Hello, everyone!

Just wanted to get the discussions kicked off in this ancestry / genealogy group by asking where you've hit your dreaded "brick wall."  How far back have you been able to work through your ancestral line?

Mine came with my third great-grandfather.  The only record on which I've been able to find him is from his son's death certificate where he is listed as the father.  His son was born around 1867, so this likely means he was born in what ... the 1830s or 1840s, right?  Haven't been able to find anything on him, and I'm not sure if he was born in Kentucky (where he eventually ended up) or in Virginia (where the generations preceding him ended up).

Anyway, I went ahead and did the DNA analysis a few years ago so I was able to jump over the wall and get beyond it that way ... but there's still that one or two generations I'd love to be able to locate and link everything up in a nice clean line.

Any tips for me?

How about you ... where are you stuck?

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I have been researching my irish family for a couple of years now and cannot get any further on my father's side.  My great grandfather Charles Falloon (farmer) and his wife Eliza came to Scotland around 1890 and  I know they were married on 20 September 1884 at St Peters Church in  Lurgan, Co Armagh. (does this church still exist and will it have records?)  I cannot find any birth records for his first two children  who were born in Lurgan, Ireland. I have just found out  my great grandmother's birth name was  McCaughley. and her father was William McCaughley . Although Charles was stated as a Weaver and Eliza a Veiner whilst in Lurgan when they came to Scotland Charles was listed as a farmer. I have also found that Charles Father who was also Charles was from Cavan, living with his parents Daniel and Easter in 1821  as a farmer when he was just 20 yrs.  He was born in 1801 but I cannot find his wife (the mother of Charles)  

 I am very proud to have Irish ancestors on both sides of my family.  On my mothers side are  the O'Connor family and the Cushinghams. My great great grandfather was Owen Connor, then his son my great grandfather Patrick O'Conner and then my grandfather also Patrick O'Connor who married my grandmother Ellen Cushingham.  I know Owen's father was Thomas Connor but don't know year he was born or much else.  The Cushingham's I cannot find at all. All I know about them is my grandmothers father Patrick Cushingham came from Co Antrim but cannot find any record of him  I thought I could maybe search grave lists but don't know where to start. So everything is at a standstill for the moment.

So hard to find any further details.  Anyone have any ideas.  I am travelling to Ireland for a holiday  next week so could drop into Belfast Records and maybe do a search but just don't know where to start now.

 

I would love to know where they all came from so I could visit those areas.

Thanks for reading

Hi Ellen,

I found 3 children born to Charles Falloon and Eliza M'Caughley,

Baptisimal Records for James b 1885 Shankill (RC)

                                     Francis b 1888 Shankin (RC)

Birth records for James:-  Reg Dist = Lurgan, Reg Year Jul-Sep 1885, Vol 1 Page 628

                           Sarah:- Reg Dist Lurgan, Reg year Jan-Mar1887, Vol 1 Page 634

                           Francis:- Reg Dist Lurgan, REg year Oct-Dec 1888, Vol 1 Page 617.

Regards

 

Paula

I've many brick walls. All I want is to figure out where in Ireland, my four great, great grandparents were from. I thought to make it easy on my self and start with one that I actually had some information on. My g.g.grandmother Katherine Driscoll. 

Legend has it that my 2x great grandmother, Katherine Driscoll, was born in Bantry, Co. Cork. My grandmother, my great grandmother and great uncle said she was from Bantry . Her parents according to her Death certificate says that her Mother was Catherine Mahoney and her father Michael Driscoll.

The legend also says that Michael Driscoll worked as a groom in the stables of the Lord of Bantry.

The records of the Lord of Bantry have been posted on line and, sure enough, Michael Driscoll is listed as one of the Lords tenants as well as on Griffith’s Valuation 1852. Woo Hoo!

The problem is that I can find no record of a Katherine Driscoll being born to a Michael Driscoll and Catherine Mahoney in Bantry. I can however, find three sets of Michael Driscoll and Catherine Mahoney with a daughter Katherine born in Cork. All approx. 10 years apart.  The one in Aughadown, seems a reasonable possibility based on the date. She was born some were between 1832 and 1837 and immigrated somewhere between 1848 and 1855. (Each Census has a different date for birth and immigration. Her death certificate has yet another timeline for birth and immigration. Was it common for the Irish to move from place to place? I thought this one would be easier to nail down, but no...

