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Topics - rlw254

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1
Two baptism entries for the same family, having trouble reading the father's name. Any input appreciated. Could it be Terentius (Terence)?
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000632400#page/34/mode/1up
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000632400#page/42/mode/1up

1. 17 Jan 1831 Bridget Heslin, daughter of ? Heslin and Bridget Kilkenny
2. 17 Oct 1835 Honora Heslin, daughter of ? Heslin and Bridget Kilkenny


2
United States of America / William Harper, murderer
« on: Monday 11 October 21 05:23 BST (UK)  »
Hi all, this post is about a brick wall of mine. I'm hoping to get some input from fresh eyes that can help confirm or deny a lead I stumbled on to. I will give a timeline:

1. Approximately 1837-1838 ; William Harper (dates unknown) marries Elizabeth Murphy (c.1815, Ireland - 1900, Bourg-Louis, Canada)
2. 2 June 1839 ; somewhere in northeastern America, likely New York, William and Elizabeth have twin daughters Margaret and Mary
3. 1839-1846 ; missing period
4. 1846 ; Mary, and presumably her twin sister and mother, all return to Bourg-Louis (date from 1901 census, Mary is the only one of the three alive at this point)
5. 1 Nov 1847 ; Elizabeth Murphy remarries in Bourg-Louis, Canada

The problem is clear. I have a name and little else for the father of the twin girls. Records (census forms, death records) from the twins indicate he was possibly born in England, Ireland, or New York.

While searching newspaper articles, I wound up reading about a murder case involving a man named William Harper in NYC. Another timeline:

1. Night of 26 Oct 1845 ; William Harper stabs and kills a man named John Kempf in an altercation at the latter's tavern. William Harper is arrested. https://www.newspapers.com/image/329349660/?terms=%22william%20harper%22&match=1
2. 30 Oct 1845 ; John Kempf dies of his wound. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FD1H-F57
3. 24 Dec 1845 ; Trial information, gives age for William Harper as about 26-27 years old. https://www.newspapers.com/image/329355113/?terms=%22william%20harper%22&match=1
4. 6 Jan 1846 ; William Harper is found guilty and sentenced to be hung on 28 Feb 1846. Article mentions a wife and twin girls in the audience. https://www.newspapers.com/image/79061295/?terms=%22william%20harper%22&match=1
5. 22 Jan 1846 ; argument for imprisonment for William Harper rather than death. Recommendation that the sentence is commuted. https://www.newspapers.com/image/79061672/?terms=%22william%20harper%22&match=1  https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/117449204/
6. 15 Feb 1846 ; Governor will convene council in the next day or two to consider life imprisonment. https://www.newspapers.com/image/329257252

Trail goes cold. No February death record found for William Harper.

I am interested in this case for several reasons. First, the timeline works quite well with the dates I know. If William were hung or imprisoned, his wife leaves NYC in 1846 to return to her family for help raising the twins. Second, the rough age of William would put him within a few years of the same age as Elizabeth. Third, and most interesting, the one article in #4 mentions that William had twin girls at the time of sentencing. The twins would be about 6 years old by this point.

How best to proceed? I assume he would have been sent to Sing Sing. It doesn't look like records would have been kept there for the time that I need. The reason I can't find a February 1846 death record could be that he died much later, if imprisoned for life. I can't find any other newspaper articles after 15 Feb 1846.

1850 census in Ossining (Sing Sing) for William Harper, born approximately 1811 in England, murderer, imprisoned in 1846:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DCY9-T8R?i=81&cc=1401638&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZM3-4MC

Could I finally have found my man?

3
Armagh / Craig family, perhaps near Tynan
« on: Sunday 14 February 21 07:28 GMT (UK)  »
I would like to confirm the residence place of this Craig family that I am researching and any help would be appreciated. Posting it here for some fresh eyes to maybe take a look.

Alexander Craig c.1802 & wife Ann (MNU) c.1805
Children:
Ann/Nancy Craig born ca. 1829
Jane Craig born ca. Apr 1831
Rachel Craig born ca. Jan 1832
Esther Craig born ca.1834
William Craig born 12 May 1836
James Craig born ca.1837
-- Emigration to America in 1841/1842
Robert Craig born ca.1842
Alexander Samuel Craig born ca.1845
Rebecca Craig born ca.1847

DNA clustering shows several matches with joint ancestry around Tynan and Armagh. Within the cluster I have picked up on several others with the name Craig, likely related. In particular, the family of Arthur Craig who had at least the children George, Joseph, and Elizabeth, all born in Tynan in the 1820s-1830s and stayed in the area. The name Busby also shows up independently in this cluster.

Alexander potentially has another son Benjamin Craig c.1825 but I am a hesitant because Benjamin was listed last in the family group on the arrival manifest despite being the oldest. Instead he could be Alexander's nephew.

