James McEwan & Ann Small - Ireland

[daraus]

Can somebody help me?
I am looking for information on James McEwan and Ann Small. James was born about 1833 somewhere in Ireland, his parents are thought to be Michael McEwan and Catherine Taylor. James married Ann Small about 1856 somewhere in Ireland. Ann was born about 1836 somwhere in Ireland, her father is known to be William Small from County Down, and her mother is thought to be Sarah Wall. James and Ann went to Australia around 1856 after their marriage, their son William was born as the ship entered Portland Victoria according to the family. His birth was never recorded, there has been no passenger list found, and James' death was never recorded. James died in 1870, an inquest was held into his death, which was a farmi9ng accident. James was a Bootmaker, worked at a property named Muntham Station, he also bought his own land. Ann remarried after the death of James, she died in 1893, they had 8 children all born in Australia. So if anyone can help with James' birth, parents, marriage record or Ann's birth and parents or the passenger list.

[aghadowey]

Welcome to Rootschat. Unfortunately Irish records are nothing like Australian ones and it will be difficult to find details of the people you are looking for.
To search for the families in Ireland you need to know their religion and where they lived (parish if not actual townland).
Civil registration of births, deaths and Catholic marriages began 1864 (from 1845 for other marriages). Therefore, there will be no birth certificates for James or Ann and also no marriage certificate for their parents.
You don't mention what religion the family were but it they married in a Catholica ceremony there will be no marriage certificate- if it was a Protestant or registry office marrige then there should be a certificate which you can order and find the exact residences of James and Ann at the time of the marriage.

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
    I did a trawl through Emerald Ancestors site and the nearest I could find was

30 Sept 1857 John Keown married Rose Small in Downpatrick R.C. Church, Downpatrick, Co. Down.

    The site only covers Ulster Genealogy.

Regards

[daraus]

Thank You Everyone for trying to Help with my James McEwan and Ann Small.
Their religion in Australia was Catholic, so there's not much hope of finding anything.
Can you tell me where did the ships leave from in Ireland to come to Australia, because there has been mention of Cork by the family, but nobody knows what it is in connection with. So I thought maybe this is were they left from and I might be able to find the ship passengerlist in Ireland.
Thank You All
daraus

[aghadowey]

You might have better luck finding their arrival in Australia and working from there although passenger list might just list 'Ireland' as place of origin.

[JessL]

Hi

I haven't got around to researching that branch of the family yet, but James McEwan and Ann Small were my great-great-grandparents.  I'm happy to provide the information I have on my line from their daughter Mary Jane McEwan down.  I'd also be interested in your branch of the family and anything you may have found out about James and Ann.

[Elwyn Soutter]

You ask where Australian bound emigrant ships left from in Ireland. I think there were some from Cork (or Queenstown which was the deepwater port for Cork) but many emigrants travelled over to England and sailed from the usual ports there, eg Liverpool or Plymouth. You should bear that in mind when searching. (Presumably cost and/or timing led them to do this).

Elwyn

[JessL]

Just a theory at this stage, but I think that James may have changed the spelling of his name.  There is a James McKeon, age 26 who arrived on the Appleton in January 1857 with his wife (name not listed).  I think that's 'our' James.  On the same ship is listed a James McKeown.  I'm going to the Public Records Office on Saturday so I'll have a look at the original record then and hopefully that will shed some more light on it.  No record that I've found though of William being born on the ship, but I also haven't found a birth record for their daughter Mary Jane.

If I'm right, there is a thread on another board that has a lot of information about the McKeown/ McKeon/McEwen/McEwan family of Down, Ireland.

[johnjensen]

Hi, if you register with
http://www.rootsireland.ie
you will be able to see from a free search that there is a wedding if a James McKeon and Ann Small in 1855 in Newry & Mourne RC parish in County Down.  There is also a birth of an Ann Small in 1833 in Clonallon RC parish, just outside Newry in County Down, in 1833 with parents recorded exactly as you suggest, William Small and Sara Wall.  The full records cost €4 to buy.