Family history mystery
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Mary McDonnell in, “The lot of the soldier’s wife” (revisited)
Since writing the first installment of “The lot of the soldier’s wife” in 2015, the recent discovery of a (third) marriage record lifts Mary McDonnell out of the inscrutable murk of family history mystery. Nevertheless, Mary has led us on a merry genealogical chase to learning what was her lot for the twenty-one years between… Continue reading
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Family history mystery: Adam & Robert Kilpatrick of Lislea, parish of Kilrea
The children of one of our nearly related Kilpatrick families of Lislea townland seem to have disappeared from the Irish record, qualifying as another family history mystery. Adam Kilpatrick (IV) was born on 13th December 1834 in Lislea townland in the parish of Kilrea, county Derry, the son of Adam Kilpatrick (III) (d.1837) and Hester… Continue reading
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In search of four children of James Huggins, jun., of Glenarb, in the parish of Aghaloo
This blog post is written to highlight a search for the children of James Huggins, jun., who have disappeared from the Irish records. The several children of interest were born in the parish of Aghaloo and county of Tyrone, and baptised in the parish church of St. John (Church of Ireland) in Caledon: Does it… Continue reading
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Family history mystery: Agnes Stevenson and Rev. Mr. Pattison of Edinburgh
This latest family history mystery item involves the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Pattison (the former Miss Agnes Stevenson), who lived in Edinburgh in the early 1800s. Agnes Stevenson was born c.1733-ish in Stewartstown, county Tyrone. She was the daughter of William Stevenson (c.1691–c.1765) and Ann Stewart. Ann Stewart was a daughter of Andrew Stewart (1672–1715),… Continue reading
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The lot of the soldier’s wife was unenviable
So little was etched into the written record about our great-great-great grandmother, Mary McDonnell (1794–1869), the earliest known of our ancestors in this line from the county of Mayo. Of course, the system of record keeping favoured male heads of household, tradesmen, and soldiers. Women tended to fall off the archival radar. While we are… Continue reading