John Sheridan Family

[kevinsh]

12/17/2012
Hello there – I am a new member to the group and my name is Kevin Sheridan.
My family spent one generation in Creetown before coming to America. I had established this for the first time in 1981, when I hitchhiked to Creetown while studying in London. Needless to say, I was thrilled an enjoyed interviewing the few Octogenarians in the town (Frasers, Nixons, and the like).
My great-great Grandfather, John Sheridan, was supposedly born in 1828 and married a woman named Elizabeth Pringle. He died in 1873 and Elizabeth died in 1905. Elizabeth had also re-married after John’s death – a man named John Mackay.

John and Elizabeth had the following seven children:

Peter Sheridan born 1854
John Sheridan born 1856 (went to New York)
William Sheridan born 1857
Mary Jane Sheridan born 1860 (married Simon Fraser)
Robert Sheridan born 1863
Thomas Sheridan born 1864
Andrew Denniston Sheridan (My Great Grandfather) who emigrated to Napolean, Ohio, USA – born 1869

I am most interested in finding the following information:

John Sheridan’s birthplace and home prior to Creetown. Any other information on his ancestors would be great as well.
John and Elizabeth’s location and date of marriage.
Either of their exact birth and death dates.
More information on Elizabeth’s parents and siblings.
Whether there is any merit to the “family rumor” that Elizabeth was the daughter of a Scottish Baron.
From where my Great Gandfather’s middle name (Denniston) came.
I really appreciate any help you would be able to give to me.
All the best,
Kevin

[AndrewP]

Hi Kevin,



The 1871 census gives one more son to add to the group above, Alexander, aged 4 years. His birth certificate can be viewed at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk on a pay per view basis.

All the best,

AndrewP

[SarahND]

Hello Kevin,
Depending on where you live, you may be able to get access to Ancestry.com at your local library and can look up the Scottish censuses there. Following the family back in the censuses, you may be able to get an idea where John and Elizabeth were born. Their death certificates should give you their parents' names (if the informant knew) and occupations, which will help identify the correct birth records. Unfortunately, their marriage was just a few years too early to give parents' information. Those certificates can be downloaded at the Scotland's People site mentioned by Andrew above.

At a quick glance at the census, it looks as though John was born in Ireland, which makes things a bit harder. Elizabeth was a local girl and was working as a servant in 1851 before she married John. The only Pringle males in the area in 1841 (the earliest census for which we have individual information) are blacksmiths. Elizabeth's mother Jane appears to have been born in Ireland also.

Do you have Elizabeth's death certificate? If so, what was her father's name supposed to have been?

As you know, the "Scottish baron" story may be just that… or, there may be a grain of truth somewhere (often the generations get telescoped in the telling and you have to go back further to find whatever link there may be). If you post the death certificate information for both John and Elizabeth, we'll try to help you track down their ancestry.

All the best,
Sarah

[kevinsh]

Thanks again to everyone helping. It is very much appreciated.

Well, the good news is that I got us back one more generation to Peter Sheridan, John's Father (listed on John’s Death Cert from ScotlandsPeople.com).

I also found the Marriage record for John Sheridan and Elizabeth Pringle – May 26th, 1853 in Newton Stuart.

The bad news is that:

I cannot find evidence that John Sheridan (b1828/1829)'s father Peter lived in Scotland, which I doubt, and don't even know where to begin searching in Ireland.

The fact that I have no name of John's Mother does not help as well. John’s son (also named Peter – b 1854) was the informant of his father John’s death yet apparently did not know the name of his Fraternal Grandmother/John’s Mother and Peter’s wife – this was left blank on the ScotlandsPeople 1873 death cert for John.

John's wife's (Elizabeth Pringle/Sheridan/Mackay)'s death certificate that I found on ScotlandsPeople.com did NOT contain the name of her parent/s. Yet someone told me that her son William was listed as the informant but I did not see that – is there a different death cert that I did not find?

I do not know the name of Elizabeth’s Father but interestingly enough saw that she listed her name on a couple of her children’s birth certs as M.I. Pringle – this led me to a Margaret Isabella and Isabella Margaret so maybe she changed it to Elizabeth later – if this is her then her Father was George Pringle and she was born on April 24th, 1833.

Any advice on where next to look would be greatly appreciated.

