Rosie2012 Scavenger Hunt...Everyone Welcome to Join In

[Rosie2012]

In 1881 the Nearys were living at Cambridge Street, Wigan, and in 1891 at Dean Street, Wigan, so they didn't venture far.  Thomas, incidentally, was born in 1867.

[jim1]

I notice in 1871 there is a McGurk family next door are they related?
In 1881 the Neary's are at no. 24. next door to where Ann (Elizabeth's mother) was living.
Is the John McGurk you found in 1930 the same one who has a daughter Eunice?

jim

[jim1]

Found a John McGurk b.1864 emigrated 1888 in NY with sister Anna McGurk aged 22 could this be him?
Could Anna be the mother rather than John being the father ?

jim

[jim1]

Another question:
who are Williams parents on his birth cert?

[Spidermonkey]

Found a John McGurk b.1864 emigrated 1888 in NY with sister Anna McGurk aged 22 could this be him?
Could Anna be the mother rather than John being the father ?

jim

I am rather muddled, but I think that John bn 1864 would have surname Neary

From first post:
1901 Census
Elizabeth Neary is listed as the 11th, and youngest, child of Ann Neary (widow).  Both Elizabeth and William (born in 1885) were born after the death of Ann’s husband Thomas Neary in 1882.  William was given the surname Neary at birth, but it is believed that both he and Elizabeth shared the same father.

The eldest child, John (b.1864) was 24 years older than Elizabeth, and appears to have emigrated to America in the 1880s.  The transcription of the US Federal Census for 1930s gives his date of Immigration as 1888 (the year Elizabeth was born) but I cannot find any record of him on a passenger list for that date.

[jim1]

There's a John Neary living next door to Ann in 1891 who I thought was the son but I've just seen he was 10 years older.

[Rosie2012]

I'm very interested in the John McGurk who emigrated with his sister Anna in 1888.  Do you know when they left England?  His DOB ties in with that of John Neary and I've found an Ann Neary, born in Wigan in the Dec quarter of 1871, whose mother's maiden name was McGuirk.  Neither John, Jane (b.1870) or Ann appear on the 1881 UK Census and I haven't found any record of them since that date.

I agree that this is a muddle!  I don't know whether they were using the surnames McGurk and Neary interchangeably or whether there is a McGurk family lurking somewhere that I haven't yet found.

Thank you for keeping the ideas coming.

Do you have any thoughts on where Elizabeth might have been between 1888 and 1901?  I wondered whether she might have been in the workhouse but I understand that the records for Wigan Workhouse have been destroyed.

[jim1]

Do you have any thoughts on where Elizabeth might have been between 1888 and 1901

In the USA with her parents perhaps.
I must say that although I was mistaken with who emigrated it wasn't lost on me either that John McGurk who went in 1888 & John Neary may be one in the same particularly as he has an Ann McGurk with him.
I'm beginning to come up with a possible theory about all this.It looks like the birth cert. is correct in that Elizabeth was the illegitimate child of Ann McGurk .It's a relatively anonymous exercise registering a birth so there's no need to fib about it,however the christening is altogether different so it may be that as Elizabeth is a McGurk on the cert. she would have to be Christened under that name so John Neary the possible father may have been persuaded to become John McGurk & that Ann made up the name Kelly to make it all look normal.
They then emigrate with Elizabeth as McGurks but Ann either dies or leaves John who returns with Elizabeth after 1891 to be raised by his mother.John then reverts to his own name as Neary as does Elizabeth via his mother.
Not much to back this up of course.

jim

[Rosie2012]

I don't think your theory is as far-fetched as it might seem at first.  I've been thinking along similar lines about the baptismal record.  I guess we would have to find some evidence of Elizabeth being taken to America to back this up.