Inquiry

Hi Jim,

I found a transcription of the birth record of a James Gleeson in 1841. Mother was Margaret Brennan. Earlier birth date than you believed, but as Roger pointed out, dates can be unreliable. Note that this James had a father called Thomas and that James's first son was named Thomas. The names Martin and Michael did not appear among the names of James's children. Perhaps James's daughters were mistaken when they gave the names of Martin and Michael.

Name: James Gleeson

Date of Baptism: 19-Jul-1841

Parish/District: LOUGHMORE

Gender: Male

County Co. Tipperary

Denomination: Roman Catholic

Father: Thomas Gleeson Mother: Margaret Brennan

Occupation: Not Recorded

Sponsor 1 /

Informant 1: Tim Gleeson

Sponsor 2 /

Informant 2: Margt Brennan

Notes:

** Tom

*** Margt

Jim,

Did James Gleason die on 28 Jul 1927 in Cinncinati, Ohio? If this is your ancestor, the Find a Grave record on Ancestry shows that his wife was Margaret Brennan, and their children were Thomas, James, Margaret, William, Honoria and Mary. This record also shows that his parents were Matthew Gleason and Bridget Fanning. That is just someone reporting that information as you already know. Another record that shows up...the US Social Security Applications and Claims Index shows his wife as Margaret Brennan as well. Perhaps that is where the confusion about Margaret Brennan being his mother comes from. I'm not sure how this Ancestry information jives with the information that Patricia provided.

Regards,

Elwyn, Roger, Patricia and Carolyn, thank you for your replies. I figured birthdates were a guide. i am curious how the Ohio connection was made. I know Carolyn identified through Find a Grave info on my great-grandfather which is correct except for the confusion around his parent's name. The find on Thomas Gleason and Margaret Brennan is intriguing. Based on what I learned about Irish traditional naming practices the first son born was named Thomas and there are no Martins, Matthews or Bridget's in the family. But the birth year is concerning. I have James and his wife Margaret leaving Cobh [then Queenstown] in December 1872 listed ages were 20 and 21 respectively. But i have been wondering if their ages are fake perhaps necessary for employment in the States. This brings me to a new question about what civic, religious and/or government agencies (USA or Ireland) were operating at the time to assist emigrants going to the States. Family lore has Margaret heading to Cincinnati, Ohio for employment and James to New Orleans taking him three plus years to work and save to get to Ohio and reunite with Margaret. Do we know of any such organizations? But I will pursue the data in Loughmore to see if I can find other connections. Again, thanks to each of you for taking the time to assist me, Jim

Jim,

Just a few thoughts, and input from the Ancestry tree where I saw your family. The birth order of the children is Mary, John (I left him out earlier as he was not mentioned in the Find a Grave site), James, Margaret, William, Nora, Thomas. While the Irish naming tradition was popular and used frequently in many parts of Ireland, I have seen in my own family records (all of my great grandparents emigrated to the US), that tradition did not always hold fast. If you want to apply it to your family, then James' parents would have been John & Margaret; and Margaret's parents, Mary & James. Given that those pairs are not what you are looking for, I'd say they did not keep up with tradition. Do you have the certificate to attach that was done by his eldest daughter? I find it a very strange circumstance that the two sisters got their wires crossed at his death. Yes, folks fudged their BDs or probably just did not know them in the immigration records and subsequent US census records, for a variety of reasons. Regarding emigration to Cincinnati, it was a popular place during that time for the Irish to emigrate to for a variety of job opportunities. That is where my own great grandfather emigrated to from Clare. Folks usually went to where a friend or relative was already established in the US. I looked for the immigration records for James and Margaret in 1872, but did not see any...do you have that to reference as well..ie. the ship's name? Finally, regarding the young couple separating when they arrived sounds a bit unusual. Where did Margaret go to live and support herself? Sometimes family lore is just that - lore. I have plenty of it on my tree as well!

Regards,

Jim,

One correction to my above comments, the 1880 US census shows that their first born child is Thomas (1yr) old, and second child, Mary (3 months). In the 1900 census, Mary is the eldest, then John. Thomas either was living elsewhere or perhaps died before then. So the names I suggested for their parents are not correct.

Regards,