Please Help/Teach Me To Access Ireland Genealogy Records. County Kerry 1820 1840

Question

I am hoping someone can help me to access Irish National Registry/Genealogy records that are not on Family Search (yet), and when I do not have an Ancestry international subscription.  My Connor ancestors are from County Kerry.  The problem I have hit is with Timothy Connor Jr. (Connor-3050) and his wife Catherine Sullivan (Sullivan-14404). I believe there is a transcription/reading problem with their marriage record.  Maybe a problem reading the priests’ handwriting.  They began having children in 1823 [nine children between 1823-1837] but their marriage record in the Family Search databases has the marriage year as 1833.  I don’t think Irish Catholics in County Kerry Ireland had 7-9 kids before they married.  I found three genealogy trees with this Connor family (USA border limited area) that have them married in 1823, but not one of these trees had any record validation backing this up.  I like that they have 1823 as their marriage year, but I am afraid that they are some of the copy and pastes that plague Ancestry.  I don’t have the knowledge/skill yet to access Ireland Genealogy records.  I hope some folks on WikiTree can help me or teach me.

Answer 1

Steve,

A link to the NLI ( National Library Ireland ) Catholic records on Microfilm - the link is to the marriage you have concerns about :

April 1833 -

Timotheus Connor and Catharana Sullivan

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633371#page/210/mode/1up

If you want to do your own search, (NLI) have a help page on the site :

https://registers.nli.ie/help

Comments

Here is a link to Baptisms in Kilcummin, Co Kerry

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634317#page/6/mode/1up

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Thank You.  Very appreciated.  It was sort of eye-numbing, but I found it.  I still just don't understand the 1833 year... when they started having children in 1823.  There are baptism records for every child born before 1833 (and after), and Timothy and Catherine are the parents.  I just don't think that is likely for Irish Catholics to have 6/9 children born to unmarried parents? But each with a baptism record? It feels like there is something "key' that is missing either in the County Kerry records or my assumptions are way off. Still puzzling.. to me anyway.

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Steve,

Glad you found the information on (NLI) and yes the Catholic records on the Microfilms can be very sore on the eyes....

Here is another site for you to have a look at 

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/

If you do a search under the Church Records for Timothy and Catherine, the transcription has the following : 

Marriage of TIMOTHY CONNOR of NR and CATHERINE SULLIVAN of ISLANDHILL on 1 April 1833 (ASSUMED)

Husband	Wife
Name	TIMOTHY CONNOR	CATHERINE SULLIVAN
Address	NR	ISLANDHILL
Occupation	NR	NR
Father	NR CONNOR	NR NR
Mother	NR NR	NR NR

Further details in the record

Priest	NR
Husband Age	NR
Husband Denomination	RC
Husband Marital Status	NR
Wife Age	NR
Wife Marital Status	NR
Husband's Father's Occupation	NR
Wife's Father's Occupation	NR
Witness 1	DAVID CONNELL
Witness 2	JOHN SULLIVAN

Book NumberPageEntry NumberRecord_Identifier1513KY-RC-MA-38330

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Sometimes couples had children prior to marriage and lived together in cohabiting unmarried partnerships. Their marriage later would “legitimize” their children in the eyes of the church.

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I have heard/read about this. I just thought that might involve 1-2 children at most, not 6.  I have also been informed that sometimes a tithe/donation was required and that a baptism could be delayed until the Church received the money.  I guess it's just the number of children and a full decade of years for an Irish Catholic family in Kerry that is hard for me to grasp.  Maybe it's me that needs to adjust my brain.  Thank you for the time and attention that you have given to my question.

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Your welcome, I hope the 2 Irish websites help with your research...