Annacramph marriage

[aghadowey]

I am not sure why your are "now getting a bit offended" as several us are only trying to help you find the information you asked for. An 'unusual' surname can be both a blessing and a curse (I've several very rare ones in my family). On the one hand it makes it easy to spot your relatives but on the other hand can be more prone to changes and mistranscriptions making it hard to identify the people you are looking for.

The questions I asked were not intended to cast aspersions on your research but merely to look at the details posted from different angles. I don't doubt that you've found records for your family as McKendra but it would have been useful to know when and where those were from references. For example, if the surname only appeared after Edward left Ireland then it's likely you will have to consider variations of the name- since many people in the 1800s were illiterate names often appear in various guises as has already been pointed out.

Regarding Annacramph- it may be that Edward was born there but his family moved away when he was quite young. If they moved to another townland in the locality you might be able to find clues in the online Valuation Revision Books (see www.proni.gov.uk).

Hopefully the archives in Armagh might be able to help you with church records.

[scotmum]

OK, the birth of Thomas McKendra in Hamilton, should list both Edward's second wife Caroline's full name and where/when she and Edward married, is the latter detail missing?

Did you glean his first wife's name from his Scottish death certificate? If yes, do be aware that whilst it is great that Scottish records usually provide such, the accuracy of the information is only as good as the knowledge of the person providing the details.

I see that although Caroline is English born, their first children were born in Ireland, so he must have gone back to Ireland for a number of years after living for a while in Portsea.

With Edward being in barracks in Gillingham in 1841 and living in Portsea by 1851, I do wonder if he spent much time, if any, back home in Ireland between those years.

[aghadowey]

The mother of Thomas McKendra is shown here as Caroline Atto-
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F77H-9QR

See also- http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=471012.0

[scotmum]

OK, on the other rootschat post I now note that Caroline's death was only recorded in her birth surname rather than the McKendra name. If Thomas' birth certificate has no mention of a marriage year/place, then it would indeed seem that Caroline and Edward were unwed. Have you viewed Thomas' birth details at all?

[scotmum]

Not great quality, but here, it says,  is the intended place of residence for Edward on discharge:

[glensman]

Looks like:

Staff of Sligo Militia.

[aghadowey]

Looks like:

Staff of Sligo Militia.

Looks like that to me also.

Added- if that's correct then might be something in National Archives-
http://sources.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=%22%20Sligo%20Militia%22&type=subject

[scotmum]

Slightly larger view:

and yes, it does look to read 'Staff of Sligo Militia'

http://www.igp-web.com/sligo/Military/1802_Sligo_Militia.htm

[scotmum]

Mmmm...looking again at army record, the discharge proceedings were held at Fermoy Barracks in 1860 and note his attestation date as Nov 1837 in Newry, then saying he had 22 years service, of which almost 8yrs was abroad, split between Ceylon and Hong Kong.

So if it is him in the 1851 census at the barracks in England and he is noted as Widowed, then he must have married whilst in service. Indeed, possibly both marriages were whilst in service, given the birth years of the children he had with Caroline.

Have you checked the b/m/d indexes for British Overseas and birth/marriage indexes for County Cork c1860s (albeit there may be no entries in the latter if family were RC as too early for Civil Registration of RC marriages/births in Ireland)?