RootsChat.Com

This is an old thread but I thought I would weigh in.
I had been searching for many years for my Mannion family in Ireland. I knew it was Mannion because it was my maiden name! Recently I got a male Mannion cousin to take a Y DNA test. Guess what - we were originally Mangan from Co. Mayo. I have, since then, found documentary evidence to confirm they were originally known as Mangan when they went from Ireland to Scotland. Later they moved to England where they were recorded as Manning/Mannioun/Man(n)ion and Mangan. Different branches of the family kept different versions of the name.
Two things affected these name changes 1) being illiterate 2) the way a west of Ireland accent would sound to an English or Scottish census taker.
I noticed someone mention that an ancestor signed the marriage certificate but but an X on census (or vice versa). We have a signature on 1911 census for my Great Grandfather. I know he was illiterate. A son/daughter or grandchild must have filled in the form and signed the name. I also have another great grandfather who appears to have signed marriage certificate but earlier records show he was illiterate. Sometimes copies of marriage certificates are rewritten by current registrar so you can't always tell which is an original signature. Sometimes it is a photocopy of original.
When you are searching use all variations of the name. DNA tests are really helpful. Remember people didn't always care about telling the truth on official forms.
The Mannion Clan website from Galway is a useful site and includes some Mangans and other variations of the name.
1901 and 1911 UK census records should show the county in Ireland that people came from. Unfortuanely earlier census just showed from Ireland. 1871 often had the county in Ireland.
Finally - I wonder if Mangan and Mannion sounded almost the same?
Cath

Update on Dowdles:
I have found a DNA match that appears to connect with me via the Dowdles. She is descended from Sarah (Dunbar) and Henry Dowdle from Westport who lived in Govan Scotland. I would recommend taking a DNA test with Ancestry to see if we are all connected to the same Dowdles. I am surprised that I really have only found one good match. There are a few more that suggest we may be connected - very distantly. They seem to have Dowdles who arrived in the U.S. in the 1700s so I can't see that it would be a connection that way. It IS difficult to figure out exactly HOW you are connected to all the matches.
All the best for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Cath

Hello other descendants of Dowdles from Westport, Mayo. I think I am connected to the same families (probably). My Great grandfather was Patrick Dowdle born in Sunderland, 1875. He also had a brother called Henry. Their father was called Patrick Dowdle (and his father was Henry - from marriage certificate) and he was born around 1849 in Ireland. This is from the 1881 census record from Hartlepool. I had trouble tracing Patrick but did find more on his brother (I'm assuming brother but could have been cousin - they lived next to each other in 1881 Hartlepool) Henry Dowdle, born in about 1851 in Westport. Now I know that this Henry's mother was called Sarah Dunbar (mentioned earlier) as this is on his Scottish marriage certificate. I had wondered if Henry and Patrick had different mothers. All this family seem to have had the names Henry and Patrick.
This is where it gets a bit confusing: Although I could not find Patrick Dowdle's birth  I'm sure he was born in Westport (Oughaval Parish) Co. Mayo.
His brother Henry was born there in 1851.
The fact that Patrick's (my grt grt grandfather) 2 sons (Henry & Patrick) were sent to live with his cousin in Glasgow when they were children leads me to believe it is right (Scotland 1881 census). The cousins were Patrick McDonnell and Anne McDonnell. By tracing the McDonnell's oldest daughter's baptism record I have found the mother was called Anne Fox before marriage. One sponsor for Henry Dowdle's baptism, in Westport, was Catherine Fox (maybe sisters). Families obviously connected.
I think all these Dowdles from Westport, Mayo (also called Oughaval) must be related. The only way to know for sure would be for some male Dowdles to take a DNA test. I have more info on some of these. 
Does any of this sound like it might be the same family. Sometimes it's hard to know if people you are searching are brothers/cousins/uncles - but still family.
Catherine       

I am new to this site and I'm not sure exactly how it works. I am very interested in finding who posted info about my family. There is a post on here (and I really don't know how to properly cite it). It is from - Posted by: MK201
« on: Saturday 11 February 12 17:09 GMT (UK) 
It has info about MY grandfather, James Henry Dowdle, yet I know this person is not my cousin. Presumably they are related to me although I don't know how - otherwise why are they asking about MY family. I am a bit concerned about this although I suppose anyone can search for anyone else's family tree - why would you! Some of the info in the answer is incorrect. I have researched this family (my family) extensively and have more info. The names in question are Dowdle (Hartlepool), Keechen, McDonnell. The McDonells were not from Ulster and the Dowdles were not from Drogheda or Dublin (just because they had ports??? - many other places had ports!). I would like to share info with this person but don't know how this would be possible. One place they could go is the Lost Cousins website (if they are related to me). That is a UK website which uses census records to match people. I am registered on there. You do not need to know my name in order for a match. Maybe someone can tell me some other way of doing this.
I don't think you can make statements about which counties in Ireland people came to Co. Durham from. The early census records do not show which counties in Ireland people came from. In 1911 they did start recording which county in Ireland people came from. Very rarely the census record did show the county as I have found a couple of my Irish connections from Co. Meath and from Co. Sligo on the 1871 UK census.(These were not the families in question here.) Unless family members could give specific information as to where their family was from it is very hard to know what is their county of origin.
Cath