Author Topic: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.  (Read 5397 times)

Offline City Hall

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James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« on: Friday 01 April 16 15:54 BST (UK) »
Hi all,

I am trying to find additional information on my Great Grandfather, James McDonnell, about whom I know very little.

This is what I know.

He was born in approximately 1866.
He was married to a woman called Annie in approximately 1896(states on 1911 census he has been married 15 years). Only one child from this marriage reached adulthood, my Grandmother Katie F McDonnell.
He was married a second time, to (I think) Honor (Honora) Doherty but I don't know if this was before or after he was married to Annie.
He appears on 1901 census living(working) in Liverpool, aged 35, surname mis-transcribed as McDonald.
He appears on 1911 census living in Castlerea, Roscommon, Ireland in the townland of Arm, aged 44.
Other Castlerea placenames associated with him are Ballindrimley and Cloondahara!!
He died in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1941,age recorded as 72 but more likely to have been 75.

That is all I know about him.

My questions are the usual ones.
Did he have any children with his other wife?
Did he have siblings?
Who were his mother and father?
What was his wife Annie's maiden name?
When did his 2 wives die?

Any information would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
Paul.




Offline dathai

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Re: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« Reply #1 on: Friday 01 April 16 17:31 BST (UK) »
Katie is aged 12 in 1911 born Roscommon ?
is she on 1901 English Census with him born England or was she actually born in Ireland after 1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Roscommon/Castlereagh/Arm/763048/

Offline City Hall

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Re: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« Reply #2 on: Friday 01 April 16 17:57 BST (UK) »
Hi Dathai,

Katie is on the 1901 England census, aged 3, born in Liverpool, as is her infant brother Joseph, aged 4 months who sadly did not reach adulthood.

Paul.

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Offline heywood

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Re: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« Reply #4 on: Friday 01 April 16 19:15 BST (UK) »
There is this baptism:

St Michael's Liverpool
Catharine McDonald born 26th August 1897 and baptised 20th September 1897
Parents James McDonald and Ann Doherty
The records are in Latin

Annie could be the same person as Honora/Hanora. Where do you have that name?

Is the family in 1901 definitely the same one as 1911?
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Offline City Hall

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Re: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« Reply #5 on: Friday 01 April 16 20:15 BST (UK) »
Thank you Dathai, that is indeed my family in the 1901 census.

Oh Heywood, you have (quite rightly) called me on my details :-[. The truth is, I only have snippets of memory to go on. I had the name Honor and the name Doherty in my 'memory bank'. I was going to say that these might be 2 different people,(honestly) but because my opening post was so long I took a risk that they were the same person.
 So where does that leave us?
It makes sense that Doherty was Annie's surname.Otherwise, how would we know that surname? So if Honor is another forename of Annie, I know nothing about James McDonnell's other wife. He was DEFINITELY married twice. Hopefully, Honor (Honora) is the forename of his other wife.

As to whether the families in the 2 censuses are the same family, I think they are.
I hope this all makes sense.
By the way heywood, thanks for the Baptism record.
Paul.

Offline heywood

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Re: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« Reply #6 on: Friday 01 April 16 20:19 BST (UK) »
I was thinking that Annie was used as a shortened form of Hanora - Nora is another form of the name.
However, there could be two ladies.
I was also wondering about the name McDonald being used in the baptism.
Looking at Lancashire births, there are births for Joseph McDonald about the right time but no McDonnell.  :-\
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Offline heywood

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Re: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« Reply #7 on: Friday 01 April 16 20:41 BST (UK) »
You mention two other names associated with him Ballindrimley and Cloondahara.

Where does that information come from- what is the association?

There are Dohertys in Ballindrumlea in 1901.
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Offline aghadowey

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Re: James McDonnell, Castlerea, born 1866 approx.
« Reply #8 on: Friday 01 April 16 20:48 BST (UK) »
I wouldn't be that worried about the surname McDonald found in the Liverpool record- McDonnell and McDonald are interchangeable and it may have been preferable to sound less Irish in Liverpool in those days.

There are other variations of Hanora to keep in mind such as Hannah and even Johanna.
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!