My 5th great grandfather, James Chesnut was born in County Antrim in 1717. He died in colonial Virginia about 1755. In America, he married Margaret Cantey who was born in Ireland about 1722. They had at least three children: Margaret 1740-1799, John 1743-1818, and James 1745-1772. I hope to find the parents of James Chesnut and Margaret Cantey, most probably in County Antrim.
Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks, Cindy Taylor
Searching Kenny Family
Monday 24th Apr 2023, 02:10AMMessage Board Replies
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Researching in Ireland in the 1700s is very hard going due to the general lack of records. If you don’t know where they lived it’s a needle in a haystack. Ideally you need to know the person’s exact denomination and the townland or parish they lived in to have any chance of finding them, and even then there may not be any records for that location.
Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.
The North of Ireland Family History Society is running an Ulster DNA project in conjunction with FTDNA and can offer testing kits at a reduced price. http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).
Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Monday 24th Apr 2023, 10:52AM