Grace Family

I have reasearched my ancestry the results of which have led me to Ireland. James Degrass  born about 1829,  in Ireland was my great grandfather. His marriage records, found in Westminster, London England in 1859 was of his first marriage and his second marriage in1869. On both of these records his father's name is listed, also, as James Degrass, and not deceased at the times of either marriages. On the first record the father was listed as a trunk maker, on the second he was listed as a cabinet maker. I do not know if the father lived in England or Ireland at the time of his son's marriages. I have not found any census records earlier than the 1861 census for the son James Degrass. He resided in St. James parish, Westminster, London, Middlesex, England. The 1901 census had the where born column as Kilmarny, Ireland. Further investigation has led me to believe that the parish where he was born was possibly Killamery, Ireland. This is merely and educated guess. However, my brother, James DeGras deceased in june 2013 willed me his YDNA tested through Ancestry.com, 25 markers. I have since had this YDNA transferred and tested by Familytree YDNA project. There are matches in their database to the Grace family of Kilkenny and I have been accepted and joined this Grace family group. Further testing to determine 101 markes is being conducted at this time.

Although I have researched the Degrass family name and variants on Roots Ireland, and many other Irish sites, I have always received a no match response. Through Ancestry I have found some records of Irish immigrants to the US with this family name, all records in the 1800's. Unfortunately the records only recorded the place of birth as Ireland.

There is a Grace family of Kilkenny research site on the internet that links the Grace family name to Odo, a Norman count, brother-inlaw to William the Conquerer. This Norman count received lands for his participation in the acquistion of Britain from Wm. The reseach attributes to Odo the adoption of the name of DeGras/ LeGras, and other variants. Also an English genealogist, informed me of the connectionof Degrass to the Grace family name and that the name of Degrass, was still in use by some families. 

It would be a great help to find information that would further my research in finding my Irish family, and I would be most appreciative of any assistance to further my quest.

Irene G. Vaughan nee DeGras

The following is an exerpt from the Grace internet page I referred to above;

County Kilkenny Ireland History

His successor, as lord of the manor of Sodbury, was most probably William le Gras, who seems to have been the son of one of his brothers, Stephen or Ingelram. This William le Gras had four sons: 
(1) William, sometimes styled "senior," and sometimes "primogenitus." 
(2) William, styled "junior," who was possessed of the lands of Ballyregan, in the Barony of Iffa and Offa, Co. Tipperary, and who exchanged same with Ivo Fitz Jocelyn de Marisco, in 1208. He was still living in 1226William "le Gras," also by some styled Earl of Albemarle, survived his father by about fifty years, and died without male issue, in 1179. It was, apparently, from him that "Le Gras," also "De Gras," now Grace, came to be adopted, as the family surname, by his immediate relatives. 

Information compiled and contributed by Dennis Walsh.