Confirming a place of birth

Question

Hi,
I'm trying to confirm some details about my birth mother, and struggling to find her birth records. My half-siblings have refused to have anything to do with me, and I'm okay with that. However, I would like to confirm her place of birth.
Her Date of Birth from Court Documents (in 1960) is 27 July, 1936 and place of birth: "Ireland". However I have no idea if this was the Republic or Northern Ireland.

From her Marriage Certificate, I know her father was William Stynes and as at July, 1960, he was already deceased.

I have already searched Ancestry and Familysearch with no success, and can't see anything on my heritage surface screen ( I don't subscribe).

Any obvious sources that I have missed that you can point me to, please?

Answer 1

Hi Martin

The Irish government has put the civil birth, marriage and death records (not just the indexes) online for free.

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/

Go to Civil Records. You have to declare your name to search the records, but it is free to do so. Putting in William Stynes as a search term, I found a William who died in 1955 aged 47 in the village of Sleaty in the Abbeyleix Registration District who was a farmer, informant was Bridget his widow.

Sleaty is on the outskirts of the town of Carlow in County Carlow, but the county line between County Carlow and County Laois has separated the two.

There is a marriage of William Stynes, a farmer to a Bridger Foy of "Sleaty, Carlow" on 20 June 1934 in the Catholic church of Graiguecullen, Carlow. 

Unfortunately, the 100 year closure rule on public display of birth records would mean that your mother born in 1936 won't be searchable, but these two dates of the marriage in 1934 and the death of a possible father in 1955, would fit with the information you already have.

Jo

Comments

Thank you for that. I also didn't realise about the 100 year rule that you mention, which sort of explains why all the usual databases don't have anything I could get my teeth into.

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There's lots more Irish records online now. The Irish government realised that putting them free online stimulated interest from the Irish Diaspora and brought in the tourist money.

Answer 2

Martin, I see that you have asked similar questions twice before.

While seeking additional information, you have sufficient information to link your mother to her husband (even if he wasn't your father) and to create a profile for her father if it doesn't already exist.  It might help you to do those things as they could lead to further information.

Also, I wonder if you've considered DNA testing.

Comments

Thank you, Julie. I have actually created a profile for my mother's husband who she married after my adoption and he is also deceased. However, because he is no relative to me and because my half-siblings have made their wishes clear, I have his profile at a high privacy setting.

I appreciate the comment about the multiple questions and appreciate all of the answers I have had to the previous ones. Perhaps abusing the system, but as I got more information confirmed, I was asking a new question, rather than adding to the older thread.

DNA kit on order now.
The big thing I was feeling frustrated about and didn't understand until 10 minutes ago, was why I couldn't find a birth record when I had pretty clear details.  The 100 year Irish law explains it
 

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Martin, I wasn't suggesting that you were abusing the system, just that when one thing doesn't work, maybe another approach is called for.  In this case, though, you seem to have found some additional information.

I understand your point about not connecting your mother to her husband.  Too bad.  I'm lucky to have not had any relatives who object to my making all my own family's history available on-line.  I don't know what I'd do if they had.

Good luck with your quest.

Answer 3

In the 1911 census there were 3 William Stynes age less than 20 in Ireland.

• One age 3 living at Ballyfoyle, Killabban, Queen's Co.
• One age 11 living at Harold Road, Arran Quay, Dublin Co.
• One age 15 living at Bushelloaf, Clondalkin, Dublin Co.

Any of these could be marrying around the 1930s.
See http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ to view the Ireland censuses.

There are three marriages of William Stynes in the 1930s in Ireland.

• Marriage of Bridget Miskella and William Stynes on 05 July 1937 SR District/Reg Area    New Ross
• Marriage of William Stynes and Isabella Murphy on 15 July 1934 SR District/Reg Area    Dublin
• Marriage of William Stynes and Bridget Foy on 20 June 1934 SR District/Reg Area    Carlow

There is one William Stynes who died in Ireland between 1936 and 1960.

• Death of William STYNES in 1955 SR District/Reg Area    Abbeyleix Deceased Age at Death    47

He died 22 Feb 1955 at Sleaty townland, Co. Laois. Bridget Stynes widow was the informant. So presumably she was Bridget Foy and he was the William age 3 in the 1911 census.

See https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp to view the register images for these marriage and death records.
Indexes of these records are on FamilySearch but no images.
 

Comments

I think it is very likely that Ray's find of a William Stynes born 1908 in Killabban is your man.
The 1911 Irish census has him with his family:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Queen_s_Co_/Killabban/Ballyfoyle/785953/