Speaker Foster heritage

Bill:

Is this article related to your Speaker Foster?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Foster,_1st_Baron_Oriel

In the mid-19th century, the surname Foster was mainly found in Ulster province (currently Northern Ireland counties plus Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal) but was also found in smaller numbers in counties in the current Republic Of Ireland.

Have you traced back your family? According to the article, John Foster had more than one son.

Roger McDonnell

Hi Bill and Roger, the Fosters were land owners in mid Louth and the family home was in Collon (Cullen) about 10 miles from Drogheda, at some stage they became Lord Masserenne, marrying in I think. You could also see more here. http://www.jbhall.clahs.ie/ and this is the residence, https://www.collonhouse.com/ It is now privately owned (No Foster Connection) but you can stay there on a bed and breakfast basis.

One of the Fosters arranged paid passage for his tenants circa 1852 to the US and Australia etc, I have the list of 64 families if you want any names checked another family member famously taught the woman to read and write etc in the mid 1800s and they have a long history in the area of buying land etc but were never cash rich from what I understand.

I think it would be unusual for them to have no Irish but they probably married into English or Anglo Irish families, there should be a lot of information on them, There is a portrait of the Speaker Foster in the Houses of Parliment (Dail) here in Dublin. 

The Journals of the County Louth History Society date back to 1904 and are available on J Stor online or if you join the Society, about €20 you get free access and could look for articles etc if interested.

Good Luck

Pat