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Wallace family of Croom

LimerickCroom (Limerick)

Hello! I am hoping for some help finding my ancestors. My 3rd great grandfather emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. I found his gravesite and his tombstone cites Croom, County Limerick as his birthplace circa 1938. His name is Edward Wallace. My limited information has him arriving in the USA in 1857 (per his entry in a U.S. Census)My search thus far has not produced a birth or baptismal record in the Croom Parish and so I am unsure of the names of Edward's parents or their birthdates. Edward eventually made it to Wisconsin in the USA and cites his occupation as "farmer" on every census, so his family may have been farmers in Ireland too, though I know that is not guaranteed. Any assistance or guidance is appreciated. I am quite new to geneological research and do not know how to proceed. Thank you!

Regards,

Desiree

IrelandXO member

7 replies

Desiree:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

What was the religion for the family?

The subscription site Roots Ireland had an 1837 RC baptismal record for an Edmond Wallace in Croom. See transcription beloew. This Edmund also had at least three older siblings:Maria 1830 David 1832 John 1834. Also found an 1829 marriage for the parents. See below.

Let me know what questions you have.

Roger McDonnell

Name:Edmd. WallaceDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:28-Feb-1837Address:?Parish/District:CROOMGender:UnknownCountyCo. Limerick
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:John WallaceMother:Helen ConnellyOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:Jn. Lynch Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Jna. Connell 

Date of Marriage:12-Feb-1829
Parish / District:CROOM
County:Co. Limerick
Husband  JohnWallace
Wife HelenConnelly
Denomination:Roman Catholic
 

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

I am not 100% sure of his denomination, but I suspect it is Roman Catholic as my grandmother was a very devout Catholic her entire life and she was 3/4 Irish and 1/4 French/German and my French/German ancestors were likely Protestant based on my research.  The entry for Edmond certainly raises some interest.  I have found a ship manifest for the ship Universe that arrived in NYC from Liverpool in 1857 and lists an Edward Wallace among the passengers - listed as being age 19 (though based on this Baptism, he would have been 20), with another John Wallace on the same ship listed as being 21.  So by the dates and names you give above, that may be Edward/Edmond and his brother.  Further, my Aunt's research states Edward's father was John and mother was Ellen.  My aunt does not know Ellen's maiden name, so perhaps a mistake there and her name was Helen - would be an easy mixup.  All of the U.S. Census forms have him writing his name as Edward and his gravesite is shown as Edward too.  Was it common for Edmond to go by the name Edward? Or change it upon emigration?  I know that the changing of Surnames to be easier to spell or pronounce in English was not uncommon.  Though there was plenty of anti-Irish sentiment in the U.S. in the 19th century, so perhaps he felt Edmond was too Irish-sounding? 

IrelandXO member

A transcript of the death cert for Edward Wallace of Buffalo, Marquette, Wisconsin in 1901 which fits with the baptism that Roger found - it's quite common for reported ages and dates of brth to be inaccurate. 

Event Type: Death
Event Date:1901
Event Place & Residence :Buffalo, Marquette, Wisconsin
Male Age:64 Marital Status:Married Race:White  Occupation:Farmer
Reported Birth Date:Apr 1837   Birth Year (Estimated):1837  Birthplace:County Limerick, Ireland
Burial Place:Buffalo, Marq., Wis.  Cemetery:St. Andrews
Father's Name:John Wallace  Father's Birthplace:County Limerick, Ireland  Mother's Name: Helen Wallace  Mother's Birthplace:County Limerick,
Spouse's Name:Bridget Dalton

see : https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XLDN-TLS

p.s. Edmond is equivilent to Edward, and similarly Helen and Ellen

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Desiree:

I consider Edward/Edmond/Edmund as the same name when I search for records. Same for Ellen/Helen. Also, many emigrants for whatever reason changed their year of birth and in many cases, the month and day of birth. Not sure why he was Edmond in Ireland and Edward in the States. Can I suggest that you look into DNA testing? You may have matches with people who have either Connelly and/or Wallace connections and maybe their info may help to confirm the record I located or disprove the record.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you, Roger.  I appreciate the asistance, especially regarding Edward/Edmond.  I'm not well-versed in name etymology and the various derivatives of the same name, so I would have looked right past Edmond.  This feels like such a breakthrough and I'm very excited about it!  I have considered DNA testing, and in fact was discussing it with my husband just yesterday.  Alas, I'm rather wary of privacy concerns regarding giving away my DNA.  It's not off the table.  But for now, I'm trying to build as reliable a family tree from the written documentation as much as I can.

Thank you so much again for your help.  I really appreciate it!

Regards,

Desiree

IrelandXO member

Thank you Shanew147!  The transcript of the death certificate really lines things up.  That was quite helpful to an amateur history sleuth like myself.

Regards,

Desiree

IrelandXO member

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