Irish search from the GEDCOM

Started 14 Sep 2026 from gedcom/Maiale_Fellman_Family_Tree.ged (Ancestry export 25 Jun 2026). This is the search list, not a finished Irish pedigree. Family page: Dowling–Curry–Kelly.

Use irishgenealogy.ie first. No account. Dublin church baptisms and Irish civil deaths from 1864 are there. Ancestry / FindMyPast / RootsIreland can wait until a free search misses. How-to is below.

Direct line the GEDCOM claims (US-side is the solid bit)

Margaret Mary Dowling (29 Mar 1907 – 18 Jan 1992, NY) ← John Joseph Dowling (b. 27 Sep 1879, 329 W. 26th St., NYC – d. 8 Apr 1970, Flushing) × Anna Loretta Curry (5 Nov 1883, Manhattan – 25 Aug 1957, Flushing), m. 7 Jan 1900, Kings ← GEDCOM father of John Joseph: Martin Dowling × Ellen, m. 29 Jan 1869, Manhattan

That 1869 Manhattan marriage is the first US record to trust for “who is John Joseph’s father.” Do not jump from John Joseph to William until Martin is unmerged.

William Dowling — GEDCOM facts to search (Dublin)

@I1804443969@

Field	GEDCOM	Use as
Birth	1822, Dublin	year only until parish is on screen
Baptism	26 Dec 1822, Dublin	best Irish search key
Second baptism	22 Jun 1855, Dublin	🟡 likely a merge or an adult event — do not treat as a second birth
Arrival	25 Jul 1848, New York	passenger list
Military	23 Aug 1864	same date as the return — probably discharge, not a second fact
Departure	23 Aug 1864, back to Dublin	reverse migrant
Residence	Nurnys Court (probably Nurney / a Dublin court)	workhouse / city directory
Death	7 Aug 1865, Dublin South	South Dublin Union / civil death 1865
Burial	St. James, Dublin	parish of burial
Parents	Petr Dowling × Anne Dowling	⚪ unsourced in the GEDCOM; two duplicate FAMC links
Spouses in file	Mary Anne Freeman ~1840; Esther Connolly 8 Jan 1854, Ireland; Ellen	🟡 more than one William may be glued here

Children attached under William in the file include John Henry (Dublin ~1850 – Carteret NJ 1898), Martin, Joseph, Jane (Dublin 1846 – West Derby 1930). Treat as leads, not siblings, until Martin is split.

Kelly — Castletown Delvin, Westmeath

Person	GEDCOM
Edward Kelly	b. 1800, Castletown Delvin; d. Westmeath (stayed)
Elizabeth Murray	b. 1804, Castletown Delvin; d. 4 Sep 1851, Castletown Delvin
Son Andrew Kelly	b. 4 Apr 1832, Westmeath; d. 14 May 1901, Manhattan; arrived 1860
Further back	Patrick Kelly (4GG) ~1774 Westmeath, d. 1864 Athlone; Laurence Kelly (5GG) b. 1751 — ⚪ hint-tree, last

Andrew × Anne Kelley, m. 1856 Manhattan. Daughter Elizabeth Esther Kelly (9 Jun 1861 – 5 Aug 1940) m. James Michael Curry 5 Feb 1898 → Anna Loretta Curry.

Curry — do not use Hannah Gilroy as Andrew’s wife

GEDCOM still has James Curry (b. 1800 Cork – d. Dec 1884 Dublin South) × Hannah Gilroy (1800–1881 Jersey City) as parents of Andrew Curry (Nov 1830 Ireland – 8 Jun 1911 Jersey City). That pairing is the 29-year age gap already flagged. Andrew’s US marriage is Ann E Ward, 1851 NY.

James Curry d. Dec 1884 Dublin South is a searchable Irish civil death (civil registration is on by 1864). Cork 1800 birth is church-only.

Which site (you are not logged into anything)

Do not start with Ancestry. The Irish originals for William and the 1865 death are on a free government site.

