Kennedy Costigan

[Nibea]

I was wondering if anyone has any information about Laurence Kennedy and Elizabeth Costigan.  They are listed as the parents of my great great grandmother, Elizabeth Kennedy, on her marriage certificate.  Elizabeth had migrated to Australia and married John Lees 9 June 1856 in Bathurst, New South Wales.  She had previously been married to a man whose surname was "FitzPatrick".  I have found a birth for a Laurence Kennedy b. 24 May 1784 Freshford, Kilkenny on IGI.  There was also a birth for Elizabeth Costigan b. 13 Sep 1807 Freshford Parish, Kilkenny.  I am not sure if I am on the right track with Laurence Kennedy and Elizabeth Kennedy from Kilkenny, but I am hoping that someone may be able to throw some light on this mystery.

Thank you, Judith.

[Christopher]

Hello Judith,

What denomination were your Costigan and Kennedy ancestors?

You'll have to rely on Church records as civil registration in Ireland was not introduced until 1864. Non Catholic marriages were registered from 1845 onwards. When registration for BDMS started in 1864 some people didn't bother with the registration for a few years after that date. Keep your fingers crossed that church records still exist.

Christopher

[Nibea]

Hi Christopher,

I love the green hat!  Thanks for your reply to my message.  I think my Costigan and Kennedy ancestors were probably Roman Catholic.  Are there any church records with databases online for Ireland.  As you can see, I live in Australia, so have to rely on the Internet.

Thanks again, and best wishes,
Judith.

[Christopher]

Hello Judith,

I should have made a serious attempt to search for a similar hat this year as the one in the picture was a prop belonging to a friend when she took my photograph.

Many of the Kilkenny Catholic parish registers are in Local Custody of the parish, or have been indexed by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society, or can be found on microfilm at the NLI (National Library of Ireland) or at SLC (LDS Family History Centres). www.rootsweb.com/~irlkik/krecords.htm#churc

Christopher

[Nibea]

Hi Christopher,

Yes, you certainly need to have an appropriate hat for St. Patrick's Day!  Thank you for the web site.  I can see it's going to take a bit of searching.  So, I hope I have some happy hunting days ahead.

Best wishes,
Judith.