Birth details of family in Ireland

[luxor]

Ellen McElroy was born Ellen Keegan. I believe that her parents were John and Margaret Keegan. Here is a baptism record for another child of theirs; 'Joannem'. Most entries in the Kiltubrid Roman Catholic register are in English but there are a few Latin. I've seen this name translated/transcribed as 'Jane', but something I read suggested it might just be 'John' according to Latin grammar?

Also; any suggestions for the Surname of the female sponsor?

[VicMar1]

Looks like 'Margaret Early" or Earby ? Best Guess.
Ive seen Margaret written similarly before !
followed by Michael Mitchell and Ellen Magauran ?
Its looks like the same name as in the first line of your image following Patrick and before Eliza ?

[luxor]

'Magauran' - that's it. I've never heard of it before, but looks like it's common enough in the Leitrim area. Thanks Vic!

[luxor]

I've had good success on this - thanks to all who helped! Looks like John McElroy was stationed in County Leitrim, married a farmer's daughter Ellen Keegan, was moved over the County border to serve in Cavan, and retired young to the farm when John and Margaret, the farmer and his wife, died in 1886 and 1887.

I ordered some photocopies of register entries by email. They just arrived today. They are very good quality; however, they seem to be copies of a transcribed register rather than the original. The signatures are all in the same hand as the details. I wonder if anyone else has seen this? Or maybe just the Drumshanbo registers got damaged at some point and were replaced?

[MaryA]

If the entries were from RC Parish Registers then they would have been written by the priest.

I've just taken a look at a few I have from the Register Office and I believe them to be the same.

In England every three months a copy of the local Registers are made and sent to the GRO who then collect all the information from around the country and create the alphabetical indexes. When we order from the GRO it is a print of this copy that we are buying. Is the same system used in Ireland?

[luxor]

In England every three months a copy of the local Registers are made and sent to the GRO who then collect all the information from around the country and create the alphabetical indexes. When we order from the GRO it is a print of this copy that we are buying. Is the same system used in Ireland?

The copies I received date back to the time when Ireland was part of the UK, so the system was probably the same. That would explain it. I'll contact them just to confirm.

It might also explain why I can't find a civil registration for Margaret McElroy. I thought she might have been born and registered in County Down, but two possibles I ordered were false. I've found a County Leitrim Roman Catholic baptism for 'Margaret' in 1883, with a civil registration for 'Ellen' just after that. I'm convinced that 'Ellen' is an error; either a misunderstanding between the registrar and the child's grandfather, or a transcription error. (Ellen was the child's mother.)

I've just found a few baptisms, but in every case the child was baptised before it was born. Isn't that amazing!

[MaryA]

I've just found a few baptisms, but in every case the child was baptised before it was born. Isn't that amazing!

We believe we could suggest the answer to that one! A baptism was very important and usually, with Irish families, took place within a few days, often times even the next day. Registering a birth however, took more money and as we have often said, what would you do - feed the children or register the baby? So if it took longer than the statutory six weeks before they could afford registration then who knew how many little lies there were over the date of birth.