Clusters

As mentioned in ‘Sowing more seeds’ I have been undertaking a course on DNA. I also decided, after resisting for a long time, to upgrade my ‘DNA only’ version of Ancestry. I purchased the UK version. The list of matches that Ancestry produces can be overwhelming. Correction: it is overwhelming. At the time of writing…

Fading hope

I am following up on the logic I outlined in ‘More on Brother 2’. (See also ‘Brother 2’ and ‘Still hunting brother 2’) I elected to look for James Stanley, born in Ireland, on the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 census returns. I found 42 separate entries. Unfortunately, not one of them cites Roscommon as…

Massachusetts Bridget

This is the fourth blog exploring what happened to the children of the marriage between John Stanley and Winifred Kenney after they arrived in America. This time it is the turn of Bridget. Bridget’s exact date of birth is not known. Working back from the age recorded on her death certificate would indicate 1865. A…

Massachusetts John

This is the third blog exploring what happened to the four children of the marriage of John Stanley to Winifred Kenney. See Massachusetts Mary and Massachusetts Thomas for the previous two articles. John was born in Islands, Roscommon on American Independence Day 1874. The best fit for his voyage to America is on the Cephalonia…

Massachusetts Thomas

I am continuing to explore the descendants of John Stanley and Winifred Kenney. (See Massachusetts Mary) This time it is the turn of Thomas. Civil registration started in Ireland in 1865. This doesn’t mean that all births after that time were recorded, but the majority of them were duly registered. Thomas was born on 21st…

Massachusetts Mary

If you can’t go back, then go forward! I realise that not everyone is as obsessive in hunting down obscure clues as me. I found a whole chapter of my wife’s ancestry when I googled the name of one of her relatives. It turned out that a second cousin had been publishing a blog for…

Mary Cannan

As explained in ‘Room at the Inn’, Uriah Senior and his wife Catherine/Kate (nee Stanley, from Roscommon) seemed to be willing to share what little they had with others. In 1901, their family of four is joined at 13 Back New Street by two Yorkshire born boarders (22 year old Beatrice Herbert and her one…

Mary Kenny and others

As explained in ‘Room at the Inn’, Uriah Senior and his wife Catherine/Kate (nee Stanley) seemed to be willing to share what little they had with others. In 1881 Uriah and Kate have Irish born Mary Kenny, born 1859, lodging with them. This was before they started their family.  Unfortunately, the census does not have…

Both ends to the middle – Part 1

In April 2019 I posted a blog on my family history website entitled “DNA: the magic bullet?”. (https://www.roscommonstanley.me.uk/direct-line/dna-the-magic-bullet/ ) In the intervening period, the number of DNA matches that appear on my list from Ancestry has expanded. In the 4th-6th cousin group (above 20 cM of DNA in common) there are 294 names. I refer…