Hello, I'm new here, and I just found the posters in the Leicestershire forum to be very helpful.
I thought I'd try to find more information on my ancestor, Ann Barrett of Roscommon, Ireland. Some family records mention "Killukin" or "Killucan" and "Ballinameen" in Roscommon, but I found that modern-day Killucan is in Westmeath, not Roscommon. It appears that Ballinameen is in Roscommon. But then I did find an old parish called Killucan in Boyle, in Roscommon. So I'm confused.
Here is what I know:
She is variously referred to as Ann, Anne, Anna, and Annie.
She was born around 1826-1832 in Roscommon. Her parents may have been John Barrett and Maria Hanly or Hanley. She was Catholic. She may have been baptized in 1834 (is that strange to wait so long to baptize a child?)
She married a Scotsman, James Stewart, from Glasgow, against her family's wishes and they had 4 sons. It is unknown if James was Catholic originally, but the sons were raised Catholic.
The sons:
James Stewart b. 1851
John Augustine Stewart, born April 1854 (my great great grandfather)
Charles R Stewart born 1857
William S Stewart born 1860
These boys were all allegedly born in Roscommon, and were Catholic.
Because of the family problem with Ann marrying this Scot (and in some stories, a Protestant), Ann and James moved to Glasgow and then to London just after William was born. Then James the husband died, and Ann somehow got herself and her 4 boys to the USA, to New Jersey.
Through family lore, Ann Barrett is a bit of a family heroine, this poor young widow somehow scraping together money together to get her boys to the US.
If there is any way of learning more about her, I would greatly appreciate any help you might offer.
Thank you so much,
Tracy
