New York

[JackieQLD-au]

I have a friend coming to New York in April.  She said she will pick up a marriage certificate and a birth certificate for me if she has time.

James McKEOWN b. abt. 1824 Co. Down, Ireland went to New York at some stage.
Jane MILLS b. abt. 1829 Co. Monahan, Ireland.  Dau. of James MILLS and Jane ?

James McKEOWN (pronounced McKewan) married Jane MILLS in New York abt. 1849.  I'm not sure if city or state.

Am looking for this marriage.

Also looking for the birth of their 1st child, Sarah Jane McKEOWN apparently December 1850.

James and Jane had 2 other children in USA.  Sophia Mills McKEOWN b. abt. 1851 NY and James (junior) b. 1854 Boston.

The family departed New York 11 May 1855 aboard the "Ocean Steed"
Arrived Melbourne, Australia 25 August 1855

Looking for the birth of Sarah Jane in the hopes of getting the certificate but wouldn't mind confirming births of her siblings.

[shellyesq]

New York did not require vital registration until 1881.  Some localities started earlier, but not all did, so the records you seek may not exist or may only have been created as church records. 

I would recommend trying to find this family on the 1850 census, which is available on www.familysearch.org.

[JackieQLD-au]

Thanks Shelly, but I've already looked.
There is stuff on familysearch that is submitted so no confirmation there.
My Aunt, now deceased, said she saw a cert for the birth of Sarah Jane...hence the Dec 1850.

[aghadowey]

Thanks Shelly, but I've already looked.
There is stuff on familysearch that is submitted so no confirmation there.
My Aunt, now deceased, said she saw a cert for the birth of Sarah Jane...hence the Dec 1850.

The submitted LDS records (family trees) are now listed separately from the extracted records (vital records, census, etc.) so it would be worth checking the 1850 census for the family to see if you can find a more exact location than just 'New York.'

[Lisa in California]

Perhaps you've already thought of trying the following, but I thought I'd ask...

Would you know James' occupation, please (around 1855)? Perhaps he may be found in a city directory in either Boston or somewhere in New York?  Was there ever any mention of siblings of either James or Jane?*  Was Jane her actual name or could it have been a nickname?  Did they follow the Irish naming pattern, which could lead to the names of their parents or possibly siblings?

*I've been researching on and off for many years (first starting while I was in college).  I thought an ancestor, for whatever reason, was an only child.  With the help of RootsChatters and someone from another site, it was determined that she had several sisters and possibly at least one brother (who died when young).  While I've never found her Irish grandparents, it did help with other records and details. 

PS  It has been mentioned previously in other non-RootsChat threads about McKeown/Mills, but in case you've not seen this record:
New York Passenger List
Caledonia arriving 16 June 1848 from Londonderry, James McKeown, age 23.
Of course, there's nothing to show that it isn't another James. 

[Lisa in California]

They should have been married by the 1850 census  but mentioning it anyway...

1850 New York Ward 5, NY, NY
Jane Mills, age 21, born Ireland, no occupation written down
Living with the Beers family.

1850 New York Ward 5, NY, NY
James McKeon, age 21 (a little too young, I know), born Ireland, occupation: Baker?
Living with Knapp family and other bakers

Of course, they could have lived anywhere in New York or possibly lived elsewhere and only had a child born there.

[JackieQLD-au]

Hi Lisa,

All I know for sure is that his occupation in Australia in 1861 was Restaurant Owner / Hotel Keeper.