Hi everyone,
I'm trying to hunt down some info on an ancestor of mine and I've hit a bit of a brick wall, so I'm hoping that perhaps I might be able to find some help to where to continue my search (or maybe even someone who shares this common ancestor!)
The person I am looking for is;
Michael John Barry (he was listed as 'Berry' on one early census)
Born 1846 Newbliss, Co Monaghan, Ireland
Died 3 MAY 1908 Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
I know he was born in Newbliss but left when he was very young (under 5 years old) between 1946 and 1950. The family was Roman Catholic.
I believe his parents were;
John Barry (or Berry)
1781–1856
BIRTH ABT 1781 • Monaghan, Ireland
DEATH OCTOBER 1856 • Bradford, Yorkshire West Riding
Ellen Barry (or Berry)
1804–
BIRTH ABT 1804 • Monaghan, Ireland
DEATH sometime after 1880 Bradford, Yorkshire West Riding
I also think his parents may have spent some time in Armagh (some of the older kids in the family list Armagh as a birthplace, but the younger ones are all Monaghan).
He had siblings named Francis, Nancy, Ellen, Phillip (or Fell), John and James that I know of.
My ancestor definitely went by the surname Barry during his adult life, however on some early census records in Bradford they are listed as 'Berry' (it is clearly the same household so I assume they either changed their name, it was recorded wrongly, or they were simply illiterate - none of which would be unusual for the time).
I am trying to find any info on the family, even relatives who were around at the same time. I know Barry isnt too common in this part of the country (atleast not as much as in the south) so I'm hoping that may atleast help narrow my search down. I know about all the usual challenges of Irish genealogy from this era, but I'm wondering if there are any other avenues I can explore? (i've searched ancestry.com, finemypast and rootsireland). I can find a few odd Barrys and Berrys but nothing that really matches up with what i know.
Does anyone know if all the records from this area are available online or are there more waiting to be discovered/digitised?
Are there any other Barry's on this forum who can trace their ancestry back to this area of Ireland?
Any help or suggestions on how to continue my search would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks very much,
James Barry
