I am seeking help on my Great Grandfather and Grandmother
Thomas Patrick McGuinness b. est 1858 in Ireland (county unknown) and d. 26 Sep 1893 in Belfast.
Catherine/Katherine Smyth. b. est. 1860 in Manchester? and d. 27 Sept 1936 in Sydney Aust.
Thomas' Father as listed on his marriage Certificate was John McGuinness - Labourer who had died before his marriage in 1885. I have no details of his mother.
I have marriage, and death certificates from GRONI, as well as birth certificates for his 5 children.
Before his marriage he is listed as living at 8 Marys St Belfast. Based on the PRONI Street directories for Belfast he was not listed at Mary St in 1884 (but could have been a boarder), but there is also a Marys Place shown but no names shown for the houses. After the Marriage he was living at 103 Leeson St and is in the 1887 directory.
The only John M'Guinness in the 1884 Directory is a clothes dealer which does not match his father. And no Johns or Thomas' in the 1880 directories which suggests they were not in Antrim before 1885.
I have scourered the available records but cannot find anything that provides a definite match for him, so any suggestions on where to search would be appreciated.
The family was Catholic so there may also be church records if I can find the correct names/dates.
His wife Catherine was born, according to death records, in Manchester, but it is believed her father at least was Irish. While I have reasonable records for her (except birth), I am seeking birth/death records for her parents, especially her father who also died before the marriage. He is listed as a shoemaker.
She lived prior to the marriage at 162 Leeson St, which was her brothers house, but not sure when they arrived in Belfast, and cannot be located in earlier directories.
Again any suggestions for searches would be much appreciated.
