Matthew Fortescue

[SearchingJerry]

Dear experts,

Can any one advice me. I am looking for Matthew Fortescue Wood from county Louth. I have seen that there are very many Matthew Fortescue's in Louth. Does this name have a special meaning? Might I be able to use it to get more information about this person?

Kind regards,
SearchingJerry

[hedgehog330]

Matthew Fortescues were 3 members of a family who were landowners in County Louth at Stephenstown. They were very generous landords and went broke eventually. See www.fortescue.org. Searching for Irish relatives is very difficult as most of the Irish records were destroyed in the "Troubles" I do not know of any Matthew Fortescue Wood. There was also a Matthew Fortescue Of Dundalk - of the same Fortescue Branch

[aghadowey]

Welcome to Rootschat to both of you.
Jerry- you haven't mentioned any dates but do let us know and we'll try to find you information or suggest where to search next. Your Matthew Fortescue Wood could have been named for a relative, friend of the family, local doctor, teacher, landlord, etc.
hedgehog- Irish research is difficult wthout knowing a family's name and religion to start with (as it probably would be in any country) but most Irish records were not destroyed in the 1920s. Some census, church records (C. of I.) and other documents were but other census records were pulped by the government after population figures were extracted. Civil registration of births, deaths and Catholic marriages started in 1864 (other marriages from 1845) and all these records survive.

[SearchingJerry]

Hi Aghadowey and Hedgehog,

Thanks for getting back to me

Matthew Fortescue was born in 1829 in Louth
His Father was Robert Bruce Wood in 1780 in Sephenstown, Louth
His Mother Grace Ferguson in 1788 in Neilston, Scotland

So I guess their religion was Protestant

SearchingJerry

[aghadowey]

To find church recods, if they exist, you need to know what religion they were such as Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.
Have you searched any Irish records looking for Matthew, his parents, family, etc. already or are you just wanting to know about the story behind Matthew's name?

[SearchingJerry]

I am trying to track down his ancestry. I have not visited Louth for this purpose, I think I will in the coming years. I have tried all the on-line sources that I am aware off.

He was buried. St. Nicholas in Dundalk, which due to your kind suggestion I have just found out is a Roman Catholic Church.

Any tips would be most gratefully received. 

[aghadowey]

There's also a Parish church of St. Nicholas (Church of Ireland) in Dundalk. Based on your thought that the family were Protestant you might want to consider there-
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/church_gallery_popup.jsp?church_sakey=86

[aghadowey]

Index to civil registration is online (starts 1864) and I can't find a death for a Grace Woods but there's one for a Robert Woods died 1864 Dundalk district age 82 (so born c1782 which isn't far off your date) volume 2 page 732. Unfortunately death certificates don't give much detail so even if it's your Robert Bruce Wood it may not help. See here for Intro to Irish records-
www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,442233.0.html

I can't see an obvious death registration of Matthew but perhaps he didn't stay in Ireland or didn't die in Co. Louth?

[SearchingJerry]

Thank you very much, that makes more sense. 

Would you have any more recommendations (links, organization I might contact) how I might progress with my research.
J