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Research in Other Countries => US Lookup Requests => United States of America => US Completed Requests => Topic started by: GDaniels on Saturday 19 July 08 21:03 BST (UK)
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Looking for the emigration of Edward Burns (my g-g-g-grandfather) and wife Mary D. Burns (don't know if he was married before he left Ireland) from Killyleagh, Down, Ireland to New York around the year of 1880-1883. I know that they settled in Tolland Connecticut. And that he was a Mill worker. I have that information but I have not had much luck tracing his entry into America or back in Ireland. I have just found out that he came from KILLYLEAGH, Down Ireland. I am hoping someone can help me locate his trip to American. Also if he came with wife Mary or if he married once here in the states? He was born in 1864. I do not have his parents names either so any help there is much appreciated.
Any and all help will be much appreciated and if there is anything I can do for anyone I am willing to try.
Thanks much
Gail :D
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Hi Gail, Welcome to Rootschat!
In 1920 Census there is Edward and Mary in Tolland w/ their 5 daus (Marguerite, Agnes, Mabel, Irene, Beatrice) He works in a Woolen Mill. His Immigration date says 1868 and hers says 1870.
In 1930 in Tolland Co., CT widower Edward w/ 3 daus (Margarite, Irene, Beatrice) immigration date is 1867 ??
Correct family ??
Why are you thinking he came over in 1880-1883 ??
You mention tracing "entry into America or back in Ireland" Did he come and go back??
lissa
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I see Edward, Mary, and children James, Elizabeth, Edward, Francis, Mary, and Margaret in 1900 in Vernon in Tolland County, CT. It says she immigrated in 1883, he immigrated in 1898, and they had been married for 17 years. He was a woolen mill finisher. Their two oldest children (born 1885 & 1887) were born in New York and all the ones from 1891 and thereafter were born in Connecticut, so that gives us some idea where they were, if that's the right family. Sounds like maybe Edward made a trip home around 1898. The youngest child was born Oct. 1898, so guess he was around his wife in February or so. ;)
The same family appears to be in Rockville in Tolland County in 1910, with a few more kids. In that one, his immigration date looks like 1867 and hers looks like 1884. These people sound a bit confused on when they arrived.
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Here's the whole story.... they are consistent w/ their birthdates and marriage just not with the immigration ??
1900 Vernon, Tolland, Connecticut Lawrence Street
Edward M Burns 36 Jun 1864 Ireland Immigration: 1898 NA Pa In U.S. 2 years ?? think this may be an error confusing his immigration with his Naturalization date ?? Occupation: Woolen Mill Finisher
Mary Burns 36 May 1864 Ireland Married 17 Years (1883) 7 Children born/6 living Immigration: 1883 in US 17 Years
James J Burns 14 Nov 1885 NY Occupation: Shearer @ Woolen Mill
Elizabeth Burns 13 Apr 1887 NY
Edward W Burns 8 Nov 1891CT
Francis P Burns 7 Feb 1893 CT
Mary A Burns 4 Jul 1896 CT
Margeret Burns 2 Oct 1898 CT
1910 Rockville Ward 3, Tolland, Connecticut Lawrence Street
Elward [sic] Edward W Burns 46 1864 Ireland Parents: Ireland Immigration: 1887 transcribed but looks like 1867 on actual to me -- ink is faint on the “6” Occupation: Finisher Woolen Mill
Mary A Burns 45 Both Edward and Mary Married Once been Married 26 Years (1884) 11 Children Born/10 living Immigration Year: 1884
Elizabeth M Burns 22 NY Works in Woolen Mill
Edward W Burns Jr 19 CT Clerk @ Grocery Store
Franics P Burns 17 CT Works @ Woolen Mill
Mary A Burns 14 CT
Margaret T Burns 12 CT
Agnes J Burns 9 CT
Mabel J Burns 9 CT
Irene M Burns 4 CT
Beatrice Burns 1 7/12 CT
1920 Rockville Ward 1, Tolland, Connecticut Prospect Street
Edward W Burns 55 1865 Ireland Parents: Ireland Immigration Year: 1868 NA 1889 Finisher @ Woolen Mill
Mary A Burns 55 1865 b. Ireland Parents: Ireland Immigration: 1870
Margerite Burns 21 CT Stenographer/Insurance Co.
