Thanks for a verydetailed account. Please, if you find out what happened to the records I am sure many of us would be interested. You mention that the mormons transcribed them - would you know the file reference? I am still trying to track records from 1780 to 1840s for Boyle and surround - sharkey/noone/riley and not coming up with anything though I know Michael Sharkey (son of John was born in 1828 ish time around Boyle area. Many thanks Margaret ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 2:14 AM Subject: Re: [ROSCOMMON] BEIRNE families of the Boyle area > Hi Therese, > > In November 2001 I went to Roscommon with a first cousin. In Croghan (about > 20-30 minutes from Boyle) we saw RC christening records. We went to the > chruch on All Saints Day, Nov. 1st, knowing that the priest would be saying > Mass, we were right. The priest (now retired0 was Fr. Roger Leonard, 83 > years old. He took us down the road from the church to his house. Upon > entering his dining room there was a huge binder holding computerized > transcriptions of the original records. The Mormons transcribed the records > in the Parish of Croghan, making it much easier to see who was listed. The > records were in alphabetical order. I regret not copying all the Elwoods, > but I didn't. I did see the records for my ggrandparents two oldest > children, John and Catherine, christened in 1837 and 1839. There were other > Elwoods there. There were also Beirne's, but I don't know the names of my > ggrandmother, Mary Beirne's parents. In that part of Roscommon BEIRNE seemed > to be the correct spelling of the name, however there were some Bierne, > Beirn, etc. I have read that BYRNE is an altogether different line. Have > you seen the O'Beirne Family Website? There is interesing information there > and it pertains to the Beirne's from this part of Roscommon. I'd like to go > back to Ireland this year, if I do I will try to copy all the Elwood entries. > The old ancient sacramental registers were also in the rectory. We looked > at them as well. Actually we were more interested in looking at my > grandfather Plunkett's christening record, we saw it in the old binder as > well as in the computerized transcription. > > Since returning from Ireland, I have learned that Fr. Leonard retired. I saw > his name on the Elphine Diocesan site, he now lives in a priests retirement > home in Sligo. I have corresponded via e-mail a bit with a woman from > Croghan. She told me that the priest now appointed to serve the RC Parish of > Croghan is living in Drumlion. There are two chruches in the parish, one in > Croghan, the other in Drumlion. I would think that he would have taken the > Sacramental Registers, both originals and computer transcripts with him. The > priests house in Croghan was like stepping back a century or two in time, I > can see why a younger priest might choose to live in the other rectory, but > have not seen the one in Drumlion. > > My ggrandparents James and Mary (Beirne) Elwood went from Ireland to upstate > New York to Iowa. Mary died first, sometime between 1900-1903. James died > in 1903 in Eagle Grove, Iowa, at the home of my grandparents, his daughter > Helen (Elwood) and Patrick Plunkett. He was 96 when he died. If I come > across any other information I will let you know. > > Forgot to mention...the townland in Roscommon that the Elwoods lived in was > Canbo. It could hardly even be called a crossroads now, just three houses > and the ruins of Canbo Castle's tower. Elwoods still live in the area I > believe. Driving from Croghan to Canbo was an experience. We drove down a > virtual lane, only room for one car, bushes brushing both sides of the car at > some points. Believe me I prayed that we didn't meet an oncoming vehicle, I > don't know what I would have done because there were ditches on both sides of > the lane!!! > > Thanks for getting in contact, > > Denise Plunkett > > > ==== ROSCOMMON Mailing List ==== > ROSCOMMON-L searchable archives > ROSCOMMON-L threaded archives >

Just a thought . . . the Mormons normally made microfilm copies of the records . . . I have not seen computerized printouts of anything they did in Ireland, except on the British Isles Vital Records Index, a 16 CD collection that can be obtained from their web page at a very reasonable price.. I took a quick check and did not find anything identified as Croghan. There are some of your name listed in Boyle. The index shows that the LDS Film number for the Boyle RC records is 989743. FYI, there were about four Sharkey's from about 1817 and another four or five from 1861 baptized in Boyle . . . no Michael's in that period, only one at all, in 1872, born to Michael Sharkey and Mary Flanagan. However, the various county Heritage Societies did index many old church records to computer files, I saw some in Galway, so that might have been the source that was seen in Croghan. William Patrick Gately j.smidowicz wrote: >Thanks for a verydetailed account. Please, if you find out what happened tothe records I am sure many of us would be interested. You mention that the mormons transcribed them - would you know the file reference? I am still trying to track records from 1780 to 1840s for Boyle and surround - sharkey/noone/riley and not coming up with anything though I know Michael Sharkey (son of John was born in 1828 ish time around Boyle area. Many thanks Margaret > > -- "Welcome to the information age . . . Data, data, everywhere, but no one knows a thing." --Roger Kimball . . . The New Criterion

Thank you very much for this information - very helpful. margaret ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Patrick Gately" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 7:07 PM Subject: Re: [ROSCOMMON] BEIRNE families of the Boyle area > Just a thought . . . the Mormons normally made microfilm copies of the > records . . . I have not seen computerized printouts of anything they > did in Ireland, except on the British Isles Vital Records Index, a 16 CD > collection that can be obtained from their web page at a very reasonable > price.. > > I took a quick check and did not find anything identified as Croghan. > There are some of your name listed in Boyle. The index shows that the > LDS Film number for the Boyle RC records is 989743. FYI, there were > about four Sharkey's from about 1817 and another four or five from 1861 > baptized in Boyle . . . no Michael's in that period, only one at all, in > 1872, born to Michael Sharkey and Mary Flanagan. > > However, the various county Heritage Societies did index many old church > records to computer files, I saw some in Galway, so that might have been > the source that was seen in Croghan. > > William Patrick Gately > > j.smidowicz wrote: > > >Thanks for a verydetailed account. Please, if you find out what happened tothe records I am sure many of us would be interested. You mention that the mormons transcribed them - would you know the file reference? I am still trying to track records from 1780 to 1840s for Boyle and surround - sharkey/noone/riley and not coming up with anything though I know Michael Sharkey (son of John was born in 1828 ish time around Boyle area. Many thanks Margaret > > > > > -- > "Welcome to the information age . . . Data, data, everywhere, but no one knows a thing." > --Roger Kimball . . . The New Criterion > > > > > > ==== ROSCOMMON Mailing List ==== > This mailing list is for anyone with ancestors in County Roscommon. > IGP Roscommon DATABASE: http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlros/ > IGP Project: http://irelandgenealogyprojects.rootsweb.com/ > >