RIC searching

rhapsody · 24-04-2011 9:56pm #1

Hi folks,

I've found the RIC record on my g.grand father, but I dont have anything else about him from before this. His recommendation to join the RIC came from D.I. Wall (I think- could possibly be Hall/ Nall). Since the name is unclear, I'm wondering if it's possible to search Jim Herlihy's book by No. of Authorisation (which is clear), rather than service number as usual? (i.e. No. of Auth is 4 digits + 1 letter, rather than 5 digits as in service number). It's been a while since I was in the National Archives, and I'm just wondering if anyone knows about this- before i shlep in there.

Hopefully if I can get more info on the recommending officer (e.g. where he was stationed when my g.grandfather joined), I can figure out where my g.grandfather was originally from- I've only got 'Sligo'. Obviously I'll try looking up 'Wall's, but without a first initial and without a definite that it even is 'Wall', it doesn't look great!

Help appreciated! (& Happy Easter)

pinkypinky · 24-04-2011 11:18pm

Do you want to scan the name so we can have a look at it? I don't know much about the RIC records but it is the sort of book that you'd get in a lot of libraries...I'm not sure where you are in the city but the Pearse St library has a lot of the stuff the NLI has, and is open on Saturdays and in the evening, etc if that makes it easier. I know from experience the pain of taking a day off work to go to the NLI or NA!

Alicat · 24-04-2011 11:22pm

I know the Fingal Library in Swords (not the general library, the other one, I just for the life of me can't think of it's title) had some of Jim O'Herlihy's books if that's any good to you

Edit: Fingal Archives! Here's their details, I have found them quite helpful there as they're very quiet.

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Library/FingalArchives/

rhapsody · 01-09-2011 9:22pm

Further to my original enquiry, I am finally attaching the section with the name I need identifying. I hope its readable, zoom needed anyway! It's the middle line of both scans, DI Wall/ Nall/ Hall

If anyone has any suggestions on how I can find out more on my g.grand father (M. Gallagher) through his recommending officer, I'd appreciate it. I've sort of hit a wall with him, Sligo was littered with Michael Gallaghers at this time!

Actually, I'm not sure what the word under 'Leitrim' is either, any thoughts?

CeannRua · 05-09-2011 7:15pm

I think you're right about Wall - the W of William Johnston underneath is formed pretty much identically.

Under Leitrim I think it might say connd./in = connected in. But not sure. I have one of Jim Herlihy's books though and if I'm reading the record correctly he says what should be in this column is the wife's native county plus counties in which the officer and his wife have relatives. So this could make sense.

You have a fair bit of info about him here with the exact marriage date given. I only had a really quick lookat Roots Ireland but I only saw one Leitrim marriage for a Michael Gallagher in 1916.

rhapsody · 05-09-2011 9:12pm

Thanks CeannRua for your reply. I'll go with Wall then. And 'connected in' definitely makes sense! Michael was stationed in Leitrim, met his future wife, married her & then had to move to another county.

Yes, I have his marriage cert from 1916 in Mohill, and I have an idea of what happened to him after that. I cant go back (earlier) from him joining the RIC though

According to his marr. cert. his dad was also Michael Gallagher, a farmer, he was deceased when Michael got married.

CeannRua · 05-09-2011 9:44pm

And no luck with baptism records, no? I don't normally use Roots Ireland so not very au fait with the ins and outs of it but when you stick in Michael Gallagher with the other info you know, there is only one record coming up.

rhapsody · 08-09-2011 7:49pm

I search on Family Search rather than Roots Ireland & I'm getting a few options i.e. they're just down as 'Ireland' with no county listed, so I can't discount those. I'll register for Roots Ireland & check this out. Thanks CeannRua

rhapsody · 10-09-2011 10:24pm

So I went onto Roots Ireland and searched for Birth/Baptismal records for Michael Gallagher, son of Michael Gallagher, born in 1873 (+/- 2 years) in Sligo, and I get no matches- what am I missing CeannRua? (or anyone

)

shanew · 11-09-2011 8:58am

The registration districts which cover Co. Sligo (some overlap with other counties *) are :

Ballina *
Boyle *
Dromore West
Sligo
Tobercurry

The FamilySearch BMD Index search doesn't work very well where the name of a district coincides with a county, so you have to pick out the Sligo district entries from overall Ireland results. The other district searches work ok. e.g. five possible births in Tobercurry registration district: https://www.familysearch.org/search/records#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3AMichael~%20%2Bsurname%3Agallagher~%20%2Bbirth_place%3ATobercurry~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1871-1875~&collection_id=1408347

Shane

CeannRua · 11-09-2011 9:51am

Hi Rhapsody, when I did the advanced search I left the father's surname blank and just put in Michael as his first name thinking that they might not have repeated the father's surname in that field of the database. Putting in 1875 + or - 1 year I'm getting one Michael Gallagher and a Michael Callaghan (the latter as a variant of Gallagher).

But like I said earlier, I'm really not very familiar with Roots Ireland so someone might be able to add to this. I normally use www.irishgenealogy.ie where it doesn't cost any money if you get it wrong (thankfully!) Shane is right though - good to cross check with civil registrations and see who else might be out there.

shanew · 11-09-2011 10:05am

a couple of points about searching for baptisms on RootsIreland - there are a couple of Co. Sligo parishes where the baptism records dont go back as far as 1873 e.g. Achonry, Killoran... There are also parishes that are not included in the RootsIreland webpage - e.g. Castlemore & Kilcolman, Riverstown. I'm assuming your Gallagher family were RC..

