Marriage record hunt

L1011

While most of us are cooped up at home and doing various searches, I've got a missing marriage record I've looked for for so long that I'm bound to have missed something obvious. At this stage it won't reveal anything much to me, but its just become really irritating

Tenner to a charity of your choice if you find the civil or church record (2x10/1x20 if both turn up) for this one:

Maurice John Duffy and Ellen Boyle. Probably St Crones Arranmore Church*/ Glenties registration district but may have occurred in Strangford, Downpatrick registration district. Or anywhere at all really; Scotland would not be out of the question... RC is likely although he later remarried COI.

He gave a date of 03/07/1884 to his employers as the marriage date; but they had a child born 19/11/1881... however this being out of wedlock would not be a surprise at all.

*this is currently in the Kincasslagh/Burtonport parish but I believe used to be in the Templecrone "Dungloe" parish; not sure when this changed or if I'm imagining it

I have both their birth certs, both their death certs, all their childrens birth certs, Maurices remarriage (and her death), Maurices census records (she died in 1899), the works - this is just sitting there as an unsolved entity.

pinkypinky

Yeah, you're right, nothing in the civil or church records. What was Maurice's profession?

Going off the wall here, have you tried Ancestry's hint system?

Ancestry found a similarly missing marriage for me in another country but I knew enough about the people to judge it correct. I did a blog post about it here.

Cragaun

What is recorded for Ellen Boyle on the first few birth records, married name Duffy nee Boyle or just Boyle?

L1011

RIC officer, was fined and transferred for consorting with a local woman (that first pregnancy!) but she moved over to his new posting and back/forth to give birth for the next few kids. And eventually back to die

Hints sytem has brought up nothing but I did suspect Scotland; a ScotlandsPeople search turned up nothing related to the marriage a few years ago.

Duffy nee Boyle on the 1881 cert; and Ellen Duffy as the informant name.


There are very poor church records for the Arranmore church so I always wondered if there may have been an unregistered religious-only marriage done; as RIC officers weren't allowed marry for a period of time after joining. I'd presume that wouldn't have been legal though (the non-registration element)

pinkypinky

7 years in the RIC before they were allowed to marry, but reduced to 6 if the man's father was also RIC.
They were not allowed serve in either their home county or their wife's.

L1011

The provided 1884 date was +7 years from enlistment; their next child was over a year after the provided wedding date.

spurious

You probably have this, but his RIC record shows a second marriage 19th April 1900 to someone from Down.

L1011

spurious wrote: »

You probably have this, but his RIC record shows a second marriage 19th April 1900 to someone from Down.

Yes, rather sad story there that would take some time to recount but their child died after a few weeks and she died of TB in 1904 - same thing Ellen died of.

KildareFan

My great grandfather was in the RIC. His official marriage was in 1877, yet his first child was born in 1875; I have his civil marriage record which states he was married in 1877, but there's no church record to back this up. I guess he had a quiet religious ceremony in 1875 and the civil ceremony in 1877 to comply with RIC regulations.

pinkypinky

Is the official civil marriage in a church or registry office?

KildareFan

L1011 - you probably have all the information in Maurice's RIC record?
Service No 42389; joined 8th July 1876 aged 23, RC, 5ft 9.75ins, born Co Westmeath; recommended by D.I. Gardiner; occupation labourer; served in Donegal, Down & Antrim; married 3rd July 1884, wife from Donegal; was fined 80/- and transferred to another county in 18th Aug 1881 [possibly due to the birth of the first child]; fined 20/- 31st May 1886; his misdemeanours didn't prevent him being appointed Acting Sergeant 1st Feb 1893 & Sergeant 1st Oct 1897. His second marriage was 19th April 1900, wife in Co Down. Sadly, he was pensioned on 6th September 1900 on the grounds of being unfit to serve, due to ill health & insanity. His pension was first paid in Delvin Co Westmeath, but he moved to Glasgow in 1901 and his pension was collected from Glasgow Customs from 27th April 1901. He died 31st October 1911 - notes on his pension record refer to Jas R. Martin, funeral; Jas Spratt 157 Irongate lodging; Mrs H Brown 119 N. Parks St, debt.

L1011

I had the bits up until "insanity"!

Westmeath was he had family in 1901 and he's on the census there; had the 1911 census and death records from Glasgow but not those specific names from the pension record.

SophieLockhart

L1011 wrote: »

Duffy nee Boyle on the 1881 cert; and Ellen Duffy as the informant name.

That's interesting, I didn't know the informant could pretend to be married when they actually weren't. Maybe being from a different locality was a factor there.