Agnes I Burns 29 CT Envelope Maker @ Envelope Plant
Mabel I Burns 19 CT Spooler @ Silk Mill
Irene M Burns 14 CT
Beatrice K Burns 11 CT
1930 Rockville, Tolland, Connecticut Vernon Township looks like Prospect Street
Edward W Burn Widow 66 1864 Ireland (Irish Free State) F: Scotland M: Irish Free State Immigration: 1861 crossed out 1867 written in above Cloth Finisher Woolen Mill
Margaret D Burn 31 CT Single Secretary/Insurance Office
Irene M Burn 24 CT Single Typist/Insurance Office
Beatrice K Burn 21 CT Single Stenographer/Insurance Office
Not too many gaps in the birth order....so if he went back to Ireland he wasn't away for long!!
Maybe Gail has some more info to pin things down a bit further. Right now, we have
Edward Imm 1867-1898 and Mary 1870-1883
Marriage 1883/1884
1st (living) Child b. 1885 in NY
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According to the 1940 directory for Rockville, Vernon, Ellington & Tolland, Edward W. Burns died 2 Aug. 1938 at age 74.
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Directory Listing for Rockville and Vernon 1890, 1891
Edward W. Burns
Occupation: Employed
Business Name: A. M. Co. 71 West Main
Shelley, his bd still remains consistent!!!
Not having any luck trolling the Passenger Lists 1882/1884 :(
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Nothing turned up in the passenger lists for me, either.
If you don't have his parents' names, you might try getting his death certificate. Check here: http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3132&q=390664 Also, you might want to try to get his obituary. Occasionally, good details like parents' names, when they married, or when the person came to the US might pop up. You could try contacting the local library in Rockville/Vernon or look on raogk.com for a volunteer.
I saw in the 1908 Rockville directory that James J. Burns removed to Clinton, Massachusetts. If you want to figure out where they were in New York when the two older kids were born, he's probably be the easier one to follow, since the other was female and may have married. His place of birth might show up on some vital record or draft registration card.
1910 Census, Clinton, Worcester Co., Mass., 4 Henry St.
Burns, James J.S., age 25, married once, number of years of present marriage - 0, born NY, parents born Ireland, occupation - cloth inspector, Worsted Mill
wife Mabel R., age 26, married once, number of years of present marriage - 0, mother of 0 children, born Connecticut, father born Connecticut, mother born Canada - French, no occupation
Also living with them are sisters-in-law Grace M. and Hasel M. Falber.
1920 Census, Coventry, Kent Co., Rhode Island, 19 Main Street
Burns, James, age 35, married, born New York, parents born Ireland
I'm having a hard time getting the image open now, but he's living with wife Mabel, age 35, son James, age 9, daughter Norma, age 1 year and 9 months, and sister-in-law Grace Falter or Faller, age 25.
1930 Census, Coventry, Kent Co., Rhode Island, 70 Maple Station
Burns, James J., age 45, married for 25 years, born NY, parents born Ireland, overseer at Worsted Mill, not a veteran
wife Mabel, age 46, married for 25 years, born Connecticut, father born Connecticut, mother born Canada - French, no occupation
son James E., age 19, single, born Massachusetts, father born NY, mother born Conn., no occupation
daughter Norma C., age 10, single, born Rhode Island
son Russell, age 9, single, born Rhode Island
daughter Marion, age 5, single, born Rhode Island
son Donald, age 2, single, born Rhode Island
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Good job, Shelly!
WWI Draft Registration dated Sept 12, 1918
James Joseph Burns
Permanent Residence: Washington, Kent, RI
Age 34 BD: October 1, 1884
Occupation/Employer: Overseer @ Livingstone Worsted in Washington, Kent RI
Contact: Mabel R. Burns in Washington, Kent, RI
Tall, Med Build Brown Hair and Eyes
His birthdate is different from the 1900 census (Nov, 1885) might place his parent's marriage date late, 1883 to early,1884
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1920 & 1930 Rockville Ward 4, Tolland, Connecticut Living on Nye
Edward W Burns 28 1892 CT Finisher Woolen Mill
Mary A Burns 25 CT
Rita G Burns 3 10/12 CT
Edward W Burns 39 (189) CT Age @ 1st Marriage: 24 Store Manager for a Chain Grocery
Mary A Burns 35 CT Age @ 1st Marriage: 21
Rita G Burns 14 CT
Father in Law Patrick Hagan 68 b. Ireland Widow Immigration: 1888 Weaver in Woolen Mill
WWII Draft Registration on April 27, 1942
Edward William Burns
Address: 10 Nye Street Tolland, CT
Age: 51 Birth Date: 16 Nov 1890 in Rockville, Connecticut
Tel. Rockville 912-3
Person who will always know your address: Mrs. A. Smith @ 10 Nye Street, Tolland, CT
Occupation/Employer: Store Manager for Trust National Stores, Inc. East Hartford, CT
