Are Your Irish Immigrants to Canada In this Database at the National Archives Ireland

I am a member of the East Galway Genealogy Facebook Group and Martin Curley recently shared a new resource that I had not explored. The collection of records are from Chief Secretary of Ireland’s Office records found on the Archives of Ireland website. These records are described on the site as:

“The records of the Chief Secretary of Ireland’s Office constitute one of the most valuable collections of original source material for research into Ireland in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

This project by the National Archives, Ireland aims to catalogue to international archival standards, the registered papers of the Chief Secretary’s Office from 1818 to 1852, and to offer these catalogues online in order to facilitate public access.

The registered papers mainly comprise incoming correspondence of the Chief Secretary’s Office ‘registered’ by a clerk in that office. The correspondence consists of letters, petitions, memorials, memoranda, affidavits, recommendations, accounts, reports, and returns. Official government correspondence appears side by side with unofficial correspondence from private citizens from all strata of society and concerning all manner of topics. The papers, therefore, offer a rich source for scholars of Irish political, social, economic, labour, and women’s history, as well as for local historians and genealogists.

The project is funded by a bequest from the late Professor Francis J Crowley, professor of French at the University of California, Los Angeles and son of Irish-born parents. Professor Crowley bequeathed most of his estate to the Republic of Ireland to be used for the preservation of records of the history of the Irish people. Work commenced on the project in September 2008 and has continued until the present day.”

https://csorp.nationalarchives.ie/index.html

First I went through the Irish surnames I know hoping for a hit, but found very little. My next search was for locations in Ireland that I knew my Irish ancestors lived, interesting but I didn’t have much luck. The really interesting searches were to come.

I next searched for Canada and here is where I started getting excited. The search for Canada brought up 256 hits, searching Quebec 65 hits, British North America 41 hits, Nova Scotia 8 hits and Newfoundland 18 hits.

Here are some examples of what can be found:

TITLE:

Petition of James Hodgins, sub-constable, Roscrea, County Tipperary, seeking government assistance to allow himself and family to emigrate to British North America [Canada].

SCOPE & CONTENT:

Petition of James Hodgins, sub-constable, Roscrea, County Tipperary, to Henry William Paget, Lord Lieutenant, seeking government assistance to allow himself and family to emigrate to British North America [Canada]; noting that he was appointed to the police in recognition of his resistance to disturbances in the Barony of Lower Ormond between 1821 and 1823; explaining that his loyalty brought about the burning of his homestead and lamenting the heavy financial consequences arising from the loss ofhis farm.

More about above James Hodgins

TITLE:

Petition of James Hodgins, sub-constable, Roscrea, County Tipperary, seeking government assistance to allow himself and his family emigrate to Canada having suffered intimidation.

SCOPE & CONTENT:

Petition of James Hodgins, sub-constable, Roscrea, County Tipperary, to Henry William Paget, Lord Lieutenant, seeking government assistance to allow himself and his family emigrate to Canada; noting that he was appointed to the police in recognition of his efforts as a farm manager to resist disturbances in the Barony of Lower Ormond between 1821 and 1823 which resulted in the burning of his homestead; noting that he was acquitted of a murder charge brought against him following the shooting of two men at Borrisokeane [Borrisokane] murder by the police under the command of William Dobbin, magistrate; claiming that his extended family have all emigrated to Canada due to intimidation and that he has had to sell the paternal farm at a great loss. Also letter from William Miller, [Inspector General], Fermoy, [County Cork], to Sir William Gosset, [Under Secretary], stating that Hodgins would be a valuable settler in North America and has always done his duty but is not entitled to any extraordinary consideration from government. Also damp press copy of reply from Gosset, Dublin Castle, to Chief Constable Nash, Roscrea, forwarding £15 to Hodgins.

This one mentions the Peter Robinson immigration scheme

TITLE:

Petition of the inhabitants of Dingle, County Kerry, complaining of bias in selection of recipients for government assisted emigration to Upper Canada

SCOPE & CONTENT:

Petition of the inhabitants of Dingle, County Kerry, to Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquis Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, Dublin Castle, complaining of bias in selection of recipients for government assisted emigration to Upper Canada [British North America]. Explains in hope of leaving Ireland they sold their furniture, vacated their dwellings and gave up the use of their land holdings. Expresses frustration following a visit to Newmarket, County Cork, to enrol for the scheme. They claim to have been insulted by Captain Peter Robinson, superintendent of emigration with the Colonial Department, London, who told them ‘that no Dingle or Kerry man would be taken while a county Cork man was found willing to Emigrate’. Remark that a few of their number were granted passage on recommendation of Viscount Ennismore, [Richard Hare, MP for County Cork]. Requests an enquiry as to the apparent discrimination, signed by Daniel Sullivan and 29 others.

Jeremiah Murphy who wishes to travel to family in Hamilton, Ontario as his wife and child have both died.

TITLE:

Memorial of Jeremiah Murphy, shoemaker, Skibbereen, County Cork, seeking financial assistance to emigrate to Canada.

SCOPE & CONTENT:

Memorial of Jeremiah Murphy, shoemaker, Skibbereen, County Cork, to [Richard] Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, seeking financial assistance to allow him to emigrate to Canada; stating that his wife and one child have recently died and that he has had his passage paid for by his relatives who live in Hamilton, Upper Canada. Also letter of support from Alexander McCarthy, physician to the West Carbery Dispensary, Skibbereern, noting that the name of the ship is the ‘John Howard’ and adding that the family were struck by the dysentery epidemic. Also copy of letter from James Atkins, Quebec. Also letter from M Shawe, Dublin Castle, to William Gregory, Under Secretary, suggesting that the Colonial Department might be in a position to assist Murphy.

The search page is found here. https://csorp.nationalarchives.ie/search/?fbclid=IwAR0RUMYsOIr1Hr4CGZ5bhHVLxVL2H1obIdID1G1Bjml_INapnCrYB6xjAJ8

I hope this helps someone find more information about their Irish ancestry.