McGrillis/Doherty marriage

I assume you have the church copy of the marriage certificate because no father?s names are mentioned. (At least not in your post). If you buy the civil copy of the cert, it contains more information, and you should get father?s names and occupations. The marriage was registered in Strabane 1872 Volume 17, page 369. Quote those reference details when ordering from GRO Roscommon. A photocopy should cost ?4. http://www.groireland.ie/

Tradition was to marry in the bride?s church. Magheramason is in the RC parish of Donagheady. Unfortunately their records only start in 1858, so probably too late to get Ellen?s baptism. However you might find any sisters she had marrying in the same church.

If Patrick came from Magherafelt, then the RC records for that parish start in 1834 so your chances are better for his family.

The records for Donagheady are not on-line. Magherafelt marriages are on-line (1838 onwards with rootsireland) but not their baptisms. For the full sets of records you probably need to look them up in PRONI, Belfast or the National Library, Dublin.

Thank you,  I do have the Civil copy it states Patrick Doherty's Father as Owen Doherty and Ellen McGrillis's Father as James McGrellis,  The other witness was James McDevitt.

Will try PRONI.

The Certificate says that Ellen was born Londonderry and Patrick was born 'near Buncrana'  I have written to the Churches there in Buncrana and sadly there are no records available.

In the Donegal Genealogy Resources Website -1841/1851 Census Search Form- Fahan Lower Parish,

Old Age Pension Act (1908) - there is an Applicant ' Doherty family'  in 1851 residing Fahan Street, Derry in the Townland of Druminderry,  Parents:  Owen and Ellen Doherty with children one being a Patrick age 1, puting his birth date at 1850, have  not been able to confirm that  this is my Patrick Doherty, as on the Marriage Certificate it states that he is 25puting his birth date at 1847, I know that the dates are more than often wrong, but I have no way to prove that assumption and know that this is my Patrick.

Ellen McGrillis was 20 at the time of the marriage so born 1852.

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

Jan McGill

I am a bit puzzled about the places of birth you say were on the certificate you have. Irish marriage certificates don?t normally record where you were born. They record where you resided at the time you married. So it doesn?t necessarily follow that either party was born in the townlands/addresses given on the cert. Though they might have been.

Hi Jan,

Patrick Doherty and Ellen McGrellis are my great grandparents also - I wonder if you have any more information about them? I have some on the Australian descendents,

best wishes,

Esther