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Mary McCormack and Husband Michael Dowling

RoscommonKilgefin (Roscommon)

I am looking for information on my great-grandmother Mary McCormack who, in her later years, came to America. Family lore says that she was born in 1805. She married Michael Dowling whose family lived in Cloonegeeragh. (A gentlemean there told me that I was from the white Tom's.) This was the Dowling family who live in 8 or 10 houses built on land which Cromwell gave them when they went " to Connaught or Hell!"

Basically, Mary was born in 1805. She married Michael Dowling possibly around 1840because my great grandfather Patrick was born in 1842. Michaelis said to have died around 1854.Her other living son was Thomas. After Patrick came to America,he sent for his mother Mary. Thomas came to America also.

I do not know if there were other siblings of Patrick and Tom's, nordo I know the reason that Patrick came to America. I figure the Famine had something to do with it.

My two goals ar as fllow:

Genealogical - find out my lineage and more about th people

Social - I would like to meet my family, and I would like to have a friendly, happy relationship with them.

Can you help me, please?

Mary-Kathryn Victor

St. Louis Missouri, USA

Mary-Kate

4 replies

Mary-Kathryn:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

The 1855 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Kilgefin civil parish shows many Dowling records. If Mary left Ireland after 1855 then the Mary Dowling shown in this listing is likely her. There is no way of determining the relationship of the other Dowlings in Cloonageeragh. The RC parish records do not start until 1865 http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0540

 http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/roscommon/kilgefin.htm

The 1901 census for Cloonageeragh http://census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Roscommon/Drumdaff/Cloonag…  shows three Dowling families.

The online Irish phone book only shows one Dowling entry in Co. Roscommon and the person lives near Athlone.

You may want to consider autosomal DNA testing. 

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Roger,

I have done my DNA through Ancestry. What are you suggesting I do with this?

As far as I know, all the Dowlings are related in Cloonegeeragh. They "received" 8 or 10 plots of land from Cromwell. I visited there and met a James and Maura Dowling. James is Mother's 3rd cousin. I tend to think the McCormack family residing there is my great-grandmother's family. I just need a contact who would know the family history, or a way to find out. Mary McCormack Dowling's 2nd son was Thomas - named after her father, I suppose. I guess my first step is to find a Thomas Dowling - unless, of course, she had a third son named after her father who was deceased and never mentioned by my great-grandmother.

 

Mary-Kate

Mary-Kate

Mary-Kate:

I assume you looked at your DNA matches and determined if any had Dowling connections?

You can also go to www.gedmatch.com and load your DNA data from Ancestry and see if you match someone who tested with another company e.g. Family Tree DNA and also loaded their DNA data to Gedmatch.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you. I often do not know what to do with the DNA.

Mary-Kate

Mary-Kate

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