Henry Mallins

[mick]

I am stuck on Henry Joseph Mallins born Ireland 1863 , county of birth unknown but thought to be Cork. Married to Annie and three children born in Ireland - Ellinor b1890, Henry b1894, and Kathleen b1897.
By 1901 they appear on the UK census living in London. I am unsure on how to research this family through Irish records and would appreciate some help and guidance.
thanks.Mick

[Linda Bailey]

Do you know where the children where born (county, parish and townland)?

I tried looking for the surname on-line, and it looks more common in the north than the south (at least in Griffiths Valuation which was done just before Henry Joseph Mallins would be born).

You can check surname distribution in Griffiths at:
https://scripts.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm

but you need may to type in alternate spellings of surname.
It will give you a distribution of a surname at County level for free, although you would have to pay to seem more details.

[mick]

Unfortunately the only birth information i have on the whole family is what is given on the UK 1901 census where place of birth is given as Ireland.Henry Mallins was an optician by trade so mush have had a good education.
I was wondering if there Irish census returns for the late 1800's that are available for viewing or if there are Irish equivalants to the English Freebmd site or 1837 online.

[Linda Bailey]

Most census details pre 1901 have all been destroyed for Ireland. There are some parts that exist for 1831/41 but only for a few counties.

Research in Ireland is certainly not easy and involves using lots of different sorts of records. Griffiths Valuation for example was done in the mid 19th Centuary (the date varies by county). It lists the head of the household across the entire country and who they leased the land from.
There are subsequent land valuation revision books which show when the land changed hands.

I've tried looking on-line but the GRONI (General Record Office of Northern Ireland) web-site appears to be down. Pre 1922 you can look at either record office (Dublin or Belfast).

Where does the possible Cork link come in?

[mick]

The Cork connection is only heresay. I have made contact with one of Henry's grandchildren. Unfortunately she knows less about him than i do. One comment she did make was that she was sure her mother once told her that Henry's father was involved in silk farming in Ireland. Would this narrow down the choice of counties he could have been born in?

[Sandra]

I would suggest that you search the Irish birth registrations index for the three children. Unfortunately I don't think the register goes back far enough for the father's birth. Registration began in 1864 I believe. Film of the registers are usually to be found in LDS (Mormon) Family History Centres. To find your nearest one have a look at the LDS website <www.familysearch.org> and follow the links. The name Mallins does not seem to be a common one so you may not find the search too onerous or indeed find multiples of the same names. Once you have the references for the births i.e. volume and page number plus year and quarter, you can send to the appropriate register office, Dublin or Belfast depending on whether they are North or South of the border, for copy certificates which will give you addresses. Tell them that the father is Henry to eliminate any that may not be yours, providing you are absolutely sure of his name of course. If you find they are in a Southern county and therefore applying to Dublin you can ask for a photocopy of the entry which costs much less than a certificate and gives the same information. The website for Northern Ireland is at <www.groni.gov.uk/index.htm> where you will find instructions for applying and also downloadable forms if you are applying by post or you can apply online. For Southern Ireland go to <www.groireland.ie> where again you will find instructions and downloadable forms but not sure if you can apply online here. The Irish birth certificates that I have show the mother's maiden name so once you have a child's birth certificate you could look in the index for a marriage for the parents. For records before 1864 it is down to parish registers I'm afraid so you could start with the church where the parents married, availability depending to a great extent on the family's religion and the willingness of the parish priest. The churches I have approached for information have been very helpful but it is good to make a donation to the church in return.

Good luck
Sandra

[mick]

thanks for the tips. plenty here to keep me occupied.