Dolan Family

[hallmark]

http://www.rootschat.com/links/095s/ gets you all people starting with Bles in Leitrim in 1901 census

[Beard grandchild]

Thanks Hallmark,

My biggest problem is that I don't know who I'm looking for!

Many of the Christian names tally with other family names. I suspect the child left behind would be in his 60's if still alive. The only one that fits that description is a John Blessing , but that is the name of the last child of the family, born in Scotland, and I don't suppose the parents would call 2 sons by the same name?

Irish ancestors are so hard to trace, aren't they?

Thanks for the link anyway.

Cheers,

Pat.

[hallmark]

They would, and very often did, if first child died.

Don't understand this bit ;Miles was called Michael on the 1851 and 1861 Scottish censuses, and his surname was listed as McVannachie, which I take to be a corrupt spelling of Mulvanery on the 1851 Scottish census, but Blest on the 1861 and 1871.

Where does Mulvanery come into it?

[Jim I]

"Where does Mulvanery come into it?"

Part of the rich tapestry which is Irish genealogy (yeugh!!)

Many Irish names were anglicised out of all recognition during the 19th century.  Blessing/Blessington/Mulvanaghty/Mulvanerty are all the same name and are often seen almost alternately in the parish records.

Another couple were Grey/Colreavy and Kilkenny/Guilheany and, incredibly, Smyth/McGowan to name but a few.

---------------------------

Now to the op.

There are quite a few Blessings/Blessingtons in South Leitrim around Cloone.  Unfortunately I can find none that fit except for one vague possibility.  In Aughavas RC parish there was a Michael Blessing baptised 18th June 1947 the son of Michael Blessing and Bridget Lennon.  Now I know that Lennon is not Durkin but I transcribed these years ago when I was first starting, the writing was not great and I may have made a mistake.  Or possibly there was a mistake in the register - this happened far more than we realise.

It is at least a possibility.  The film is available from the LDS libraries, if there was one handy, in order to check again. 

And two more things - 1) that particular family never appeared again in the records - where did they go to?

and 2) some of my family, descended from the Dolan's of Annaghmacullen, moved to.....Haddington!  (albeit much later than yours.)

[Beard grandchild]

Thanks Jim,
This is all very interesting to me. I'm sure that there was a son born and left in Ireland. It is obvious that Miles/Michael, the father was illiterate by him 'making his mark' on John Blest's birth record.

Bridget was recorded as Bridget/ Biddy and Elizabeth on various Scottish censuses, so her surname being recorded wrongly is definitely a possibility.

All I do know for certain is that Bridget, Miles, Mary and  Alison were in West Direlton, Haddingtonshire on the 1851 Scottish census, living with Peter Curran and his wife Elizabeth, and  Miles was described as brother-in-law, so I'm assuming that Winifred was Miles's sister.

My one remaining aunt belonging to the family knows for certain that John Blest/Blessington's eldest son, also called Myles, born in 1884  could remember going to Ireland to visit relatives when he was a child, and the family of John Blessington and Margaret Dolan were not on either the Scottish of English 1891 census. I presume that they were in Ireland at that time?

Oh, isn't this Irish ancestry hard work?

Cheers,

Pat.

[Xman Bobby Dean]

hi. I just came across your old post, and just in case you are still following I thought I'd share some info I have. You referenced a Hugh Dolan b. 1856, wanting to know if he was born in Ireland. I believe, perhaps, Hugh would be my Great-great grandfather, and I've been doing some research on him. 

According to this obituary from the Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper (New York, USA) he was indeed born in Leitrim.  However this lists his birth year as 1850.

https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/54441128/?terms=%22Hugh%2BDolan%22

Hope this helps. --Xavier