After my last posts Researching the Land of My Ancestors-County Tyronne, Ireland and Felice and Sarah McKenna of County Tyronne, Ireland I decided to see if I could find anything about them in Griffith’s Valuation.
First, I need to understand what these records are:
Many Irish records were lost in 1922 when the Public Records Office burned, so, surviving tax records are particularly significant to my Irish research. A valuation of taxable property in every parish in Ireland, called Griffith's Primary Valuation, was done between 1848 and 1864.
In 1825 a man named Griffith was appointed by the British Government to carry out a boundary survey of Ireland (Ireland is about the size of the state of Indiana). He was to mark the boundaries of every county, barony, civil parish and townland in preparation for the first Ordnance Survey. Griffith’s Valuation in County Tyrone was completed on 13 July 1860.
The valuation records list the name of the head of the household, the name of the landowner ('immediate lessor'), the acreage of the plot, the value of the property, and the amount of tax assessed. The tax based on the property valuation was used to support the poor. Valuations were then made throughout Ireland approximately every decade.
So, knowing the place and date of my ancestor’s residence will be extremely helpful in my Irish research. What can I find?
I found the following 2 records for 1860 in the Parish of Clonfeacle, County Tyrone: (click on individual images to enlarge)
In the image on the left I found a listing for Francis McKenna (I believe this is Susan’s father) living on Killyman Street in the village of Moy. (See the red box.) Francis was leasing a House, office and yard from Maria Martin. Francis’ total annual Valuation of ratable property was 4 British Pounds.
In the image on the right I found a listing for Felix McKenna (I believe this is Susan’s brother) living in the nearby area of Anagasna Glebe. (See the red box.) Felix was leasing 2 pieces of property from Rev. Joseph Stevenson. The first listing contained a house on the property. The size of this property with the house was 4 Acres, 1 Rood and 10 Perches. [30 1/4 square yards = perch, 40 perches = rood and 4 roods = acre] This land was valued at 3 British Pounds, 5 Shillings. The building on the land was valued at 10 Shillings. The second piece of property was probably a field of agricultural or grazing land. This size of this land was 1 Acre, 1 Rood and 15 Perches. The value of this land was 1 British Pound. Felix’s total annual Valuation of ratable property was 4 British Pounds, 15 Shillings.
Some thoughts to ponder:
- In the same area that Felix lived there are listings for 11 men with the surname Hughes (underlined in green) as well as other McKennas. My ancestor Susan McKenna married Patrick Hughes. Could these Hughes be siblings/family of Patrick?
- I believe I have found a US Federal Census record for Susan and Patrick Hughes in New York City in 1850 but I wasn’t 100% sure I had the right family. Living with them according to the census was a Susan Quinn of about the same age as my Susan. I see there is a Patrick Quinn living in the same area as Felix McKenna, underlined in yellow on the right above. Could this be family of Susan Quinn? Was Susan Quinn a close friend of Susan McKenna? Coincidence??
Even though my ancestors Susan McKenna and Patrick Hughes left Ireland around the late 1840s this gives me information about her father Francis and her brother Felix. Since Felix appeared to stay in Ireland perhaps I can find descendants of his in Ireland one day. Oh, so much more research to do…
If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby
I believe I have correctly traced back my paternal 3rd great grandparents Patrick Hughes and Susan McKeena Hughes to County Tyrone, Ireland in the mid-1800s. Specifically their Roman Catholic marriage record is from Moy, Confeacle, Tyrone, Ireland (see post The Luck ‘O the Irish…Perhaps…). I started gathering some information on Susan’s family and realized there were some terms I needed to understand first. So I started researching about the history and land of Ireland in this time period so I can try and determine what life might have been like for my ancestors.
New land and area terms to understand:
Province- largest land areas. There are 4 provinces in Ireland. County Tyrone is in the Province of Ulster.
County- large areas of land divided into civil parishes and parishes are then divided into townlands. There are 32 counties in Ireland. 26 are in the Irish Republic and 6 are in the North of Ireland and are part of the United Kingdom. Tyrone was established in 1585 and has an area of about 1200 square miles. Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland and it connects to the counties of Fermanagh, Monaghan, Armagh, Londonderry, Donegal Antrim.
Barony- area of land that contained a larger number of townlands than a parish. Was used for collection of taxes but is a term no longer used. (Baronies are in red on the following map)
Parish- a smaller area of land with origins in old Gaelic territorial divisions. A Parish could refer to Catholic Church parishes, Protestant Church parishes or Civil parishes. (Parishes are in black on the following map)
Diocese- comprised of several parishes. These are church administrative areas under the control of a Bishop. Different parts of County Tyrone fall under the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Armagh, Clogher, and Derry.
Townland or Village- one of the smallest land divisions in Ireland. They can range in size from 1-2 acres to thousands of acres but most are hundreds of acres.
The ones I am currently interested in from the marriage of Patrick and Susan are:
- Moy (from Irish: an Maigh, meaning "the plain") is a large village and townland about 5 miles southeast of Dungannon and beside the smaller village of Charlemont. Charlemont is on the east bank of the River Blackwater and Moy on the west; the two are joined by Charlemont Bridge. The river is also the boundary between County Tyrone and County Armagh.
- Clonfeacle is a Civil Parish and a Town. Clonfeacle is split across the baronies of Dungannon Lower and Dungammon Middle in County Tyrone
Some additional information:
The Great Famine or Great Hunger was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland from 1845 and 1849 due to the potato blight. In Ireland there were over a million deaths. Population fell by 20–25% due to mortality during this time period and emigration. There had been an Irish Famine in 1740-1 and there would be another Famine in 1879. This is when Patrick and Susan left for America.
I also recently read the book Tipperary: A Novel by Frank Delaney. Frank Delaney has written several great books about Ireland. This one really gave me a feel for the political climate in Ireland in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I always like to read non-fiction or historical fiction about an area to get a feel for what was happening at the time of the lives of my ancestors.
I still have so much to learn but this is a good start. Donna Moughty, who I have listened to several times at conferences and have consulted with, speaks frequently on Irish research and has a blog entitled Donna’s Irish Genealogy Resources. Donna also has a set of 3 Guides that are also very helpful and constantly at my side when I am researching my Irish Ancestors. Donna and her information has been a great help! It can be overwhelming researching in another country with so many new terms and resources that you are unfamiliar with. Don’t forget to do your research on the area as you research your ancestors!
If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby
