Derry birth 1850-53 help please!

[joemcl]

Hi folks,
I'm a new member......this is my first post.

I wonder if anyone can help me with my Ancestry search.I seem to have hit a brick wall.
My problem is that my Ancestors were illiterate so any docs i have has a different Surname spelling and birth dates and ages vary too!
My family name is Mclaney,I believe my Ancestors name could be Mcelhinney,my guess is that they are either from Derry or Donegal.....not 100% on this

Thomas Mcelhinney arrived in Glasgow sometime between 1850-55.
I know he married in 1856 in Glasgow to Catherine Owens from Cavan....he was 23yrs she was 19yrs...According to the marriage cert Thomas was a widower.

I don't know his first wife's details at all but i do know that they had a son John Mcelhinney who was born Derry....he died in England 1936 age 83yrs which would make his birth date abt1853.
I've tried searching online but can't find a John with a father called Thomas.
According to Thos wedding cert....his parents were John Mcelheney and Agnes Mitchell.

Any help would be much appreciated,Joe Mclaney,Glasgow.

[fifer1947]

1796 Index to Flaxgrowers Bounty shows 1 Thomas McElhinney in Donegal  (same spelling).

McElhinney   Thomas   Raphoe   Donegal   1 wheel

[aghadowey]

Welcome to Rootschat.

The first problem is that civil registration of births started in 1864- too late to get a birth certificate for son John Mcelhinney born c1853.

Next problem is that registration of Catholic marriages also started in 1864 (too late for the first marriage)- however, registration of non-Catholic marriages began in 1845 (this includes Registry Office marriages).

To find Irish ancestors for such an early period you need to see if church records exist.
Have a look at Introduction to Irish Records and My Ancestor came from Ireland - where do I start?.

[joemcl]

Thanks folks.....I never expected a reply so soon!

[familyroutes]

IFHF has a record of a JOSEPH McElhinney b.1851 Long Tower RC church  Derry with father Thomas.

[joemcl]

Hello Familyroutes,
many thanks for the info......i'll check them out.

I'm planning on making the pilgrimage in the near future with a visit to Belfast,Derry and Donegal to see if i can unearth my Ancestors.
It's so difficult tracing them without knowing the Townland etc....I've pretty much exhausted my online search so any help or advice in where to start would be extremley welcome!

A re-cap on the info i do have -

the family are Roman Catholic believed to be from Donegal/Derry

My 4 X Gr Grandfather - John Mcelheney wife: Agnes Mitchell
My 3 x Gr Grandfather - Thomas Mcelheney born Derry abt 1833  wife unknown
his son: John Mcelheney was born Derry abt 1851-53

Thomas moved to Glasgow sometime after John was born where he married Catherine Owens from Cavan in 1856...marriage cert shows that Thos was a widower,his father John deceased but his mother Agnes was still living. I'm unable to find a death Cert for her...tried from 1856 onwards
My biggest challenge has been the varying Surname spellings and birth dates.
Mcelheney,Mcelhinney,Mcelhoney, Maleny etc..

many thanks for looking,Joe.

[familyroutes]

familysearch http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start   has a record of the death of :

 Agnes M'Elhinney in the registration district of Letterkenny Co Donegal in the 1st quarter of 1886.
Her estimated DOB is 1796 and age at death was 90

Volume Number: 2
Page Number: 151

Also this site may of interest to you 
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~donegal/mcelhinneyresources.htm


This is interesting...  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~donegal/Aghanunshingv.htm

John McIlhenny and James Mitchell both living in the townland of  Loughnagin ... one of James' plots is next to one of John's.
You'll find them here...http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

[joemcl]

Hey Familyroutes, that's fantastic....looks promising,thank you very much!

[Bikerboy]

Joe, my 3 x gt grandfather was John McElhinney.

I'm descended through his son William born about 1832.

My John was married to Nancy Mitchell according to William's death cert.
If Nancy and Agnes are one and the same, then your Thomas and my William were brothers.

I've had the same problems as you tracing the family and I've had versions of the name you wouldn't believe.

My gt grandfather Alexander was married in St Johnstown, Donegal which is in All Saints parish and that's just opposite Aghanunshin across Lough Swilly.

As for the references to Derry, I've come across this too but its too vague to help. Look how close the two parishes are to the next county and Derry city for that matter.

Happy to share more if it helps.

Denis McElhinney  ex-pat Scot.