NLI Online Catholic Registers versus RootsIreland data

[maggbill]

Thanks for this confirmation about the rootsireland registers Gaffy.

So, being convinced that my Johnstons are Catholic, I presume that I should discount the Baptisms/Death entry I have found on Rootsireland - being just pure coincidence that the dates and combinations of names all seemed to fit!!!!!  My Johnstons were definitely from Tyrone.... and I just can't get past the fact that it all seemed to fall into place... oh dear... now, I don't suppose it could be a case of the son Joseph marrying in the Catholic church... but that his parents weren't catholics??? rather unlikely...... Mystery, mystery....

[gaffy]

So, being convinced that my Johnstons are Catholic, I presume that I should discount the Baptisms/Death entry I have found on Rootsireland - being just pure coincidence that the dates and combinations of names all seemed to fit!!!!!

I think you may have to, the names are very common, most Johnstons were protestant, a significant amount weren't.

[maggbill]

Thanks for that Gaffy.....
I continue to battle my Irish "brickwalls".... without great success!!  So many "dead ends", and "maybes"..... Like many, my "Scottish" family turns out to be all Irish before the mid 1800's... would love it if all my history was Scottish - much easier to work with.  Oh well, ... maybe one day...!!!
Cheers
Maggs

[aghadowey]

I really wouldn't rule out anything at this stage.

Start with the English marriage that you have (1st Catholic record in the family). If it was a mixed marriage but took place in a Catholic church then there's a good chance that the non-catholic party might have converted shortly before the marriage (in Ireland I've found instances of quite a few brides being baptised on or a few days before the wedding).

It's still possible that the Johnstons were Catholic in Ireland even if the presumably Church of Ireland burial entry is your ancestor. As the Church of Ireland was the Established (i.e. State) Church and everyone had to pay tithes at one time then other religions did use the C. of I. graveyard.

[maggbill]

Thanks very much for the input Aghadowey.

I had never thought of looking for a baptism just before the Catholic marriage in Glasgow - mind you the marriage was in 1853 (and I have the catholic church entry and also the OPR entry of their banns) - so would have to look for a Catholic baptism record... might try it, though a long shot. 

I can certainly understand your comment about the Death/burial of catholic Robert J. in 1857 - maybe being buried in a C. of I. graveyard, though catholic ...  But  I  also have on the same Roots.ie. index, a baptism for Joseph Johnstone about 1836... so that would have to be a Protestant baptism??  (his father named as Robert Johnstone and Mother Elizabeth... correct names for this ?direct ancestor of mine). 

I should maybe make a list of my true "irish mysteries"... and get the services of a professional genealogist to work on them - or do the professionals only deal with the easy ones lolol!!

[aghadowey]

... I can certainly understand your comment about the Death/burial of catholic Robert J. in 1857 - maybe being buried in a C. of I. graveyard, though catholic ...  But  I  also have on the same Roots.ie. index, a baptism for Joseph Johnstone about 1836... so that would have to be a Protestant baptism??  (his father named as Robert Johnstone and Mother Elizabeth... correct names for this ?direct ancestor of mine). 

If it was in the church of Ireland baptismal register then it would have been a C.of I. baptism.

[maggbill]

Hi Aghadowey,

Yes, you are right.... so basically the mystery still remains, and I don't think I have ways of proving whether this is my Robert Johnston and Elizabeth -- (should be Smith, but no surname in rootsie record).  Not can I take the baptism for Joseph Johnston to be mine, unless he was originally a Church of Ireland - becoming Catholic later - and again.... no record of this found.

Oh well, at least I continue to live and learn - that for example the Roots.ie records are generally in fact C of I.  Will hold on to the info found, cos though not verifiable now, who knows about the future?    Thanks again for your input.