5’9” 150# Ruddy complexion Grey Hair Blue Eyes Glasses
1900 Censu has Edward bd as Nov 1891 --- 1 year off -- must be how the questions was asked ??
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Good find, Lissa! These Burnses seemed to be very sneaky with dates given to the census taker.
WWII Draft Registration Card
James Joseph Burns
65 Wellesley Road, Holyoke, Hampden Co., Mass., Tel # - Holyoke 8815
Age 57, born 1 Oct. 1884 in Clayville, NY
Person who will always know his address: Mabel Rose Burns, same address
Employer - Livingston Worsted Mills, Inc., in Holyoke
White, 5 ft. 11 inches tall, 185 lbs., brown eyes, brown & gray hair, ruddy complexion
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ohhhhh good find, Shelly !! Clayville, NY !!!!! finally some new news!! Find anything about Clayville yet ???
At least it is not NYC!!
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Much better than New York City! Clayville is in Oneida Co, New York State.
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Hi all: Thought I'd join in just to see what I could see.
From the Social Security Death Index
Holyoke and Springfield are neighboring cities, but based on birthdate on WWII draft registration, the first James Burns is the correct one
JAMES BURNS
birth 01 Oct 1884
death Mar 1976 01040 (Holyoke, Hampden, MA)
ssn 014-05-2116 issued Massachusetts
JAMES BURNS birth 11 Dec 1884
death Jun 1973 01104 (Springfield, Hampden, MA)
ssn 028-09-6564 issued Massachusetts
And Edward Burns
EDWARD BURNS
birth 16 Nov 1890
death Sep 1974 06066 (Vernon Rockville, Tolland, CT)
ssn 041-03-6061 issued Connecticut
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Massachusetts Death Index
James J. Burns
Certificate # 023182
Died Holyoke on 24 Mar 1976
Born New York
There is also a Mabel Burns who died Holyoke 28 Nov 1971. Perhaps that's James' wife.
Connecticut Death Index
Edwar W Burns
Died 19 Sep. 1974 in Vernon
Age 83
Married
Spouse: CHRI (I think they only list the first 4 letters or so)
State File #: 19187
Residence - Vernon
Race - White
1896-97 Rockville & Vernon directory
Burns, Edward W., emp. Am. Mills Co., h 17 Pleasant
1898-99 Rockville & Vernon directory
Burns, Edward W., emp. Am. Mills Co., h 7 Lawrence
1904 Rockville & Vernon directory
Burns, Edward W., overseer Am. Mills Co., h 7 Lawrence
1908 and 1910 Rockville & Vernon directories
Burns, Edward W., overseer Am. Mills Co., h 7 Lawrence
Burns, Edward W., Jr. clk 12 Market bds 7 Lawrence
1913 and 1914-15 Rockville & Vernon directories
Burns, Edward W., overseer Am. Mills Co., h 7 Lawrence
Burns, Edward W., Jr. clk 12 Market bds 7 Lawrence
Burns, Francis, emp. Am. Mills Co., bds 7 Lawrence
1924 & 1925 Rockville directories
Burns, Agnes emp U S Envelope Co res 56 Prospect
Burns, Edward W., overseer Am. Mills Co., h 56 Prospect
Burns, Edward W., Jr. (Mary) mgr 68 Union h 10 Nye
Burns, Frank P. (Josephine) insp Am. Mills Co., h 63 Hammond (maybe Francis P.?)
Burns, Margaret steno res 56 Prospect
1936 Rockville directory
Burns, Beatrice K. steno Hartford r 88 Grove
Burns, Edward W. finisher MMCo h 88 Grove
Burns, Edward Jr. (Mary A) mgr grocery dept 28 E Main h 10 Nye
Burns, Frank (Josephine) percher MMCo h 34 Grove
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good work on more bits.......
Dreaded 1890 Census Gap strikes again!!