All the best and thanks you again,

Kevin

[LesleyB]

Hi Kevin

she listed her name on a couple of her children’s birth certs as M.I. Pringle

Are you sure that is what is says - is it not perhaps the standard format of M.S Pringle? (M.S. - maiden surname)

Best wishes
Lesley

[SarahND]

I also wondered if it wasn't the usual maiden surname reference.

So the boxes for Elizabeth's parents were just left blank? Who was the informant if it wasn't William?

I've been working at trying to get at John's parents through the side door. In 1841 there are a Michael and a Peter Sheridan, born in Ireland, living in Mochrum, Wigtownshire (where Elizabeth says she was born in some of the censuses). Michael is 20 and Peter is only 18, so he is obviously not John's father, but both of them could very well be John's brothers. Maybe if we follow them down through the years one or the other of them will give some hint of where they are from and who their parents are. I've been working at it but so far not terribly successfully...

Best wishes
Sarah

[AndrewP]

John's wife's (Elizabeth Pringle/Sheridan/Mackay)'s death certificate that I found on ScotlandsPeople.com did NOT contain the name of her parent/s. Yet someone told me that her son William was listed as the informant but I did not see that – is there a different death cert that I did not find?

Hi Kevin,

On viewing the 1905 death certificate of Elizabeth Mackay on ScotlandsPeople, you see in the second column from the right the signature of her son (of her first marriage) William Sheridan. Her father's name is given, and her mother's surname and maiden surnames are given (no first name). Are you looking at the death certificate: year 1905, registration district 873 (Parish of Kirkmabreck in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright), certificate number 24?

A child was born to Michael Sheridan (see Sarah's reply above) and his wife in 1855. An 1855 certificate holds more information than was given in any other year. Michael gives his birthplace as Kilpipe, County Wicklow, Ireland. If (and that is a big if, not a shred of evidence so far) Michael is John's brother, then that could be a place to consider looking for the origins of that generation of the family.

All the best,

AndrewP

[LesleyB]

The familysearch web site gives the following children to parents: John Sheridan,​ Elisabeth Pringle:

William Sherridan birth: 13 Apr 1857 WIGTOWN
Mary Jane Sherden, 06 Aug 1859 WIGTOWN
Robert Sherden birth: 28 Jun 1862 PENNINGHAME,​WIGTOWN
Thomas Shiredan birth: 16 Sep 1864 PENNINGHAME,​WIGTOWN
Alexander Sheridan birth: 18 Mar 1867 PENNINGHAME,​WIGTOWN,​SCOTLAND
Andrew Sherridan birth: 31 Mar 1869 PENNINGHAME,​WIGTOWN
Elizabeth Sheridan, birth: 31 Aug 1872 PENNINGHAME,​WIGTOWN

Interestingly a search for births on SP to a couple of those names brings up a long list in the Roman Catholic Registers, all christened at OUR LADY AND ST NINIAN, NEWTON STEWART, potentially the most useful being of a son John in 1855....
if you find this birth on SP in the SR records, it should give a lot more info, (includng place of birth of both parents) than the usual birth entries.

- where did you find Peter Sheridan born 1854? There is a Patrick in 1853 (Patrick & Peter are often interchangeable,as far as i remember)
Also, where did you find the Newton Stewart marriage?

the Marriage record for John Sheridan and Elizabeth Pringle – May 26th, 1853 in Newton Stuart."

Just wondering because if the children were all christened in the RC church, it makes it less likely that the marriage would be in the OPRs.
But seems they are: (curiosity got the better of me....)
26/05/1853 SHIRDEAN JOHN PRINGLE ELIZABETH NEWTON STEWART, OUR LADY AND ST NINIAN - note that church matches the RC christenings above.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Anne H]

Just wondering because if the children were all christened in the RC church, it makes it less likely that the marriage would be in the OPRs.
But seems they are: (curiosity got the better of me....)
26/05/1853 SHIRDEAN JOHN PRINGLE ELIZABETH NEWTON STEWART, OUR LADY AND ST NINIAN - note that church matches the RC christenings above.

Yes, it's always a good idea to check both RC and OPR records for marriages and births...I've found them in both. MInd you, if I recall, several of my lot were indexed under some strange spellings - the writing was very difficult to make out. I've also found a few children's births searching under christian names for parents and child only (I knew which church they would be in - made it easier).

Regards,
Anne H