Gormley Family History, Old Photos of Co Roscommon

The Gormley family emigrated to the colony of New South Wales in 1853 and settled at Darkwater Creek on the mid-north coast of NSW. They came from Co Roscommon. These old photos of Co Roscommon were taken by Robert French between 1870 and 1910 and are in the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.

Cornelius Gormley was married to Ann McDermott and they both came from Co Roscommon. They emigrated with their children in 1853 and settled near Gladstone in NSW. One of their daughters, Ellen, married John Henry Fanning. She was the daughter- in- law of my gggrandfather, William Patrick Fanning, who came out to the colony of Victoria in 1841.

I have two names of places of origin for Cornelius Gormley and his wife Anne and their children. They come from the passenger list for the Ellenborough 1853. I thought Ann was born in Mantea but I cannot find any place like this. The closest is Mantuar. On this list Connor and his children are listed as coming from what looks like Ogullary. Again the closest to this I can find at this stage is Ogulla which is 19 kms from Mantuar. I also have Cornelius’s wife’s surname as MacDermid. In Griffith’s Valuations there are no MacDermids but 850 entries in Co Roscommon for McDermott! So I am going with that.

Co Roscommon Civil Parishes
Co Roscommon Civil Parishes

On this map of the Civil Parishes of Co Roscommon Ogulla is 47 and Kilcolagh, where Mantuar is situated, is 26. They are about 19 kms from each other

This map is from Genuki Co Roscommon.

The following photos taken between 1870 and 1910 by Robert French are of areas in Roscommon close to where the Gormleys and McDermotts would have lived.

Bridge St Boyle Co Roscommon
Bridge St Boyle Co Roscommon
Police Barracks Co Roscommon
Police Barracks Co Roscommon
Barrack St Boyle Co Roscommon
Barrack St Boyle Co Roscommon
Boat Harbor Rock Co Roscommon
Boat Harbor Rock Co Roscommon
Main St Boyle Co Roscommon
Main St Boyle Co Roscommon
Main St Roscommon Co Roscommon
Main St Roscommon Co Roscommon

These posts have more on the Gormley family Belmore River and Gormley Family Roscommon.