Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1
    Valued member of Brit-Gen barbara lee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Crosby, Liverpool, UK
    Posts
    337

    Default Buried in Ireland, death not registered?

    Patrick Donohoe or O'Donohoe was buried in Blackwater, Co. Wexford, and his gravestone says he died on 4th November 1901 aged 69. I can't seem to find his death certificate. It ought to be in Enniscorthy Registration District in 4Q 1901, but it doesn't seem to be. Could a man be buried in Ireland in 1901 without his death having been registered? It seems fairly unlikely to me.

    He isn’t the Patrick Donohoe, 60, whose death was registered in Dublin North 4Q 1901
    He isn't the Patrick Donohoe, 69, whose death was registered in Gorey RD in 2Q 1901
    He isn't the Richard Donohoe, 70, whose death was registered in Enniscorthy 4Q 1901

    Did he die in England or Wales? A search on FreeBMD threw up Patrick McDonagh, 58, 4Q 1901 in Dewsbury, but I'm not convinced. Scotland? There's nothing likely on a free index search on Scotland'sPeople.

    Patrick was in the Blackwater area earlier in the year that he died – he was on the 1901 census there, under the name O'Donohoe, a single man, staying with his cousin Mary Ann Cullen. He made his will on 14th September 1901, and one of the witnesses was an Enniscorthy solicitor, so Patrick was still in Wexford then. His gravestone says he died 4th November 1901, he is buried in Blackwater cemetery and his will was probated at Waterford on 3rd December. There doesn't appear to be anything unusual going on, no inquest or foul play, so why doesn't his death appear to be registered?

    Barbara

  2. #2
    Knowledgeable and helpful
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
    Posts
    627

    Default

    There’s always the possibility that the death has been missed or mistranscribed when putting the data on to the Familysearch database. You could ring or e-mail GRO Roscommon. Explain the problem and ask them to check the book for Enniscorthy for the last quarter of 1901 to see if the death is actually there. They are generally pretty helpful.

    https://www.groireland.ie/
    ELWYN

  3. #3
    Valued member of Brit-Gen barbara lee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Crosby, Liverpool, UK
    Posts
    337

    Default

    Thanks Elwyn.

    It was the GRO Ireland indexes I was searching, not FamilySearch. Now you mention it, I seem to remember my cousin saying she had had a conversation with someone at Roscommon a year or two ago, and they couldn't find it. I think I was thinking they hadn't tried hard enough, but maybe Patrick's death registration has genuinely dropped out of the system somehow.

    In England and Wales, if something isn't in the national index, it might be found in the local indexes. Is there anything like that in Ireland, or is GRO Ireland the only source? It isn't deeply important to find it, because we know his date and place of death from the gravestone, but we'd be interested to see the cause of death and the informant.

    Barbara

  4. #4
    Jan1954
    Guest

    Default

    Barbara - have you tried searching in the local newspapers at all? I was wondering if there was an obituary or funeral notice that might have said something along the lines of, "On Monday last, the 4th November, Patrick O'Donohoe died suddenly at home of a heart attack. Of previous rude health, this man.... etc"

  5. #5
    pattenwalsh
    Guest

    Default

    Good idea. I've used these in the past with good results for death notices.10 euro for 24 hour access at irishnewsarchive.com is the only drawback and you do need a credit card for payment.

  6. #6
    Valued member of Brit-Gen barbara lee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Crosby, Liverpool, UK
    Posts
    337

    Default

    The next time I am at the National Library of Ireland, I plan to check on the large collection if Irish newspapers they have freely available on computers there. The British Newspaper Archives don't have many local Irish papers.
    Thanks pattenwalsh for the pointer to the Irish News Archive. Off to check!
    Barbara

  7. #7
    jac65
    Guest

    Default

    Hi

    Does the information come from the burial register or just the gravestone? If it is just the gravestone then you could try to check the burial register to ensure there was a burial. I have heard of gravestones that also mention family members who died overseas or were lost at sea.

    Andy

  8. #8
    Valued member of Brit-Gen barbara lee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Crosby, Liverpool, UK
    Posts
    337

    Default

    Thanks Andy
    It's from a gravestone. I haven't seen the burial register, and I don't think the Blackwater RC burial register (on microfilm at the National Library of Ireland) goes past 1880 - it doesn't go as far as 1901, according to their listing.
    Newspaper news - I have paid my 10 euros and still have some time to go on my 24 hour sub. It is the same collection as they have free at NLI. I can get some newspaper clippings of about the right date, and they have the heading "Births, Marriage and Deaths" but only seem to have part of the page. I'll keep trying!
    Barbara

  9. #9
    Knowledgeable and helpful
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
    Posts
    627

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by barbara lee View Post
    Thanks Elwyn.



    In England and Wales, if something isn't in the national index, it might be found in the local indexes. Is there anything like that in Ireland, or is GRO Ireland the only source? It isn't deeply important to find it, because we know his date and place of death from the gravestone, but we'd be interested to see the cause of death and the informant.

    Barbara
    I am not sure whether there are still copies of the old death registers in Enniscorthy. As far as I can tell the main registration office is now in Wexford town, with Enniscorthy being just a part-time service, two mornings a week at the local health centre. Suspect they probably don’t have the older records. They have probably been sent up to Dublin or Roscommon. Here are the contact details anyway. Suggest you ring either Wexford or Enniscorthy, to see:

    Civil Registration Service, Births, Deaths, Marriages

    Grogan's Road, Wexford Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 9.30am to 4.00 pm
    Contact: Tel 053 91 85631 Te:l 053 91 85643 Tel: 053 91 85606

    Civil Registration Service, Births, Deaths, Civil Registrar of Marriages & Civil PartnershipsEnniscorthy Health Centre, Millpark Road, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
    Opening Hours: Wed & Thurs 10.00 - 12.00
    Contact: 053 92 43706 / Fax: 053 - 9233469
    ELWYN

  10. #10
    Valued member of Brit-Gen barbara lee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Crosby, Liverpool, UK
    Posts
    337

    Default

    Thanks, Elwyn. I'll follow that up.
    As for the newspaper idea, I found some interesting things, but not a death notice for the missing Patrick. I think I need a more local newspaper than the ones on the Irish Newspaper Archive, so that's a job for my next visit to Wexford Library.
    Barbara

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Select a file: