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LOOKING FOR EDWARD COLLINS FROM CORK

Cork

I'm looking for my maternal 2x great grandfather Edward Collins (b.1883 Cork, d.1924 Islington). He's on the English 1881 census with his wife Jane (b.1849 Lambeth, d.1924, marr.1880/81). They had:

Edward Michael (b.1881)

Mary Jane (1883)

Catherine (1885) my grandmother (d.1934)

Ellen (1887)

William (1891)

Edward's mother Mary Collins (b,1807 Cork) was either visiting or living with them in Bermondsay on the 1891 census. My grandmother Catherinemarried Frederick Sellman in 1908 (b.1883, d.1959 Willesden). My mother has a brother Frederick Sellman (b.1908) who emigrated to Canada around 1922 (possibly Winnipeg). Any help much appreciated.

IrelandXO member

12 replies

I would start the search with the marriage record for Edward and Jane, or for a birth cert of one of their children if you dont have Jane's surname already.

The marriage cert should include father's names and occupations for the bride & groom and help narrow down the search for the correct families for Edward and Jane. Collins is quite a common surname in southern counties..

Were all their children born in England ?

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for such a prompt reply.  Have ordered a copy of their marriage certificate. Yes, all the children were born in London. When I get more details of their home location my sister and I are planning a trip over....the more I explore my relatives the more I understand why I love the countryside!  Regards Hazel

IrelandXO member

I think a typo crept into your post - if I've located the correct Collins family in London on the 1881 census then his year of birth would be somewhere around 1838.

Edward was born well before the start of civil records, so you will need to check for baptism records instead. Catholic records for parts of Cork are available free on the IrishGenealogy website, and parish records for some of the other parts of the county are available on RootsIreland (pay-website). Cork is the largest county in Ireland so there are many parishes...

Have you found Edward on the later census returns ?

The later returns, particularly the 1911, can sometime give a more detailed place of birth, e.g. name of a town, which could help narrow the search a bit.

EDIT : second thoughts about that 1881 census, this Jane is shown as born Scotland

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Many thanks - yes, it was a typo!  I've checked the 1911 census and it just says Cork.  I will try your suggestions on the Irish Genealogy website.  The earliest he's on is 1881 and then all to 1911.  I don't suppose there are any shipping records?  Thanks.

IrelandXO member

> I don't suppose there are any shipping records? 

not between Ireland & England - all part of the UK back then, so didn't count as Immigration. Moving to England from Ireland was the same from a legal standpoint as moving from Wales.

 

 

 

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks.  Will now wait for marriage cert.

IrelandXO member

hopefully his father will have an nice unusual name or occupation, to make him easy to find !

The witnesses on marriages can also provide clues, as they can be relations, even siblings of the bride or groom. Could help the search if one is a Collins..

 

 

 

 

 

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

I have to say I nearly keeled over when I saw how many Edward Collins there were in the Lambeth, Southwark area!  And that his Mum's name was Mary!!

IrelandXO member

I think I've found Edward's father.  Edward's marriage certificate (1877 London) gives father as Jeremiah Collins.  Irish Geneology has brought up a marriage record of Jeremiah and Mary Daly 1828 (born 1807) in Cork & Ross (Roscarbery & Lissevard). I didn't know his birth year so I used Mary's as a start point. For the baptims record I have two Jeremiahs.  One 31 May 1808 (Cork & Ross - Parish of East Schull) and one 13 August 1809 both with father Timothy.  I'm leaning towards the former because Ask About Ireland on the Griffiths Valuation gave me Jeremiah Collins as an Occupier (2s.0d house) with the Immediate Lessor as James Sullivan.  Also on the same sheet is a Timothy Collins (tailor) who also occupies a 2s.0d house.  In addition on Jeremiah's baptism record one of the sponsors is a William Sullivan.  On the same GV sheet as Timothy and Jeremiah are other Sullivans named as occupiers/immediate lessors - Jeremiah Sullivan, Daniel, and Mary.  Jeremiah's mother is recorded as Norry Bee.  The name on the GV for the area is I believe REANASCREENA NORTH (Ord S.134).  The area listed above on the GV sheet is Maulyregan.  If you have any idea where these are in Cork & Ross, would be great, but appreciate these names may be no longer.  Of all the jigsaw pieces I've tried these seem the only ones to fit. Thank you for all your suggestions - much appreciated. I now need to find Edward prior to his leaving for England.

IrelandXO member

It's import to bear in mind that the IrishGenealogy website only has records for parts of south west Co. Cork, so there could be several other Edward Collins with a father Jeremiah Collins in other parishes.

What was Jeremiah Collins' occupation on the marriage cert, were there any other Collins as witnesses that might be relations of your Edward ?

It's also worth looking out for other Collins family members on the English census returns, e.g. staying in the same address as Edwards, or living on the same street etc. These migh tbe relations, and tracing them through census returns might give you a more detailed place of birth for them to narrow your search area

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for your reply. I don't have a copy of his marriage cert to Mary Daly (can I get one?) and the record does not list any infomation, except the witnesses - Daniel Daly and John Dempsy.  Daniel could be a brother of Mary (Daly).  The baptism gives no address.  Edward did not have any relations living with him on the 1881 census, but on 1891 his mother was there (by then a widow). 38yrs old seems a late age to marry. Perhaps he had a wife before Jane?  Edward's children were all from his marriage to Jane. His parents must have had more than 1 child.  Edward was a labourer initially and then became a vegetable seller. I can't find Edward's details on Irish Geneology but will keep searching. Again, thank you for your help. Hazel

IrelandXO member

I hope this finds the original poster, as it’s been a number of years. We just had a geneology consult today. Ellen (actually Helen) was my great grandmother (Catherine’s sister). We learned that Jane’s maiden name was Bradshaw. We were left with more questions than answers as the family story had Jane leaving Ireland to England with boys Edward and William after being widowed by a Mr. McCarthy. She met and married Mr. Collins (now we know Edward) in London. Together they had Helen and Margret. Edward had Catherine (Kate) and Mary Ann from a previous marriage. However, with the information from records we were given today this story does not add up at all. We found out Jane was actually born in England. Edward’s parents were Jeramiae Collins and Mary Leahy Collins from Cork. Looking for more pieces to make this make sense. 

adriennechadwick1

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