Back to Message Board

O'Hare origins

HUGH O'HARE  born abt 1800

HANNAH BURNS  born abt 1805

Hugh and Hannah are my gg-grandparents. A family note says that Hugh was born in Co. Sligo, Hannah was born in Co. Down. My research has shown that O'Hare is NOT common in Sligo, but is common in Ulster, especially Armagh and Down. They were Roman Catholic.

They emigrated to Ontario, Canada, before 1831, had eight children, five survived. First child, female, born in IRE, died and was buried at sea. Second child, female, died as infant and buried near Tyendinaga, Hastings Co., Ontario. Eighth child, female, burned to death playing around a fire.

Third child: Ann, born 1831 in Ontario, married Michael Malone, died 1913 in Hastings Co., Ontario.

Fourth child: James B. O'Hare, born Ontario abt 1837, married Mary Egan, moved to Bay City, Michigan, USA, died in 1926.

Fifth child, Frances, born Ontario about 1839, supposedly married a Michael Moran and lived in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Sixth child, Hugh Augustine O'Hare, born Ontario 1841, moved to Titusville, Pennsylvania, US A, about 1865, married Nancy Purtill. I am descended from him. He died in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in 1927.

Seventh child, Mary, born about 1843. No other information.

Hannah appears on 1851, 1861 and 1871 census of Ontario. Hugh (Hannah's husband) does not appear on any census (1851 was the first one) and I suspect he died prior to 1851. There was a letter waiting for Hugh O'Hare at the Napanee Post Office in Ontario in 1831. I have imagined that it was from family in Ireland but there is nothing to confirm that..

I have no idea what port they emigrated from, where they arrived in Ontario, why they left Ireland, if they traveled with any other family, etc.

I would love to know where in Ireland they are from and connect up with relatives in Ireland. Any help is deeply appreciated.

Sarah O'Hare Amy

 

 

Sarah O'Hare Amy

6 replies

 

Hi Sarah,

 

Thank you for your message.

 

Have you exhausted all possible leads in Canada? I know that you have checked census records, but have you tried looking for Hugh and Hannah?s death certificate? Although these may not give you an exact place of origin, they may mention a county which at least would be a starting point for your search. Other official documentation such as wills, property/land records, occupational records, financial/tax records are worth looking into.

 

You could also try looking into their immigration into Canada. I know that it can be difficult when you don?t know date, port etc., but there are a few databases online that you could try searching and fingers-crossed you may find something. Here are some places you can search:

Library and Archives Canada: These include incomplete records of immigrants from Britain and Ireland pre-1865, who arrived in Quebec and Ontario.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/exploration/index-e.html?PHPSESSID=21l4nru3gom5p93bhbksvdk9f7#databases

 

The Ships List: Lists Irish emigrants who arrived in Canada from Cork 1825 on the ship Regulas.

http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/passengerlists/regulus1825.shtml

 

Immigrant Ships transcribers Guild: These arrival lists date back to the 18th century.

http://immigrantships.net/arrivals/

 

Have you tried searching for the family on Family Search? This is a huge database of genealogy records compiled by the Church of the Latter Day Saints. If you could find a baptismal/birth record for some member of the family it may give you a place of origin. You can search this here:

https://familysearch.org/

 

You could also check http://irishgenealogy.ie/ This is a site where church records have been uploaded free of charge, however this is an ongoing project so only records from Carlow, Cork, Dublin and Kerry have been uploaded so far.

 

As you have a family note that suggests Sligo, this may be a good starting point. You could try searching the Tithe Applotment Books for Co. Sligo. These are land records that were compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland. Although they do not offer any genealogical information they can sometimes be used to tie a person to a specific place. If you know Hugh?s parents? names search for the too. Here is the link:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

 

It may also be an idea to contact the Local Studies Department of Sligo Library as they may be able to give you some advice or ideas. Here is a link to their contact page:

http://www.sligolibrary.ie/sligolibrarynew/OurBranches/ReferenceandLocalHistoryLibrary/

 

Also here is a link to the Genealogy Links Website, which gives a list of all available records/resources online for specific counties.

http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/sligo/index.html

 

Some other websites which you may find useful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm

Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm

 

Alternatively, you could try contacting Sligo Heritage Centre for assistance-however a fee may apply. Here are their contact details:

Co. Sligo Heritage and Genealogy Centre,

Aras Reddan,

Temple St.

