Michael Drooney British India..

[Genevieve.Porter]

This has been a 10 year brick wall for me..
I’m wondering if anyone could help me with some new ideas on cutting through this massively annoying brick wall? That is probably more of a double wall!

Firstly:
I am unable to find the birth place and parents of:
Michael Drooney born circa 1839.

I know he served in India at least from around 1871 (probably earlier) with 45th (Nottinghamsire Sherwood Foresters) Regiment Of Foot
Service Number: 1159
I confirmed this from his marriage in Bangalore, India 1876, to Sarah Fitzgerald (nee Kearney) and the army return births of their 3 children in Bangalore, India.

He died in 1881 Bellary then serving as a Private for 2/7th Royal Fusilier’s (confirmed with army returns death record and burial in Bellary)
I believe the 45th SF had been disbanded in 1881 so would explain his transfer?

I can’t find his service records, anywhere online or at the national archives. I found muster rolls for 1871 when he was stationed in wellington, India but these obviously give no more information than I already had.

I know his fathers name is Thomas Drooney.
Some records have been misspelt ‘Draney’ and ‘Droney’

With out finding his service records and the army returns records having such limited info I’m at a loss of where to find his birth and parents?

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Secondly; I am having the same problem with his wife Sarah Kearney. I can’t find her birth etc..
I can’t find her first Marriage to a Fitzgerald. She then seems to have inconsistent ages on her other marriages:

Making her birth somewhere around 1851-1853
She married Michael drooney in Bangalore, 1876 had 3 children:

Margaret Barbara 1877-1957
Michael 1879- (can’t find anymore on him)
John Thomas 1881-1883
All in Bangalore.

Michael died in 1881 (as I’ve said above) and she remarried
Jesse Covington in 1882, Bellary.
Jesse is back in England having been widowed and remarried in 1899.

I can not find a death record for Sarah, or find her father Patrick Kearney anywhere evident in India. I’ve also searched for more children’s births but found none. I know she must have died in India as her daughter Margaret was in an orphanage in Bangalore (Good Shepard Convent) and only left India once she married in 1894.

I am assuming her father was serving out there.. or maybe her first husband (Fitzgerald) was? I can’t find a marriage that matches up thou and any service records for a Patrick Kearney do not have information that I can confirm it to be him.

Again any ideas would be appreciated.

I had thought that after doing DNA I may match with someone who had Drooney’s or Kearney’s that matched up with my tree but this was a dead end too!

Thank you in advance!

[gardener]

I've little but sympathy to offer here!
I see that Michael is listed in the British Army, Worldwide Index 1871 (as Michl Droney) on Findmypast. That adds nothing I suppose? What about the Patrick Droney in that list? Any relative?