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In search of Bridget Cummins

Offaly

My name is Michael Winters and I have been trying to find my paternal Great Grandmother. Her name was Bridget Cummin/Cummings. Bridget was born in Ireland around 1838 and immigrated to Australia in 1864 on the sailing ship the Red Jacket.

Our shipping records offer very minimal information about Bridget - the record only states that she was Roman Catholic - Irish - 28years old and was born in 1838. The ship arrived in Dec 1864 in the port of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

I have researched my DNA and Y-DNA and discovered my paternal Ancestry is actually Kelly and not Winters.

The people helping me with my Y-DNA suggested that Bridget may have come from County Offaly in Ireland.

I would appreciate any information that could help in my research into my family tree.

Regards

Michael

michaelianwint…

2 replies

Michael:

The subscription site Roots Ireland has a September 1 1838 baptismal record for a Bridget Commins in the Edenderry RC parish church. Father was Thomas Commins and mother was Margaret Fitzgerald.

There was also a Bridget Commons baptized January 1 1831 at the Kilcormac RC parish church. Father was John Commons and mother was H. Dunne.

I only searched in the Co. Offaly records.

Do you have a death record or obituary which might list parents names or siblings?

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Good morning Roger

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my inquiry.

I have no family information on Bridget, except for her name on a passenger list linked to the Red Jacket arriving in December 1864 and written details on my grandfather’s Samuel Henry Winters and his sister’s birth records in Sydney Australia. Sadly Jane passed away at the age of 12 in Sydney 1880 and Bridget passed away without a death or burial record. Samuel Henry Winters was left alone; possibly by the mid 1880’s a family written record has been proven to be inaccurate and misleading. The record stated that Samuel’s father was English, which doesn’t add up as AncestryDNA Ethnicity Estimate says that I am 94% Celtic and 60% of Irish ancestry.

That is why I undertook the Y-DNA investigation to find my great grandfather who should have been a Winters. The shock was I belong to the Kelly Clan without a doubt, possibly coming from the Shannon Bridge area. I can only guess at the location of Bridget and Mr Kelly’s birth place in Ireland and that is why I keep looking in hope to find a clue.

Regards

Michael

michaelianwint…

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