With KARLEE TWINER
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Each month, we publish a request or two that comes addressed to our genealogy expert Karlee Twiner, to assist with ideas and strategies that might help dismantle an Irish by Ancestry member’s brick wall.
This request comes from Abigail, who is seeking Catholic ancestors who emigrated from Co. Limerick to New York to Michigan in the 1800s.
QUESTION: Is there any chance you can point me toward potential sources I can search regarding the Co. Limerick, Ireland-born CO. members of my father’s maternal SHEEHEY/SHEEHY family, who were devout Catholics in the early 1800s?
I have done extensive research in the US records regarding this family, who were among the members of Michigan, USA’s first non-French speaking Catholic parish established by Irish immigrants in the 1830s.
Starting with the most distant in time:
• PATRICK SHEEHEY was born in Ireland, date/year unknown, and died 1828 in Ireland, both likely Co. Limerick. He was the 1st husband of
• HONORAH QUINN born 1796, Ireland (likely Co. Limerick), and died 25 Jan 1878 in Northfield, Washtenaw, Michigan and father to her only known child. Honorah 2nd married
• JEREMIAH KENNEDY/KENEDA, born 1802 Limerick, Ireland, and died April 1880 in Northfield, Washtenaw, Michigan. They emigrated in 1832 to Troy, NY with Honorah’s only known child
• PATRICK SHEEHEY/SHEEHY, born 6 Dec 1826 Limerick, Ireland, and died 16 Jan 1905 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan. In 1836, Honorah, Jeremiah, and Patrick moved to Northfield, Michigan to a 10-acre plot. Patrick Sheehey/Sheehy (1826-1905) married for his 1st and her 2nd marriage
• ALICE O’BRIEN HORRIGAN, born 15 Dec 1823 in Limerick, Ireland, and died 31 Jul 1904 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw, Michigan; Patrick and Alice had 4 children, all in Michigan, including JEREMIAH SHEEHY born 20 Jun 1857 Northfield, Michigan and died 23 Dec 1914 Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.
Clearly, all far too early for BMD registers in Ireland or any US or Canada immigration records known to me. If you are aware of record sets I should be looking at, please do share with me!
Thank you . . .
Abigail R. Eynon, J.D.
ANSWER:
Hi Abigail,
The best place to start would be for the most recent people who were born in Ireland, as you should always start with better known people and work backward. With Irish records it can be hard to find church records prior to the 1820s. It’s not impossible, however. Just remember that the penal laws in Ireland made being a Catholic really difficult. Whereas in the rest of the world Catholic records are amazing, in Ireland they are kind of the opposite. You can search catholic records on irishgenealogy.ie(free) or rootsireland.ie (paid).
RootsIreland does have a better user interface (UI), which just means that it’s easier to search and get the results that you’re looking for. I typically use both websites.
There is also the option of just scrolling through the catholic records on nli.ie (National Library of Ireland’s website). This is where the original images are from on RootsIreland. With RootsIreland, you are paying for the ability to search the index of these records, so it’s faster. But if you have time and just enjoy a challenge, all the same information is available for free through the National Library.
Also keep in mind that not all Catholic records are created equally between parishes and time periods. Some you will get a lot of information, such as mother’s maiden name, where the family lived, witnesses’ names, location, and sometimes relationship to the family. However, you are also likely to come across the ones that are sparse with just the name of the child, the parents, and the witnesses in the cases of baptisms. With burials it can be worse with just the name of the deceased and when they were interred. It may not even give the date of death. This is not to get you down on the prospects, but just to prepare you for what you might find. Either way, checking the church records is the best next step.
Happy searching,
Karlee
Do you have a tough question for Karlee? Send your request with the subject line Ask the Heritage Help Desk to stories@byancestry.com, and yours could be chosen for next month’s column.
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