Peter Mulvay born c1840

[RuthM0]

Excellent, I will order the second one, apparently his second wife he also either divorced or abandoned - she later died in an asylum - and he married a third wife in Australia going onto have many more children

[RuthM0]

Just an update for you all, I've received a copy of the marriage certificate to Mary Jones this morning. It's thrown up a load more questions. In the space for grooms father it says L (or possibly C) Mulvay, under which is written xtian name unknown, and in the sapce for grooms mother Mulvay maiden name unknown (no christian name or initial).
So I suppose the possibilities are
- he didn't wish to disclose the names
- he was an orphan and didn't know the names
- he was abandoned and didn't know the names
- either on arrival in NZ or before he adopted the name Peter Mulvay but it wasn't his real name
Interestingly my mother says that Mulvay and Molloy are or were often used interchangeably in some parts of Ireland.
So few of the Irish records are online it's difficult, but now several sources confirm he was indeed Irish including the marriage certificates, and his discharge from Nelson jail.
Your help has moved some things along, and I've just made contact with one of his descendant in Australia as well who has family stories I'd never heard.