys in the area.

The Monaghans have been elusive for me, but I know they were solidly settled in the Belmullet area.

The only way to make progress in growing the family tree is to have names, dates and places all line up.!

As for Doughertys, there are two very intent Dougherty family members on Ancestry.com. I am not active with that subscription now, but will pick it up again when the winter sets in, being from Canada, the garden is growing like crazy now and the summer is here.

Debra

Roger.

I will check those sources when I go back onto my Ancestry subscription this winter, it is too beautiful to not be out enjoying the summer!

Thank you  for your reply

Debra

Debra,

I'm not sure about how exact my dates are which might be causing some discrepencies, but I am quite sure that Anthony Barrett who I have as (1828-1914) and Katherine Monaghan (1826-1867) had a daughter Mary in addition to Anthony having a sister Mary. The link below is to Anthony's Grave.

https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi/://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg…

Per my records Anthony's daughter Mary Barrett (1859-1924) was married to Richard Early/Earley (1842-1943) whom you mentioned above. Richard had 11 Children with Mary Barrett one of whom was my great grandfather Anthony Early(1883-1964). Richard had also been married to Hannah McCarty and had 3 children with her before she passed away and after this is when he married Mary Barrett on July 20th 1875 at St. Patrick's Church in Erin's Prairie. Mary Barrett was born in Kentucky as was her brother Michael before the family came up to Wisconsin. After Katherine Monaghan passed away Anthony Barrett married Sarah Gaughan and had additional children. Below is a link to Richard Early and Mary Barrett not sure who made this but they are certainly relatives of ours. Also if you click Patrick Earley the father it has sibilings and wives for many of the children.

https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/richard-earley_61066402

My Grandmother Geraldine Early daughter of Anthony Early (1883-1964) and Loretta Keating (1892-1967) only knew a few of the Barretts. I asked her yesterday about the Barrett's and she recalls several times when a different Anthony Barrett son of the one mentioned above (I think from the second marriage to Sarah Gaughan), who was an uncle to Anthony Early (1883-1964) and I think half sibling to his mother Mary Barrett (1859-1924) came to visit her family in North Minneapolis as a child and on one trip this Anthony Barrett (1882-1961) promised my Great Grandpa Tony Early his farm in the New Richmond area upon his death. So a couple of years later Anthony Barrett passed away and my Grandma's family never owned a car but knew that they needed to find away to get to that funeral and wake because her dad thought he was gonna inherit the farm. So they ended up spending their rent money to get a ride to go to the funeral, and it turned out Anthony Barrett had been so drunk that night that he visted that he didn't even remember promising Tony Early the farm and they left with nothing.

Also I have attached just a Snapshot of my family tree in the Generations that we discussed, and you can see that the Keating's, Murphy's, Mclaughlin's, and Gerrity's are on the other side of my Grandmas family from the Early's, Connolly's, Barrett's, Monaghan's and Dougherty's. I'm not sure how accurate the dates on the sibilings and children of Anthony Barrett are in the second file I have attached but I am positive its the same one as yours. Also the third file I have attached is Mary Barrett's (1859-1924) transcribed death certificate where her parents are stated as Anthony Barrett and Katherine Monahan.

My Sabina Murphy (1856-1929) was different from yours then, and I don't know enough about her father's family to say if they could have possibly been distant cousins or not. If your Sabina Murphy was from St. Croix, Wisconsin as well I would imagine that there could be some sort of distant connection. My Sabina's grave is linked below

https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=keating&GSiman=1&GSb…;

Sorry for the long post I have lots of census and marriage information as well if you are interested.

Thanks,

Joe

Debra

Joe,

Are you Melanie's uncle? She and I had a brief email correspondence about five years ago and she mentioned you, as the family genealogy expert. And was the farm that you mentioned in your story known later as uncle Henry's farm?

We are definitely working with the same branches of family,, closest to my heart. My fathers side of the family has been my main focus since I started researching the family tree.  Michael L. Barrett, on your tree, was my Ggrandfather, his son Floyd Barrett was my grandfather, and Dean Barrett was my father. Michael L. was active in forming farm cooperatives in Ashland area.  Floyd moved to California in the 1920s and worked as front gate security guard at Warner Brothers Studio for 30 years.

My cousin Drue and I visited Erin Prairie in September 2013, went first to the St Patricks Cemetery. It was a Sunday and shortly after we arrived people started arriving for the Sunday service, I regret now that we didn't stay until afterward to talkto people but we moved along to Ashland. The person who posted that find a grave file that you attached for Anthony, fossmeg on Ancestry is one of the experts on the Doughterty family. i have had ancestry conversations with her. 

I have a townland map of Erin Prairie from 1860, and there they all are, neighbors, right near Anthony Barrett are Patrick Joyce, Patrick Gerity, Patrick Kelly, Bryan Deane, many many more I am sure they were all thrilled to have land to farm with Irish community all around them. I had a brief conversation from a Deane descendant whose grandfather was a best friend of a Joyce, my first cousin 2x removed, back in the early 1900s. I can send a pdf of this map if you haven't seen it.

Back to Belmullet roots-- Have you read Rita Nolans book Within the Mullet? Excellent background material. My contact there sent me a copy, she also has a (different) Anthony Barrett in her  tree, and she showed my cousin and I the townlands where she believed our Barrett and Joyce ancestors lived, Shtaigh and Cartron when we visited there this March. We took lots of pictures and stayed with two third cousins (paternal grandmother in common) whom I hadn't met before.

I can still share my ancestry tree with you, though I am not active on that app right now, if you want to see it. 

Have you done a paternal DNA? My cousin Mark did one, but it is an autosomal, and I still haven't figured out how best to use the results. I joined the Barrett DNA project and it looks to me like RM269 is a likely common number, but I am not sure.

Time to get out and stack firewood! Thank you for sending new information

Debra

M. P. Early & The Mc Nally’s were from Knockshanbo, Belmullet. 

Phil