BIGGS , McCAWLEY (and variant spellings)

Jane:

Welcome to Ireland Raeching Out!

We have a parish liaison in Killashandra so I will send her an e-mail to alert her to your message. Let me know if you have not heard back in 7-10 days.

Roger McDonnell

Thanks again Roger, you are most helpful:-)

New information

John BIGGS born 1825 shows his place of birth as Derrelane (Derrylane ?) , Killeshandra on enlistment to the army.

Would there have been a church there in 1825 ? if not what would be the nearest church (Protestant probably CoI) to look for a baptism?

I there anyone able to check this church for baptisms for John and the other BIGGS children?

HI ROGER, Haven't heard anything back from the Liason person yet- I 've done some look ups myself so I know how time consuming it gets ;-) but any help gladly welcomed. Cheers

Jane:

Sorry!

Let me followup with our HQ.

Roger

Jane

My great great grandfather was named William Biggs.  My grand mother said he was from Killeshandra in Ireland.  He married Mary Gee in New York and moved with her to Virginia. He had 3 sons and one daughter.  The three sons came to Kentucky not sure about the daughter.  The three sons were named Camm Biggs, Hunn Biggs and Charles Biggs.  My great grand father was Hunn Biggs.  Hunn married Beth Rice and they had two sons George Biggs and Leonard Biggs.  Leonard was my grandfather he married Inez Jordan and they had two girls and three boys.  George Biggs named after Leonards brother, Roy Biggs, Wayne Biggs, Betty Ruth Biggs, Faye Biggs.  George was my dad and I married Diana Smith and we have a boy Matthew Biggs and a girl Lois Biggs.

Beth Rice's mother was also from Ireland her dad was John Rice and her mom was Elisabeth Mc​Gruder. 

I hope this is helpful.

George Biggs lll

Hi George,

Sorry for the delay- the site only just told me (feb 18 ) that i had a reply- go figure :-)

When did your William arrive? The brother of John and Thomas emigrated in 1849- "to New Orleans" , I have found a William Biggs in the New Orleans 1850 census- then lose him again.

What are the dates for the marriage etc?

The only known BIGGS family that I can find in that area is mine - starts with ggggranddad William b 1786 Welford Northamptonshire, jouned 12th dragoons 1805, fought in the battle of Waterloo and then ended up in Ireland where he and his local wife Elizabeth McCawley had William c1819-1821, Mary Ann c1819- 1821, Margaret (my gg gm) 1823, John 1825, Elizabeth 1827, Thomas 1830, Abigail 1832, Kesiah 1834.

All but Kesiah left Killeshandra area. William to New Orleans, Mary Ann to Australia, Margaret to Scotland and then NZ, John joined the British army and served in the Crimea before settling in Northumberland, Thomas and Abigail went together to America on the ship America in 1850, Thomas ended up farming in the New Lebanon area, Kesiah married (John/George) Ekins/Aitkins and had a son (George) , she appears in a couple of legal documents in the later 1800s in Killeshandra as Kesiah Ekins or Biggs.

William seniors family were reasonably well off but his father died quite young. The family is all located in the Welford area of Northamptonshire back to the 1700's. William's parents were William and Abigail (Smith). Her parents were Robert and Kesiah (Taylour). William seniors siblings included a sister Abigail and a sister Kesiah- both unusual names.

Regards

Jane

Eric McCauley lived in Drumbullion , he was born around 1918. His parents had died and he was living in the old cottage on his own by the early 1940s. The house was in very poor repair and he was in ill health. The C of I clergyman in Derrylane at the time asked my grandfather if he would rent a little gatehouse he owned to Eric, as he eas in need of a decent house. Apart from a time working in Belfast ( where a sister had married) Eric lived there until his desth in 2008. He has a relative still living in Derrylane named Jim Beatty. Jim's address is "Drumcrow, Derrylane, Killeshandra, Co.Cavan" and he may be a source of info for you.
note that locally Killeshandra has always been spelt with an "e".

I should add that the McCauley cottage was on land now owned by a Mr Sam Harkness, Drumbullion, Derrylane. Im now sure if ant trace of it remains. Nigel.

