Armagh Birth Information

[LynRennick]

Hi,

I'm trying desperately to find info on my husband's great grandfather, Thomas Rennick, born in Armagh (Montiaghs, Derrytagh North) in either 1839 or 1840. I can't go back any further with either him or his wife, Anne McCauley (who was born in Fermanagh.

I understand that there were no birth certificates, as such,  at that time but the birth would have been registered with the parish. Due to ill health I can't work and so I am on a small budget with regards to the tree. I don't want to pay out for any kind of cert if it's not going to have the information I need on it. Does anyone know if a parish cert going back that far would have the parents', or at least, the mother's name on it? I don't want to pay out if the only info available would be Thomas' name and his date of birth.

Thank you.

Lyn Rennick

[aghadowey]

In all the years I've been searching Irish records I've never heard of a parish birth registration.
Catholic churches and Church of Ireland ones both have parishes. These are not the same as the civil parishes which comprise of townlands and make up counties.
Civil registration of births started in 1864 so you are correct that there will be no birth certificate.
There might be a church baptismal record but to find the records (if they exist) you need to know the faily's religion and where they lived then check details of the local churches. The information in church records vary greatly so it's not possible to state what might be in those records.

[LynRennick]

In all the years I've been esearching Irish records I've never heard of a parish birth registration.
Catholic churches and Church of Ireland ones both have parishes. These are not the same as the civil parishes which comprise of townlands and make up counties.
Civil registration of births started in 1864 so you are correct that there will be no birth certificate.
There might be a church baptismal record but to find the records (if they exist) you need to know the faily's religion and where they lived then check details of the local churches. The information in church records vary greatly so it's not possible to state what might be in those records.

Oh right..thank you.

I know there is some kind of record of Thomas' birth but not what is on it. Someone elsewhere found a record for him being born in Armagh, whereas we had thought he'd been born in Sligo, where my husband comes from. Apparently, although my husband's grandfather, Alfred Rennick,  had been born in Sligo, 4 of his siblings had been born in Derry, so we then thought Thomas must have come from there,  but research found that he was actually born in Armagh, although his family didn't come from there. It would seem that his parents had been visiting Armagh at the time of his birth and then went back home (we think this could have been Fermanagh) afterwards. As you can see, it gets quite complicated.

The family were Roman Catholic but I don't know where they were staying at the time of Thomas' death, just that a birth record exists in Armagh (Montiaghs, Derrytagh North).

Thank you for your reply. :-)

Lyn

[aghadowey]

Very unusual for people to go visiting such a distance in those days (especially what was presumably a very pregnant woman) but stranger things have happened. If a child was born in Armagh he might have been christened very soon after birth in Armagh rather than the parents waiting until they returned home.
Sligo and Derry aren't that far from each other. Perhaps the father's occupation meant the family had to move.
IGI lists 6 children of Thomas and Anne:
1. Sarah Jane 1864 Londonderry (mother McCauley)
2. Edward 1866 Londonderry (Macaulay)
3. Joseph 1868 Co. Sligo (McCawley)
4. Alfred 1871 Co. Sligo (McCawley)
5. Teresa 1870 Co. Sligo (M'Cawley)
6. George Frederick 1878 Sligo, Co. Sligo (McCanlen)

[LynRennick]

Very unusual for people to go visiting such a distance in those days (especially what was presumably a very pregnant woman) but stranger things have happened. If a child was born in Armagh he might have been christened very soon after birth in Armagh rather than the parents waiting until they returned home.
Sligo and Derry aren't that far from each other. Perhaps the father's occupation meant the family had to move.
IGI lists 6 children of Thomas and Anne:
1. Sarah Jane 1864 Londonderry (mother McCauley)
2. Edward 1866 Londonderry (Macaulay)
3. Joseph 1868 Co. Sligo (McCawley)
4. Alfred 1871 Co. Sligo (McCawley)
5. Teresa 1870 Co. Sligo (M'Cawley)
6. George Frederick 1878 Sligo, Co. Sligo (McCanlen)

Hi,

Thank you.

I do have the children's names, although there were 8 not 6. Four were born in Derry and 4 after Thomas and Anne went to Sligo. There was a James and a Patrick also born in Derry. I know this for sure as a relative of my husband has the baptismal certificates for the 4 Derry-born children.

I'm a bit confused though. Can you tell me where you got the info for George Frederick and his mother being a "McCanlen"?

There's always been a lot of Rennicks in Fermanagh (Rennicks who are nothing to do with our Rennick family)..going back centuries, and as Anne McCauley was from Fermanagh, we assumed that this was where Thomas was from and how he met her, but we don't know for definite. A couple of Thomas' sons left Sligo and went to Fermanagh, Derry and Armagh, so we think there must have been family in all three places, as Thomas and Anne had been in all three themselves. There doesn't seem to be any sign of Rennick's in Armagh or Derry so it would seem that the family was on Anne's side, maybe her mother's family as we can't find McCauley's either.

The Rennicks are a hard lot to find. lol

Thank you.

Lyn

[aghadowey]

Children's births in IGI as I mentioned earlier. It is quite likely that McCanlen is a mis-spelling or mis-transcription of McCauley.

Civil registration of births began 1864 which is why earlier children aren't listed.

[LynRennick]

Children's births in IGI as I mentioned earlier. It is quite likely that McCanlen is a mis-spelling or mis-transcription of McCauley.

Civil registration of births began 1864 which is why earlier children aren't listed.

Ah..yes. I wasn't thinking...of course.

Thanks.

Lyn

[aghadowey]

Here's a few Rennicks who might or might not be connected (one never knows) from Londonderry Sentinel:

Death- 5 May 1854: On the 28th ult., in this City, James Rennick, Esq., late North Mayo Regiment, aged 64 years.
Death- 30 Apr.1858: On the 14th inst., Miss Margaret Rennick, at the residence of her brother, Mr. James Rennick, of Ballyreagh, near Enniskillen.