Helllo there
I have posted a question on this family years ago, but just general as I had no idea of the area to concentrate on.
But I have just received this from a gentleman in America.
As a word of explanation I have been researching a shipwreck for the last three years and the book is about to come out, this information is to late for the book. But the website is remaining as a free resource
www.anniejane.net This is my obsession to find all of the emigrants who perished aboard so I will keep updating the website as long as I live. The site of the graves two large pits where 350 bodies where thrown in has been lost. Once the book is published I will be focusing on raising funds to find the exact location of the remains.
The letter I have posted below.
Sir, I am very interested in information on this tragedy. I really appreciate what you and others are trying to accomplish. I noticed in one newspaper account that there were seven Gibneys that were feared lost in the disaster. There were four males and three females. Most if not all the names were commonly used first names in my family. I have been trying to discover my roots in Ireland for over sixty years. I have as a result much experience in this type of research. Due to family experiences much family history of my Gibney line had been lost. (house fires etc.) Last year with the release of new church records I was able to put together much family history from Ireland. One thing that I had relied on in previous study of the family history was the memories of my father’s first cousin Peter Gibney. He lived to be one hundred and lived with my Great Grand Parents Thomas and Ann Gibney until about the age of nine. He relayed to me that some of his Great Grandfather’s brothers and sisters may have died on ship on their way over to America. We have never been able to find any of them. The first question I would have is would any of the deceased been from County Dublin. It seems perhaps unlikely but is there anyway to find that out ? Particularly the group of 80+ who boarded late may have heard about the openings that happened as a result of the ships problems. There were seven Gibneys listed as lost. 1853 would have been about the time that they would have left Ireland.
Lets see if we can find them. Head of the family probably oldest would have been: Martha then William, John, Robert, Margaret, Jane, Alexander. I have tended to find family's listed from youngest to oldest. Don't assume that is all; as infants sharing their parents berths tended not to be listed at all.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Allan