Michael Collins

[daizedoo]

Hello,
I'm looking specifically for Michael Collins family. He was my GG grandfather, married to Anne Walsh (28 Dec 1875) in Ballysakeery Church. They left Ireland for the US in 1880. I have their marriage record, and two baptism records for the daughters baptized in Errew. Michael died in Chicago, IL in 1904, and his death record states his birth date was 04 Aug 1855.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1875/11223/8113895.pdf

The marriage record states he was was residing in Errew, and his father was John Collins, a carpenter. John is my only breadcrumb for the Collins family. I don't know anything about John other than his name and occupation. I searched the Griffith Valuation for him in a few townlands in Mayo. There's either no Collins families or nothing stands out. I don't see him on the 1901 census in Mayo, I assume he would be in his 70s. Without John, Michael immigrating, and not knowing any other names, I can't connect the dots.

I've tried searching baptism records for Michael Collins, father John with a year range of 1850-1855, but nothing in Mayo. A few records that might match up in other counties, the closest being Galway. I need a few tips on what to do next to locate the Collins family! Thank you!

[Maiden Stone]

Extend search years for Michael's baptism. He was allegedly of "full age" i.e. 21 or over at his marriage in 1875,  so if that was correct, d.o.b. stated at death was wrong. Judging by my relatives and other Irish people alive at this time, ages can be a decade out, or even more.

[hallmark]

Stuff on this thread too....

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=796635.msg6535810#msg6535810

[daizedoo]

Extend search years for Michael's baptism. He was allegedly of "full age" i.e. 21 or over at his marriage in 1875,  so if that was correct, d.o.b. stated at death was wrong. Judging by my relatives and other Irish people alive at this time, ages can be a decade out, or even more.

Thanks for your reply! That's a good idea....I'm not sure how much farther out I should extend past 1850 though, since the immigration record shows he was 27 on the ship to NY in 1880. That would put his birth year in the range I was searching, between 1850 and 1855. The other two US Censuses he was on were in that range as well. I definitely think the death record data could be wrong.

I located one of his daughter's birth records in the US, and it states he was born in Errew.

[daizedoo]

Stuff on this thread too....

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=796635.msg6535810#msg6535810

Thank you, that is also my post 

[hallmark]

Yes....just posted so others don't waste their time and wifi searching for what has already been found!

[Maiden Stone]

Extend search years for Michael's baptism. He was allegedly of "full age" i.e. 21 or over at his marriage in 1875,  so if that was correct, d.o.b. stated at death was wrong. Judging by my relatives and other Irish people alive at this time, ages can be a decade out, or even more.

Thanks for your reply! That's a good idea....I'm not sure how much farther out I should extend past 1850 though, since the immigration record shows he was 27 on the ship to NY in 1880. That would put his birth year in the range I was searching, between 1850 and 1855. The other two US Censuses he was on were in that range as well. I definitely think the death record data could be wrong.

I located one of his daughter's birth records in the US, and it states he was born in Errew.

Age on death certificates was generally least reliable. The birthday in August may be correct- it's a few days after the feast of Lunasa so it would have been an easy date to remember.
Many Irish people of this era didn't know how old they were. Some knew or had a good idea but chose to put a different age on a document for their own reasons. Some of Michael's contemporaries in my family aged 20 years in between Irish 1901 & 1911 census. This was common. (Old age pensions were introduced in 1909 prompting people above and approching pension age to seek proof of age.) Age like truth was flexible.

You know that Michael was/believed himself to be/wanted to be/could pass for 21 or over at his marriage. Similarly Michael was/believed himself to be/wanted to be/ could pass for 27 on entry to U.S. in 1880. I would choose 1852 as a likely birth year and search + or - 5 years , then go back another 5 years.

Have you checked years of coverage of baptism registers for Errew? No point in searching for a baptism if the record doesn't exist.  Have you looked at parishes nearby?
 Have you looked at the microfilmed registers registers for 1850-1855 or have you been relying on searching for Michael by using online indexes or transcriptions? Neither are totally reliable. Among errors I've found in transcriptions of Irish Catholic registers are: Initial letter of surname incorrectly transcribed; Latin version of Christian name incorrectly translated to wrong gender so that baby became John instead of Joan/Jane/Joanna or vice-versa or was born to parents John & John or Joan & Joan; A batch of baptisms entered under mother's maiden surname instead of father's.

[Maiden Stone]

Yes....just posted so others don't waste their time and wifi searching for what has already been found!

Thanks hallmark.

[Maiden Stone]

I assume that Errew where Michael lived and was possibly born was the one in Crossmolina civil parish, Tirawley barony, Baiina Poor Law Union in County Mayo. According to https://www.swilson.info  the linked R.C. parish is Crossmolina in Killala diocese, with church/chapels at Kilmurra (1785) and Crossmolina (1806). National Library of Ireland website has microfilms Crossmolina baptism registers online for August 1831-August 1841 and April 1845-December 1880.

Another Errew in Mayo is in Balllyhean civil parish, Carra barony, Castlebar PLU. Linked R.C. parish Eglish (or Aglish), Ballyheane & Breaghfy in Tuam Archdiocese. Churches/chapels at Castlebar and Ballyhane. (Btw those are all variant spellings of Ballyhean.)
 There are also 2 places called Errew in Co. Leitrim.

A few more things to consider.
Michael may have lived in Errew as a child but may not have been born there. There was a custom for a woman to have her 1st baby at her mother's home. Maternal grandparents would arrange for priest at their church to baptise baby. Michael's mother may have been staying with relatives for some other reason when he was born.
Michael's father was a carpenter. He might have gone where he could find work. Wife & children may have gone with him, remained home or stayed with relatives. People went back & forth across Irish sea. Check birth registrations in Britain, just in case. They began 1837 in England & Wales, 1855(?) in Scotland. GRO index (England & Wales) is free to search. Obvious place to go from Mayo was Lancashire. Lancashire BMD is a volunteer site and is not complete but you can search as many years as you want at one go. Mother's maiden names are being added to GRO and Lancashire BMD. Lancashire Parish Clerks is another volunteer site which has added some R.C. parish registers recently. Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society site has an index to some Manchester Catholic registers.  Other free sites are FreeReg, FreeBMD and of course Family Search.  Merseyside and Midlands are 2 other regions with high Irish populations.  Look for Michael and/or his dad on English census 1851, 1861 & 1871. Members of my Irish families went to & fro, so could turn up on an English or Irish census or be missing. One woman had alternate children in both countries until finally settling in England. There's even 1 Mayo family who went to U.S.A. for a while, had 2 sons there, then returned across the ocean and remained in England.