RootsChat.Com

Hi. Now back from my travels.
Is there any evidence at all for Catherine's maiden name being Travers? Travers is one of the main branches in my tree but I can't see any sign of a Catherine who married a Downing. She is more likely to have been a Brown(e), but not the daughter of Sir Valentine, whose own daughter Catherine appears to have married someone else. She could, I suppose, have been the daughter of a brother or a cousin of his or she might have been related to another Brown(e) family entirely, though I'm not sure what exactly the evidence is for her being a Brown(e) anyway.
Given that the Blennerhassett Pedigree mentions a Travers as marrying Susannah Spring, and Susannah being the daughter of Thomas Spring and Annabella Brown, it is more than likely that one of their daughters should be called Annabella. And so Annabella Spring marries a Travers, who I believe to be Alexander Travers, a former Ensign and sometime Sheriff of Co Kerry, who is also mentioned by the Earl of Cork in the Lismore Papers. Blennerhassett also states that Alexander was an 'uncle or cousin german' to Sir Robert Travers (my 8th great grandfather) which, if true, would cement my relationship to the Downings who, I have just remembered, are cousins of mine anyway through the Springs.
I'm sure there is more to say on this, but I will wind it up here for now.
Paul S.

I've just been reading about these Downings. Whether I'm any relation rather depends on whether one of them married a Travers (or Traverse). Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the surnames of the Downing wives. Brown or Travers? Assertions have been made, but no proof advanced. In my tree, I have followed Capt Blennerhassett and tentatively entered the name of Annabella Travers(e) as Capt John Downing's wife. Annabella was the granddaughter of the Annabella Brown who married Thomas Spring (d. 1597). The father of Annabella Brown was John Brown who was 'Master of Awney' in Co Limerick - nothing to do with the other Browns mentioned. Still Browns and Travers - just not the same ones! Can anyone tell me that I'm wrong?

Thank you, Mary.
That warms the cockles of my heart!
Paul

Thanks, but unfortunately, it's not the complete list as I remember it and there are numerous gaps in it.
The search goes on!

Joseph Oates married an ancestor of mine, Elizabeth Russell, in 1763. Elizabeth was the widow of John Colthurst (younger brother of the 1st Baronet). Foster, in his 'Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire' says Joseph was the son of Lt James Oates of Southampton who was himself the son of Joseph Oates of Nether Denby, Yorks. Does anyone know what brought Joseph to Cork? Or what he did there? Foster says he lived in Kilnahone, Ballygarvan.
Grateful for any leads.