Visiting Ireland Would Like to Connect with Local in Donegal

Greetings:  Thank you for your quick response.  The information you provided was much appreciated. Yes, I have been running into a "brick wall" when trying to find ancestrial records for County Donegal. I, too, have searched the Roots Ireland site with little success.  My next avenue is to search RC records for death records.  It is believed Hugh was orphaned and his parents likely died during the famine (between 1845 - 1851). It is also likely he was an only child. This makes the task for locating relatives (siblings of Hugh's parents) so much more difficult. The parents of my great grandfather (Hugh Smith O'Donnell) were John O'Donnell and Mary Smith.   Again, very common names.  Mary's father is believed to be Edward Smith.  I will follow up on your suggestion for DNA testing.  My sister - who has the results of her DNA test - will be submitting the results to My Heritage, Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch.  Perhaps the DNA testing will make a crack in that brick wall!  THANKS, again.  Carolyn

Roger: 

Thank you for your continuing support. I, too, have been checking RootsIreland records and in Burial/Death Records I found a 1850 death record for a John O'Donnell (age 35). This would be appropriate age range for Hugh's father, correct name, right county and Roman Catholic. The record shows John dying on Dec 7 1850 in County Donegal, Parish Moville and address of Carrowhue. I also found a Mary O'Donnell (age 50?) who died 10 months earlier on Feb 7, 1850 in the same county and same parish. The record notes that she was a Roman Catholic "convert." Not sure the importance of that note.

I'm not sure what to do with the above information but I would like - if possible - to try to link the O'Donnells in Moville to any possible workhouse records.  My theory is - and the bits and pieces of information so far bear this out - Hugh's parents died during the famine.  As a young child, he travelled to America with a relative (I located the passenger list for a ship arriving in Philadelphia USA in 1854 that identified a Hugh O'Donnell, age 12, and a Margt O'Donnell, age 40).  Now if only I can connect "Margt O'Donnell" to an O'Donnell family or househould in County Donegal.  I updated my Hugh Smith O'Donnell relative profile in Ireland Reaching Out with all of this information in the event someone may be doing similiar reseach.

I have taken your suggestion regarding DNA testing.  My sister had her DNA tested through Ancestry.com.  I have asked her to submit her test results to Family Tree DNA, My Heritage and GEDmatch sites for comparison.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will get me closer to identifying distant relatives. 

Finally, I hoping to connect with a Donegal reland XO volunteer during my upcoming visit.  However, I'm not sure I navigated the website correctly when making my request.  Can you tell me how/where in the website that I make such a request? 

Thanks, so much.  Carolyn

Roger:

Since I last contacted you I confirmed with the Archdiocese of Boston that my great grandfather, Hugh Smith O'Donnell, was orphaned and resided in an orphanage no long after his arrival in Philadelphia.  Because no records of Hugh's parents have been associated with him in this country, it appears his parents, John and Mary O'Donnell, likely died in Ireland.   I searched the Donegal Workhouse Registers in 1851 and located a record that MAY be associated with my relative.  The name, age, sex, religion and location are all accurate for my great grandfather.  The reference number is BG/92/3/1.  Now, my question to you is, How do I use this workhouse document to aid my geneology search for Hugh S O'Donnell?  Does the "residence" of Dunglow Crucknagaragh help me establish a parish/barony for this person? If so, how?  Lastly, I see the entry for John O'Donnell (at line 861 of the Donegal Workhouses Registers and Minute Books. Glenties, Donegal, Ireland.).  I see this child is 8 years old and appears to have been received at the workhouse on the same date with the same address as the entry on line 860 for Hugh O'Donnell.  Could this mean John and Hugh are brothers and, if so, do you recommend I now search for information on a possible sibling, John?  As always, I thank you in advance for you assistance.  Carolyn