Montgomery, Derrygonnelly/Enniskillen

[Matt62]

Hi,

I've been trying to find the record of a marriage which took place on the 26 November 1852 in Derrygonnelly (Devenish or Innishmacsaint parish?) between Ellen Montgomery and Peter Murphy. I have been looking through Devenish and Innishmacsaint parish records but my quest has so far proven fruitless. Ellen and Peter are my 3x great grandparents. I know nothing about them except their date of marriage in Derrygonnelly and that they "eloped" - according to my 2x great aunt Frances - that is, ran away from their families together, and emigrated to Glasgow in Scotland.

Ellen died on 12 December 1923, meaning that she would have been around 92 years old, an exceptionally long life I should think for back then. Her husband, Peter, predeceased her in 1887.

The Scottish records were easy to come by. I found them having a family of 8 in the 1881 census, one of the children being my 2x great grandfather Francis Charles Murphy, aged 16 at the time.

Ellen is described as having been born about "1831" in a family tree that I have, while Peter is thought to have been born around "1833". In the 1881 census Ellen's name is put down as "Helen".

Their son, my twice great grandfather Francis, became a confectioner (chocolate and sweetie maker).

Most of their other children moved to Boston in the USA, with only Francis Charles remaining in Scotland.

I would love to find some definite information on Ellen and Peter before they "eloped" to Glasgow.

Edit: I should add that one family tree I'm working from also says that they were married in "Enniskillen" while another says, "Derrygonnelly, Enniskillen". Although Derrygonnelly is not actually in Enniskillen (I don't know why the tree says this), it is near it (7 miles, I think) so I've also put Enniskillen in the title.

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   I cannot find the marriage but as to Enniskillen and Derrygonnelly I can tell you that Derrygonnelly is in Enniskillen registration district and may well have been a registration sub-district.

Regards

[Matt62]

Hi,
   I cannot find the marriage but as to Enniskillen and Derrygonnelly I can tell you that Derrygonnelly is in Enniskillen registration district and may well have been a registration sub-district.

Regards

Hi King 

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate any input. I had not known that Derrygonnelly was in Enniskillen registration distract. Everything I had read said that it was a few miles away from it. At least I can be confident that my sources are correct!

[aghadowey]

Helen is often used in Scotland whilst Ellen is more common in Ireland- just different versions of the same name.

Civil registration of Catholic marriages started in 1864 so if they were married in a Catholic ceremony then there'll only be a church record. Registration of non-Catholic marriages, including registry office ones started in 1845 and will appear in the online registration index on www.familysearch.org.

Added- it's not uncommon for someone outside Ireland to give the name of the nearest town for an event.

[Matt62]

Helen is often used in Scotland whilst Ellen is more common in Ireland- just different versions of the same name.

Civil registration of Catholic marriages started in 1864 so if they were married in a Catholic ceremony then there'll only be a church record. Registration of non-Catholic marriages, including registry office ones started in 1845 and will appear in the online registration index on www.familysearch.org.

Added- it's not uncommon for someone outside Ireland to give the name of the nearest town for an event.

Hello aghadowey! 

All very useful information, once again I am grateful for the help. The rumour I had heard in my family (can they be trusted?  ) was that Ellen was Protestant and Peter Catholic. I imagine that if this was the case then she probably converted and so their marriage would have been Catholic, as her children were. Nonetheless, since that is merely an assumption on my part, I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the Protestant/non-Catholic marriages.

Again, thanks!

[mcdonaldaz]

My sister Grace is doing research on our family’s tree and came across this posting. We are related to Peter Murphy and Ellen Montgomery. Our great-great grandmother was Annie Murphy, who was the eldest daughter of Peter and Ellen. She lived in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and married Alexander Pitkethly. Their daughter Ellen Montgomery Pitkethly was our great-grandmother. And the name Ellen is prominent in our family. We’d love to get more information about the family tree. Can you give us more information about the records you accessed? Can you tell us where Peter and Ellen were from originally? Were Peter’s parents John Murphy and Catherine Flannigan? That is something we have seen on Ancestry.com. Any information would be helpful. Thank you, Dan McDonald (and Grace McAfee-who had difficulty registering to post a comment!)

