Calling the advanced genealogists!

[xpress4]

In your opinions, if members of a family offer Mountrath as their place of birth on documentation but when Catholic and Protestant church records are checked, they show none of them, what would your next course of action be? In early 19th century Queens County, could some families have not recorded their births?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I can't see how a whole family could go missing!

Brenda

[aghadowey]

Civil registration of births in Ireland began in 1864 so for earlier dates there would have been no birth certificates. People didn't need lots of paperwork for proof of age and some were not literate. Many people would not have known their exact date or place of birth.

Sometimes baptisms are missing from registers or children were not baptised as infants. Some families moved around and children might remember going to one particular church but not realise that they were actually baptised wherever the family lived earlier.

You mention checking Catholic and Protestant records so is it possible that you're not sure what religion the family might have been? If you checked 'Protestant' records which church/churches did you actually check- Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.?

[xpress4]

Thanks for your reply Aghadowey.

You're right, I'm not sure of their religion. Later generations that moved to England were members of the Church of England. A couple of girls married into Catholic families though (don't know how well that would have gone over).

Church of Ireland and Catholic records are all that have been checked. I live in the States and paid for a few hours of a researchers time to search the records already covered as well as my own search of the LDS records in microfilm. I'm not sure where to locate records for the other religions.

[aghadowey]

It could be that other church records (if any) did not survive.

[xpress4]

I may have to face the fact that I'll never know. It's hard to swallow after eight years of digging. You feel as though if you just look at one more item, you'll find it. That they must have left a trail somewhere...pretty heartbreaking really.
l
Well, thank you anyway aghadowey, I realy appreciate your time!

Brenda

[hyfreelo]

What surnames are you researching in Laois and what time period?Bill

[LH]

Hi

Mountrath had a strong Methodist following and I'm pretty sure there was a Methodist Chapel in the area during the 1800s.

If you give the surname(s), someone may be able to assist.

Cheers

[Jack2227]

Express 4
Give us the surname and we'll see what we can come up with,
Jack

[Cog]

XPress 4

I know that this will probably not help how you feel in your research, and I dont have an answer, Just wanted to share an experience.

I searched for 15 years for the family of my GGgrandmother from Clare, census pages told me she was born in Kilbaha in 1845.  This coincided with a time when there were no parish records because the landlords of the time would not allow a church there.  On questioning elderly family members for years and coming up with nothing....last year a chance discussion with an elderly relative, after visiting my GGGrandmothers birhtplace, I talked about a family tragedy that had happend in 1897, my elderly aunt remembered my grandmother talking about this tragedy and who it had involved.  With this information I was able to piece family members together, members that had the same name in the same area as my GGgrandmther but without this information I would never have been able to connect them.  I have since found newspaper accounts on this tragedy and verified that the were in fact the same family.  What I am trying to say is that dont give up you never know what you might come across or who you might find yourself talking to, parish and civil records are not always the only way.  Keep the faith,

Carol