Seeking Information

I apologize for probably raising your hopes that I have information about Ann MORONEY--I don't, but I'm a professional genealogist and would like to offer advice to improve your chances of successful research.

When people read subject lines on a message board, they generally skip over ones that display no information, and continue searching for messages which may be relevant to their search. Subject lines such as yours, or "Looking for great-grandfather from Leitrim" or "Patrick O'Riley", for example, don't give readers with limited time (most of us!) enough reason to open them. People tend to scan the list of messages for something that quickly tells them what they want to know: who, where, when.

Your message's first line already has good information for readers who might have a connection or clue for you! It just belongs in the subject line. Now shorten it, for example: Ann MORONEY/MARONEY b. 1831/2 in Ballina, Tipperary.

By the way, you already use a genealogical convention that researchers greatly appreciate. You put the surname all in caps--plus, you added a slash and the variant spelling!

Good luck in your search for Ann. I hope she "reveals" all those answers to you soon!

Vicki Vaughn, near Seattle, Washington

Hi Vicki

Thank you so much for your sage advice. I have not used these kind of interactive sites on the web before & so had a bit of difficulty knowing what to do. I realised my error after I had posted , but could not retrieve it to edit the subject line.

I think I will try reposting the same message with a new Subject. Perhaps that will get the attention I hope for.

Cheers,

Margaret, north of  Sydney, Australia

Hi Margaret,

I can't help you with Ann MORONEY, other than suggest that we may be distantly related.  You may be interested in what I know, however.  I am researching my ancestor James MORONEY b. about 1816, who came from "Shallee" in Co. Tipperary.  I have baptismal records of three of his children in Ballinahinch Parish and he was married to Anne COUGHLAN, but I know nothing further of him before he came to the US about 1851.  I see there are three townlands with "Shallee" in their name, Shallee Lower and Upper, Shallee White and Shallee Coughlan, all near each other.  I'd appreciate anything you learn of your Ann.

Michael