Dear Jane,

 I will give you a list of sites that may halp you with your quest, you may or may not have exhausted them all 

I don't know if you have looked at the following free records, though while all the images are not available online you can order copies and you will find them at www.irishgenealogy.ie this is what is held at the General Register Office (GRO) and includes all official records of Irish births, deaths and marriages from 1864 and of non-Catholic marriages from 1845, the historic indexes of which can be viewed and in these cases you are trying to bring your family within civl registration.

Elsewhere:
1. www.rootsireland.ie: This paying site has transcripts (without record-images) of most of the Roman Catholic records on the island of Ireland for areas other than those listed above. The major exceptions, where only small proportions of the records are transcribed, are counties Donegal, Monaghan and Wexford. None of the transcribed records for Clare are online. Each geographical area on the site has a "sources list" and it is essential to consult this in order to ascertain precisely what records are being searched. The site also includes transcripts of Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian registers, complete for some counties, completely absent for others.
2. www.familysearch.org: This free site run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has transcripts, without record-images, of approximately thirty Roman Catholic parishes, mostly in counties Kerry, Cork and Roscommon.
3. www.ancestry.co.uk: This subscription site has transcripts, without record-images, of the registers of the diocese of Meath up to 1880, approximately forty parishes, as well as a copy of the LDS transcripts.
 

CHURCH RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH OFFLINE

1. The National Library of Ireland has microfilm copies of almost all pre-1880 Roman Catholic parish registers on the island of Ireland. Access is free and print-outs of the records are allowed. See www.nli.ie.
2. The LDS Family History Library has microfilm copies of c. 40% of Irish Roman Catholic parish registers, some copies of National Library of Ireland films, others filmed by the LDS themselves. See https://familysearch.org/catalog-search. These films can be ordered via the Family History Centers attached to most Mormon temples. 
3. Most local Roman Catholic parishes do not permit research on their original records. Callers will normally be referred to the heritage centres whose records are now almost all on www.rootsireland.ie. If necessary, contact details for local parishes can be found via www.catholicireland.net.
4. The Representative Church Body Library is the official archive of record for Church of Ireland records that survived the burning of the Public Record Office in 1922. A full list of its holdings is at http://ireland.anglican.org. All are freely searchable if they are not too fragile to be handled.
5. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.proni.gov.uk) has freely available microfilm copies of almost all surviving records of all denominations for areas now in Northern Ireland, as well as a good number for areas in the border counties of Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim, Monaghan and Louth. A full list is at http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/online_indexes/church_of_ireland_index.htm.
6. Quaker records are very comprehensive back to the 17th century, with microfilm copies in NLI and PRONI. See www.quakers-in-ireland.ie.
7. Some Presbyterian records are only available locally or in the Presbyterian Historical Society. See www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com.

Also available for free at http://www.genealogy.nationalarchives.ie/

• Census of Ireland, 1901 and 1911, and pre-1901 survivals
• Census Search Forms, 1841 – 51
• Tithe Applotment Books, 1823 – 37
• Soldiers’ Wills, 1914 – 1918
• Calendars of Wills and Administrations, 1858 – 1922
• Prerogative and diocesan copies of some wills and indexes to others, 1596 – 1858
• Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage Licence Bonds Indexes, 1623 – 1866
• Catholic qualification & convert rolls, 1700 – 1845
• Valuation Office house, field, tenure and quarto books 1824 – 1856
• Shipping agreements and crew lists, 1863 – 1921
• Will Registers 1858 – 1900

There is also http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/  it is another census substitute and would give you names of people and where they lived and when you use names and places in conjunction with Tithe Applotment Books and the Census you can sometimes build up a continuation for who live in certain areas.

You could also write to the Editor at the Anglo-Celt, it is the local paper, it is not read as widespread as it used to but you never know your story may hit a note with someone you can reach them at   linda@ anglocelt.ie  give them as much detail as you have and if you have photos or a particular story it has a better chance of getting published.  I gather they do not send acknowledgements when they have published the story.  Due to cutbacks in journalism, write it as you want it published, they do not appear to edit anymore.

You can also contact cavangenealogy@eircom.net they charge for their service.

Best of luck, and if you come across anything that requires a second set of eyes, let me know.  

Regards Carmel