Just starting - stuck at grandparents!

Ventuno

Hi everyone,

I am just starting to research my family tree. The resources and guides here have been invaluable so far, but I am looking for advice on my next step.

I have very little basic information from my family, so I am even struggling to get my grandparents details. I have their marriage certs from the GRO and one birth cert so I am now trying to get the rest of their birth certs.

For one grandfather I have some slightly confusing information:

He died in July 1972 aged 81, putting his YOB from 1890 - 1892.
He married in April 1933 aged 39, putting his YOB from 1893 - 1895.
In the 1911 census he was aged 20, putting his YOB from 1890 - 1892.
In the 1901 census he was aged 8, putting his YOB from 1892 - 1894.

I know census ages are a bit hit and miss, but I was really disappointed that the marriage cert showed a different age .

I'm fairly confident I have the right marriage certs & censuses as the parents names/occupations/locations match.

On rootsireland.ie, there are no civil records for these years but there are multiple baptism records for 1891 and 1892 (haven't bought credits yet until I'm a bit more confident).

On familysearch.org civil records, I've got 4 possible records for 1891 and 1894 that could be him.

Do I need to bite the bullet and order all 4 certs from the GRO? Or would I be better off buying some credits for rootsireland?

Or is there anything else I can do to narrow down the information? I know I will need to spend some time in the NLI eventually but I am trying to do as much research as I can online first.

Thanks in advance!

shanew

I'd go with the 1901 age as the one that I would think is likely to be the most accurate...ages for children are often accurate even when the adults are 'out.' So I'd try the possible matches between 1892 and 1894 first, and then expand the date range if necessary.

You can narrow the list of possible civil births little using registration district, and maybe using the parish if you can find the parish on the free index on RootsIreland...


Shane

shanew

do you want to post some details (e.g. county, townland, grandfather's name) see if we can find anything that might help ?



S.

Ventuno

Hi Shane,

Thanks a million - I'll put the details up but might edit them out later .

It's Bernard Sheridan, from Ballahanea in Virginia, Co. Cavan. The only other detail I have is that his father's name is Patrick. Sheridan being a very common Cavan name unfortunately!

One of my problems is that I'm not sure what district Virginia would fall under on the Civil Register. On the 1901 census it was Oldcastle but it looks like his older siblings were registered in Bailieborough, so I'm not sure if Bailieborough, Oldcastle or even Cavan are a better guess.

shanew

The town of Virginia and the townland of Ballaghanea were in the Registration district of Oldcastle - so births there should appear under that district...

I have Sheridan ancestors also... although Dublin city, but suspect a Cavan connection somewhere along the line..



Shane

shanew

on the RootsIreland Index I'm not seeing any likely baptism in the RC parish of Lurgan, which is the name of the parish around Virginia - but there is a Bernard Sheridan baptism in 1891 in the parish of Mullagh, which is just to the north east.

Parents first names match the 1901 census you mentioned - so a possible fit. I think the corresponding civil Index reference is probably this one (a civil cert will usually give more details than a baptism) :

Name: Bernard Sheridan
Registration district: Oldcastle
Event type: Birth
Quarter and year: Jan-Mar 1891
Volume: 3 / Page: 263


Shane

shanew

just spotted that Mullagh civil parish, where that baptism took place, has it's townlands divided between three registration districts : Oldcastle, Kells and Bailieborough - so unfortunately there's a 2nd possible civil birth for you :

name: Bernard Sheridan
registration district: Bailieborough
event type: Birth
Quarter and year: Jul-Sep 1891
Volume: 2 / Page: 323

all a little to the north east of Virginia and Ballahanea...maybe the family moved sometime between Bernard's birth and the 1901 census ? would also explain the other possible Bailieborough references you've seen..



S.

shanew

Bernard's brother Philip Henry has the most distinctive name of the family - and he's listed in Bailieborough, so I'd lean towards the Bailieborough birth for Bernard also......

Name: Philip Henry Sheridan
Registration district: Bailieborough
Event type: Birth
Quarter and year: Jan-Mar 1889
Volume: 2 / Page: 371

I think he was born and baptised late in 1888, and registered early the next year. A possible baptism for him shows up on the index, also in the parish of Mullagh - same match on parents first names.




Shane

Ventuno

Thanks so much Shane this is brilliant.

I might spend the €4 extra and get both 1891 certs and see which one comes up trumps. Why couldn't I be related to the Xlsahpewurpyg's from Cavan instead .

Where did you find out about the link between the townlands and parishes?

shanew

for townlands, civil parishes and Poor Law Unions (same as Registration Districts ) - see the townland database at www.seanruad.com This is based on details extracted from the 1851 census returns.

For RC parishes, which can contain several Civil parishes, see the Irish Times/John Grenham website at : http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/index.htm

You can also work out the RC / civil parish links using Lewis 1837 directory - see : http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/


Shane

RGM

shanew wrote: »

Bernard's brother Philip Henry has the most distinctive name of the family - and he's listed in Bailieborough, so I'd lean towards the Bailieborough birth for Bernard also......

Name: Philip Henry Sheridan
Registration district: Bailieborough
Event type: Birth
Quarter and year: Jan-Mar 1889
Volume: 2 / Page: 371

I think he was born and baptised late in 1888, and registered early the next year. A possible baptism for him shows up on the index, also in the parish of Mullagh - same match on parents first names.




Shane

This caught my attention, because: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_H._Sheridan

And, wouldn't you know it, his parents immigrated from Killinkere, which is halfway between Virginia and Bailiborough. That would be something if you could prove a distant relation. Unlikely, of course.