Looking for Margaret Healy

MJayne · Post by **MJayne** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 11:06 pm

Hope someone can help me with this one. I'm looking for the death record of Margaret Healy (m.s. O'Keefe) likely in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales as that is where she lived. Unfortunately, I don't know the year.

She was my other half's GGM and we are pretty sure she came from Limerick and know that she had a son around about 1914 so was likely born before 1900. My other half's father was born in 1949 and remembers visiting Granny Healy in Newport when he was young, but can't remember what age he was when she died - I am assuming this means he was relatively young so am further assuming she died sometime between 1949 and 1969. However, I can't narrow it down any further.

Her husband's name was Thomas Healy - don't know if he also came over from Ireland or when he died - will look for him later.

I knew I would likely track her down in Ancestry so had a look at the membership options and chose the 12 credits pay per view thinking that this would be plenty as I am only looking for one record. However, I know realise that, unless I am very lucky, I am going to need a lot more than this to find the record in Ancestry.

Does anyone out there have an unlimited Ancestry membership and a few spare minutes to maybe narrow the search down for me a bit? I realise it is a big ask - searching these records is so much more difficult than using SP!!!

Got my fingers (and toes) crossed.

Thanks!

Jayne

Post by **SarahND** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:04 am

Hi Jayne,
Unfortunately, the Ancestry records are not going to give you the information you want. The only death records for Wales are in the databases:
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1983
England & Wales, Death Index: 1984-2005

Since it is likely she died before 1983, the FreeBMD is the one you need. However, only about 50% of the records have been entered so far. Especially the middle years, about the time you suspect she died, are under-represented. I did search, but don't see any likely records. Sorry!

I haven't had any experience with it, but perhaps FindMyPast would have the records? Anyone able to advise on this one?

All the best,
Sarah

trish58 · Post by **trish58** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:20 am

Hi MJayne

Not sure if these will help, I searched all death records from 1949-1970 and these are the only 2 which may help. Several Margarets but not near Wales.

Death 1950 Oct/Nov/Dec quarter Margaret Healy age 80 Bedwellty (Monmouthshire) Vol 8c - Page 70.

Death 1951 Apr/May/Jun quarter Margaret Healy age 63 Bedwellty (Monmouthshire) Vol 8c - Page 102.

Do you have any idea when and where she married Thomas ? I have Ancestry & Find my Past subscriptions, will help if I can

Trish

Wee Ann · Post by **Wee Ann** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:31 am

Hi Jayne,
I had a look through 'Find my Past', but could find no death for a Margaret Healy in the years from 1949 - 1969 in Newport, Mon.
There were a couple for a place I didn't know - it was Bedwellty, and they were in 1951. I have no idea where Bedwellty might be?
Hope someone else can help you better than I can

Ann

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:49 am

Hello Jayne,

I suspect you’re looking for a Healey rather than a Healy and that her maiden name was O’Keeffe rather than O’Keefe.

On FreeBMD http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl there’s a possible son born 1922 under spelling Healey. Again under Healey with mothers maiden name spelled O’Keeffe there are also possible daughter born 1920 and sons in 1924 and 1926. For the Healy/O’Keeffe combination there’s a very unlikely possible daughter born elsewhere in 1913.

You’ll find a very likely death of one of the aforementioned possible sons if you search here
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=7579

In 1901 there’s an Irish born, 8 year old Margaret O’Keeffe living in Pendleton Parish, Lancashire?, possibly with a family, John & Mary & kids May, Margaret, Catherine, Josephine & James so far as I can tell.
http://www.1901censusonline.com/search. ... ith_locale

Hope this helps,
Alan

MJayne · Post by **MJayne** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:17 pm

Okay. I got a birth cert from Roscommon for my other half's grandfather. On his BC he is named as Denis and his father is Thomas Healy and his mother Margaret Healy formerly O'Keeffe. He was born on 2nd January 1913 at a Lying-in Hospital in Limerick. The parent's address is given as 2 James Street. I have Denis's marriage cert on which he is named as Dennis Patrick O'Keefe and his father named as Thomas O'Keefe. On his death cert he is named as Dennis O'Keefe formerly Healy as notified by his widow.

The family is unsure why he dropped Healy and took O'Keefe as his surname. One story is that he joined the British army and this didn't go down to well back home. I haven't checked out the army connection yet - not too sure where to start to be honest.