I think this was likely a Methodist family. Nancy, Alexander Jr., and Robert were married Methodist ; Rachel and Esther attended a Methodist church ; Benjamin & Jane's children were baptized Presbyterian ; William and Rebecca married Episcopal. According to PRONI, Methodist records from nearby Killylea are held locally but could cover the relevant dates.

4
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / 1855 Prussian death record
« on: Monday 10 August 20 07:21 BST (UK)  »
Hoping for some help reading the cause of death (left) and note of heirs (right) for this death recorded in 1855 for the sixth line down. It looks like 5 minors are left behind.

Thanks for any assistance.

5
Australia / Banks in NSW
« on: Friday 01 May 20 09:48 BST (UK)  »
Hello, I have never done research in Australia before but I am looking into a couple that appears multiple times in my DNA matches. It seems nobody has taken the husband's tree out very far and I can see why since I'm having some difficulty finding anything concrete.

Frank Banks born 7 Nov 1899 allegedly in Western Australia or Newcastle, NSW, parents William Banks and Mary Ann unknown maiden name. Frank married Molly Spinks in 1922 but I believe the DNA match is specifically through the Banks side so I am not as interested in Spinks. It looks like Frank had a sister Ivy born in 1902 but I currently know very little else. There are a couple instances of people with his parents' names dying in Newcastle but without an idea of their birth dates I can't be sure.

It is possible that Mary Ann remarried in 1909 to William Whitham in Newcastle.

Thanks for any help.

6
Armed Forces / Greenland 1954-1955 film
« on: Thursday 12 March 20 03:00 GMT (UK)  »
I posted this on ancestry.com some time ago but I thought I would also leave it here for posterity.

My grandfather was stationed in Greenland from 1954-1955 presumably at Thule but I am not positive. He always had a camera on him and his time here was no exception. I've digitized some of his videos and there are approximately 30 minutes of random footage from around the base. Some from the air as he flew, general base footage, many takeoffs/landings, a little bit of posing with friends and other men or officers.

We don't know the identity of anybody but him in the film but if you had a relative stationed there at the same time please feel free to reach out and I can send some clips that contain other people to see if any are familiar.

7
Tyrone / Wallace/Caldwell near Urney
« on: Thursday 19 December 19 01:19 GMT (UK)  »
I have spent a lot of time attempting to trace my family from America back to Ireland. After analyzing some DNA matches I believe they lived in a County Tyrone border area near Urney, Strabane, Ardstraw, Castlederg, etc.

James Wallace (dates unknown) and wife Matilda Caldwell (c.1799-1856) with at least these children:
Andrew 1825
Elizabeth 1827
Alexander 1829
Samuel 1832
Caldwell 1835
Matilda 1836
Joseph 1839

I believe this family was Presbyterian. There may still be older children I do not know about but I don't believe there were more after Joseph. My understanding is that there are no parish records early enough in Ardstraw, Donaghmore, or Clonleigh/Strabane to cover this family. There is a small period in Clonleigh that could contain Matilda but I did not find anything here. This leaves Urney, however I am not sure if parish records are available online for this period. Does anyone know how to find these records? The family had left for America by the mid-1840s.

I see in the tithe applotment books that a Robert and James Wallace can be found living in Tullydoortans. James does not appear in Griffith's Valuation in 1848 which might indicate he either left or died. There are several others living there by this time that I assume are likely children of Robert or maybe James. Apparently James Wallace came over from Scotland in the early 1800s but I believe his Caldwell wife was born in this area. Curiously I also see a Duncan family in Tullydoortans which is the name of Andrew Wallace's future wife.

Any fresh eyes are greatly appreciated.

8
The Common Room / Ancestry.com disconnected people
« on: Saturday 30 November 19 02:32 GMT (UK)  »
I have two cases in my tree (that I've found) where a person appears randomly in the left corner of the tree screen, not connected to any other person. Going into their details page you can see that they have the proper parents/spouse/children listed, yet looking at the overview they are not attached to anybody. Is there a way to prevent this from happening?

9
Ireland / Heslin 1820s-1830s
« on: Friday 25 October 19 19:31 BST (UK)  »
I am looking for the roots of a Heslin family that left Ireland for America in the late 1840s. So far I know of at least 3-4 siblings of the same family.

Morgan (male) Heslin (c.1821-1899, Norristown, Pennsylvania)
Ann or Honora Heslin [Lunney] (c.1830-1898, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Patrick Heslin (c. April 1833-1911, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania)
Bridget Heslin [Mulvey] (c.1835-unknown)

I only have two hints at the county they came from in Ireland. Ann gives Antrim on the 1860 US Census and Patrick gives Tyrone on an enlistment document. I rarely see Morgan as a given name in this time period so perhaps I am looking for a Heslin-Morgan marriage in the late 1810s.

There are a few more Heslins found in the same town that these settled in upon arrival including a Peter and a Mary.

Other associated surnames found in baptism records of Ann's children include Gannon, Quinn, Stephens, Brady, Delaney, Skehill. Sometimes I find that there is a connection here.


Thanks for any assistance.

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