Been trying to find Edward W Burn coming to US as a small child (therefore validating the 1867 immigration entries). In 1870 and 1880 there are a couple of Burn families from Ireland in Paris, Oneida Co., Apparently Clayville was renamed to that -- used to be "Paris Furnace "and was considered part of the villiage of Paris. Seems to have been a mill of some type there. But not finding an Edward!
Wish Gail would check back in ......she notes "she has all that" -- wish we knew what "all that" exactly was !!!
There is a 2001 Rootsweb posting on the Oneida Co. board for Bernard Burns baptized 1839 in Ballymartin Parish, Ballinran Townland, Kilkeel, County Down...................really stretching now............... but says the family emigrated to the US in 1883 and settled in Clinton, NY
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There's a tree on Ancestry that has this family back as far as Edward & Mary, but I think the wrong 1930 Census is attached to it. At any rate, it has James born in Clayville (wish I had seen that before!) and Mabel dying in 1971, so looks like we match there. There are also all of James & Mabel's children with death dates, in case Gail wants those.
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Hi all: Quite a biography you folks have compiled. Just wondering if anyone has checked for Edward Burns on the Boston passenger lists for 1868 or thereabouts?
John :o :o :o
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Or could he have gone to Canada first and then New York state?
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I know Shelly has looked at Passenger Lists and I just spent an hour looking at EVERY (I think) Edward Burn born mid 1860's coming into NYC, Boston . Canadian Border crossings won't be found for this period I don't think... at least I didn't see one. He could be there but if he is on his own, we don't know anything about any of his family (parents, siblings) and his dates aren''t accurate, hard to pick him out.
Shelly, I'm going to go look at that tree....
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YAHOO!!! And a maiden name for Mary !!! Keating! That's HUGE and Gail said she didn't have that! Well, I think she said she didn't have it on the other posting she has on RC..... Scotland board I think ??
Gold Stars, Shelly!!!
When will I ever learn to look for trees 1st!!
Interesting that site is owned by a Gail, however!
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On Gail's other post -- on the Down board ---- don't know why I thought/said Scotland, duh ??? she said she didn't know Mary's maiden name......so maybe Shelly's find is real progress for her!
What a coincidence in 2 Gails reseaching this family....
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,316287.0.html
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Gold Stars, Shelly!!!
LissaM: I agree. Shelly is always far ahead of everybody. Her finds relative to mine are, if I may quote Shakespeare, "as a Hyperion to a satyr"....but...but...but...could I have a star too? :-[ :-[ :-[ I don't have one and....I can't become a Rootschat Marquessate because the U.S. constitution does not allow for titles of nobility. :'( :'( :'( Girls have all the fun....
John ;) :o ;) :o
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I will grant you HIGH GRAND POOBAH HONORARY GOLD STARS TO THE 5TH .....how's that!!
We both have a LONG way to go to Marquessate status .... and yes, we don't have royal distinctions here!!
;D ;D ;D ;D
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Groveller that I am, I humbly accept. But now I feel myself wanting to quote Oliver Twist. You what he said, don't you? "May I please have more." Proves he was on a power trip..... :D ;) :D ;) :D
John :o :o :o
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Lissa, I think you may have found a different tree than I did, so you deserve extra stars for that one. With 9 children, there may be a good number of descendants out and a few may be working on this family tree.
Let's hope we didn't scare Gail away with our nutty obsessiveness. ;D
I just found a tree that lists Simon Burns and Katherine Murphy as Edward's parents. There's a cause of death given, time of death, residence at time of death, and burial at St. Bernards Catholic Church in Rockville, so sounds like the tree owner may have Edward's death certificate. It gives his date of birth as 27 Jan 1864. If you'd like, Gail, I could try to contact the person through Ancestry's system.
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As someone who aspires to catch even a glimpse of you speeding along the road of genealogical discovery, I would say that it is thoroughness rather than obsessiveness. Sounds better, at least. I notice, incidentally, that you're always finding obits. How do you dig them up?
Regards,
John :o :o :o
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Usually, newspaperarchive.com. I have a subscription.
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Oh my gosh!! You are kidding ??
I didn't see the tree you are describing. The one I found was Lattimer-Burns family listing Mary A. Keating for Edward's wife. I searched for James and entered his parents and wife 1st names and it was the only hit.
Well it wouldn't be the 1st person who got scared off...... uh, and it IS obsession ::) ::) but thanks, John for calling it thoroughness.... you are being so kind!
