Some of the reasons for moving location were covered in ‘Why move’. Once someone had decided to move the next question is where to go. There may have been a few people who used the random “pin in a map” method. It was far more common to follow established paths. In the early 1900s, my…
All posts in Geography
Why move?
For a genealogist, one of the advantages of large families is the evidence trail that they leave. Going back into the 19th century (and much later in some parts of the world) it was common for women to have 6, 8, 10 or more children. Through checking the records of births marriages and deaths, a…
Redington and Stanley
Using the criteria explained in ‘More on Brother 2’, I started examining a restricted number of Irish born Stanley men called Michael, James or Patrick on the 1861 census for Lancashire. One individual stood out. Living at 23 Court, Paul Street, Liverpool is Michael Stanley, a dock labourer. He was born in 1835 in Roscommon.…
More on Brother 2
I had my suspicions that Brother 2 (see Brother 2 and Still hunting Brother 2) may have been called Michael. Unfortunately, the Michael Stanley who died in Dewsbury in 1859 was aged one. His father was Thomas. At the time, I suggested that looking for an unknown name, in an unknown place, without even a…
Kelly and McHugh in America
In “Both ends to the middle”, I referred to the two Americans with whom I share 32-34 cM of DNA. They are first cousins. Their shared Grandmother is Sue Alice McHugh. (I can exclude their shared Grandfather as his line has American roots going back over 300 years.) Her obituary is full of useful information…
Seeking John Kelly
Sometimes I have to stop myself and check that I am not going down a blind alley. Why am I looking for information on John Kelly? In “Both ends to the middle – Part 2” I reported that there is only one ancestral line from the two distant cousins in America that I need to…
Looking for the Kelly siblings
The story that has come down to me from my distant American cousins is that 1847 was a significant year for the Kelly family. John, Catherine, Susan and Mary arrived in America in that year following the death of their parents in the Great Famine. Census and marriage records provide some information on the ages…
Jessie – early days
On the 1880 census for Marshall, Calhoun County, Michigan, Jessie Kelly appears as a ten year old child. She is living with her Aunt Susan (born around 1840, in Ireland), Uncle Jeremiah Cronin (born around 1831 in New York) and their six children. Also in the household is Anna McHugh, the eldest daughter of John…
Jessie and Jesse
According to a correspondent in America, John McHugh and his wife Catherine (nee Kelly) moved from Michigan to Missouri in March 1873. Initially, they stayed with Catherine’s brother John on his farm. In the 1960s this farm was owned by John’s grandson Jesse East. I found an obituary for Jesse Clarence East who died in…
Back to backs
It can be difficult to comprehend the level of overcrowding in Daw Green, Dewsbury at the end of the 19th century. The distance between the two circles on Princess Street is about 120 yards (110m). This was an area of very high density housing. The National Library of Scotland website offers a useful facility to…