I would like to find a record of Thomas and Margaret's marriage but I don't know where or when it took place other than to say it was likely Limerick and before 1913. I haven't found anything so far and I have been on loads of websites. I'm not sure if Roscommon will search given the lack of detail.

Anyone any ideas?

Jayne

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:06 am

Hello Jayne,

Re the World War 2 British Army records.

According to this old National Archives page:
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.go ... ry_Records
“Personnel records are received (by the Army Record Office) eight years after discharge and are held for at least 75 years after discharge before being passed to The National Archives.”

However the records are currently available to next of kin. This page and those linked to it should contain the information you’re after. The unclaimed medals page may be worth a look if relevant.
http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_rec ... cords.html

Hope this helps.
Alan

MJayne · Post by **MJayne** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:19 pm

Hi guys,

I haven't been doing the old family tree stuff for a while. Got fed up with being stuck all the time! Anyway, I am back on it and want to do some more digging on the O'keefe/Healy side again.

I have been thinking about purchasing some credits on either Genes REunited or Ancestry to try and find Margaret Healy/Healey/O'Keefe/O'Keeffe's death and also have a look at those births - the one for Kathleen looks like it could be a hit as that is one of the names I have for her children. Anyway, can anyone tell me what I will see if I buy these credits? Is it just the indexes or record entries like we get on Scotland's People? The indexes seem to me to be no help whatsoever - how are you supposed to tell if you have the right person? I don't want to have to order certificates for them all. That would cost a fortune!

Has anyone else done English/Welsh research? Can we see the entries online at all?

Cheers

Jayne

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:06 am

Hello Jayne

As the child Dennis was born in Limerick in 1913 have you tried the 1901 and 1911 Irish census, which is free online, for a record of the parents? Although, that wont be easy if you don’t know the ages etc. Was the place of birth on the certificate just Limerick or are there other clues. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/

I think the England/Wales index on Ancestry, and probably other sites, has been improved a bit recently. It doesn’t show much information, but does have the age at death and after 1969 has the date of birth. It’s just the same sort of information as there is on FreeBMD. If you can find the death of both in Newport or thereabouts, you’ll have an approximate birth year and you may be able to locate them in Ireland in 1911 and before.

Unfortunately England/Wales BMD certificates contain nowhere near the amount of information there is on a Scottish certificate. You can purchase them online but it’s a paper certificate sent by snail mail and costs around 9 Pounds.

Newport, Monmouthshire, was in the registration district of Newport until 1974 when it appears to have become part of the County of Gwent

Deaths on the FreeBMD site are only up to about 1940 so far and you will have to get the information from Ancestry. Their search page for deaths is here http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=7579 There is also the Wills index but I’m not sure if that’s much use without an idea of the death date. http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1904

Maybe someone could check Ancestry deaths in Monmouthshire for Margaret and Thomas under the Healey surname spelling if that hasn’t already been done. The four Healey/O’Keeffe births in Newport between 1920 and 1926 on Free BMD all look pretty promising. I can see some of the boy’s deaths on Ancestry under the Healey name in that County. Maybe there are clues in the index there as to whether the family later moved away from Newport.

On the GenesReunited site someone named Eileen has the G*r**d born 1924 listed. http://www.genesreunited.com/relations/ ... fault.aspx

Maybe the 14 day Ancestry trial would be worthwhile if you haven’t had it before. You would have to remember to cancel out before they debited your credit card. If you have to burn up credits just looking at index entries then you’re not getting very good value for money. Better still, your local library probably has the Library Edition of Ancestry.

Hope that helps,
Alan

trish1 · Post by **trish1** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:36 pm

If I am finding the correct folks, one of the sons died 2001 in Cardiff and another 1982 in Newport. Both match to approx birth date on the birth indexes.
I believe you can take out a monthly sub to ancestry - if you have used your 2 week trial & this is probably a better option than pay to view, the library being an even better option. You can look at as many records as you like with a subscription or at the library. Although the indexes are not spectacular with mother's maiden name on the birth indexes and birth dates on later death indexes it is not impossible to find folks.

The only Margaret Healey I am finding who died in Newport died in 1974 - her date of birth is given as 20 August 1883 - if she was having the children in the 1920s - she would have been about 43 when the last was born, quite possible. There is a Thomas Healy died in Newport in 1935 age given as 51 (probably on Freebdm also)

The death certificates will give very little information, although the 1974 one may give her husband's name - Alan's suggestions on the census could seem a much better option to check if these are the correct folks.

Trish

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