Mary

Have you tried Irish genealogy.ie               This is an excellent free government site for Roman Catholics and COI from 1900 back to 1700. Once you get used to the way the groupings of the family events are categorized, its possible to make the connections from one generaton back to the next. This site is restricted to Cork Kerry Dublin and Carlow, so you may be lucky. Happy hunting

I can't get past 1810 in my search for my Irish ancestors.  I've been seeking information on the parents of my great, great grandfather, John Barry. My mother has a picture of a Mary McCarthy (nee Glavin) who was married to John's father, Patrick Barry; a second marriage for Mary, perhaps Patrick. There, I've run into a brick wall. My information is from a family Bible that goes back to 1810. John and Johanna emigrated to Canada in about 1846. I know John and Johanna (I've found two spellings for her first name) had one child in Ireland who survived the trip to Canada. Two children died aboard ship and were buried at sea. I've been told that local parish records in Cork prior to 1820 have been destroyed so I cannot pursue more on Patrick or Mary. Any ideas? I have found some possible death records on Ancestry that I can't authenticate. What might I try now?
John Barry, 1810-1880, married Johanna Harrington, 1813-1883, on 23 Feb. 1840 
CR-RC-MA-79751 cork & ross.durris(muintervara).p4799.00268
Barony: West Carbery
Townland: Ballycommane
Civil Parish: Durrus 
Poor Law Union: Bantry
Diocesan Area: Cork & Ross
Parochial Area: Durris (or Durrus/Kilcrohane) (Muintervara)
Witness 1: Daniel Harrington (older brother of Johanna)
Witness 2: Patrick Barry (father of John?)
Mary baptism: 3 Feb. 1841 CR-RC-BA-379353 cork & ross.durris(muintervara).p4799.00156
Sponsor 1: John Harrington
Sponsor 2: Catherine Barry
Heteona baptism: 22 Mar. 1843 CR-RC-BA-380039 cork & ross.durris(muintervara).p4799.00170
Sponsor 1: James Barry
Sponsor 2: Mary Harrington
Patrick baptism: 30 Oct. 1845 CR-RC-BA-380939 cork & ross.durris(muintervara).p4799.00188
Sponsor 1: Timothy Harrington
Sponsor 2: Ellen Barry

My brick wall is Robert Maginnis, born in Kingstown Crossroads, Dublin, Ireland, on 7 November 1829. He came to the US in 1850, married, had kids, and passed on 7 Jan 1892.  He's buried in Farley, Dubuque, Iowa.  He's my 3rd great grandfather.  I know he changed the spelling of his name from McGinnis.  I have not been able to find his parents in any records.  I even have family portrait of him, and writings about him from his son and grandson, but no mention of his parents.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  

Kerri,  Maginnis has so many spelling variations. I know MacGuinness, McGuinness, McGinn and several other families with variations just in my neighborhood. Try a search that includes spelling variations, it may surprise you.

Thanks.  There's also been some talk of McInnes being a variant, but I'm not sure if that's correct.  

I have seen that as well Kerri.  I would suggest any Mac, Mc, Mag, almost any variation may lead you in the right direction.

My brick wall is a difficult one indeed but was tasked to me to break through. Charles Lafferty and Margaret MacFarland from Northern Ireland bore a son named James in around 1814 who came to America. This is as far back as I can get with my fathers tree since he was orphaned. I've enlisted the help of some great researchers who have given some great advice but alas I haven't found anything further. It's been frustrating and sad all in the same.

My main brick wall is a William L.Dougherty, reported by his son to be from Londonderry. Immigrated to the USA prior to 1842. Died prior to 1860. No death record found yet so no parents names. Born about 1818. Had my male Dougherty cousin do the DNA yet no close connection yet. Middle name may be Lyle. Children's names maybe clues and are John, Clark, William, Alva, and Solomon.Too many William Dougherty's to know which one he could be. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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