[Gmcafee]

Matt62,
I am Grace, mcdonaldaz's sister.  I just wanted to add that Annie Murphy was not in the 1881 Scotland Census, she was in the 1861 and 1871 Census.  She moved to Boston in 1875 or 1876.

I am sorry I can not give you any information on Peter and Ellen, but I can give you information on Annie's family in Boston (if you'd like).  I would love to hear about your family.  I have a photo of Annie and would love to see any family photos you have.

aghadowey
My husband and I have been talking about going to Northern Ireland next year.  His family is from Aghadowey and I would love to know what he knows about the McAfee family.

My husbands Grandfather Daniel McAfee born 11 July 1877 Aghadowey, Married Elizabeth O'Reilly of Garvagh on 10 April 1913.  His parents William McAfee and Mary Ann McGraw married on 15 November 1868.  He had 3 brothers all born in Aghadowey John 3 April 1869, William 2 June 1872 and James 6 April 1874 and 1 sister Mary born 22 Feb 1876.  I am looking for information on what happened to the family, where to look up family prior to William and Mary Ann and what to see in Aghadowey.

[aghadowey]

aghadowey
My husband and I have been talking about going to Northern Ireland next year.  His family is from Aghadowey and I would love to know what he knows about the McAfee family.

My husbands Grandfather Daniel McAfee born 11 July 1877 Aghadowey, Married Elizabeth O'Reilly of Garvagh on 10 April 1913.  His parents William McAfee and Mary Ann McGraw married on 15 November 1868.  He had 3 brothers all born in Aghadowey John 3 April 1869, William 2 June 1872 and James 6 April 1874 and 1 sister Mary born 22 Feb 1876.  I am looking for information on what happened to the family, where to look up family prior to William and Mary Ann and what to see in Aghadowey.

Small world  The McAfees were blacksmiths in Clarehill, Aghadowey Parish (just down the road from us) and there is still a relative living there who is a very dear friend of ours. I think I even have an old photo of the house. If you start a new thread for McAfees on the Derry/Londonderry board I can give you LOTS of details on William McAfee & his parents, siblings, etc. Might also have information on McGraws but will have to check.

[Matt62]

Hello Dan & Grace,

I am so pleased that you have replied to this thread. What a small world it is! I honestly had not anticipated that any descendants of Peter & Ellen would find the thread, so this is a welcome surprise.

I would be more than happy to provide both of you with the information that I have and furthermore it would be wonderful to receive anything that you have.

The name Ellen is prominent in my family too. My great-great grandfather Francis Charles (Annie's younger brother) called one of his daughters Ellen (and she also had the name Montgomery added as part of her full name). I have a photograph of him that I would be happy to give both of you. He would be - I believe - your great-great Uncle, while Annie would be my 3x great Aunt. He became a confectioner and owned a shop in Glasgow where he made sweet treats. During WW1 he lost one of his sons and also won recognition for saving lives when working with the ambulance services. I have a lot more that I can tell you.

I do recall my grandfather mentioning all the names of his aunts and uncles that immigrated to the USA. He did mention a "great auntie Annie" and I found it strange that she was not mentioned on the 1881 census. Now, I have the answer.

I should add that my great grandfather Robert Murphy briefly immigrated to Boston, USA in 1923 to look for work and to meet up with his family over there. His sister, Ellen, had already immigrated to the USA just after WW1 and she married a man with the surname of "Lynch". I believe that her family live in Boston today as well like her aunts and uncles did before her.

To be honest, I know little as of yet about Ellen and Peter compared with what I know about my gg grandfather Francis Charles' life and family. I'm still researching it.

I do know, as a mentioned in the initial post, that they both "eloped". My grandfather heard this story from his aunt Frances (Francis Charles' daughter). She said that they ran away from their families to marry each other, which hints at something interesting.

My email address is (*)

Please give me an email and I will send you through what information I have (including photographs).

Best wishes to you both,

Sean Matthew

(*) Moderator comment: email address removed in accordance with Rootschat policies to prevent spam and other internet abuses. Please use the personal message system to exchange this information.