Gordon/Caughley in Killala.

Hi there!
We have traced our family back to Thomas Patrick Gordon, born 1862 in Ballina, Ireland. He was married to Mary Caughley, who was born in 1872 in Killala. They lived in Killala and came to the United States with their children, including my grandfather, Patrick Aloysious who was born in Killala in 1895. We can’t find any information any farther back than my great-grandparents. My son and I will be traveling to Ireland in May and hope to find cousins who are still in Killala.

Hello Mary, 

It's great to hear that you were able to trace your roots all the way back to 1862! I'd love to give you some tips on where to look during your visit with your son in May. :)

In 1864 civil registration was introduced in Ireland, which is when we started seeing the formal registration of births, marriages, adoptions and deaths. These records have been kept at the General Register Office of Ireland (GRO), to this day. Have you by any chance been in touch with them already? 

What else do you have planned for your trip? I'd love to provide you with more tips and ideas if you need them. :)

Warm regards, 

Melin

Hi Mary, how wonderful that you will be visiting County Mayo later this year! 

Have you tried www.rootsireland.ie - it has transcriptions of both church and civil records of births, marriages and deaths and I was able to find birth and baptismal records for your grandfather and his siblings (including some who appear to have died young) as well as the marriages of his parents and his maternal grandparents. I was also able to locate the birth record of his mother Mary as well as the birth records of her siblings. 

Once you have this information from www.rootsireland.ie, you will be able to obtain the birth and marriage records for free on the website www.irishgenealogy.ie.

If you haven't already, I would also recommend you look at the 1901 and 1911 census returns which are available for free on www.census.nationalarchives.ie where you will be able to find the households of your great-grandparents as well as Mary's parents; both in Killala. 

Using the names of Mary's siblings, you could then search www.rootsireland.ie for their marriages and perhaps even baptisms of their children. 

You may wish to contact the North Mayo genealogy centre in Ballina which is responsible for the Mayo records on www.rootsireland.ie - they offer various research services for your forthcoming trip. Their email is northmayo@gmail.com.

All the best with your research and have a wonderful time in Ireland!

Gillian

Gillian Hunt
Research Officer
Ulster Historical Foundation