My second great grandfather Robert James Love apparently came to Canada at the age of 13 with his sister Jane and settled in West Gwillimbury, Ontario. James married Amelia Ausman in 1848 and eventually settled in Wallace Township, County Perth, Ontario. According to a letter found in the family bible, James was born in Ferns, County Wexford, Ireland. His headstone in the Brussels, Ontario cemetery gives his date of birth as June 27, 1825 in Ireland and his death as July 11, 1897. I also have visited the gravesite of Jane (Love) Garbutt and it gave her birthplace as strictly Ireland. James and Jane were the children of James Love and Ann Elleard. According to the letter in the bible I have the following information regarding James Sr. James Sr. served with the British Army for 21 years and was in the Battle of Waterloo. He died at sea in 1833. I suspect his full name was also Robert James Love. A child born to James Jr. was named Robert James also. After James Sr.'s death, his wife Ann came to Canada and married a man with the last name Stephens. She apparently left the children with their grandparents in Ireland. I have no information as to how or with whom the children made their way to Canada only that James was 13 at the time. I have not been able to locate any information about Ann Elleard. Other than the letter I found I have no proof that my 2nd great grandfather or his family lived in Ferns, Wexford County. What is the best way for me to try and find out if my family was actually from Wexford County? Through other family trees on sites such as Ancestry I have found information that claims James Love Sr. was born Nov 2, 1781 in Clones, County Fermanagh, Ireland. He was the son of Samuel Love and Diana Murphy and he married Ann Elleard in Ferns, County Wexford Oct 6, 1816. I have not been able to substaniate any of this information. Where is the best place to begin my search? Where might I find information about the people who served with the British Army in the early 1800s? Any assistance you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
31goaliemom
Friday 17th May 2013, 06:01AMMessage Board Replies
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Hi,
Thank you for your message.
The best place to start your search is probably in Wexford as this is where the letter states that James was born. Also, if James Snr. and Ann were married in Wexford it is likely that this is where Ann was from as weddings usually took place in the home parish of the bride.
Catholic records for parish start as early as 1816, so although you may not be able to find James Snr. and Anne's marriage certificate you may be able to find the children's birth records.
Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance.
Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
For more information on people that served in the British army, check the UK National Archives. This may be a good place to find out more information on James Snr. Here is the website:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
Some other websites that you may find helpful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
Family Search: www.familysearch.org
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/wexford/index.html
Ferns Genealogy: http://www.fernsvillage.ie/genealogy-page.html
Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Wednesday 19th Jun 2013, 08:32AM