Marriage & Birth Records, early 1800's

[Heidi72]

I was hoping someone could help or provide a way to move forward.

My 3 x G Grandparents emigrated from Derry, Ireland to Australia in 1840 on a ship called the Champion.

On the immigration records it states:
Bernard Mooney, age 37, Roman Catholic, Derry, Ireland
Mary Mooney, age 32, Presbyterian, Port Patrick
Children:
Margaret Mooney, age 14, Presbyterian, Derry, Ireland
Rosanna Mooney, age 11, Presbyterian, Derry, Ireland
Mary Mooney, age 7, Presbyterian, Derry, Ireland
Henry Mooney, age 5, Roman Catholic, Derry, Ireland
Sarah Mooney, age 2, Presbyterian, Derry, Ireland

I was hoping to find marriage and birth records, but to be honest I don’t know where to start?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Elwyn Soutter]

I don’t know anywhere in Ireland named Port Patrick. However there is a Portpatrick in Wigtownshire in Scotland. In the 1820s and 1830s it was one of the main ferry ports for sailings from the north of Ireland to Scotland. Many Irish labourers went there for agricultural work. I’d suspect that’s where Mary originated. Perhaps they married there? Do you know her maiden name?

Searching for the family in Ireland will be difficult without knowing precisely where in the county they lived. The ages and birthplaces of the children suggest they were in Co Derry in 1831. That census has survived and I found several Bernards. None with a mixed denomination household though:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Coleraine/Desartoghill/Boughelboy/7/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Coleraine/Errigal/Fanintimbel/20/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Coleraine/Mecasquin/Fernlistry/2/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Coleraine/Aghadowey/Clarehill/21/


The births are all long before the start of statutory birth registration in Ireland (1864) so you are dependent on baptism records to find them. Most RC baptisms are on–line but many Presbyterian ones are not.  You need to go to PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast to search them. I have searched the RC records for Henry's baptism c 1835 but did not find it.

In case it isn’t clear what was going on, with mixed denomination marriages, some couples decided to bring the boys up the father’s denomination and the girls the mother’s. That appears to apply here.

If they married in Ireland in the 1820s, neither the RC nor Presbyterian churches would have allowed a mixed denomination marriage. The couple would therefore likely have married in the Church of Ireland, which would marry any denomination. Not all Church of Ireland marriage records for the 1820s have survived, and of those that do still exist, not all are on-line.  Difficult to search for without knowing the location.

[Heidi72]

Thank you so much for your kind reply and thank you for explaining this to me. I was wondering why one child was R Catholic and the other children weren’t.

The information you have provided is incredibly valuable and I now have a greater understanding regarding this family’s beginning.

Unfortunately, I’m unable to visit the PRONI office as I live in Australia lol

Could I ask why you refer to Derry as Co Derry? I have seen it written like this before, but I don’t understand the meaning.

Mary’s Maiden name is:
Mary Alexander:
5 Dec 1806 to 8 May 1868
Born: Port Patrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland
Died: NSW, Australia

Her parents are listed as:
William Alexander
14 Nov 1776 to 30 Nov 1841
Bourtie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Margaret Kelly
1781 to about 1850
Aberdeenshire, Scotland

It appears that they may have been married in Scotland then returned to Ireland after the marriage. Which makes sense now given the ‘mixed’ denomination.

Again, thank you so much for your king reply.

[aghadowey]

Co. Derry is the same as Co. Londonderry & you will find both used in records. Derry can refer to the county or the city of Derry/Londonderry.

There has always been travel between Ulster (particularly counties Antrim & Derry) and the west of Scotland and it's not uncommon for people to move back and forth, sometimes looking for work and other times for family reasons.

[Elwyn Soutter]

On the Scotlandspeople site I can see a baptism in Portpatrick on 6th Dec 1806 for a Mary Alexander. Parents were JOHN Alexander & Margaret Kelly.

I can also see a marriage between WILLIAM Alexander & Margaret Kelly in Portpatrick on 15.1.1803. Children:

Hugh Alexander baptised 13.8.1809
James Alexander baptised 23.12.1803
Margaret Alexander baptised 21.4.1819

All in Portpatrick. Parents for all 3 were William A & Margaret Kelly.  Only Mary has John. Perhaps a transcription error?

I don’t see a marriage for Mary Alexander & Bernard in Scottish records.

[Dundee]

Just adding a snip of Bernard's parish for those whose Irish geography is better than mine.

Debra 

[Elwyn Soutter]

Possibly Tamlaght (pronounced roughly as Tamlet) which is not too far from Magherafelt. That RC parish has no records before 1865 so that would account for the absence of baptisms.

Tamlaght Presbyterian church has baptisms from 1839 onwards, marriages 1820-22 and 1845 onwards.

Tamlaght Church of Ireland has marriages 1829 onwards.

[Dundee]

Tamlaght O'Crilly would account for the 'ally' on the next line.  To me it looks like they have slightly butchered it into 'Tamletoally'.

Debra 

[Elwyn Soutter]

Tamlaght O'Crilly would account for the 'ally' on the next line.  To me it looks like they have slightly butchered it into 'Tamletoally'.

Debra 

Yes I think you are right. Tamlaght O’Crilly Church of Ireland lost all it’s early marriage record sin the 1922 firs. It has nothing for the 1820s. The RC church has no records before 1846.  Presbyterian church at Boveedy has records from 1841 and another at Churchtown from 1840. So apparently no records for the period needed.

This is the only Bernard Mooney in Tamlaght O’Crilly in 1831:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughenshollin/Tamlaght_O_Crilly/Killygulib/64/

Only 3 in his family and no Presbyterians, so that doesn’t fit well with what we know.