Site	Cost	Use it for
irishgenealogy.ie	Free, no login	William: Dublin baptism 1822 + civil death 1865. James Curry: civil death Dec 1884 Dublin South. This is the one to use today.
registers.nli.ie	Free, no login	Kelly @ Delvin — unindexed Catholic register images (Westmeath is not on irishgenealogy.ie church). Browse, don’t search.
askaboutireland.ie Griffith’s	Free	Edward Kelly / Murray in Castletown Delvin ~1850s
FamilySearch	Free account	NYC 1869 Martin×Ellen marriage; Dublin workhouse images if they load
FindMyPast	Paid	South Dublin Union admission books (the 1864–65 workhouse stay) — later
RootsIreland	Paid	Indexed Westmeath baptisms if NLI browse fails
Ancestry	Paid	US tree + hints. Not the Irish originals.

irishgenealogy.ie covers Dublin church + all-Ireland civil from 1864. It does not index Westmeath Catholic baptisms. That is why Kelly is NLI, not the same search box.

How to use irishgenealogy.ie — William’s death (easier hit)

Civil registration starts 1864. He died 7 Aug 1865, so this should exist.

1. Open irishgenealogy.ie.
2. Click Civil Records (not Church Records).
3. Fill:
   • Name: William Dowling (exact is fine; if zero hits, try Dolan / Dowlin).
   • Event type: Death.
   • Year: 1865, or range 1865–1866.
   • SR District / Reg. Area: start with Dublin South. If empty, clear the district and search Dublin only.
4. Open every William of age ~40–50. Our man should be about 43.
5. Click the PDF / image. Read: age, occupation, workhouse or South Dublin Union, informant, cause, burial note if any.
6. Screenshot the index row and the certificate. That is the proof.

If the district filter hides him: search Deaths, 1865, name only, then sort by district.

How to use irishgenealogy.ie — William’s baptism

1. Same site → Church Records (separate from Civil).
2. Name: William Dowling.
3. Year range: 1822 to 1823.
4. Location: Dublin (city). If the form wants a parish, try St James first (GEDCOM burial is St James), then leave parish blank.
5. You want 26 Dec 1822 (or within a few days). Parents in the GEDCOM are Petr/Peter × Anne — only keep the row if those names match; otherwise it may be a different William.
6. Open the register image. Note parish, parents’ names, address if given, sponsors.

A second baptism 22 Jun 1855 on the same GEDCOM person is probably junk or an adult event. If you find a William baptised that day, it is not proof of a second birth.

How to use NLI for the Kellys (no search box)

1. Open registers.nli.ie.
2. Diocese Meath → parish Delvin (Castletown Delvin).
3. Open Baptisms around 1832 for Andrew Kelly, parents Edward Kelly and Elizabeth Murray.
4. Open Burials / deaths around 4 Sep 1851 for Elizabeth Murray / Kelly.
5. This is page-by-page. Invert colors if the ink is faded, same as Antenati.

Griffith’s (after or in parallel): county Westmeath, parish Castletown Delvin / Delvin, occupier Kelly.

Order once the how-to is clear

1. Civil death 1865 (steps above) — should exist; proves workhouse vs not.
2. Church baptism 1822 — only keep it if parents match Petr/Peter × Anne, or screenshot the mismatch.
3. Griffith’s + NLI Delvin for the Kellys.
4. Paid FindMyPast workhouse books only if the 1865 death image is thin.
5. NYC Martin × Ellen 29 Jan 1869 — names Martin’s parents; that splits the merge.

Guardrails from the file itself

• Martin Dowling: four INDI records (blank dates, Mar 1848 Ireland d. 1890 Brooklyn, abt 1845 Ireland d. abt 1890). F12 dumps extra children (Hugh in Ontario, Sharon, etc.) onto John Joseph’s household. Ignore Martin as a single person until the 1869 marriage cert.
• Two baptisms on William (1822 and 1855) = merge smell.
• Petr/Anne as William’s parents are not proven by anything in the GEDCOM but the name fields.

FamilySearch collection that matches the death: Ireland, Dublin, Workhouses Admission and Discharge Registers, 1840–1921 (CID 4496114) — needs a browser that is not blocked from this host.