I am looking for the Irish roots of my GG Grandfather John Cleary who was born in 1794 in Westmeath County and immigrated to the United States. He was married to Mary Levey and he had 2 brothers (Richard & Maurice) and 2 sisters (Mary & Bridget). His parents names were Joseph Cleary and Ann (Rooney) Cleary. Any help in finding information on anyone would be appreciated. I will be visiting Ireland next month and would like to spend some time in Westmeath County.
Wednesday 24th Apr 2013, 02:37PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Have you tried looking in Church records in Mullingar? Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. It also shows you where copies of the records are available. For Mullingar parish, follow this link:
Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
You could also check for record of the family in the land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites that you may find useful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
Genealogy links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/westmeath/index.html
Familysearch: www.familysearch.org
It may be an idea to contact the Dun na Si Heritage Centre in Westmeath during you visit. Here are their contact details:
Knockdomney,
Moate,
Co. Westmeath.
Phone: +353 (0) 90 6481183 Email:dunnasimoate@eircom.net
I hope you have a lovely time during your stay. Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Thursday 30th May 2013, 03:01PM