Thank you Jayjay. Our Carlin's were probably spelled Carolan in Ireland but there is one signature of James with CARLIN in his handwriting. Do you suppose there could have been another cousin Anthony? The mother of James was Margaret David (as the church record says) but her sister Sarah had the spelling of DAVITT s that centers them around Striade, possibly. Margaret died in 1856 and her records says feu de Antoni David. French priest, transcribing the Irish brogue so it all gets murky!
My cousin in Toronto was able to track down a land donation composed and filed by the notary but in the words of James and that is where we find the signature. That was in 1876. So James was preparing for his death willing the property to his son Thomas. Now in 1833 the same property of 200 acres at Grenville was sold to a Terrance CARROLAN. It may be possible that James had a brother or his name was James Terrance or Terrance James Canadian records don't tell us much either Wish the family had come to the US!
Can you tell me the dates your family arrived in the US? I have searched the St. Lawrence Steamboat passenger lists but only find one J. Carlin arriving in 1834 which would be around the right time except that this Terrance (the first) had bought the farm by then.
'Tis a puzzle!
