Many thanks to Dennis Ahearn for that great website concerning Irish workhouses etc. Ros Phillips "Dennis Ahern" <ahern@world.std.com> wrote in message news:djfuog$366$1@pcls4.std.com... > Ros Phillips <ros.phillips@homemail.com.au> wrote: > > : My great grandmother Mary Phelan was born in Castletown, Queens County > circa > : 1834. She arrived in Sydney as an "Irish Orphan" in 1849. Her parents > were > : Patrick Phelan and Sarah Gaffney. She could read and write, so she > : obviously received some education. > > : Are there any records still in existence of orphanages or workhouses > where > : she may have resided. I have not been able to find the deaths of her > : parents, nor her birth, although once she arrived here, she is well > : documented. > > See http://users.ox.ac.uk/~peter/workhouse/Abbeyleix/Abbeyleix.html for > information on the Abbeyleix, Co. Leix (Laois, Queen's County) workhouse. > > -dja >