Thanks for the Help Family Tracing in Ireland

[obbie]

hi
you seem to be making steady headway in your research esp after grisel,s find of there marriage .

may i just point out that dublin GRO and roscommon GRO are the same except dublin office is very busy and somewhat rude roscommon office is the much better office to contact its quieter .
a research copy costs 4 euros its a photo copy of the original entry , a full copy is just the same details but written out on the full legal form needed for passports etc etc cost 10 euros .
the birth register you have should mention a parish-area-church this is your most important detail you can google the local churches and write to them to ask them to search there baptism records you usually get some more info from this with hopefully godparents names . patricks baptism names will probaly prove to be the other names he used as they were interchangeable because usually other close members in family had same names .
if the church is rural they may search for free and even respond to e mail if urban they will sometimes do for free but usually they would like a donation anywhere from 5 euros up (dublin churchs were lookin for 20 before there records went online free)
waterford county is not on the rootsireland site as they have there own genalogy center you could if you wish throw a big bundle of cash at them to search there records but id not advise it onless desperate .

id write to roscommon gro and ask them to search for the marriage as you have details cost is 4 euros .
ask them to search for any other childrens births there was a high death rate in children so you may find some extra names with extra data . they charge 2 euros to search and 4 for every birth found . you could also ask they search for the fathers death .
from the marriage cert you should have rough idea of parish-church so write off to them and ask them to search there marriage records also baptisms if children prove to be born same parish .

these were tough times in ireland a dirty civil war was on . a lot of familys were torn apart and siblings fought on opposite sides .
if you find family are rural theres good chance siblings fell out over the family farm very common at this time .
again if rural area google parish newsletter or GAA club they may print a query for you .

you have plenty of options yet its to early to give up i had quick look on 1901 1911 irish free census site i couldnt see any good hits but make sure you search the various spellings of names and also try putting in surname as first name and firstname as surname this happend a lot .

i wish you good luck i hope for your sake family are from one parish one county and not all over country like my lot !
Obbie

[grisel]

Obbie has given you some good advice to follow.

Here are a few other thoiughts I've had.

The timing of the gap between Bridget and Patrick's birth suggests that John may have been in the 1st WW. However looking in The (UK) National Archives documents online there are several John Rochfords serving in Irish regiments, so you would need to get the right one.

I can't yet see a Waterford death for John. It could be possible that the whole family emigrated to London and that he and Elizabeth died there.

There is a marriage for a Bridget M Rochford to Stephen M McGlone in East ham reg dist in Dec 1942 which might be worth considering.

[grisel]

If the above Bridget who married Stephen McGlone is yours then there is one possible child born 1947 with surname McGlone, mother's name Rochford (from free BMD) I won't give the name as may still be living. But could be someone with family information?

Alas no - that same person died in 1949 age 2. Sorry.

[bonelady]

thanks for all that had a long day at work and not home until 11pm but picked up everything, just one question that someone with knowledge like yourself may be able to answer (if you dont mind ) Bridget was born in February 1917 would a girl have gotten pregnant in Ireland without being married?, Bridget would have been born anywhere between 2 and 4 months later?? any thoughts, thanyou

[Procat]

Girls get pregnant everywhere without being married. They way they are treated may well vary according to time and place.

[bonelady]

Hi there, Well the one thing for certain is I had a father, names, Patrick Joseph Rockeford sometimes with girlfrield Peter J Rockeford, after his death in December 1969 my mother for the first time told my brother to ring Bridie dads sister (first anyone knew of it) to confirm his place of birth (legal requirement maybe) Bridie obliged but put the phone down saying she wanted nothing to do with us or him. We always believed my father was born 17/3/???, he never told us but found he was 39 when married in 1960 and birth certificate which I believe completely to be him as I have one for Bridget with same mother says he was born 15/3/21 inSporthouse, Bridie was born in Newtown all in Kilmeaden, waterford. Dads father John (found on the marriage certificate) was named as deceased so we knew he was dead at 1960. My mother did not like my father and refused to talk about him other than to say she met him on a pig farm and I rather gathered it wasnt in Ireland as she never mentioned being there. Mum was born in Cheltenham Gloucester so heaven knows where she dug up dad so some time between 1939 and 1947 she met and had a child born in 1948 my oldest sister. From looking at site after site it appears our name somehow changed from Rockeford to Rochford, but can see with transcribing some times this happens but it also makes it difficult to know what to believe.
Amyway, both parents dead, niether one talked about Dads past or family (except my mother said Dad was dishonourable discharged from the army) true or false I dont know, as I said not a match made in heaven. If any of the above gives you any idea please add any comments and I will follow up, many thanks for taking to dig up facts, I know life is busy and I appeciate it.

[bonelady]

If I write and ask do they send me a bill or do I start by sending them some euros?? silly question I know but have tried ringing and the phone number rings out??

[bonelady]

Hi Richard1955 Posted what I know so its on the posting page somewhere, hope you follow it.

[Kerrywood]

In case anyone is searching for the earlier thread by bonelady, it's here.

[bonelady]

Thanks very much for the above information, not only has it saved me a lot of euros but as you said Roscommon was quieter I rang them up, got through straight away and got talking to a really helpful young lady who confirmed there is now another uncle to the clan, a complete shock, and has given me enough information to send for a reasearch copy of my grandparents marriage certificate and for a small fee is looking to trace the age/birth certificate of my grandparents. So much achieved in a short space of time. thankyou. I must admit it would be nice to find a living relative of my father, and today I believe it just may be possible.
Thankyou very much for your good wishes.