RootsChat.Com

Hi everyone,

I've just joined Roots.com as I am researching my family tree on my fathers side. 

I noticed your posting about McCrinks and Dorans and thought you might be able to help me.

I have no living relatives on my father's side left in Ireland that I know of (other than my immediate family).  He was a McDermott, from Kilkeel, Co Down. I have no one to ask for further information about my grandmother who was a Doran, but I believe she was born to a Catherine McCrink.  My father knew very little about his mother's family as she died when he was a few weeks old and his father raised him and his sister in Kilkeel.  My dad's father died in 1970 (before I was born) and my dad's only sibling - a sister - died in the late 1980s. 

Although my own mother is still alive, she knows very little about my dad's mother's family other than that her maiden name (before marrying my grandfather) was Mary Doran, and that she lived in Killowen, County Down, and died in January 1929.   She's buried in our McDermott family grave in Kilkeel.  Although his mother's family had lived in Killowen, my dad didn't recall meeting them as a child, but as an adult he visited his late mother's sister in the late 1950s or early 1960s in Dublin, but she too has since passed away since, some time in the 1970s or 80s.  She was unmarried and had no children.

Having checked the 1901 and 1911 Census I believe that I have found my grandmother listed as Minnie Doran aged 7 in 1901, and as Mary Doran aged 17 in 1911, living in a house in Tamnyveagh, Killowen, County Down.   That would put her date of birth as circa 1894, but it could be a year either side as as I don't know what month she was born.

Looking at the 1901 census, Mary Doran (my dad's mum) lived with her mother Catherine Doran aged 38 in 1901 (so born circa 1863) , and Catherine's other children - Mary's sibling's - Annie aged 12, born circa 1897, Willie (who is recorded as William J. in 1911) born circa 1891, and Catherine aged 4 (listed as Catherine Josephine in 1911) born circa 1897.  One of the two sisters must be the aunt that my dad visited in Dublin but I don't know which.

Also recorded as living at  the same address in Tamnyveagh, Killowen in 1901 was Catherine senior's own mother Margret (probably a misspelling of Margaret) McCrink aged 74 (born circa 1827) - who no longer resides there in 1911, so I assume she died in the interim -and Margret's son John McCrink aged 32 in 1901 (born circa 1869).  John would have been my father's great uncle. His name appears as McCunk rather than McCrink in the 1911 census, but this is possibly due to the form-filler's handwriting, or a data input error when the forms were digitised.  Margret McCrink (born circa 1827) would have been my father's great grandmother, and as Catherine Doran was listed on the census for both years as a widow living with her brother and mother in 1901,in a house where her mother was the head of house in 1901, and her brother was head of household in 1911 (when her mother is no longer listed),  I think it's safe to assume that Mary Doran's mother Catherine and been born Catherine McCrink circa 1863, who later married a Doran.  Catherine's husband must have died before the 1901 Census as she was listed as a widow then, as well as in 1911.  I think it most likely that Catherine McCrink married a Doran anywhere between 1879 (aged 16) and 1888 (as Annie was circa 1889).

Unfortunately due to a lack of Census records other than Down 1901 and 1911 I am at a dead end.

If you or anyone else out there could give me any further information about these McCrinks or these Dorans who had lived in Tamnyveagh, Killowen, I would be really grateful as I would love to find out more about them. 

I also noticed that one of the posters who replied to the original post about a Margaret McCrink (not my Margaret though as the dates are different) had a number of sources and knew a lot about that family, so he or she might be able to point me in the right direction, but being new to Roots.Com I don't know how to contact a specific poster.  Can anyone advise on this too?