Owen McGirr born 1840 Tyrone

[Cockneyrebel]

I have a DNA match with a lady in the USA whose ancestor was the above but I can't connect to him in my tree.
Owen married Jane Donnelly or McCallum (don't know if she was married before) but I don't know when or where? Owen migrated to the USA at some time and died there in Illinois, USA c1903. Don't know what happened to Jane? They had 2 children whom I'm aware of:
Joseph Owen R McGirr born  Mar 1860 Derry, Tyrone and died 27 Mar 1927 in Detroit, USA; he married  Bertha Georgiana Althouse 30 Nov 1899 in Canada and they had 3 children born in Canada, 1894, 1897 and 1899.

Anna Elizabeth McGirr  born Mar 1862 County Tyrone who married 16 Jun 1884 Leroy M Copeland in
New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, she died 26 Oct 1943 in Massachusetts and with Leroy she had 5 children.

There seem to be variations of the name McGirr and it's difficult to find the correct Owen McGirr?
Cr

[aghadowey]

You've posted this on the Londonderry/Derry board rather than Tyrone but actually the place you need to start searching for Owen is in American records.

Both children you've mentioned were born before the start of birth registration and birthdates would indicate Owen married before 1860. Civil registration of Catholic marriages also started in 1864 so if it was a Catholic ceremony you need to see if a church record exists. If the marriage took place in a Protestant church or Registry Office then certificates from 1845 are online (free)- be sure to search for both McGirr and Mc Girr, etc. in that database.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp

Have you tried looking for census records, deaths, etc. on Family Search yet? If Owen died c1903 there's a good chance his death certificate might list names of both parents.

Searching for 'Owen McGirr' with wife 'Jane' shows a Patrick born 1869 in Co. Tyrone in Family Search. U.S. census records for some years (1900-1930) show how many years in U.S. and might show further children.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FRMG-ND8

[Cockneyrebel]

Sorry about the wrong place but all I've got to go on is the other person's tree. I'm not familiar with the N Ireland counties and their tree gives Joseph's birthplace as Derry, Tyrone, Northern Ireland which is a mishmash I guess? Joseph was baptised they say in Drumragh btw 1860 and 1864 in RC registers. Looked at the link you gave but found no records there.
I find Family Search very difficult to understand and rarely find anything of use on there! So it is with these people.
I found Owen's probate record which says in 25/08/1903 at Adams, Illinois to Rev. John P Kerr which doesn't help.
Cr

[aghadowey]

If you don't find Family Search useful then you are either not searching correctly or have not practiced using it enough. That is where I found an extracted birth record (well, several duplicates actually) for a Patrick McGirr. Using the link I posted earlier (where you apparently found 'nothing') shows the actual birth registration- Clogher is the registration district and the birthplace is Dromore (since Owen was a labourer the family might have moved around a bit)
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1869/03394/2244507.pdf
Dromore R.C. Parish registers here-
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0305

Drumragh R.C. Parish is in County Tyrone but Diocese of Derry so the record you found is not a 'mishmash' but the source of the baptism.
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0365 (records start 1846 so you can search for Joseph's baptism, etc. there)

[Cockneyrebel]

As I mostly used Ancestry for my research, I thought that the FSO records appeared on there so never really bothered with searching FSO separately and when I did I found it hard to know where to go to get proper results. Obviously, aghadowey, you know it inside out. Looking at FSO again, I can see now that it's best not to make a blanket search but do it by country, county, etc. You've taught me a valuable lesson for which I thank you.
Strangely when I used the other link it worked this time and showed the birth that you found. However it makes me wonder where the original 2 children were born prior to Patrick, and, where and when Owen and Jane were married. I guess there may well be more children from the marriage?
There is a Patrick in the 1901 US census which shows a migration of 1886 which would fit.
Cr

[Cockneyrebel]

Looks like it's the wrong Patrick in Rhode Island as according to findagrave he was born in 1864 to different parents.
Cr

[aghadowey]

A Patrick McGirr married 1899 in Clogher registration district. His residence Dromore and his father Owen McGirr-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1899/10400/5786766.pdf (bride is Alice McGirr)

In 1901 the couple, with a child, are in his mother Jane's household- mother Jane says she's a widow!
http://census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Killyfaddy/Dromore__Middle/1726421/

Jane McGirr (widow) died 1903-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1903/05653/4591208.pdf

In 1911 Patrick & Alice McGirr have more children (Mary Jane listed a daughter rather than son this time) and mother Jane isn't there but relative Owen McGirr is (single)-
http://census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Kilfaddy/Dromore_Middle/856201/

Owen McGirr (bachelor) died later that year-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1911/05380/4501100.pdf

Are you sure that your Owen McGirr went to U.S.? died there c1903?

[aghadowey]

Owen married Jane Donnelly or McCallum (don't know if she was married before) but I don't know when or where? Owen migrated to the USA at some time and died there in Illinois, USA c1903.

Wonder if you've the wrong Owen McGirr? Back to Family Search (remember what I said about checking U.S. records first). Putting in Owen McGirr and Illinois into search box-
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKQL-25VQ (probate) and
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK16-M8RY which is link to this record-
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/142864454/_
Mr. McGirr was a widower and does not leave any children... brother of Rev. Father Peter McGirr, a former pastor of St. Peter's Catholic church, and his wife as a sister of Rev. Father John P. Kerr...

I found Owen's probate record which says in 25/08/1903 at Adams, Illinois to Rev. John P Kerr which doesn't help.

[Cockneyrebel]

I've only got the other DNA person's tree to go on.
There is a marriage for the son, Joseph born Ireland aged 38 on Ancestry marrying Bertha Althouse born Canada aged 27, married in Sarnia, Lambton, Canada, his parents are recorded as Owen McGirr and Jane McCallum. Joseph and Bertha appear on the 1900 US census in St Clair, Michigan. Seems strange that 2 of the children were born before the marriage in Canada? According to the 1900 US Census, his immigration was in 1888 and hers 1899.
Records seem to be scarce for the USA for Owen and Jane?
Although on Joseph's death certificate 27/3/1927 his parents are recorded as Owen McGirr and Jane Donnelly (did he forget his mother's maiden name?), this Jane is also confusing regarding surnames?
The Will record for Owen appears on Ancestry as 25/7/1903 at Quincey, Adams County, Illinois.
I wonder if the Illinois record is a 'red herring' for another Owen McGirr and that he and Jane stayed in Ireland whilst some of their children emigrated?

Cr