I'm trying to trace my paternal grandmother's family. My father, John Nixon, was born at Rockbarton in the district of Croom in County Limerick on 20 August 1914. His father was Henry Bernard Nixon and mother was Frances Georgina Nixon ( Lohan ). I believe she was a member of the Church of Ireland and one of four sisters. My grandfather was the head gardener at the estate and they occupied the gardener's cottage.
Frankie,
Henry & Frances marriage was registered in Cork city Jul – Sept 1913 Volume 5, page 53. You can order a photocopy of the certificate from GRO Roscommon for €4 (euros). http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Apply-for-Certificates.aspx
You have to download and print off the form. Then either post or fax it back to them. You can’t e-mail it to them. However if you want them to e-mail the cert to back to you, they will do that, so tick the relevant box.
Put the reference details on the form (anywhere). Don’t worry about leaving some boxes blank. As long as GRO have the location, name(s), year, quarter (where there is one), volume and page number they should find it.
Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church which should be on the certificate, (unless it was a Registry Office marriage). That church may be the place to look for her baptism and that of any siblings.
No sign of Henry at Rockbarton in the 1911 census:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Limerick/Grange/Rockbarton/
I also looked for him and Frances in the 1911 Irish census but couldn’t find either.
Thank you for your prompt response, Elwyn. I have since found out from a cousin that my grandfather's name was Hezekiah(Harry) Nixon
in case you've not seen already there's a probable match for this Lohan family on the 1901 census at Ballinamona/Ballynamona townland Co. Cork, the townland is located just south of the town of Mallow. The household consists of William and Catherine Lohan, he is listed as 'Royal Marine Pensioner and Sub Post Master' with place of birth as 'Surrey, Eng.' and his wife Catherine place of birth Co. Cork. Also in the household are their three daughters, Sarah age 14, Frances age 12 and Rebecca age 10 - all born Co. Cork and appear on the BMD in civil records with the district as Mallow, some as Lohen, and Frances' birth seems to be registered as 'Fannie Georgina Lohen'.
It looks like William died in 1906, and his wife may have fallen on hard times as she appears in Prison records with a Larceny charge the year after his death - see Ireland Prison Registers, 1790-1924 (full images are on FindMyPast.ie) The prison record gives Catherine's place of birth as Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork. There's a possibility for Catherine at Ballintemple townland near Blackrock Co. Cork on the 1911 census
There's also a possible sighting of William and Catherine as a couple on the 1871 Census of England, living at Portsea Island (nr. Portsmouth) Hampshire. Age for William is a reasonable match although Catherine's would make her a little older than the 1901 suggests. William gives his occupation as Gunner R.M.A.[?], and place of birth as Middlesex Paddington, and Catherine gives hers as just 'Ireland'. Under her occupation there is Cor crossed out - possibly originally a Cork ?
Hi Frankie,
I came across your post about tracing your paternal grandmother’s family, and although the conversation is some years old, I wanted to reach out in case this message still finds its way to you. It was great to read your message and to see your interest in the Lohan line. Always a pleasure to come across another person working on the family history.
I located the marriage record for Henry Nixon and Frances Lohan - 5594453.pdf Was able to find on one census - National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911
I’m a Lohan myself, originally from Galway but now living in Cork. I wasn’t previously aware of your particular branch of the family, but your name of caught my attention. There are quite a few distinct Lohan lines, and every so often one turns up that helps to fill in a missing link.
I run a private Facebook group called Lohan Ancestry, dedicated to connecting Lohans and their descendants worldwide. It’s not searchable on Facebook, so you won’t find it by looking up the name, but I’d be very happy to send you an invitation to join. You can reply here if that’s easiest, or if you have any trouble getting in touch, you can contact me through my website: https://www.irishkinship.com/. I always respond to every query — sometimes it takes me a little while, but I do make sure to reply to everyone. The group now has over 330 members from all around the world, sharing records, family photos, and stories. We also have a GEDmatch DNA project with more than a hundred tests contributed, which has already helped identify several interrelated branches. You’d be very welcome to join and share anything you’ve found — or simply to connect with others who might link into your side of the family.
If you have other Lohan cousins who might be interested, please feel free to have them contact me as well. I hope your own research is progressing well and that you’ll consider joining. It’s always a good thing to be in touch with a fellow Lohan.
You might also like to look at the East Galway Genealogy & DNA group on Facebook. It’s a thriving community with many excellent discussions and a number of members researching Lohan lines, especially those with Galway or Roscommon roots.
If I come across any information that looks relevant to your branch of the family, I’ll be sure to pass it along.
Wishing you continued success with your research, and I hope we’ll be in touch.
Best regards,
David Lohan