Carrolls of County Carlow

Hello, can anyone help me trace my great grandparents? I believe their names are Stephen Carroll and Margaret/Maggie Carton. I have no further information. Grandad was born in February 1921 and baptised as Peter Carroll in St Lazerians church, Leighlinbridge. He later had the middle name James. In 1940, he enlisted in the army in Belfast. He went to India in WW2. He lived in England afterwards and died in 1981, in Leamington Spa. I've done a DNA test but can't find anything to help. If anyone can help, I would be eternally grateful. Thank you.

Hi Catherine,

Isn't it so fascinating to learn about your ancestors' lives? I love that you're trying to find out more about your family! 💚

Normally, you would need some more information about your great-grandparents to start your search, such as their dates and places of birth, baptism or marriage. In 1864, civil registration was introduced in Ireland, and we started seeing the formal registration of births, marriages, adoptions and deaths. These records are being kept at the General Register Office of Ireland (GRO). It seems likely that your great-grandparents would have been born after 1864.

Since you don't have this information at the moment, you could start your search with what you know about your grandfather. His records should be kept at the General Register Office of Ireland as well, and perhaps his birth or baptism records show more information about his parents?

Some records are available online on this page, and you could try searching for the names, perhaps adding County Carlow as a possible location. We have some further tips and information for you in this article here in our forum. In addition, the National Archives and the National Library provide a free genealogy advisory service - I recommend you get in touch with them to see if they can help you further.

Wishing you best of luck with your research! 📚
Rebecca

Thank you for your assistance and apologies for the very late reply. I think I am looking for a birth in 1865, but the name isn't unusual so I am struggling. Thank you.

Hi again,

Looking for a more common surname can be a little tricky, as finding an exact match requires a lot of reducing down!

Apart from the link given already to the Irish genealogy website, you could try the census records held at the National Archives website to see if the family pops up anywhere.

Also, John Grenham holds some information on surnames and their locations. Adding Carroll and Carton together reduces down the counties where both families are recorded to have been. Do you have your grandad's birth/baptism certificate for 1921?

Who is it born in 1865 that you are looking for?