Finding Clines family
My great-grandfather, John Clines, was born in 1842, relatives believe in county Mayo. We know that he married Briget (b.1844) in mid to late 1860's. They emigrated to the USA (New York) approx.1867. The 1870 census shows they had a son, Michael born in NewYork in 1868, a daughter, Mary, born in New Jersey in 1869. Briget later died in New Jersey.
After Bridget's death, John returned to Ireland and wed another woman named Briget, born in 1851. They had a son, John, b. 1887, daughter, Mary, b. 1883, and a son, Thomas, b. 1890. All children were born in New Jersey (Jersey City, Hoboken area).
John died in 1896 (Hoboken, NJ). Briget died 1905 from Tuberculosis. We have no additional record of John or Mary, so we assume they died at a young age. Thomas, my grandfather, was raised by a family friend (Cleary's) after Briget's death. He later married Mary Emerson; they had five children, my father John Clines was one of three sons. Thomas died in 1944.
We can't seem to find any John Clines relatives living in Ireland in all the records we've searched to date. We're wondering if he changed his surname when he emigrated.