Sligo.

Phone: +353 (0) 71 9143728    Email: heritagesligo@eircom.net

 

I hope that some of this information is helpful and that you are able to establish a place of origin for Hugh and Hannah. Once you have this other avenues of research will open up to you. Remember to post any new information you find. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.

 

Kind regards,

 

Genealogy Support

 

 

 

IrelandXO member

Thank you for the extensive list of research possibilities. While I had checked many of them out in the past, they warrant a current look. Your reply helped me realize that I need to make a list of sites and check them on a regular basis, perhaps every six months or so.  You also helped me realize that there must be a record of Hannah's death that I need to search out. I don't think death records were required when Hugh died in the 1840s but Hannah died after 1871 so the situation had changed.

I have been hesitant about the Irish records because I don't know enough to confirm that an O'Hare record belongs to my family. I have decided that I need to follow those records to look for possible living descendants in Ireland to contact. So I will start to examine the sources you suggested and see what develops.

Thank you again for such a great list of research sites.

Sincerely,

Sarah O'Hare Amy

Sarah O'Hare Amy

Hey Sarah Amy,

 

my name is Eline Van Houtte. I live in Belgium, in the aria where there were great battles during WW1.
Last summer (2014) we adopted the grave of an American soldier, who died and was burried in Belgium.

That soldiers name was James A. O'Hare. 

I'm making a familytree of James. And if I'm correct... and that is a big IF...  than is James B. O'Hare (the son of Hugh O'Hare), the grandfather of James A O'Hare...

I'm only hoping you can confirm (or in the worst case contradict) this fact.

Hoping to hear from you very soon,

 

Eline Van Houtte

IrelandXO member

Peter Robinson brought a large group of settlers from Ireland to Ontario in 1825.  There are ships logs for all the ships bringing these immigrants.  Hopefully, you will find your O'Hare ancestors there.

 

Leslie Mason

 

IrelandXO member

Peter Robinson brought a large group of settlers from Ireland to Ontario in 1825.  There are ships logs for all the ships bringing these immigrants.  Hopefully, you will find your O'Hare ancestors there.

 

Leslie Mason

 

IrelandXO member

I have found one record that gives me a specific detail. "Hugh husband of Hanna, father of Mary,  bpt 30 Nov 1816 at an Aghaderg Catholic Church."  That was a record in the research that Ros Davies compiled from Co. Down records. Her research is published (and available for free) on her incredible site, "Ros Davies' Co. Down, Northern Ireland Family History Research Site."

That matches with the family notes that say one child, born in Ireland, died on the voyage to Canada and was buried at sea. I am more confident of the details in those family notes as a result of that citation. 

Hannah died in Ontario in 1875. I have found the record of it but there is no information about her being buried with (or near) her husband. 

I learned that Hugh had a brother, James Henry O'Hare, who married a Susan Ann O'Neil. They emigrated from IRE to Ontario CA to Michigan, USA. That branch of the family does not know what happened to Hugh. I believe that my Hugh had a brother named Patrick who was also deceased before the 1851 Census of Canada. 

My next plan is to contact an Ontario researcher who has studied many land records. That may give me an idea of when Hugh (Hannah's husband) purchased the land and any relatives who may have purchased land in the same area and around the same time. 

I am so grateful for the Ireland xo site. You provide wonderful research facts and hints.  (BTW, I believe the Robinson emigrants were primarily from Co. Clare. I had reviewed every single record several times back about 5 years ago. I only recently learned that many of the emigrants were from Co. Clare.

 

Sarah O'Hare Amy

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.