Sarah Griffiths

[GaryOB]

You talk about the "Caribou", but have you seen the full list of passenges? 
Sarah Griffith is listed and it describes her as 20 years old, occupation Nursemaid.  Therefore she would be born about 1839.  Could she have travelled with one of the families on that ship?
Her native place is actually Londonderry, which could refer to the City or County of that name just over the border.
Termon, is located on on the main road leading North East from Letterkenny, which in turn is 15 miles or so from Londonderry city.

I also came across some Termon birth records for a William Griffith married to Rose Campbell.  It could be Sarah's father remarried or his son?  I note that these children appear a few years after Sarah was packed off to Australia, and could imply a second marriage for William?  Would be interested to hear if you know the real story?

17/01/1866 Mary (named after Mary Cannon?)
26/05/1867 William Patrick
22/09/1869 Anne
26/03/1872 Mary (again? did the first one died young?)
23/04/1874 Hugh
05/01/1877 Male
23/06/1879 Rose

Hope this helps.

Gary

[wren]

Hi Gary,
Thanks for all of the information.
I have looked up the list of the Caribou and was interested in theDonegal relief fund. As for anything else about Sarah's life in Ireland I know nothing, its all a big mystery to me. I just knowthat if she came out with the assistance of the Donegal Relief Fund then she wasn't exactly rolling in the money. She also ended up at Mt. Murray in NSW which is a small farming community, but in the days when Sarah and John arrived was very much a subsistence community who very strongly relied on the land.
The soil was very clayey and produced nothing of substance. It was always all hands on deck and anyone who could afford better land really didn't purchase at Mt. Murray.
Its piecing all of these things together that makes me think that the family met with some misfortune in Ireland and if they ever did have any land were perhaps dispossessed at some time.
I interviewed her granddaughter extensively when she was alive, but she didn't seem to know too much about her grandmothers life in Ireland either.
All your information is very gratefully accepted and I will try and chase it all up. Thanks
Regards
Wren.

[wren]

Hi All
I have been doing some extensive wandering around the various websites looking for some further information on these Griffith/Griffiths families. I have been unable to locate any of William's family at Carrowcannon or anywhere else after 1911 when William passed away. It appears that he was a JP and involved in supporting the victims of the evictions from the local estates around the Carrowcannon area, at one stage putting up a sureity of £100. This to me looks like he had a substantial amount of money.
I found William's marriage in 1865 at Stewartstown/Cookstown Tyrone to Rose Campbell in 1865, where it verifies that his father was William Griffith. This leads me to think that he was indeed Sarah Griffith/Griffiths' brother.
Given this new information I have a huge question mark over my Sarah Griffith and why someone who seemingly had a brother with some standing in the community and apparently some income would then come to Australia as a pauper in 1859. I wonder had she been disowned!
My second dilemma is William's family had to go somewhere. I have investigated the Immigration aspect but have been unable to find anything.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Wren