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I will be visiting mid-march and am wondering if there might be a volunteer who would be willing to meet with me.  I am looking for help in navigating Griffith's valuation.  My family lived near Keenagh in the 1840's.  My grandfather was born there about 1848.  My Great-grandfather's name was James McCormick, and my Great-grandmother was Margaret Walker.  It appears that the family emigrated to Boston in stages during the 1860's.  I'm trying to identify just where my family lived and, of course, see if I can locate any distant relatives that are still in the area.  I will be arriving in Ireland March 20 and will be staying in Ballymahon from 21 March thru 24 March, and will be in Ireland thru 3 April.  Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thursday 21st Feb 2019, 04:24PM

Message Board Replies

  • Dear Oldirishbkr: 

    Thank you for your post to the message board.  I have forwarded this query to several of our County Longford volunteers who will reply back with information.  Please give them about a week or 2 to respond.  In the meantime, if you have any other questions, please post them on this thread.  Kind regards,  Jane

    Jane Halloran Ryan

    Friday 22nd Feb 2019, 09:40AM
  • Hi Oldirishbkr, looks like we'll be there investigating our pasts around  the same time. My areal of query is Cartron, Longford and where my gr grandmother may have gone to school, or  to get an insight into how her early years would have been lived being born into a farming family. I'll be there 29 Mar to 1 April, if anyone has knowledge of the St Johns of Longford I'd love to chat.. regards and good luck with your hunt.. Jan Smith

    Friday 22nd Feb 2019, 06:11PM
  • Hi Oldirishbkr, a couple of questions............
    What was Grandfather's name?
    Were the family Catholic?
    Many thanks

    Hi Jan Smith,
    What was Grandmothers name?
    Aprrox. year of birth?
    Were the family Catholic?
    Many thanks

    Margot

     

    Margot

    Saturday 23rd Feb 2019, 12:11PM
  • Thanks for the replies.  I am happy to share what info I have.

    Great Grandparents (James McCormick and Margaret Walker) had five children (that I know about):

    Thomas, born about 1838, Mary J, born about 1841, James, born about 1844, John, born about 1846, and Robert (my grandfather) born about 1848. 

    My Grandmother, Winnifred Cook, was born in Connecticut, in 1858. Her mother was Mary Connors, who was born in Ireland about 1827, and her father was George P. Cook, who was born in England about 1826.  I haven't been able to learn much more about them yet.

    My father always said that the family was Protestant, but I don't know if that was the McCormick side or the Cook side.

    Thanks,

    Brian McCormick (oldirishbkr)

    Saturday 23rd Feb 2019, 02:22PM
  • Hello Margot, my gr granny's name was Eliza St John born 1864,  to John st John and Catherine Christy (Christie) in Cartron. She married my gr grandfather Francis Arthur Mason in 1884, he was a british soldier from Nottingham stationed at Longoford Barrocks, I'm interested in trying to find where she might have been educated, and where she might have been working when she married Francis, On their marriage cert she is listed as living on Church St, which is exactly where the barracks were. So where might she have lived, don't think it was with the family as they were farmers, buy maybe she was in service, or was even employed by a military family. They had a child, Anne Mason, in 1885 and where might they have lived once married???

    If only I had a time machine... where is Dr Who when you need him??

    If there is any information you can offer I'd be very grateful.. thank you for your help.. Jan Smith.. x

    Saturday 23rd Feb 2019, 08:46PM
  • Hi Jan and Oldirishbkr,

    Jan, I guess you have every Census record for Ireland as I saw Catherine in the 1911 Census.
    We went to Longford to a festival for 9 years and during that time we saw new developments.

    Oldirishbkr, as your records are early and the family left in the 1860's a bit harder to work out the exact place where they lived.

    To both of you,
    I suggest you go to the Library in Longford town, it's next to a large supermarket.
    I did do some research for some email buddy in Australia and I did get information and the place where they lived in 1837. The library does have maps etc and they would help match the areas.
    This is their web site.
    http://www.longfordlibrary.ie/

    Use this site Jan, from the 1911 Census you can pick up Eliza's sister Mary Ann she married a Richard Gill, he died in 1905.
    Follow on with the names you find and then go to familysearch.org as they have birth in Ireland up to 1958.
    There are Gill's in the telephone book also Christy people.

    As you travel from Ballymahon to Longford town, you will see a signpost Corlea Trackway, well worth a visit.
    I hope tis helps
    Margot
     

    Margot

    Sunday 24th Feb 2019, 05:07PM
  • thank you so much Margot, I have thought I should try to follow the Gill descendants, but life has made that not possible at the moment.. So Oldirishbkr maybe we'll meet in the Library! thanks again.. jx

    Sunday 24th Feb 2019, 07:56PM
  • Margot,

    Thanks for the tip on the Longford Library.  I will check it out online and also when I am there.

    You are right about the Corlea Trackway.  I've been there a couple of times and it is very interesting.

    If there is any more information that I can give that would be helpful, please ask.

    Regards.

    Brian McCormick

    Sunday 24th Feb 2019, 09:27PM

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