Hello, this is my first message, I so appreciate your community! I will be visiting Ireland in March with my almost 80-year-old father and we would LOVE to be able to visit a town where his family originated. I am a pretty experienced researcher both with DNA and traditional genealogy and have been searching very extensively for the past several months. I now realize that's nowhere near enough time for Irish records!! 😂
I will start my inquiry with our most recent immigrant, Margaret Kelly was born around Feb. 1852 in Ireland. She immigrates to Boston around 1865, marries a John Joseph Curran in 1872 where she lists her parents as Bernard Kelly and Bridget. I have found all the archdiocese records, census (minus 1870) and death records/obituaries, but no mention of county/townland. There are too many Margaret Kelly immigration records for that time to have any clarity as to which could be the right one.Â
We also have on this line many, many DNA matches to descendants of a Bridget Rena Kelly, born around 1846. She immigrates around 1864 to Boston and marries a Peter Quigley, with some matches over 100cM. I was hoping maybe they were sisters due to their close ages, but Bridget lists her parents on her marriage record as James Kelly and Amelia. I know Amelia is a somewhat unusual name, so I was hoping that may help. Some family on ancestry attribute her as coming from Roscommon or Galway, but I haven't found proof of this.Â
There is then a group of matches on this line, two sisters who both match around 109cM. Their surname is Kelly, they match us and many of the Bridget Rena Kelly descendants, but their tree has them going back to a Margaret J. Kelly (b.1852) who marries a John J. Kelly (b.1844). Her parents listed as John J. Kelly/Mary Melvin and her husband's parents are listed as Thomas Kelley/Mary Quinn.
Help, I'm swimming in these matches and names that I know must match but I can't make the connections! Anyone have any insight??
Ancestry does list Connacht as a region for our DNA.Â
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Many, many thanks in advance!!
Amber Frederiksen
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rebmamber
Saturday 6th Jan 2024, 11:04PMMessage Board Replies
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Attached Files
Amber,
I attach some detail for Bernard Kelly - County Galway - Griffith's Land Valuation printed 1855/1856. Free Site
Marriage records for a Bernard Kelly 1841 to 1854. Parish records - Subscription site www.rootsireland.ie
The townlands are recorded for each individual in Griffith's. County Roscommon has a few "Bernard Kelly" in Griffith's.
What were the names of John Joseph Curran's parents?
You probably have already sourced those records.
Regards,
McCoy
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McCoy,
Many thanks for looking into this and posting those Griffith's valuations! I had a go at it earlier, but I always end up getting discouraged because with all the similar names, I wonder how I will ever know which is the right family. I guess I just need to take all the info I can get and hope eventually there will be some sort of crossover. I can't view the marriage records since it is a subscription, does it list the wife on the record as well?
My best theory right now based on the DNA shared is that either Margaret Kelly and Bridget Rena Kelly are 1st cousins, which would make Bernard Kelly and James Kelly brothers. OR, perhaps Bernard Kelly is the quite older brother to Bridget Rena Kelly and he had his first child, my Margaret, when his younger sister was only 6. In that case, James Kelly and Amelia would be the parents of both Bernard and Bridget Rena.Â
John J. Curran (1853-1921) is born in Boston and his parents were William Curran (~1817 - 1884) and Catherine Franklin (~1824-1910), both born in Ireland. William lists his parents as John Curran and Elizabeth. I found only one immigration record that I wasn't able to rule out as being for William Curran arriving in Boston, and it has him from County Carlow (but not sure if it's actually correct, just another clue). That record says he was born 10/22/1821 and immigrated 8/12/1843 (possibly).
Catherine Franklin's parents are Luke Franklin and Margaret Young and they have 2 children, Catherine and Margaret, in Ireland, then immigrate to Nova Scotia where they have the rest of their children. I have many confirmed DNA matches through Catherine's sister. I don't know where they are from either, but perhaps the most promising record I have found is one for a marriage of a Luke FRANKLEY to a Margaret Young in County Carlow.Â
I was going to do another post about them, but feel free to provide any insight!
Thanks!!
Amber
Â
rebmamber
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Amber,
Kelly - Bernard - Marriage August 3rd1841 to Bridget Cunniffe. Witnesses: Thomas Cunniffe and James Cuddy.
Parish - Glinsk - Barony of Ballymoe.
Kelly - Bernard - Marriage June 3rd 1848 to Bridget McNamara. Witnesses: Thomas Delany and Bernard Delany.
Parish: Laurencetown - Ballinasloe
Source Subscription Site www.rootsireland.ie
In that time period there were many maternal deaths, so it is always possible that there was a second marriage.
Regards,
McCoy
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Attached Files
Amber,
Transcription record of marriage of Bernard Kelly in 1841.
Source: Subscription site www.findmypast.ie.
Record for Bernard Kelly in 1848 not on this site.
Regards,
McCoy
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Thank you once again for those names and dates. I am currently building out a google map with all the possible hints and will be adding DNA match locations as well and hopefully some pattern will emerge that will narrow in on any of these areas.Â
rebmamber
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Ok, for anyone still following, I have now found another link to the third group of Kelly/Kelley DNA matches. Two more people now connected via another child of Thomas Kelley and Mary Quinn, so I can rule out the one line, which is great. Somehow we have a 1.Bernard Kelly/Bridget, 2.James Kelly/Amelia and 3.Thomas Kelley/Mary Quinn, all connecting via DNA. All would have been born in the early 1800s, probably between 1800-1830 based on the ages of their children (known children born 1852, 1846, and 1844/1852, respectively, all born in Ireland). All three couples were married in Ireland.Â
I'm wondering if there is anyway to access records and cross reference the three sets of marriages and see if there is any location in common between the three names? I am targeting Galway and Roscommon now as that's where DNA is loosely indicating, but could be elsewhere. Connacht is definitely the region of interest. These 3 families must relate to one another and hopefully lived near one another.
The search continues!
rebmamber