Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Ireland Research Proves Fruitless

I went in search of more information about my third great grandparents, William Foley and Alice Fitzgerald. I was hoping to discover new data and perhaps, locate their final resting place. We started at the National Library in Dublin where they have a genealogy staff to assist with research. The lady was very nice and when I showed her the research I had already done, informed us that we were already at the edge of the frontier of Irish genealogy records. I had been able to get back as far as 1817 when the marriage of William Foley and Alice Fitzgerald took place. Their records from the churches of marriages and baptisms do not go back much further than this.
This turned out to be the theme of each of our stops to talk with experts and we saw plenty of folks who should know. We visited the Waterford County Museum and talked with the curator. He gave us insights into how to read gravestones that are severely worn by weather. But he also was skeptical that we would find anything. We visited Saint Bartholemew's Church and grave yard in Pilltown. Lots of Foleys were buried there but none that we could identify as our relatives. I think it is most likely that they are buried there. We also visited the librarian in Dungarvan who my cousin Donny had visited long ago. We went to the Waterford Heritage Center. This was the outfit that did the research for me four or five years ago. We even met the researcher who looked up the records back then, John O'Conner. We gave all of these folks everything that we knew and each was impressed with what we had found and thought it unlikely that we would find much more.
The long and the short of it is that we have evidently gotten all of the information that was relatively easy to gather and now we will have to pursue other avenues. My thinking is that I need to go to Boston and try to find the records of the Foleys here before they went back to Ireland around 1800. So thats a topic for consideration when planning next year's vacation.

7 Comments:

At 1:52 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Daniel,
I am Alice M. Foley and my grandparents were William Foley and Alice C. O'Neill of NY state.
Any relation?

 
At 1:01 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

I see you are in Iowa. I know a number of Foleys were in Clermont Iowa in the late 1800s. A number seemed to come via Kentucky. I have some Family Tree Maker amateur work on them, as I am trying to sort out various Irish Catholic (I presume) families of Clermont, as it will help sort out my own family. Anyway, contact me at mgxxxxxx@yahoo.com and I can send you stuff if you don't have it already. The women seemed to be named Ellen and Julia. Julia especially is not a common Irish name. mg

 
At 5:11 PM, Blogger Foley said...

First, thanks for leaving comments on my blog! I do not check it often and just found these two. Unfortunately, neither of you shows up anywhere in my searches. But, anything is possible. What you both might be, however, is descendants of the first Foley to come here. One of my far back great grandfathers, came to the colonies before they were colonies. He moved to Canada, later some of his descendants went back to Ireland.

 
At 3:38 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Hello, Daniel,

I too am looking for Foley ancestors. Patrick, b. Waterford, Ireland c. 1801 m. Alida (maiden name not known) in St John, New Brunswick in 1832. They had 8 children. Alida d. in 1853. Patrick m. Margaret McGowan c. 1854/55. They had 5 children. Patrick died on 17 Feb 1891.

I have more information on FaceBook @ Corn Hill New Brunswick.

 
At 3:40 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

My email address is: corn.hill.new.brunswick@gmail.com

 
At 8:27 PM, Blogger janie1936 said...

My name is Mildred Jane Walkup Stafford. My Uncle was Winton E. Walkup. My e-mail address is jacz212004@yahoo.com
Would like to hear from some of the Foleys.
Thanks
Sincerely
Jane

 
At 12:41 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

my family are foleys from owning/ templeorum near piltown. we should talk
kenneth.mitchell@bms.com

 

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