Please help me find the background of my Irish ancestor JOHN McTIMONEY
The romantic & dramatic family legend says he had to flee from Ireland to England, and change his name.
I rather think he came over to England for financial reasons and, since he could not sign his name on his marriage certificate (and must have had quite an accent), nobody knew quite how to spell it.
His history remains a mystery. Can you shed any light?
McTIMONEY seems a made-up name. All the McTIMONEYS I can find, stem from this one man.
John's marriage certificate (1874, McTIMLEY, not McTimoney) states that his father is/was James McTIMLEY, a butcher, presumably in Northern Ireland.
The censuses state that John was born in Belfast.
He was definitely an accomplished shoe-maker.
John's DOB, according to the censuses, seems to be about 1834, however my mother remembered him from her childhood and he seemed to her an old man, with a shock of white hair, older than 66 when he died.
Some years ago a researcher believed she had found him recorded as a cobbler in Northampton (Trade Directory? Northampton had a big boot & shoe industry), but I cannot now locate the record.
Where was John in 1841? and 1851? and 1861? (After that he was in Birmingham).
When did he come over to England (or Scotland?), and how?
Who was James McTimley, butcher? And who was John's mother?
And why and how did the name change to McTimoney, which it has remained?
Thank you for all suggestions. :-)
