Newfoundland's Grand Banks Message Board

Hello, this is my first posting here. I am doing research for an old Irish neighbour who doesn't have a clue how we do that. As for myself, I am of French Canadian stock in Quebec and unfortunately don't have ancestors in Newfoundland. I have found the direct ancestor for my friend in Carbonear. His ancestor was John Morey who married Julia Clarke in St-Patrick Catholic church on november 30th 1872. The witnesses are given as John Phelan and Bridget Groves. What I would like to know is the name of the parents of the bride and groom and if they were living in Carbonear or never came to Newfoundland. Also, it seems that John had a brother named James who also came to Montreal in 1890. I think it could be James who married Margaret Dollard on october 10 1884 also in Carbonear. Is there any way to verify that? Also, I have seen in Carbonear a few cases of weddings implicating persons named Morey. I wonder if these people are related to John. Thanks for any help you can give me and take care.

Michel Morin
Candiac, Quebec.

I don't have information on your Moreys, but I do recognize the names. I was in Carbonear last week and spent a couple days in the archives. I wish I had seen this post before I went and I would have checked it.

You can contact The Rooms in St john's and they will do a search for you for a small fee.

If it helps you at all, I have found a Mary Mory/Morry married to John Fortune 5 Mar 1832 in Harbour Grace and their witnesses were Timothy Morry and Mathilda McGrath. They had 3 daughters in the 1830s: Ann (married Charles Southwell), Margaret (married Cornelius Murphy) and Mary (married Edmund Brennan). There was no church in Carbonear prior to about 1841 and all marriages/baptisms were in Harbour Grace prior to that.

Hopefully this helps you in some way. Since there are no names listed on the marriages, there doesn't appear to be a way to connect the families concretely. There are some very common names in Carbonear and if you have one of those, it's difficult.

Finally, I just scanned my notes from my time in the archives and I found a Julia Clarke was a sopnsor on a baptism: Edmund, 19 May 1863, son of John George/Lucy Leahy,Lehay. I also have another baptism for a George Leahy, 30 Apr 1857, son of Michael Leahy/Margaret George and the witnesses were Thomas Phelan and Julia Clarke.

According to burial records, Clark/Clarke was a Mathodist name in Carbonear. So, there may be a way to trace Julia Clarke since there were few Clarke baptisms in the RC church. I have a Julia Clarke in my tree, but she was born in 1863, so she's too young. But, since they're both RC and their name is Clarke, there's a good chance for a connection.

My family has 3 daughters of Matthew Fortune/Johanna Butler: Catherine (married Robert George), Johanna (I cannot find a trace of her) and Mary Ann (married Robert Clarke).

Given the marriages of Mary Morry/John Fortune and Mary Ann Fortune/Robert Clarke and the scracity at the time of RC Clarkes, we may have a connection. I don't know how to figure it out. Maybe these names will have some meaning to your friend.

If there is a connection, some of these folks are also Irish.

Good luck!