Wednesday 7 October 2015

Lost ... Irish Daly family members go missing


My mother has lost all connection with her Irish paternal roots. Her family came from Dublin but she grew up in Belfast. Her father Peter DALY (pictured) was a soldier in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers during the First World War, sustaining an injury which eventually took his life at the age of 34, a year after his only daughter, my mother, was born. So my mother sadly never knew her father from Dublin.

So what do we know? Through a smattering of records and some brief memories of my mother, here is what we have been able to piece together.

Thomas DALY (my great grandfather) was born in 1861 in Dublin, Ireland. He married Jane McMAHON on 22 August 1887 at St Catherine’s Roman Catholic Chapel in southern Dublin.

They had two children that we know of:
1. James DALY, who was born in 1888 in Dublin
2. Thomas Peter DALY (my grandfather) (sometimes using his middle name Peter as his Christian name), who was born on 17 April 1890 at their residence at 67 Marrowbone Lane, Dublin.

Of interest, back in the late 19th century, Marrowbone Lane, situated in Merchant’s Quay just west of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, appeared to be one of the poorer areas of Dublin. The 1901 census shows Thomas DALY as a labourer, living with his two sons (James and Peter) and his brother (another James) and five other families.

So, it is enticing to think that you may be out there somewhere, a descendant of my great uncle James (or even possibly of a brother or sister of his). An Irish connection that has eluded us all of these years and remains one of those unsolved family mysteries.

12 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your new blog!!

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    1. Lisa, I have you and your "Genealogy Gems' podcast to thank for the inspiration to create this family history blog. I would not call myself a luddite by any means but blogging had never captured my attention or my imagination ... until now. The genie well and truly is out of the bag!

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  2. I read about your blog in Lisa Louise Cooke's recent newsletter. It looks great and hopefully will inspire me to get back to my own at www.deerparkdescendants.blogspot.com. Good luck to you!

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    1. Susan, thank you for your reply and encouragement. As Lisa says, it is cool social platform to share your genealogy with family and relatives and hopefully connect with other researchers which may lead to new discoveries. Good luck with 'Deer Park Descendants'!

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  3. Welcome to genealogy blogging! :-)

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    1. Elizabeth, I am just falling in love with the genealogy blogosphere community! What a friendly bunch of like-minded people. One blog and I am hooked. It is a real buzz to see one's writing published on a website for all to see. I do feel most welcomed :-)

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  4. Mike,

    I want to let you know that your blog is listed in today's Fab Finds post at http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2015/10/follow-friday-fab-finds-for-october-16.html

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Jana, what an awesome website that you have! I am very impressed and now have something to aspire to. I am also very happy that you liked my blog.
      I have to make mention that your ancestry is fascinating. In Australia we would call you a 'mongrel', as in a dog with a diverse breeding line! Please do not take any offense as in Australia it is a definitely a term of endearment. It is a sign of health and vitality - a good mix of genes resulting in a strong and healthy 'pups'.

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  5. Hi Mike, great blogpost. I just heard about your blog through Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems podcast. I loved reading how your blog explains your research processes and your hopes for connections with other long-lost relatives. Like you, I had ancestors with links to Dublin and Belfast. They seemed to move to Belfast and then back again to Dublin in the late 1860s/early 1870s. I often wonder why they moved.

    From one Aussie-blogger to another ... thanks for your great blog. I hope you have some responses from some of your living relatives.

    Would you mind if I mentioned your blog on my Aussie genealogy podcast called "Genies Down Under"?

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    1. Maria, thank you for the great feedback. I am a regular listener of 'Genies Down Under' and I love your podcasts. I would be very happy for you to mention my blog. I have a list of other stories to tell and plan to add them to 'Family Matters' when the time becomes available.

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  6. Okey dokey, Mike! I'll include a message about your new blog in the January podcast. Look forward to reading more of your stories on your blog.

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  7. Hi Mike,
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1070035523030558/
    if you'd like to join but please let me know your Facebook name in case I don't recognise you!

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