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I had another look through passenger records and cant identify any records that are definitely our Peter.

I did wonder if this was daughter Mary in 1911 (she's not with her father on 1911 census), but this is only a maybe:

1911: Residents of a house 7 in Kilcootry (Seskinore, Tyrone)
Kelly Anne 70 Female Head of Family Roman Catholic Tyrone - Single
Kelly Mary Jane 19 Female Niece Roman Catholic America - Single

I doubt my friend would spend that much on a step-great grandmother, but thanks for the link.

The only way to find out is to buy a copy of the cert.

£15 (plus £7 postage) from here:

https://www1.nyc.gov/dorforms/deathCertificate.htm

I wonder if this could be Mary Kerr/Carr:

Name: Mary Kelly
Age: 30
Birth Year: abt 1865
Death Date: 10 Oct 1895
Death Place: Manhattan, New York, USA
Certificate Number: 35322

Yes, I saw that - clutching at straws?

Unfortunately, Peter and Mary Kelly are such very common names.

I know information on records isn't always correct - but Mary in the Durham family in 1901 and 1911 was born c1890, whereas the one on board "City of Paris" in 1892 was born c1884.

I hadn't spotted that, well done :) Its the same shipping line as the one Peter went out on, where the baby was born en route, don't know if there is any significance in that.

On that travel record, Dennis is actually listed as age 36, not 26.
It's 36 on the image:

Denis Kelly
in the UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
Name: Denis Kelly
Arrival Age: 36
Birth Date: abt 1856
Port of Departure: New York, New York, United States
Arrival Date: 11 May 1892
Port of Arrival: Liverpool, England
Ship Name: City of Paris
Official Number: 96289


Not that that helps much!

No, it is a birth registration of Alice (birth: 15th March 1909, registered 26th April) not baptism:

The original image on this site:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp

I have to go out now, I'll try and have another look at passenger lists later

Perhaps Alice was baptised on the 15th May

"1903 3rd Feb- Birth of Elizabeth (later Elizabeth Bridget- I suspect middle names were added at Baptism or Confirmation). Father listed as Peter Kelly, Grocer, Ballygawley- mother Margaret Ellison"

I remember being as school with a Roman Catholic girl, who said that at her confirmation she had to choose another name - she chose Cecilia, and later hated it.

Yesterday I posted this :

Name: Peter Kelly
Arrival Age: 30
Birth Date: abt 1862
Port of Departure: New York, New York, United States
Arrival Date: 11 May 1892
Port of Arrival: Liverpool, England
Ship Name: City of Paris
Official Number: 96289

Listed as Labourer, accompanied by Mary Kelly aged, 8, also Dennis Kelly aged 26.

Today, I queried who Margaret's youngest son Dennis could have been named after.

Trying to find Peter on a USA census between 1883 and 1901

S***, not sure what to make of this.

Just looking at dates again- I haven't found out what happened to Alice (daughter born 15th March 1909). I'd assumed that her mother had died shortly after birth and perhaps Alice had been adopted out.

HOWEVER, Margaret died January 16th 1909 - so something's not right, unless Peter fudged the dates of Alice's birth to avoid a late registration?

Could Dennis have been named after his father's family? Naming patterns were not hard rules (less so in the 20th century), and often children were named after ministers or someone from the wider family (brother in laws etc), or just because it was a liked name.

Just to recap-

1903 3rd Feb- Birth of Elizabeth (later Elizabeth Bridget- I suspect middle names were added at Baptism or Confirmation). Father listed as Peter Kelly, Grocer, Ballygawley- mother Margaret Ellison

1904 7th November- Birth of John Patrick. Father listed as Peter Kelly, Farmer, Ballygawley. Mother Margaret Ellison

1907 2nd April- birth of Ellen. Father listed as Peter Kelly, labourer, Ballygawley. Mother Margaret Ellison.

1909 March- birth of Alice. Father listed as Peter Kelly, labourer, Balleygawley. Mother Margaret Ellison

Also, Margaret's children were John, James, Joseph, Elizabeth and Margaret, and her first child Annie (who started this all off), was possibly named after Annie Scullion, who brought Margaret up after her own mother died when she was only 8. I wonder who her last child, Dennis, was named after.

He definitely switched from Grocer to labourer- definitely the same man. Same wife/ area listed on the children's births, just occupation changed. The article states he was new to the business.

We know the children from different mothers are linked. Elizabeth B the witness on Margaret's marriage also had mother's maiden name Ellison, as did James on his marriage.

Both Elizabeth and James are listed at Annie's address (Shrine Place) on at least one record, and we know Annie's mother's maiden name was Carr.

There are quite a few other records linking these children to the Peter Kelly we have. The frustrating part is that we don't have daughter Margaret's birth reg, but I suspect this was due to his swift move to Ireland.

My concern is that we are claiming all Peter Kellys as ours - I think it was a fairly common name. Is it likely he would have switched from labourer to grocer then back again? Perhaps he tried to "better himself" but it didn't work.

It does appear that Peter returned to Ireland very shortly after the 1901 census. I think this article in September 1901 refers to him. He was listed as a grocer on Elizabeth's birth (Feb 1903), a business that apparently didn't last long as on the births of later children he is again listed as a labourer:

Tyrone Constitution 20 September 1901

Ballygawley Petty Sessions
'Sergeant Parkes, Inspector of weights and measures, summoned Peter Kelly for not having his weights stamped as required by law.
Complainant deposed that he found two weighing instruments in the defendant's shop which had not the usual stamp on. He did not desire to press the case however, as the defendant was newly at the business, and the neglect seemed to be caused by ignorance...'
---------------------------

There is also a small note in the Tyrone Courier 04 July 1901 stating that a Peter Kelly had been appointed in charge of the Ballygawley Creamery- possibly the start of his grocery business.

Hard to tell whether Margaret is 1 year or 1 month on the 1901 census, but either way I can't see a registration for her birth. The family were in Ireland by Feb 1903 to register their daughter Elizabeth. Perhaps they moved to Ireland shortly after the census and simply forgot? Annoying we can't find it .