My ancestor James Colligan (also spelled Collighin, Colliggen, Callagan, Caligan, Calligan, Callagin, Calligin, Calagan and Corrigan) married Bridget (Brigid?) Jones at Manchester Cathedral, Lancashire, on 1 July 1816. Based on subsequent census they are estimated to have been around 16 years old. Both gave their birthplace as Ireland.
My guess is they ran away together from the same town in Ireland, but I have no idea where to start looking.
James worked as a painter and plasterer.
Update December 2019: A DNA test match indicates that this family may be from the Colgan families of Kilkeen, Co Down
craj11
Tuesday 6th Aug 2013, 05:04AMMessage Board Replies
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Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information without a more specific place of origin. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.
Do you have any documentation pertaining to the family that mentions any place names at all? This can include wills, marriage/death records,census records, letters, diary entries etc. For more information on UK government records check the National archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
There are some places where you can search online, however it may be difficult to discern whether the results are relevant to your family or not without more information:
www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some church records for Ireland.
www.rootsireland.ie have a large collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.
Some other websites that may be helpful 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
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm
Irish Genealogy Tool-kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/
Remember to post any new information that you find here. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Monday 12th Aug 2013, 11:04AM