I'm looking for some help with one of my great grandparents. My great grandfather Francis Nixon (b1855) married my great grandmother Mary Bradburn (b1855) on 30 May 1876 in Cavan. Their fathers' names are recorded as Robert Nixon and John Bradburn but their mothers' names were not shown. Francis and Mary had seven children that I know of: Abigail (b1877), Charlotte Anne (b1883), William Henry (b1890), Mary (b1891), Emily Jane (b1893), Sophia (my grandmother) (b1895), and Hannah Frances (b1899). The gaps between the first three children look very odd but I can't find any records to show that they had children in between. Sadly on 7 April 1900 Francis died and on 4 September 1900 his widow Mary married Patrick McPartlan. Their fathers were recorded as John McPartlan and John Bradburn, while the mothers were Rose McFadden and Eliza Levingston. Then in March 1901 Patrick and Mary had a child Elizabeth. In the 1901 Census, Patrick and Mary McPartlan were living in College Street, Cavan, with Hannah Frances and Elizabeth. Emily Jane and Sophia were living in the Bird's Nest Orphanage in Kingstown, Dublin, and the whereabouts of their other siblings is unknown. However in the 1911 Census, Sophia and Hannah Frances were living in the Glen-Owen Orphanage in Clifden, while Patrick, Mary and Elizabeth McPartlan have disappeared completely. I did find a death of an Elizabeth M'Partlan in June 1911 in Cavan but can't be sure this is "my" Elizabeth. I've tried every research avenue possible online to find out what happened to my great grandmother but keep hitting a brick wall. Can anyone suggest any local resources in Cavan which might help? Also I'm intrigued by the large gap between those first three children. How would I find missing children without knowing their names?
