birth or emmigration record Mary O'Malley

[mapleglen]

Mary O'Malley (or Malley or Maila...seen it spelled all three ways on US records for this person.)
US census of 1860 has her living with her husband Timothy McNulty in Sebastopol (a suburb of Pittston PA composed mainly of coal miners). Her age given would place her birth around 1836.
We did not find a record of their marriage when we visited the Mayo genealogy center in Ballinrobe . A 1903 History of Luzerne County PA says she is a Mayo native who immigrated in the early part of 1854. Cannot place her other than in Mayo county. Looking for a town or parish of birth and parents.

I can bring her line forward for anyone interested...all her children & husbands/wives...and two of the lines to present day.

[aghadowey]

Since civil registration of births in Ireland only started in 1864 (and Catholic marriages in 1864) it will be difficult to find any information so far back without having a more exact place tom search (Parish name if not townland of residence).

[mapleglen]

Thank-you for the information. I'll have to try to find something here then, that might give a reference to where she was born. Possibly an obituary. Having the same problem with her husband Timothy McNulty. Very difficult to discover anything from the early 1800's without a specific town or parish.

[heywood]

Hello,
the only suggestions I can make from similar experiences is to look at all censuses:

Did they, in later censuses have relatives from Ireland emigrate to them--- if so- Ellis Island site might be of some help - but they do need to be much later arrivals than your ancestors
Look at their neighbours - often they would be from the same place and occasionally you may get a lead
Obituaries as you say may help

I say this because I have looked at people from the same townlands/parish who emigrated to Dunmore/Scranton etc - lots of Ballina and area connections.
The early arrivals we can only presume where they came from but we have been able to link certain individuals. Malley is a comon name to Mayo - as is Mc Nulty when you look at Griffiths - both names I know are in my family area - we were Malley (known as O'Malley/ Malia etc).

It isn't going to be easy
best wishes
heywood

[mapleglen]

Thank-you for the suggestions and encouragement. Ran into a brick wall with a death certificate for Timothy McNulty...Luzerne county records do not go back to 1873-1880, nor does St. John's, the church I know they attended (found baptism records for their children). In both cases fire destroyed them. Will be hard finding an obit without even an exact year.
Was hoping for a headstone but searching the church graveyard turned up nothing...miners wages probably didn't cover such things.
And records are even more scant for women. Should I find anything I'll post the info in case we have a connection.

[heywood]

I know how hard it is- St Rose Church Scranton (I think it was there) also had a fire! It is so frustrating but as you are looking at such an early period it is even more so.

best wishes
heywood