Kilskeery Moore Kerr Montgomery

Can you advise as to where I could get the records/cetificates from in Ireland. Which ones are available at PRONI in Belfast and which ones in Kilskeery or elsewhere? Also how do I get burial/cemetery information?

Thanks again Jo

I?ll check out the 1843 marriage for you next time I am in PRONI.

I would wonder whether Faithful was christened with that name. It is not a common name in Ireland. I searched the birth indexes for 1864 to 1874 and only 6 people were born with that name during that 10 year period. In the 1901 census only 10 people in the whole of Ireland had the name. So not impossible, but just very unusual.

Francis?s place of birth is likely to be Dromore. There are several places called Dromore in Ireland but there?s one near Kilskeery, in Co Tyrone.

You ask about obtaining certificates. Statutory registration of marriages (save for RC marriages) began on 1^st April 1845. Births and deaths started on 1.1.1864, as did RC marriages. So for events prior to those dates eg Francis & Faithful?s marriage, their births etc. there are no certificates to be had. The events weren?t registered. (I can explain where you apply to get statutory certificates if you want that information, but since none of your family will have them there doesn?t seem much point).

You may be able to find their marriage and baptism in the church records. In which case you can get a photocopy of that entry. There?s no certificate as such. PRONI charge 30p a page for photocopies.

I have looked in the statutory indexes for the marriage, April 1845 onwards and cannot see it. So you can probably infer it happened before that.

In the 1880s, the Church of Ireland ordered its churches to send all their old records up to Dublin for safe keeping. They later amended that to say that churches with good storage arrangements didn?t need to bother. About half the older records went up to Dublin where, in 1922, they were destroyed by fire during the Irish civil war. So a lot of old COI records are lost. Fortunately for you Kilskeerry retained its older records and so they survive. They start in 1767. The church may still hold those originals. However copies have been made. One set is in PRONI, and are probably the easiest to access. They are also free to access. Alternatively, you can contact the Rector/Vicar at the parish church but be aware that if he undertakes research for you, there is a fee of ?19 an hour, and if he lets you do it yourself (under his supervision) then it?s ?12 an hour.

This is what PRONI hold for Kilskeery:

C.I. Kilskeery (Clogher diocese) Baptisms, 1767-1938; marriages, 1778-1935; burials, 1796-1973.

Indexes to baptisms, 1767-1844, marriages, 1778- 1841,and burials, 1796-1841.

The Church of Ireland keeps burial records (most other denominations don?t). So you may find some burials in the church records. The records usually indicate where the person was buried, but not always. The choice of where a person is buried is a family matter. If there is a family plot somewhere, then they may use that regardless of where the individual attended church. There is no requirement to record where a person was buried. There are no other burial records from the mid 1800s to consult, apart from the Church of Ireland records. It would be a matter of checking local graveyards. However most people couldn?t afford a gravestone, and so the majority at that time were buried without one.

If you don?t find the children?s baptisms in the Church of Ireland records, and you are sure the family lived around Kilskeery, it might be worth checking Methodist records. A lot of people in Fermanagh switched from Church of Ireland to Methodism in the 1800s, and so that?s something to check out if you draw a blank. (Methodist marriages still tended to be in the Church of Ireland till the 1860s, so you are more likely to just find the baptisms in the Methodist records).

Elwyn

I found your marriage certificate for 24^th Nov 1843 in Kilskeery. (PRONI MIC1.6). I can confirm it is between Francis Moor (note spelling) and Faith Full Kerr.

I have a copy. I am unable to attach it to this e-mail for some technical reason but if you want a copy of the cert, send me your e-mail address by pm and I'll send it on to you.

Elwyn

Firstly thank you so much for your speedy and very thorough reply which came as a wonderful surprise to me. It must be way past PM in Ireland now but I'm just finishing work in Melbourne. Nevertheless my email address is jovrac@yahoo.com.au.

Seems this is indeed the marriage. Not sure what to make of the Faith Full? Has the "scribe" just mispelt it  ... spelt it phonetically?. Also the Moor spelling?

I will now see if I can find a baptism for Faithful Kerr around 1822 (?) in the transcriptions.

Also Francis around 1803.

I will be in Belfast for 4-5 days from 1st. Sept. so will definitely be spending some time at PRONI.

Thank you again

Jo

Firstly thank you so much for your speedy and very thorough reply which came as a wonderful surprise to me. It must be way past PM in Ireland now but I'm just finishing work in Melbourne. Nevertheless my email address is jovrac@yahoo.com.au.

Seems this is indeed the marriage. Not sure what to make of the Faith Full? Has the "scribe" just mispelt it  ... spelt it phonetically?. Also the Moor spelling?

I will now see if I can find a baptism for Faithful Kerr around 1822 (?) in the transcriptions.

Also Francis around 1803.

I will be in Belfast for 4-5 days from 1st. Sept. so will definitely be spending some time at PRONI.

Thank you again

Jo