The Cork connection

[jesika jae]

I am attempting to learn the date & place of birth of my grandfather, JAMES KELLY, (son of James Kelly) who may have been born in Cork between 1894 & 1896.
My knowledge of him begins in January 1916 when he married Nellie Richardson in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. He was 20 years old, a miner serving as private 15846 in the Notts & Derby Sherwood Foresters Regiment.
In February 1916 he became sergeant 13010 Machine Gun Corps.
He died in Yorkshire February 1927, age 32.
His father was also a miner, serving as a private in the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

I have received considerable help from other boards, but he remains stubbornly elusive in England. Maybe he really WAS Irish, as family lore suggests.

My next step is to try the machine gun corps data base and the KOYLI museum in Doncaster in the hope of finding my great grandfather.

Many thanks in advance for any help  and interest.
jj

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=666691.0

[nanna556]

I have looked on www.irishgenealogy.ie and found 2 James Kelly's born between 1894-6 they were born in Dublin and the name of their father was also James

[jesika jae]

I'm really struggling with this granddad (the other is much easier). He died when his oldest son was 11 so we are working only from family lore, his military records not proving helpful so far. My dead cousin believed granddad had been born in Cork and had travelled to England alone, but we now know his father was in military service in England in January 1916. We can only assume they were both well established because granddad was with the British Army in France/Belgium in May 1915.
It's all very confusing and I thank you for your input.
j

[The Geneal Geologist]

It is possible he was Irish. Many Irish in that period who joined the British army (and there are a few in my wife's family) were told not to return to Ireland, or be killed by the IRA. Many just stayed in the UK and settled there, which can explain the apparent disconnect.

Regards.

[Maggsie]

Hi,
I think I may have found him with the info you gave.
The mother Maggie re-married to a John Burns.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Cork/Ightermurragh/Lisquinlan/1132579/
this is the 1901 census of Ireland.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Cork/Ightermurragh/Clonmaine/432891/
this is the 1911 census.
Maggsie

[jesika jae]

Maggsie & Masgrace. Many thanks to you both. The mystery has been solved, not in Cork but Mayo! My elusive granddad was born in 1896 in Leicestershire. I learned only a few days before his birthdate in 2016 that he was illegitimate, born in a work house and then "adopted", his name changed to that of his putative father. In a very odd twist, after mother died we decided she should join her sister and father in the local church yard. We thought the anniversary of her death, then the anniversary of her funeral. Eventually we took her May 22, 119 years after her father was born, a date we didn't know until 2 years later...
Many people have been kind enough to take time & expend energy to solve this mystery, but now I can say "Happy Birthday, Granddad." I now know there IS an Irish connection and maybe one day will be able to visit County Mayo and fill in  a few more gaps.
My thanks to all who have helped
jj