Determining county of origin in Ireland using GRO

Bridgets Girl · 31-08-2014 5:47pm #1

Hello! My relatives are conflicted as to the county of origin for my gr-grandmother, Bridget Donovan; it is either Waterford or Cork.

In Waterford, I found a lot of Bridget Donovans who were born in 1868 on the GRO, but since they do not mention the parents' names, I have no idea how to narrow them down. I may be able to locate some on Ancestry.com to rule them out, but I know I never found that many on there. Is there a way to find out the names of the parents without having to pay for approx. 12 birth record copies? :-(

I do not know for sure that my Bridget was born in Waterford. The sole reason I connected her with Waterford is because the only document I found with her parents' (Patrick & Mary's) names on it was a Bridget born there in 1866. All other records from the U.S. indicate she was born in 1867-68 (except for an errant one that says 1861!).

The only other piece of info I have is that Bridget had a younger brother, Jimmy.

Any ideas for me? Thanks for your thoughts.

Tracey

Coolnabacky1873 · 31-08-2014 6:37pm

Hi Tracey,

I'll like to try and help from the U.S. side. If you don't mind my asking, what was the U.S. document with parents' names? Also, what state did she live in? If she was in the U.S. in the 1870-1940 period then I might be able to direct you towards U.S. records that could provide more information.

Bridgets Girl · 31-08-2014 8:13pm

Hello! I got her parents' names from her death certificate and she lived in Reading, PA. I tried the Dept. of Homeland Security to check for naturalization records and also what would have been her local courthouse and neither had anything even though on one census record it indicated she was naturalized in 1899. I know the census can be incorrect though, especially seeing that they even have her birthday different on different censuses! :-(

Thank you,
Tracey

KildareFan · 31-08-2014 9:39pm

Waterford County library has death registers online, with details on date, cause of death, informants. A lot of patrick donovans turn up: this one might be relevant as he had a son James. The ages don't match, but there are a few Donovans in the Cappoquin area of Co Waterford:
Certificate No::
392
Date of Death: 1 Dec 1893
Place of Death: Barrack Street, Cappaquin
Name: Donovan, Patrick
Age at Death: 82
Rank: Labourer
Condition: Married
Cause of Death: Senile decay
Informant: Donovan, James
Qualification: Son present at death
Residence: Barrack Street, Cappaquin
District: Cappoquin Union: Lismore

Certificate No:: 32
Date of Death: 15 Nov 1887
Place of Death: Barrack St
Name: Donovan, Mary
Age at Death: 76
Rank: Labourers widow
Condition: Widow
Cause of Death: Debility
Informant: Donovan, Michael
Qualification: Son present at death
Residence: Barrack St
District: Cappoquin
Union: Lismore

To find the database go to http://locdat.waterfordcountylibrary.ie/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=death
In the search window enter the surname, name [e.g. Donovan, Patrick], this will give you a list of records where Patrick Donovan was either the dead person, or the informant.

The James Donovan referred to above was living in Barrack street, Cappoquin, in the 1901 census, unmarried, aged 55, with his brother Michael aged 57 http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Waterford/Cappoquin/Barrack_Street/1757691/;

Coolnabacky1873 · 31-08-2014 10:14pm

Bridgets Girl wrote: »

I tried the Dept. of Homeland Security to check for naturalization records and also what would have been her local courthouse and neither had anything even though on one census record it indicated she was naturalized in 1899.

Before 1922, female immigrants did not need to apply for naturalization as they became citizens automatically if they married a citizen or their husband naturalized [this also applied to any immigrant children]. For the vast majority of females this was the case, unless, of course, they never married.

Unluckily, I've found in my research that PA has less resources than other states that will definitely give an Irish place of origin. Some suggestions, many or all of which you may have already consulted:

A headstone (if exists) and burial record from the cemetery

Probate records, especially if they died intestate (without a will). They are usually at the county surrogates court

If you can, try and find the passenger list. Before 1892, there was no legal obligation to record the part of the country that immigrants came from, but some passenger lists have this information.

Look at some of the surnames of their neighbors if they lived in a strongly Irish area and consultThe Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght to see if any are 'Waterford names' e.g. Aherne

Obituaries, and look out for a statement at the end of it such as 'Waterford and Dungarvan papers please copy'

Local newspapers for any emigrant/Catholic/whatever societies that they may have been a part of. Articles about meetings, events, etc. can sometimes say county of origin

Was their a primary occupation that the men of the area engaged in, such as mining? Sometimes chain migration brought people from a part of Ireland that had worked in those industries

Do all of these for the brother, Jimmy, too, if he was an immigrant. He is as likely (and sadly, unlikely!) to lead you to the Irish place of origin
Lastly, some general advice. You have an indication of where they may have come from in Ireland. Let it guide your research, but don't get tunnel vision about Cork and/or Waterford. Bridget, daughter of Patrick and Mary Donovan, will probably be very, very common, so don't latch onto the first example you find where the years broadly match up. It's a long hard road of research, but the evidence has to be there to claim them as your own.

blue banana · 01-09-2014 3:38pm

Bridgets Girl · 01-09-2014 3:47pm

Thank you all so much! I have found her finally and really appreciate all your links and assistance. I'm sure I will be referring to them time and again to search for siblings/other relatives! Have a great day.

Bridgets Girl · 01-09-2014 3:52pm

Coolnabacky, the passenger lists are a nightmare as there are a bazillion Bridget Donovans....LOL. I checked everything on your list except for probate records, neighbor surnames, and local church societies. I will check into these for fun and just in case I can find further sources to back up my research.

Many thanks!

Determining county of origin in Ireland using GRO

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