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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Antrim => Topic started by: KevinMayne on Wednesday 09 April 25 17:54 BST (UK)
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Hello!
Trying to trace the ancestor immigrant from Ireland to the US on my mother's side. I've gotten quite a bit about his life and family here, but he appears in the US only around 1840 in terms of records earliest in Illinois. What I think I know:
Richard Mayne
Born: Jan 10 1810 in Carrickfergus Antrim Ireland (According to his probate and several census records)
Death: Jan 20 1896 in Princeton, Scott, Iowa
Based on land and census records, he was also recorded as "Richard Means" and "Richard Maynes" -- likely transcribed incorrectly, but I just don't know for sure which is correct. The family after has taken the Mayne name. He could not read, at least according to a later census, so may have had something to do with the discrepancies. I've also seen commonly written Richd instead of Richard as an abbreviation I guess.
He also indicated his two parents were both from Ireland in census records.
He was a farm laborer and later a farmer with a bit of land in Dubuque, Jackson, Princeton, and Davenport Iowa.
Likely naturalized under the name Richard Means Aug 5 1844 Dubuque. I have found only the index card, but have checked with NARA Chicago, Kansas City, Dubuque County court who all have nothing but have directed me the Dubuque Historical Society who is currently conducting a search.
He seems to have married twice, once to a German immigrant Anna Margaretha Catherina Stolting Aug 15 1840 in Jo Daviess Illinois (she died in 1856) and second to Mary Hubbell May 3 1857 in Jackson Iowa. Richard and Mary had a child Samuel Hubbell Mayne Mar 27 1858.
I did check a number of Irish specific genealogical databases to no avail. A couple online family trees list a James B Mayne (May 23 1826-May 4 1895) as a half-brother, but I don't find any hard evidence of this. They did live very close (adjacent) lots in Jackson at one point, but neither probate for each man lists the other or the other's families. James' obit does not list Richard or his family either. I cannot find an obit for Richard. Both Richard wife and sons obits have no family information extending beyond Richard.
Any help or guidance for further investigation would be so appreciated! Happy to provide more information if I have, but I would guess more of the US family wouldn't necessarily be helpful.
Thanks for considering.
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The surname could certainly be found in Carrickfergus in the 1800s, however with the limited knowledge you have of him, it could prove difficult to link anysuch persons directly to your chap.
For example, the Pre-1858 Wills and Admons index at PRONI has a Fanny Mayne, Carrickfergus, 1831 and a Samuel Mayne, Carrickfergus, 1835 listed, albeit the original documents do not exist. PRONI also have the will indexed for a James Mayne of Carrickfergus, who died in 1869 and was married to a Jenny. The image of same does not mention children.
Newspapers have mention of an 1868 death in Carrickfergus of an Andrew Mayne, who was born in 1803. He was apparently late of H.M. Customs, Liverpool. Images are not yet available online for the death registration, so no further details available.
The Griffiths Valuation of mid 1800s also has examples of the surname in Carrickfergus, eg a John Mayne in the town of Carrickfergus in 1861.
Another example of the surname in the area albeit later, at 1901, can be seen at:
https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Carrickfergus/North_Street/993064/ .
Have you or any other family descended from Richard, considered going down the DNA route to perhaps assist in linking with others of the Mayne surname?
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Thank you for your thorough reply! Apologies to be so late with a response. I haven't tried DNA yet, but will definitely consider (though I do have some privacy concerns). I did end up with a dead end in terms of Richard Means naturalization -- was told likely the original records are lost unfortunately.
However, I found an obit for Richard finally which did add a few new pieces:
The James Mayne connection seems clearer as James' son Robert Emmet Mayne is mentioned in the obit as his nephew, making James a brother (or half-brother). Richard is said to come to America in 1831, to Jackson, Iowa in 1843, a brief time in California as a forty-niner (which I also cross-referenced with a "Richard Main" in San Joaquin County in the 1850 census).
Separately, I found a short biography in the Biographical History of Scott County, Iowa Pg 549 which mentions a wagon maker's trade (his 1895 census also mentions this trade) that's implied to have been learned while still in Ireland, immigration to America in 1832, and first settling in Galena, Illinois working in glass smelting. It also confirms in 1850 he went to CA as a forty-niner for 3 years before coming back to Jackson, Iowa.
It also does seem the January birthday was mis-transcribed somewhere as the biography, obit, and probate all list June 10 1810 as his birthday.
I haven't been able to find immigration or emigration records for either, but still looking. Baptisms are similarly scarce.
Would Richard have learned wagonmaking as a family trade in Carrickfergus possibly? Wondering if that's an avenue to narrow down any wagonmaker's in the area at the time (1820-1832 or so), or even that information would be hard to track down.
At any rate, thanks again for looking into it!
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Oh, and also to mention -- at least in the 1895 census Richard and his wife are listed as "Presty" and Rev. McFadden who oversaw the funeral was from the First Presbyterian Church in the area.