Shane

rhapsody · 11-09-2011 3:09pm

Thanks CeannRua & shanew for your help.

I went on Roots Ireland & got one possible result- Sligo 1874. Without paying for it though, I cant go any further. I must try irishgenealogy.ie next.

Yes I assume they were RC too, I never heard otherwise (I have heard about someone converting to get married in another branch of the family), though I dont know the Gallaghers very well. I believe the 'C' on his RIC record indicates Catholic- other men joining up had 'P' in the same column.

It seems that between the 5 results you listed, shanew, and the other ones that say only 'Ireland', I'll be back in the GRO spending money on possible certs again! I had hoped that by getting some info on the RIC recommending office I could narrow M.G. down to a parish in Sligo and cut down the number of certs I possibly have to buy.

shanew · 11-09-2011 3:21pm

To find the possible births in the Sligo district you have to scroll through the full results looking for entries that show Sligo as the registration district. see : https://www.familysearch.org/search/records#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3AMichael~%20%2Bsurname%3Agallagher~%20%2Bbirth_place%3ASligo~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1871-1875~&collection_id=1408347

and there are further possible births in the other partial Sligo districts.. e.g.

Dromore West : https://www.familysearch.org/search/records#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3AMichael~%20%2Bsurname%3Agallagher~%20%2Bbirth_place%3A%22Dromore%20West%22~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1871-1875~&collection_id=1408347
Ballina : https://www.familysearch.org/search/records#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3AMichael~%20%2Bsurname%3Agallagher~%20%2Bbirth_place%3ABallina~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1871-1875~&collection_id=1408347
(None in Boyle)

The IrishGenealogy website doesn't include any Sligo records.

Shane

shanew · 11-09-2011 3:34pm

forgot to say... the person recommending was usually someone trusted in the community. Often a Parish Priest.

I also read the name as D.J. Wall, the W looks similar to the one in Wexford a few lines up.

S.

rhapsody · 11-09-2011 3:56pm

Thanks for following this Shane! I just made up the list of all the possible births from your links & I get 17, with 7 stronger than the rest (in terms of date). I'll get into the GRO asap to see about some of those (I also go in first thing with my certs made out & I'm out in 15min

)

I'm sure its D.I., since all others on the page are recommended by a DI somebody- I wish it was a priest- he might be easier to track down!

CeannRua · 11-09-2011 6:29pm

It's DI all right - District Inspector. It might help narrow down the search if you looked at his service record. The Jim Herlihy book about the RIC says that applicants recommended by the DI were usually natives of his constabulary district. Also, the recommending officer's service record will show in which district he was stationed at the relevant time.

shanew · 11-09-2011 7:10pm

found a Michael Wall in the 1889 list of RIC district inspectors. He is based in Tobbercurry.

The other RIC inspectors at that time in the county are based in Sligo, Collooney, Ballymote and Easkey.

Update : Slater's directory of 1894 shows he's still D.I. at that time
Tubbercurry, Constabulary Station, Michael Wall, district inspector;
Alexander Gamble,head constable

looks like M. Wall had moved to Omagh by the time of the 1901 census : http://census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Omagh_Town/Coolnagard_Lower/1746987/

Shane

rhapsody · 11-09-2011 9:34pm

Wow Shane, do you just happen to have copies of the RIC lists & Slater's for every year?! And CeannRua, you have J. Herlihy's book! Thanks so much both of you for checking them for a stranger on the internet

I"ll take it that if M.Wall was in Tobbercurry in 1894 he was still there in 1898, so I'll start ordering certs for M. Gallagher from there. I might take a look at Michael Wall's service record too, when I'm in the Nat Archives next.
Thanks again for your help

rhapsody · 19-09-2011 2:48pm

Just to update on this:
I went to the GRO today (it opened a little late- many comments from waiting fellows about this being 'the morning after the night before' :rolleyes: ) & got the three Tobercurry birth records for Michael Gallagher & none of them have a Michael as the father

.

I was sure, going on the info shanew found on the recommending officer, that M.G. had to be from Tobercurry. It's possible, I suppose, that he was born in another parish & moved to Tobercurry? Or since Michael Wall was the District Inspector, would he recommend recruits from outside Tobercurry? What area would his 'district' include?

Any help appreciated as always

shanew · 19-09-2011 5:33pm

I suppose the next step would be to widen the date range and/or widen the search area slightly - i.e. the neighbouring districts of Dromore West, Boyle and Sligo and possibly Ballina, as it contained some parts of Co. Sligo

It's worth checking the extracted records on FamilySearch to see if you can find any possible father/son matches, although these are not complete. You can also eliminate some of the possible matches using these, although matching up the locations is not always easy...since the extracted records often give location as a registrar's districts rather than superintendents or registration district, or often just as 'Ireland'

Shane

rhapsody · 22-09-2011 7:44pm

Thanks again shanew. I've done what you suggested (though I find the father/son thing harder on the new FamilySearch system) & it gives me 17 possibilities- 14 left now I guess. I cant afford to check each one; this part of the family might have to stay hidden until I can get more info somewhere else!
Thanks again for your help

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