Gail will have lots to go through including the discovery of several kindred researchers.
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Just to temper the accuracy of "trees".....there is a tree for "our" Edward that also has him w/ 2 wives -- Mary Keating is #1 and #2 Elizabeth McIllton with the children mixed up in the birth order between them! Can't be sure of everything you find there.....and obviously someone didn't bother to confirm w/ the census or other forms of verification.
And also, did you see the Edward (different Edward) with a spouse named "German Girl from the Boat"...now there's some dandy research for you!!
Ancestry has the tree you found, Shelly AND the one I found. Rootsweb only has the tree I found.
Tricky Those Trees ::)
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Hello Everyone;
Sorry I'm been unwell and unable to answer all the messages. Heavens to Betsy you all have given me a lot to look and and figure out I cannot thank you enough. But where to begin? Oh well, I would rather have too much than not enough. I will try and digest all of this. Did not know about the two trees but I will definitely check them out.
But was wondering if anyone had found any information of Edward in Ireland? When he left as my information from all the US census I could find each one of his dates of entry change, depending on what census I look at. That is why it is hard for me to trace him in Ireland and get his parents and siblings and get their names, and any information as to when he really left there. So if anyone can find that it would be fantastic.
But I really appreciate all that you have given me and I promise I will be back with more questions than I have answers But then isn't that always the way it is when we try and find our lost relatives.
God bless you all for all your help you will never know what this means to me, I really cannot believe all that you all have found.
Gail
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Glad you're back and hope you're feeling better!
One of the trees, the one that I mentioned likely having the wrong 1930 Census attached, lists Edward as being born Jan. 1864 in Killyleagh, Down, Ireland. The other one, which looks like it has the death certificate information and gives his parents' names as Simon Burns and Katherine Murphy, says he was born 27 Jan 1864 in Ireland. If those are right, maybe something can be found from there. If you have a subscription to Ancestry, maybe you contact the people who put up the trees.
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Hi Gail, glad you are feeling better and good to hear from you!
As Shelly said there are some possibly new bits above and on those trees that were found to take your guy back to Ireland. Maybe more for the experts on the Ireland board to work with. Has anyone found anything for you over there ?? Hopefully the finding of a possible maiden name for Mary Burns will also help in that regard.
Here in the US, we often have to work forward 1st before we can work backward as Immigration records are not very good before the late 1890's. Often the US census sightings and other records will provide more details as to the immigration dates and extended family names, occupations, locations, etc.. Since you didn't give us those details, we had to find them in order to see if we could find or link any other -- or potentially new -- info. I searched the Passenger Records -- and so did Shelly -- even considering Edward's ever changing immigration dates and could not find one for him. Could be lots of reasons for that.
The Irish wall -- nemesis to many of us!!
Best of Luck in your further investigations!
lissa
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Hi Shelly and LisaM and all that helped in the search:
I believe that I am totally confused at this stage. Buy I know that I have been able to trace my father Francis J. Burn with Brother John M., to his father, Francis P. Burns, to Edward Burns of Tolland, CT.
I was in touch with another Gail Burns who was doing a family tree on Burns (Edward) she had married into the Burns family. Her husband was the great grandchild of John J. Burns, son of Edward and Mary, of Tolland, CT but she was not able to give me a lot of information other than John was born in NY as was his sister and that the whole family moved to Tolland, CT. That is where I found them in the census. As I tried to trace Edward and Mary back I could not find them in NY but did not have the access and the knowledge that you people have, as to how to look for them. I also had trouble reading the date of entry to the US. I have not been able to find their entry into the US anywhere. I didn't know to keep the birth and marriage date checked so that I could trace that way.
I did know that my grandfather moved to Hartford Ct after he married and that is where my father was born, then they (he and wife and son) evidently moved to Massachusetts, for that is where his brother my uncle was born in Boston but I have not been able to find out where they lived or when they left Massachusetts for Florida. I do know that my father died in Florida along with his parents and brother.
I have the death records of my grandparents from Florida and my father and his brother in Florida as well. I was able to get my fathers Army records which gave me his father's and mother's names along with other information.
I will try to get a look at the family tree that you speak of Shelly on Ancestry, You all have given me such great information and I truly appreciate the time that you all took to look into this for me. Maybe now I will be able to find his parent in Ireland if it turns out to be a good trail, which it looks like right now.
