Smith's in Ireland

[Melissa Jones]

Hi everyone,

I need some suggestions on what I should do next in regards to the following .....

My g/g grandfather, Edward Smith, was born in Ireland around the late 1830s/early 1840s. The problem is, we don't know where in Ireland he was from. His marriage and death certificate in Australia only give his place of birth as "Ireland". Edward's father was named William and, if his children were named in the "traditional" sense, then his mother may have been named Winifred. I'm currently going through the Australian assisted immigration records for around the period Edward was "supposed" to have arrived in Australia (I say "supposed" because the informant on the death certificate was a family friend). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could pin-point where Edward came from.

Also on the same point, Edward's wife, Margaret was also from Ireland. Basically have the same info as Edward (ie: marriage and death certificate states that place of birth was "Ireland"). Unlike Edward though, there doesn't seem to be any indication of her on the assisted immigration records. Her father's name was either James or Henry (varying info given on documents). Her maiden name was McElrone/McElhone.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Melissa

[ChristineR]

Depending on which state they were in, birth certificates of children may narrow the search to a specific county, or even a town, in Ireland. (I guess it isn't Victoria as you would have both parents names and mother's maiden names from their marriage)

Have you checked for any headstones - a lot of the Irish proudly proclaim their origins at their resting place.

Christine

[Melissa Jones]

Hi Christine,

Thanks for the suggestions. The birth certificates of the children (all born NSW) only give "Ireland" as the place of Edward & Margaret. At the moment, have not been able to find any headstone for Edward & Margaret. I was in Armidale, NSW last year and couldn't find Edward's headstone at the cemetery. Likewise, Margaret died in Maitland, NSW and a distant cousin there has not been able to find her headstone either.

Melissa

[get2BJ]

Hi Melissa,

The surnames McElrone and McElhone are not very common in Ireland during the years 1848-64 and if you carry out a search here

https://scripts.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm

you'll get a breakdown by county of where they all were in Ireland. (All in the north.)

To get any further with this site you have to make a payment of US $8. (I tried this once and found that the information available did not relate to individuals or include any original records, it merely pointed me to other resources that may be available to aid research). However, having a possible location for his wife Margaret's origin may help you locate her birth records.

Good luck with your search

Brenda

[Melissa Jones]

Thanks for the advice Brenda. It's much appreciated.

Melissa