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Neary tenuous links

RoscommonBallinlough (Roscommon)

Considering a trip to Ireland to explore my roots there, I decided to flesh out up my family tree.

Using Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org I've lost the thread of one of my Irish lines. From mostly US Census records and cemetery records I've found my grandmother Anna Neary's parents and grandparents. From these records I have:

  • James Neary, my 2nd great-grandfather, with a birth year of 1819 in Ireland.
  • James Neary's wife was Marian Neary, about the same age as James, perhaps a year or two off. The various US census records for them show variations in the age that lead me to believe Marian was creative with that number. She lists her birthplace as Ireland.
  • A man named James Neary, age 30, arrived 3 Oct 1849 in NY from Sligo on the ship Dromahair. The only fact challenging this is that his son Thomas was presumably born c. 1848 in the US, but records of him are sparse; he never married and in 1900 resided in the Connecticut Hospital For The Insane. So, I'm not sure the census records about Thomas are trustworthy. Their second child was born in 1850.
  • I have not located arrival/immigration records for Marian. She does not seem to be on the Dromahair passenger list for that date.

Using rootsireland.ie I found:

  • a Church Marriage Record between James Nary and Mary Ratigan 25-Apr-1847 in Ballinlough RC in Co. Roscommon. One witness is Catherine Neary. It appears the Neary/Nary spelling is a common switch up.
  • a Baptism Record for Mary Ratigan on 22-Mar-1821 in Parish Aughrim, Co. Roscommon (mother Margaret Maloney, father Thomas Ratigan).

My questions: 

How common was the name Marian, and could she have used Mary for church records and Marian in daily life?

What sources outside Ancestry.com and FamilySeearch.org should I consult for emigration records for Marian?

How likely is it I've found my James and Marion in Ireland given the facts above?

doug.currie

4 replies

Hi, Have you checked all records for the family in the U.S.? For instance, have you seen any of the children's baptism/birth or marriage or death records? These might give the parents' names, including Marian's maiden name.  With that information, you would be able to verify whether you found the right couple in Ireland.

Also, have you looked at headstones and death notices and obituaries? These might also give some helpful information, such as place of birth in Ireland or Marian's maiden name.  (And have you seen Marian's death record? Again, it may hold vital information, such as HER parents' names.)

About the name Mary/Maria/Marian.  I often see  Marian in baptismal records written in Latin, but other records might have Mary, Marian, Maria, etc.

If Thomas was born in 1848 in CT, then it seems the James you found arriving in Oct. 1849 was not his father...

 

I hope this is helpful.

glanvil3@aol.com

Doug:

As Patricia highlighted in her response, you need to find a maiden name for Mary and also James' parents names in order to confirm any records that you locate.

The surname Neary and its variants in the mid-19th century was found in good numbers in Co. Kilkenny and Co. Roscommon.

I searched on the subscription site Roots Ireland and located a couple of leads which need to be verified:

James Narry baptized December 3 1818 Boyle RC parish Co. Roscommon father James Narry mother Margaret Croftan

James Nary baptized December 1 1819 Freshford RC parish father John Nary mother Mary Reade

A good number of the Co. Kilkenny parishes have records back to 1818 and earlier. However, only 25% of the Roscommon RC parishes have records back to 1818 so if he was from Co. Roscommon there is a good possibility that he was baptized in a parish which no longer has records back to 1818 and earlier.

Finally, have you taken a basic DNA test at Ancestry or another DNA company. You may get matches with 3rd or 4th cousins on your Neary line who have more info on the origins of your family.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Doug,

If you have a look at the Nearys in the 1850 federal census, there was a child Eliza, age 3, born in CT.  So Marian Neary had to be in the country by 1847.

glanvil3@aol.com

Thanks, Patricia, I agree now that Marian Neary is not nee Mary Ratigan. I saw that same 1850 census record after I posted. 

Thank you Roger, I appreciate those leads, and both yours and Patricia's advice.

Clearly I need to dig in deeper. I do have a DNA profile on Ancestry, and I'll explore those matches for Nearys.

Doug

doug.currie

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