Malletts of Tuam - where do I start?

[coffeecup12]

Hi,

For several years I had assumed that I would never be able to trace my Irish ancestors and was at a complete dead end. Until that is, the 1911 census came online and suddenly there was a place name - TUAM Galway!

I am hoping to trace the MALLETT family. They arrived in Burtonwood Lancashire between 1846 and 1851 where they first appear on the census; Class: HO107; Piece: 2202; Folio: 264; Page: 21

John Mallett was born c1817, his wife Catherine (Joys) c1821. Their first two children were also from Ireland. John 1844 and Mary 1846. I have traced the son John up until the 1911 census when he said that he was born in Tuam. No other census gives any indication of a birth place. This "fact" is all I have.

His English born daughter (my gt gt gt grandmother) married in a Roman Catholic church so I am guessing that they were a Catholic family.

I've been looking through the records on brsgenealogy.com but they are not providing any conclusive results.

Please please please can someone point me in the right direction? I'm keen to start searching and don't know where to look.

Thanks!

[shanew147]

with the dates before civil registration started (1864) the parish records are the best place to search. Other than searching the parish register microfilms at the National Library the IFHF is a good place to search.

I image Mallett is not a common name - esp. in the West of Ireland

I see no sign of the surname in or around Tuam, in any of the commercial directories I have for that timeframe (1824, 1846) - but the name does occur elsewhere. These directories only include gentry and trades-people for these editions so if they were farmers oe employees they may not be listed.

I dont know if any of the family remained in Ireland but there are a few Mallets in Ireland on Griffiths Valuation (c1860s) - but none in Co. Galway.

Antrim x2, Cork x1, Dublin x3, Wexford x1

link : http://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie/gv4/gv_start.php


Shane

[coffeecup12]

Thanks Shane,

That was really informative.

I don't suppose they would have appeared in a directory as his occupation in 1851 was a humble agriculatural labourer but as they managed to accomodate eleven Irish lodgers in the same house I do wonder if he had a little money to afford to rent some room, or that they were simply squeezed together like sardines in a tin.

I'm not aware of any other relatives in Ireland but I also didn't realise it was a such a rare name. When I been searching close matches have included names such as Mylott, Mellet, Milotte. Could it be a variation of Malley, or O'Malley? I don't know.

I'll certainly look to see what the National Library hold. Thanks very much for the tip.

Much appreciated.