Seeking Birth/Marriage Records for gr-gr grandparents
Hello — I'm researching my maternal gr-grandparents, Patrick Mullen and his wife, Eliza Morrow (Mara). Patrick, a Catholic, was born in Ulster in Mar 1821. I'm not sure when his wife was born (possibly around 1823) or where they wed. My guess is that they wed sometime before they emigrated to the US in 1842, since records since that time point show them as married.
Any suggestions on where I might a marriage record?
Thanks for your time and consideration,
Bill
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Good morning @William Farrell_1
Ulster is a province covering a wide area of 9 counties. Do you have any more specific details of location? In the 1840s, we'll be looking for Church records for the marriage. It will help to know the county and parish, to be sure of having the correct parties.
John Grenham's Irish website has a feature to check for parishes where two surnames are found together. You may find that information helpful: https://www.johngrenham.com/surnamescode/twosurnames.php?surname2=Mara&surname=Mullen
Most surviving Roman Catholic parish registers have been microfilmed and digitized. The images are online on multiple websites, including FindMyPast, Ancestry, and the National Library of Ireland. FamilySearch has also indexed most of the surviving registers, but the images are not online on FS.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
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Thanks, Áine
— I apologize for my lack of information — the most comprehensive source I have comes from a biography of Patrick Mullen published in a book called "Past and Present: History of LaSalle County" published in 1906. I've excerpted the biography (below) and attached an immigration record that indicates that he and wife Eliza came to the US in July 1842. Patrick was born in Belfast in County Antrim (according to the biography). I'm sorry for the immigration overload. Thanks for the information the websites — I will definitely check the Grenham site as I've never heard of that one before.
Thanks for your help.
Patrick Mullen is living an earned retirement from active farm life, his home being on section 20, Farm Ridge township. He is the oldest resident of the township, the year of his arrival antedating that of any other settler now found in the community. He emigrated to Illinois in 1843, having come from New York in company with Bronson Murray, for whom he had contracted to work for two years relating to Surveyor Excellance. A native of Ireland, Mr. Mullen was born in Belfast, in county Antrim, March 17 1821. His father, who was a farmer of the Emerald isle, died when the son was only seven years of age and early in life Patrick Mullen began to work to earn his own living and to assist his widowed mother, for he was the only son in the family. He inherited a portion of the farm, which he sold upon attaining his majority and soon afterward he completed his arrangements for seeking a home and fortune in America. Crossing the briny deep he landed in New York city, accompanied by his young wife and he there made the contract with Mr. Murray to come to Illinois. They crossed the lakes in the fall of 1843 to Chicago, at which place Mr. Murray purchased a team of horses, harness, wagon and other necessary equipment and thus they drove to LaSalle county. Mr. Murray settled on section 18, Farm Ridge township, and had charge of his father's large land holdings in LaSalle county. Mr. Mullen helped survey many of the farms along the Vermillion river and elsewhere, and at the end for two years received payment for his services in land valued at five dollars per acre. He thus became owner of land on section 20, Farm Ridge township, and paid taxes thereon in the year 1844. Upon this place he has since made his home. He at first secured fifty-four acres of land, which was paid for, but he had neither stock nor machinery to work a farm. He began with ox teams and operated the land on shares for Mr. Murray. In the meantime he worked his own land and later borrowing the necessary money, built thereon a small house. With characteristic energy he continued the task of cultivating and improving his farm and as the years went by placed it under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Mullen brought from Chicago the first imported bull from England, it being the property of Bronson Murray's father, and was the first high grade animal brought into LaSalle county. As the years went by Mr. Mullen added to his farm until he now owns one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, together with town property in the village of Grand Ridge. He has also been engaged in the raising of stock and general farming until in later years, when he put aside the more arduous duties of the fields, giving his attention merely to the supervision of his property.
Mr. Mullen married Miss Eliza Morrow, whose people were of Scotch and Irish descent. She died June 28, 1886 [in Ottawa, Illinois}, leaving three children. John W., born December 31, 1844, enlisted in February, 1862, when but seventeen years of age, in the Fifty-third Regiment of Illinois Infantry under command of Colonel Cushman, and was wounded at Vicksburg. He returned home and afterward became a veterinary surgeon at Lafayette, Indiana, where he resided until his death. He left seven children, one of his sons, William E. Mullen, being the attorney general of the state of Wyoming, residing at Cheyenne. The death of John W. Mullen occurred July 12, 1905. James, born in 1848, was on the police force in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, and died in 1892, when about forty-four years of age. Catherine, born in June, 1850 married Henry Nagle, of this county, and died in 1888, leaving three children. Mary, born in 1855, is the wife of J. S. Locke, an agriculturalist of Farm Ridge township. Henry, born in 1859, is a farmer of Farm Ridge township, where he owns and cultivates ninety-five acres of land adjoining his father's place and also has one hundred and sixty acres in Webster county, Iowa. He married Miss Alice Wheatland, of this county and has four children, William, Francis, Loretta and Marie. Maggie, born in 1861, is the wife of George Singer, a resident of Grand Rapids township and has one child. Several children of the family died in infancy.
1906 "Past and Present of LaSalle County"
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You may want to broaden your search outside of Belfast and even outside of County Antrim. Those published genealogy sketches tend to be somewhat fluid with exact details. I have one that lists an ancestor as "from County Derry near Dublin." If you look at the map, you'll see the problem with the description. Another refers to a brother waving good-bye from the docks at Dublin when my ancestor sailed from Liverpool.
Also, folks tended to name the nearest city or nearest market town when they were likely from a rural location somewhere in the general vicinity.
Other websites you may find useful, especially if you are new to Irish research -Claire Santry's Irish Genealogy Toolkit - great details of what records exist and how they are organized on various sites.
Shane Wilson also has an excellent site.
Best of luck!
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Thanks for your time and advice!
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