Condons & Galways to America - 1840s?

Hi Louise,

Thanks again for your message. I hope that someone with information makes a connection with you before your visit.

In the meantime, you could try looking at  church records in Ballylanders to see if you can find any more information. 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 Ballylanders parish, follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=East%20Limerick&parish=Ballylanders&churchid=244

As you can see Limerick Genealogy have copies available. Here is their email if you would like to contact them, however please note that a fee may apply@ research@limerickgenealogy.com

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

Irish Genealogy Tool kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/

Genealogy links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/limerick/index.html

From Ireland: www.from-ireland.net

Limerick Library: www.limerickcity.ie/Library/LocalStudies/

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

There is a slight possibility we could be researching the same family. I am researching a Gallagher family and have information on the extended family. One or two lines of the Gallaghers used the name Galway for a few years, I think to distinguish themselves from family that extended from another brother a generation or two before them. If your family was always from Ballylanders, then it is likely Mary's name WAS Galway because there were quite a few Galways in the area. I do, however, have a marriage in 1839 between a David Condon and a Mary Galway in the RC parish of Kildorrery, Cork. They had two children in that parish: Richard and Bridget. I don't know if either one lived to adulthood as I have not been able to trace this family any further. Perhaps they moved just over the border to Ballylanders? Ballylanders records don't begin until the mid 1840's so children born from about 1840-1845 would not be recorded. It could be total happenstance, especially since the name Galway IS found in Ballylanders parish.   Jan

Thank you for that information!  You no doubt saw the question I posted about the Ballylander Gallahues.  I've seen the surname spelled 'Gallagher' in Griffiths Valuation, but don't know if it's the same family.  Now it sounds like 'Galway' might be another spelling ... interesting to me because 'my' Condons, Galways, McRaiths, and Gallahues settled in central Minnesota.  Some married before they left Ireland, and some met and married in Minnesota.  It appears they may have all come from the area near where Cork, Limerick and Tipperary counties meet.

I have no information about the date that 'my' Mary Galway and David Condon married, but know that their children were born between 1827 and 1839.

I'd be very interested in sharing information about the families.  My email address is JonesLNW@aol.com.

Louise Jones