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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: jamiequarton on Thursday 15 October 09 21:38 BST (UK)
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Hi everyone
Trying to solve a family mystery. Apparently my great, great grandfather went out to work one day and didn't return home.
His name was John Connelly born in Ireland in 1848. He married Margaret Stewart in 1873 at St Patrick's Church Glasgow. His occupation was coachman.
From what I can deduce, he went missing after 1878. In census for 1881 in Ardnamurchan it shows Margaret Connelly living with her 2 sons, along with her parents and another of their grandsons. My thinking on this is that John Connelly must've disappeared in Glasgow and Margaret was forced to move back to her parents.
So what happened? Did he have a terrible accident, was he abducted, did he jump on a ship bound for New York or Canada? If anyone can shed some light on this mystery, I would be very grateful!
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Well, ruling out the obvious would be the best start, I think. If he did die of a terrible accident, then his death would be recorded, but as a coachman, it may not have been local. Unfortunately, death records are not indexed yet, and trawling through the records by hand is going to be long and arduous, and even more so with a fairly common name. You might be better off looking at the emigration records first, because at least they are indexed :)
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Thanks Nick! Yes, with no death certificate it seems logical that he moved on. Perhaps he went back to Ireland? Will definately check out emigration records, fingers crossed!
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When was the last child born, 1878?
Might be worth checking the birth certificate as that is the last sure point.
Do you know his parents? Often death records in the US/Canada/Australia will give parents' names, so that might help locate him.
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Another question from me ::)
What was Margaret's marital status showing in the 1881 entry and later censuses?
Monica
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Hi Jorose and Monica...thanks for your response to this posting!
Charles Connelly was the last child born in 1878 listing John Connelly as the father. Checked out John and Margarets marriage registery and John's parents were Martin Connelly and Catherine Connelly (Burke).
In the 1881 census, Margaret and her 2 sons, John and Charles, are listed as married and living with her parents in Ardnamurchan. So far, I have been unable to trace any further information regarding Margaret. All I have is the date she died 20.11.1922 in Mull. This has yet to be confirmed as I have not traced a death certificate.
I had a look at emigrant records for Ellis Island. There was a John Connelly with the same year of birth as my great great grandfather, listed as having arrived in August 1899. He was aboard the Teutonic and had his last place of residence as Colbur Ireland. Is it possible he went back to Ireland and then emigrated aged 51?
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This looks like Margaret and the boys 1891 entry:
Margaret Connolly 46, head, domestic servant
John Connolly 15, son
Charles Connolly 13, son
Address: Kilmory, Ardnamurchan
For 1901, Margaret shows as living alone:
Margaret Connelly, 57, washerwoman b. Ardnamurchan
Address: 3 Kilmory, Ardnamurchan
Monica
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Thank you so much Monica! ;D
What advice can you give to help trace what happened to John. On the face of it, it looks like he has just abandoned Margaret and the boys.
Charles was my grandfather's dad and I have a good profile of his life. However, John Jnr is also proving difficult to track down. According to family knowledge, he died in 1918. I wonder if he ended up in France WW1?
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Hard to know what happened to John Connolly Snr. isn't it. He could have left Scotland or remained there. Have you managed to figure out where he was born? Might help with any census searches in the UK.
Regarding John Jnr, can't easily see him as yet in 1901. There is the entry for Charles working away from home in 1901 but John Jnr. is proving more elusive like his father ::)
Monica
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Hi Monica
All I know is that John Snr was born in Ireland in 1848 but where is not known. His father Martin and his mother Catherine (Burke) where Irish, but it has just occurred to me that they may have moved to Scotland too. Might be worth a trawl through the records here?
If John Jnr did end up in the Great War, where would be the best place to start looking? ???
Thank you ;D
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Oh by the way Monica.................In that 1901 census where Charles is listed as working away as a ploughman/servant, there's also a Christina MacKay who was a Dairy Maid. She was the woman Charles married. My great grandmother. ;D
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I did try looking on Ancestry's military records for John Jnr (service/pension records) but couldn't easily see anything for him :-\
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Thanks Monica......it's a bit frustrating because I can't find a death certificate for John Jnr (just like his dad).
I'd like to be able to find out more about Martin and Catherine Connelly, but can't find a decent source :(
Jamie
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Hi Jamie
With the Irish side for John, it can be hard to trace back particularly when you are not sure where in Ireland John was from :-\ I tried searching on Scotlands People for a death for mother Catherine with the names Burke and Connolly but no joy (nearest are two entries with a birth year of 1840 +/- 5yrs - too late to be John's mother).
There are a couple of trees on Ancestry for the family. From John and Margaret's Catholic marriage, may explain why there is nothing at all also showing regarding Ireland as official registration did not begin in Ireland until 1864. Just on the outside chance, I don't know how practical this is for you. The marriage shows at St Patrick's Chapel in Anderston. Apart from the official registration of the marriage, have you ever thought to follow up with the church's archives for the original entry of the marriage. In Roman Catholic marriage, details of where someone is born could be recorded by the church. Might be something to follow up on.
What does Charles' marriage cert to Christina McKay say about his father. Does it show him as deceased at the time of his marriage and what occupation?
Monica
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Hi Monica
Charles and Christina's marriage certificate shows John Connelly as 'deceased', occupation Coachman.
On John and Margaret's marriage certificate, John's occupation is Groom (so he must've got promotion :D). His father Martin is listed as deceased, occupation Coachman. Makes me wonder if they both worked for the same coach firm in Glasgow ???
Think that contacting St Patrick's might be a good idea, they may have a bit more information in their archives.
Many thanks for you help on this Monica, you're a star ;D
Jamie
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I think coachmen must have had hard lives. My great-uncle was a coachman, and he died at 25 from a form of TB linked to a fungal infection.
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Hi Nick
Crikey...your poor great uncle :o
Incidentally, do you know how coachmen were used from circa 1870-1900? Were they employed by companies and run like taxi firms do today? Did the coachmen have set routes or was it just a case of go where the punter wants to go? I'm trying to build a picture so that I can perhaps follow up other lines of enquire re: my great great grandfather. For example, if he did in fact work for a company, perhaps they would have kept records? ???
Jamie
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With everything (including people) being transported on horse-drawn carts, I would imagine that there would have been tens of thousands of coachmen employed across the country, although their job titles may have varied, depending on what they carried.
Ironically, my great uncle married a woman who was 16 years older than he was - and she survived him by more than 50 years :)
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Margaret Stewart died Mull 1922
1922 CONNELLY MARGARET STEWART F 83 KILNINIAN AND KILMORE /ARGYLL 544/02 0001
Her son Charles married and had children (I have six children listed)
One of those children died 1918 aged 2 (Iain = John, and possible origin of 1918 death). Another Iain was born in 1919
1918 CONNELLY IAIN M 2 KILNINIAN AND KILMORE /ARGYLL 544/02 0004
BIRTH 1919 CONNELLY IAIN M KILNINIAN AND KILMORE /ARGYLL 544/02 0005
I found that Charles Connelly was born 1878 Dalziel, Lanarkshire, and noted another two male births around the same time : whether these are yours, I have no idea. I also don't know when/where son John was born (nor the parents of Margaret Stewart).
Thomas Connelly 1877 Dalziel
August Connelly 1875 Dalziel
I'd appreciate the 1873 marriage BDM and especially Margaret's 1922 death record, and in return I'll give all details that I have.
Michael (webmaster)
http://www.mullfamilies.co.uk/ (premier resource for Mull-related families)