CONNOLLY - LANCASHIRE

[Rosemarie]

I'd love to know if there any Connollys in Lancashire, specifically Widnes, Warrington, St Helens or Liverpool etc, whose families may have come from Kilkerrin or Mountbellew area in the north east of Co Galway in the late 19C.

From my observations of the 1911 census it seems the 'powers-that-be' had at last realised that these people from across the Irish Sea were not immigrants after all and their census records should show as much detail as those of mainland residents.

How bizarre it always seemed to have Lancashire added to the place of birth of those born in Liverpool, for instance, whilst many of our ancestors had their place of birth shown merely as Ireland.

[sheppardj]

Rosemarie
I realize this was a very old post but I've just started exploring a Connolly family from the Southport area who according to the 1851 (Nicholas Connelly a master Tailor) came from Galway

We would be interested to know if you came come across Nicholas and his family in your research.

Thanks

[Rosemarie]

Hi, I wish I could claim a connection via Nicholas but I've been completely unable to trace any members of my great-grandfather's family, or that of his wife. They were both born C1850 and came to England in the early 1870's but no records for their church, the old RC church in Kilkerrin appear to have survived. Have you any census records for Nicholas after 1851? I traced my great grandparents on the 1881 census quite a few years ago but it was only when the 1911 one was released that I discovered they were from Kilkerrin in Galway and not somewhere in Co Roscommon. Roscommon City was said (in my family) to be their home town but I suspect that was because it was their nearest large town, despite being in another county. You probably have access to census records but if not, and you need any assistance, send me private message and I'll be happy to help.
Good luck with your search
Marie. 

[Blue70]

Some census records pre-1911 do include county names, place names etc for Irish born people. You'll often find the same lack of information for people born in Wales, Scotland and other places. I've noticed English born people recorded on census records in Ireland and Isle of Man as simply being born in England so it was common practice. I don't think there was any prejudice or ignorance involved in the recording of birth places by country.


Blue 

[Rosemarie]

Hi Blue, I agree with you about some of the earlier census returns and I have some, even ones for people born in Ireland, for whom more detail was given. However, in my experience some towns showed little or no detail for those born outside England whilst neighbouring towns recorded them with the same detail as those born here. I can only assume that the information recorded depended upon individual town clerks or the like, who organised the census and enumerators in their area and, in some areas, information was sadly lacking.

[ThrelfallYorky]

Sadly, I've had the same experience; common Irish surnames, frequent first names, variable ages given in different English censuses, and  - as you say, simply "Ireland" as a birthplace. One even seems unable to make up his mind if he was born in Ireland or Wales! I think such a lot was down to the enumerator, and, especially with young men working away from home. information would often be spoken by a fairly illiterate householder, to the enumerator, and neither party either knew nor particulary cared where lodgers originated. They certainly were not thinking of us all wanting to know where our roots were before they emerged from the Irish sea, were they?

[Blue70]

I've had a real hard luck story with one of my Irish lines. The widowed father died just two years before the 1911 Census so I just missed out on the place name. Two of the daughters went to Chicago and their father's exact birth place should have been entered on the US death certificates but the family members either didn't know it or just submitted Ireland instead!


Blue