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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Topic started by: meowkat on Monday 31 December 12 17:45 GMT (UK)

Title: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: meowkat on Monday 31 December 12 17:45 GMT (UK)
Most of my ancestors are Scottish. However, a large chunk of my ancestors came over to Scotland from Ireland in between 1840-1860.
So far, I've not been able to trace my Irish ancestors within Ireland. Although, each day there are more and more resources available online. I've just carried out an index search on find my past for my x4 great grandmother using her maiden name and have found 4 plausible matches. However, the dates are about the time her daughter was leaving for Scotland, by which time, you'd assume she would be long married and using her husband's surname.
If Ireland used the English naming patten, it would suggest that either, she is not my ancestor, or that my x3 great grandmother was illegitimate.
However, if Ireland used the Scottish naming pattern, this could very well be my x4 great grandmother, as married women often continued to use their maiden names on records, or used them interchangeably.

My gut says that she probably isn't. However, it would be very useful to my research to know whether or not married Irish women are often found on contemporary records under their maiden names.

Thank you for any help :D

Happy New Year to all!

Katrina
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: aghadowey on Monday 31 December 12 17:54 GMT (UK)
Have only seen one instance in Ireland (and she was gentry)
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: kingskerswell on Monday 31 December 12 19:08 GMT (UK)
Hi,
   I have often seen the maiden name used as a second name but I have always found that the husband's name was the surname.

Regards
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: eadaoin on Monday 31 December 12 20:12 GMT (UK)
I've a feeling that in the Irish-speaking parts of Kerry, the maiden name was used. I'd need to check, but ...
--wasn't the famous PEIG (of Leaving Cert fame) always known as Peig Sayers, which wasn't her married name.

eadaoin
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: Sonas on Monday 31 December 12 20:30 GMT (UK)
The famous (or infamous!) Peig popped into my head too but I think this was common enough or even the norm in other Irish speaking parts as well as Kerry. I think this was covered in a college module on marriage I did years ago. Must see if I still have the notes. I've often wondered if women are recorded in parish records under their maiden or married name when they are sponsors.

In this specific case though, as the woman has migrated to a new country, I don't know if this likely?
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: meowkat on Wednesday 02 January 13 15:37 GMT (UK)
Thank you all!

The ancestor in question didn't migrate, her daughter did. I've found 4 records probably all related to the same woman in County Monaghan, who has the name as my x4 great grandmother. My x3 great grandmother married in County Tyrone. Geographically, it's possible that there's a connection as the counties are close.
I wonder if anyone can help me trace the name of the parish where my x3 great grandmother married. On her son's Scottish birth record the parish is written as "Parish of Drunmore, Co Tyrone, Ireland" (they married in 1855). It's probably a Roman Catholic parish. Unfortnately, due to the differing accents the registrar has spelt it wrong, but I wonder what it should be.

Happy New Year, all!  ::)
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: Sinann on Wednesday 02 January 13 16:34 GMT (UK)
There is a Dromore Parish in Co. Tyrone, far as I can work out it's a civil parish the only RC info I could find are some old church records maybe you can find something on this site http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cotyroneireland/churchrecord/dromorerc.html
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: Elwyn Soutter on Wednesday 02 January 13 18:13 GMT (UK)
There’s 8 RC parishes in Tyrone beginning with the letter D. Donaghedy, Dromore, Drumragh, Donacavey, Donaghmore, Donaghenry, Dungannon & Desertcreight.

Dromore seems the most likely to me. Their marriage records seem to start in 1833, and baptisms in 1835. Copies are held in PRONI, Belfast MIC1D/11.
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: meowkat on Wednesday 02 January 13 18:19 GMT (UK)
Thank you, Elwyn. That really helps.
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: Bhoy on Wednesday 02 January 13 21:33 GMT (UK)
What were the names of the couple?
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: meowkat on Saturday 05 January 13 12:49 GMT (UK)
Hi Bhoy,

They were called Michael McKune and Ann McChrystal. According to their Scottish records they were both born in Ireland and married in the "Parish of Drunmore, Co Tyrone, Ireland" on 18th May 1855. Their eldest daughter was also born in Tyrone, but where exactly I haven't been able to find out. Her name was Mary Ann McKune and she was born about 1856. Judging by the dates and locations of their children's births, they would have moved to Scotland sometime between 1856 and 1858. All their children were married in Roman Catholic churches, so it's likely they were.

It is very common for Irish surnames to be mispelt on Scottish records. On one census record, Micheal's surname is written as McEwan. I also have an Irish friend whose surname is McKeown and it is pronounced the same.  Ann's maiden name I've seen written as McChrystal, McChristal, Cristal, Chrystal...

Michael's parents were Michael McKune and Mary McLachlan (there's another surname that's spelt 101 ways!) and he was born about 1834. Ann's parents were called William McChrystal and Ellen Gillogy and she was born about 1831. It's records for a woman named Ellen Gillogy around 1856-1860 that I've found.
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: Skoosh on Saturday 05 January 13 16:06 GMT (UK)
They certainly do in Scotland, I know folk in Lanarkshire who are introduced at funerals etc', as Mary Sullivan's boy & Jean Walker's man. These guys are in their fifties.

Skoosh.
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: breenbyrne on Monday 07 January 13 18:55 GMT (UK)
Even in the 20th Century this was still going on in parts of north Co Kerry.  My maternal great grandmother was Kate Hegarty and she married into the Griffins but was always known locally by her maiden name.  Her son, John Griffin's wife was always known as Jule Stack.
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: myluck! on Wednesday 09 January 13 13:36 GMT (UK)
I have several instances where the maiden name continued in use especially where a woman would have become the same name as some other in the family; so as not to add another of the name they remained known as their maiden name; however nearly always on formal documents the actual married name was used

A relatively recent occurance is where my uncle married, on the same day as his two brothers, in the 1940s; all three wives were named Mary and remained known by their maiden names until the present day (some are now deceased); the fourth brother also married a Mary!!!
Title: Re: Did married women in 18th/19th century Ireland go by their maiden name?
Post by: LalaChoobottom on Sunday 13 November 22 14:30 GMT (UK)
It's interesting you asked this. I've found this post because I have potential ancestors in the irish census. They are
Anne Smith (Head)
Anne Smith (Daughter)
Owen Henry (Son-in-law)
Anne Henry (Granddaughter, aged 1)
Christiane Smith (daughter)

I also have a birth cert saying Anne and Owen Henry were parents of a frederick (an ancestor, born after Anne Henry).

So it looks like Anne Smith junior and Owen Henry were parents of Anne Henry, but then why does Anne Smith junior not have the surname of her husband and daughter?