Again, I cannot thank you all enough, you have stirred me into action again. I had almost given up trying to find any more than the bits that I had. But I have learned a valuable lesson here, which I think is Keep digging and somewhere someone will lead you to the information you seek.
Gail :D
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..... and often when and where you least expect them !!! New records become available all the time.
After you organize your old and new info and mull things over, something may pop out at you. Finding people on passenger lists is a tough search. Any thoughts on whether Edward and Mary came direct from Ireland or through England or Canada then to the US ??
Any idea if Edward and Mary married in the U.S. or in Ireland ??
lissa
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LissaM
That is the whole problem in a nut shell. I really don't have any idea as to where they came from or if they were married prior to coming to the US or after they arrived. I guess I will just keep on plugging away in hopes that I find something. I have already tried to reach the person that Shelly mentioned in regards to the tree in hope there might be a lead there. Hopefully they will answer soon.
Gail D
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Let me rephrase, after gathering all the info you have, any working theories on Edward and Mary's "story" ??
While you are waiting for others to reply, maybe pursuing Mary and Edward's exact deaths - certificates, obits -- might lead to confirming Mary's maiden name and maybe Edward's parents names?? You might be able to make headway on that from local library and State Vital Records, local genealogy resources, etc.
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LissaM
How does one get obits and from where? I guess you can tell I am more or less a newbie at this even though I have been working on it for a few years it has been more or less hit or miss or a big Oh Yea I found something moments. The State Vital Records are far away for me to try to research and they do on line but unless I have specifics and can prove I am related I don't know if I can get them, but will give it a shot. As far as local genealogy, just what are you referring to? I know that I sound really dumb asking these questions but in reality I just don't know much about doing research except trying those places that I know which is not much or many.
GailD :)
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I googled quickly came up w/ the below. Can't say how fruitful any are going to be. My experience from my own searches in US and England.... every site has a little something to offer...which is why you have to hit them all!! Some sites are going to lead you to Ancestry subscription databasis, some are going to be listings done by local researches often pertaining to or spilling over from their own family searches, some will have more broad based info .......sorry, no easy answers.
You need to narrow down the DOD of Date burial so you can go to local newspaper, library sources for the obit.
http://www.raogk.org/connecti.htm
http://users.rcn.com/lmerrell/tolland.html (don't jump, there's music on this one!)
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tollandct01/
http://genforum.genealogy.com/ct/tolland/
http://www.kindredtrails.com/CT_Tolland.html
http://www.gendir.com/locales/802
http://www.interment.net/US/ct/tolland.htm
http://connecticut-genealogy.com/
You might try here Go to Message Boards - left column toward the bottom >> "Localities" and follow prompts from to Connecticut, Tolland Co. board. I've done this for several my areas of interest with very good success.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
CT Vital Records
http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3132&q=388130&dphNav=|46940|
Didn't read carefully to see how difficult CT is with vital records. Most will allow you some access to records for genealogical purposes...... but this all varies by state law and by what records they have.
There are people on the board who also have access to local, newspaper and obit sources once you have some targeted information.
It's never easy and nothing is ever 100% complete - that's why it is so much fun ;D ;D
lissa
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There are four families named Burns listed in Griffiths Valuation - Down 1863-64
www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/down/killyleagh.php
The Ulster Towns Directory 1884 mentions the flax spinning mill at Shrigley which isn't all that far from Killyleagh. www.killyleagh.org/history/dufferin-chronicles/article.asp?ID=11
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Didn't read carefully to see how difficult CT is with vital records. Most will allow you some access to records for genealogical purposes...... but this all varies by state law and by what records they have.
CT is pretty open - anyone can get marriage and death certificates from any time, as well as any birth certificates over 100 years old.
I would also recommend trying to get obituaries. I've seen some that give a location where the deceased comes from or with the deceased's parents' names listed. You might try e-mailing the local library in the area where the person lived or died. Trying searching in Google for "(town name, state name) public library" and you'll usually find an e-mail address or genealogy/local history information on their site. I recently got an obituary from a library for a $2 fee, which wasn't terribly expensive.
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Not sure about present poilicy for Connecticut records but there was a time that you had to belong to an historical society in the state for access to the vital records.
However, in general the libraries are very good there and many have indexed the obituaries (and sometimes other details) in their local newspapers so it's certainly worth a try.