After some challenges in reviewing the church registry found on this film for the Parish of Moynalty, Meath, plus almost losing the flash drive which contained all of my research, I let it set to cool off for a while. You never know what renewed interest and findings might arise from walking away for a while.
The film confirmed source documentation (proof really) of my great great grandmother's baptism. Ellen Maxwell is clearly indicated by her christening on March 22, 1846. Her father is Jo Maxwell and her mother is Judy Shaffrey. I was happy to quickly find this record. I am assuming that she was born just before her baptismal date and, yet, we will probably never really know her exact birth date. That is the case with most of the births from the early 1800s in Ireland for Catholics.
Below is the chart of Ellen's immediate family of whom I found in the church register.
| Surname | First Name | Record Type | Year | Baptimal Date | Wedding Date |
| Maxwell | Joseph | Marriage | 1834 | 24-Sep | |
| Shaffrey | Judy | Marriage | 1834 | 24-Sep | |
| Maxwell | Denis | Baptism | 1836 | 16-Jun | |
| Maxwell | James | Baptism | 1841 | 27-Sep | |
| Maxwell | Ellen | Baptism | 1846 | 22-Mar | |
| Maxwell | Cath | Baptism | 1849 | 7-Jul | |
| Maxwell | Judith | Baptism | 1851 | 15-Jun |
So.....I could not find Mary Maxwell. Was she not recorded? I joke that the priest wrote in great haste as is clearly evidenced by the handwritten scrawl in the ledger. He must have been ready to get to the celebration after each baptism or marriage. In the case of a death, the wake was waiting.
My other theory about Mary is that she might have been adopted from another family member after the death of her parents who may have been relatives of the Maxwell's. Maybe the Mary baptized on March 17, 1838, indicated in the church registry had the wrong name written down. It should have been Maxwell rather than Farrely? I digress. I also don't think I grabbed that record for future review. Was Mary possibly Judy's sister's daughter. Did Judy's sister pass on? Or am I heading in the wrong direction with Mary Maxwell? She could simply be missing from the record. She did exist by the way. Also, the Farrelly's appear to be close relatives to the Shaffrey's.
Someone just jumping in now to read my analysis might just think that I am going on about nothing. This is something and I've just got to try and work out by writing it out. I might just have to go back and review what I know of my Shaffrey's and Maxwell's.
Even after a review of the film, I am no closer to finding my Maxwell line. I might be a hair closer to figuring out the Shaffrey line. I really want to know who Judith "Judy or Julia" Shaffrey Maxwell's parents were. I have specifically pinpointed a grouping of Shaffrey's in Shancarnan, Parish of Moynalty, County Meath, Ireland. There really aren't a lot of them and yet, I can't figure out who belongs to whom. The church records don't really define who the various sponsors were to the baptisms and marriages in terms of relationships, dates, or generations. I find plenty of Shaffrey's in the registry as sponsors. The names repeat and appear to be the same couple of families over and over again.
I really tired of the transcription process and need to finish it at some point. What appears clear is that after the 1850s, there were not much in the way of Shaffrey baptisms. Did they all leave Ireland? Not all of them that is for sure. More review is definitely needed here.
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