Who do you think you are?

Orlaith17 · Post by **Orlaith17** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:39 pm

I guess most of us here watch this programme. I watched the recent Billy Connolly one and it has opened up a load of new questions for me. An ancestor of his seemed to be registered on a Scottish census as having been born in Ireland but also in Scotland. But no birth record could be found in either place, so a search began. It turned out that she was born in Bangalore, India. Now this has opened up a lot of questions for me. I assume that as the census contains only information given by the householders at the time, and not checked, it is possible that a lot of census information is inaccurate? The reason I ask is that I have come across a real brick wall in my own tree. My great grandad is on a Scottish census as having been born in Ireland. He married in Scotland, and I have his marriage certificate. His parents are named on this. I have searched Irish records for information about his birth, his parents' marriage or their births or deaths, but can find nothing at all. There is also nothing in Scottish records for his family. I know that Irish records are notoriously difficult to find. I just wondered if he may not actually have been born in Ireland at all, though the census says he was? Anyone any ideas?

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 9:15 pm

Hi Orlaith
My wife and I know that feeling of "Where were they

" A line of her Irish ancestors appeared to have children in various places yet seemed to leave no written record. Census entries held varying places of birth for each. It was only when we discovered that the father was in an Artillery Regiment

and we followed them to various postings in Ireland, Spain, London that the story made sense.The family obviously went too. His discharge papers as 'unfit for duty' at last gave his place of birth, or at least the nearest town to it in Ireland

. Now all we need to do is find his marriage and his wife's place of birth. I feel a holiday in Ireland coming on

Russell

Orlaith17 · Post by **Orlaith17** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 11:48 pm

That's really interesting, Russell. May I ask what era we are in here? My grandmother's family was from Ireland but no military connections so I have been able to go back a few generations there. It's granddad's side where the mystery lies. May I ask where you found his discharge papers? I am a full member of Ancestry so if that is where you found them, I can look them up there. I have hit a couple of brick walls I was able to climb over but this one is a total barrier....yet I remain hopeful there has to be a way through it!

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Sat Oct 18, 2014 9:09 pm

Hello Orlaith17,

I'm sure you've covered every avenue but do you want to give us a couple of names and dates and maybe somebody could help.

I know there is nothing better than discovering facts by yourself but sometimes fresh eyes can discover new ground to explore.

Hope that makes sense.

Regards,
Annette

momat · Post by **momat** » Sun Oct 19, 2014 1:36 am

Hi ,
Never give up is my motto

For years I have been searching in Yorkshire for certain family members who should have been there, but thanks to the recent Valution roll release on SP I found them in Glasgow. =D> So decided to search in Scotland for birth certificates for children and one turns up in Edinburgh =D>

Orlaith17 · Post by **Orlaith17** » Thu Oct 23, 2014 1:01 am

That's great, Momat. Glad you managed to trace the people you were looking for.
Nelmit (Annette), I am happy to give information and if anyone could help, I would be grateful. My great grandparents, Thomas Hannan and Jessie Matthews were married in St Quivox, Ayr, on 16th September 1880. The marriage certificate states his parents as Hugh Hannan (deceased) and Jane Hannan (ms McGee) On the 1891 Scottish census, Thomas can be found with his family, including my granddad (Thomas)who was aged 3 years then. The census states that he was born in Ireland, though I have never managed to find a birth record for him, nor any information about his parents Hugh and Jane. His death was recorded in Cambusnethan, Lanark, 0n 27.9.1891. The records don't add up, as his age was given as 30 on his marriage certificate in 1880 but his death certificate in 1891 gives his age as 45. I have kind of wondered if he wasn't quite sure where or when he was born? Any suggestions gratefully received

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