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Hello.  I've been trying to find which parish Minnistown would be as it seem to be between 3 different areas. I'm trying to locate the land my 3rd Great Grandfather farmed from a correspondence he wrote. Valentine Hall, Ministown Drogheda, forward the details of his growing wheat, oats and other crops, totalling 67 acres, on foot of several requests for this information from local police. It is dated 26th April, 1847 in the  'Famine Relief Commission Papers, 1844-1847' reference numbers baronial sub-series (RLFC3/2/) 72. I was wondering if there were any reminants of buildings left there. My cousin Madeline lives in the area and I would love to get any pictures and location for the map for our family collection.

Thank you

Susan Parody

1000 Island, CanadaFamine Relief Commission Papers, 1844-1847Famine Relief Commission Papers, 1844-1847

Susan Parody

Saturday 6th Jun 2020, 08:25PM

Message Board Replies

  • Hello Susan, I live close enough to Ministown and it was probably in the parish of St Marys, Drogheda back in the day, you do not give a family name which we could use on Griffiths Valuation to get a look and then you can fiddle with the maps, it is possible in was in Stamullen parish but my money would be on St Marys, hte parish is probably different now as the area has been heavily developed with houseing and schools etc really treated as a commuter belt area or was pre Covid.

    St Marys parish is in both Louth and Meath but in the diocese of Meath, you do not mention the religion if looking for records. Drogheda is the nearest large town, about 5 or 6 miles north of there. 

    There are active Facebook pages on Drogheda including old photos etc with the odd one from that area, probably a long scroll down though, interesting Youtube video called Ghosts of Drogheda but only pictures of the town but worth a look if you have the 9 minutes. 

    The area was industrialised at the famine time and not greatly affected I think, coastal areas were not too bad as there was fishing and the railway arrived in 1844 etc it was a busy port also. 

    If you can give the family name I will ask some locals as I am a blow in here albeit over 40 years. 

    You can see the RC parishes here https://registers.nli.ie/ and the C of I or Anglican parishes usually coincided with the civil parishes etc and you can view then here, no Minnistown shown but it is on the maps, https://www.townlands.ie/louth/colp/ despite it saying Louth it is in Meath but the border meanders around the area. 

    Regards

    Pat

    St Peters Louth, IrelandXO Volunteer

    Saturday 6th Jun 2020, 09:40PM
  • Hi Susan, just saw this and realise the person is Valetine Hall, see this post on the site or did you put it up, https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy/ancestor-database/valentine-hall 

    Will now try to ask around for him.

    Pat

    St Peters Louth, IrelandXO Volunteer

    Saturday 6th Jun 2020, 10:59PM
  • Hi Susan, found two births in St Marys for children of Valentine Hall and a Mary eliza (I thnk) Sharkey and then Mary Eliza Strong, assume same person. A Sarah Jane and a Jane so wonder did Sarah Jane die. Also this church was only built circa 1832, can send photo or link to pic and only has baptisms from then, no marriage records until 1874 so cannot find a possible marriage. Other children may have been born earlier. The two I found were 1833 and 1836.

    A final regards

    Pat

    St Peters Louth, IrelandXO Volunteer

    Saturday 6th Jun 2020, 11:36PM
  • Hello Pat, yes I had added the post for Valentine Hall on the ancestor data base. Valentine married Mary Eliza Strong, sometimes recorded as 'Strang' in 1821 in Dublin. They must of moved towards Drogheda soon after as their 7 daughters are registered or claimed birth there. Ann S 1824, Beresford Marie 1827, Eleanor 1828, Elizabeth S 1828, Maria Francis 1830, Jane 1833, and Sarah Jane 1836. Valentine left for America arriving there in 1848 within a year after the letter , 1847, which made me wonder if anything 'legal' happened for him to leave. Since the letter he wrote was addressed Minnistown and it being such a small area I had tried to find some of the survey maps from the 1825 ordnance survey and other maps to compare the 'field' acreage.

    All but one daughter followed Valentine to America. Elizabeth Strong Hall married Michael Brien, my 2nd Great Grandparents, in St. Peters, Drogheda in 1844, they lived on John Street. I beleive that Valentine's wife, Mary Elizabeth Strong Hall also stayed in Drogheda area but I can not find a death record for her.

    I've taken a few 'walks' on google map Minnistown Road and had seen a few reminence of buildings and was just wondering if I could find a location for the land he farmed

    Thank you Pat

    Susan Parody

    Sunday 7th Jun 2020, 01:43PM
  • Hello Susan, a quick add, I looked in the Tithe Applottments and see a Walter Hall paying taxes in Stameen, Colp West this is close but not close enough to Minnistown (I live in Stameen) http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp this is 1834 to 1837, however when I look in Griffiths Valuation I can find no Halls in Colp but a number of vacant sites, you can view these by juggling the maps icon but tricky and which one, you can view Irish maps on http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch this was about 1854. Irish maps can be viewed here https://www.osi.ie/

    This site should interest you, unfortunatley it was founded by two brothers called Hall so you get a lot of hits, I see an Elizabeth Hall buried in Cord cemetary and given time can get the  grave inscription, other graveyards in Drogheda are post 1900 and Cord is now closed. http://www.jbhall.clahs.ie/index.html There is a book of Cord inscriptons. 

    You can see the marriage record here under church and Dublin but not much info https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/  Jphn Street has been mostly demolished but is on that Youtube thing I mentioned but no way of picking it out, there is a Drogheda Down Memory Lane and some others that show old photos of Drogheda and if you scrool through it you will see some photos of it, apply to join. Very active page but old can mean a few years ago but nearly evey old as in pre 1900 photo of Drogheda is on it. Also in 1848 Drogheda was the 2nd largest migration port in Ireland but mainly to Liverpool and no records as internal travel at the time.

    Regards

    Pat

    St Peters Louth, IrelandXO Volunteer

    Sunday 7th Jun 2020, 11:41PM
  • Susan you can view the drogheda deaths post 1864 on the site Irish Genealogy but unfortunately not all the certs but I see in 1880 a Mary Hall widow died in the Workhouse age 78, but not info to show she is your lady.

    Pat

    St Peters Louth, IrelandXO Volunteer

    Sunday 7th Jun 2020, 11:46PM
  • Susan you can view the drogheda deaths post 1864 on the site Irish Genealogy but unfortunately not all the certs but I see in 1880 a Mary Hall widow died in the Workhouse age 78, but not info to show she is your lady.

    Pat

    St Peters Louth, IrelandXO Volunteer

    Sunday 7th Jun 2020, 11:46PM

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