Maud Jarvis
23-10-2004, 10:57 AM
Can anyone offer me any suggestions as to how I can search for an ancestor if I do not know whereabouts in Ireland they came from?
My gt grandfather was Stephen Geoghan (there seems to be different variations in the spelling) came to England, date unknown, he married in Stafford to Louisa Paddison, in 1866
I know from the marriage cert that his father`s name was Lawrence, both he and his father were master Tailors
Unfortunately in 1881 his wife & children were in the Stoke on Trent workhouse, in 1885, his children (except for the eldest son) were sent to Ontario Canada, their name was then changed ro Gagan.
I have found it very difficult to try and trace further back , there are no relatives that I can ask now (they have all died out) and my mother never spoke of the past, many things in the family were kept secret, I only knew of some names by eavesdropping on her conversations.
I was aware that there were relatives in Canada, but she ceased corresponding with them after WW2 (possibly not wishing her children to ask awkward questions?) my two brothers were taken by my mother to Ireland when they were very young, to visit the relatives there, unfortunately my eldest brother was killed on active service in WW2, and my other brother, had been too young at the time of the visit to Ireland, to recall any names of where they went to, all he could remember was that the house was away out in the country and not near any shops.
I assume that they may have been in Southern Ireland seeing as the family were Roman Catholics (I did not know this fact until starting to research my family!) So, as you can imagine, I have so little to go on, and have at present given up" ever finding out any more about the Geoghans in Ireland.
One of my , grandfather`s sisters, married an Augustus Gartland in 1894, Ontario, I have hopes of eventually tracing any descendants from her in the hope that some of the family mysteries may be solved . However, after having searched for her details up to the 1901 census (Canada) and the birth of her twin sons in 1903, I have had no further success with that avenue either, so have come up against a brick wall and cannot see any way round it for the present.
I would so love to try and find the Irish connections, but have no idea now of where to concentrate my research, and would love to know if anyone can suggest how I can proceed??
My gt grandfather was Stephen Geoghan (there seems to be different variations in the spelling) came to England, date unknown, he married in Stafford to Louisa Paddison, in 1866
I know from the marriage cert that his father`s name was Lawrence, both he and his father were master Tailors
Unfortunately in 1881 his wife & children were in the Stoke on Trent workhouse, in 1885, his children (except for the eldest son) were sent to Ontario Canada, their name was then changed ro Gagan.
I have found it very difficult to try and trace further back , there are no relatives that I can ask now (they have all died out) and my mother never spoke of the past, many things in the family were kept secret, I only knew of some names by eavesdropping on her conversations.
I was aware that there were relatives in Canada, but she ceased corresponding with them after WW2 (possibly not wishing her children to ask awkward questions?) my two brothers were taken by my mother to Ireland when they were very young, to visit the relatives there, unfortunately my eldest brother was killed on active service in WW2, and my other brother, had been too young at the time of the visit to Ireland, to recall any names of where they went to, all he could remember was that the house was away out in the country and not near any shops.
I assume that they may have been in Southern Ireland seeing as the family were Roman Catholics (I did not know this fact until starting to research my family!) So, as you can imagine, I have so little to go on, and have at present given up" ever finding out any more about the Geoghans in Ireland.
One of my , grandfather`s sisters, married an Augustus Gartland in 1894, Ontario, I have hopes of eventually tracing any descendants from her in the hope that some of the family mysteries may be solved . However, after having searched for her details up to the 1901 census (Canada) and the birth of her twin sons in 1903, I have had no further success with that avenue either, so have come up against a brick wall and cannot see any way round it for the present.
I would so love to try and find the Irish connections, but have no idea now of where to concentrate my research, and would love to know if anyone can suggest how I can proceed??