Amos, Mary - born in Antrim about 1833?

[jj.carroll]

On my father’s side of the family one of my great great grandfathers was Patrick GAFFIGAN (or possibly McGAFFIGAN, or even Gavigan) and he was born in Ireland around 1822.  We do know that he married an Amos girl by the name of Mary. 

Mary apparently was born about 1833, somewhere in Ireland according to the 1861 Scotland census.  We know he emigrated to Scotland with his wife, possibly after 1844, and gave his occupation as "carter."

At this time, we do not have much information about either of them, other than what was contained in the 1861 Scottish Census.  They had two children, Thomas and John.

My paternal great grandfather was John Amos GAFFIGAN, the son of Patrick and Mary.  He came to San Francisco, California, USA, about August1867 as a child.  John may have been a passenger aboard the steamer Iowa which docked in New York on 1 July 1867.  The manifest lists: Mary GOFFIGAN, Thomas Goffigan, and John Goffigan.

There is no record of Patrick, but Mary is shown in later census records as being widowed.

She was met by Mary's two sisters in San Francisco: Mrs. Isabella Amos CAMPBELL (or CAMPPELL) and Miss Annie (or Anna) AMOS (who was possibly married at one time to a McKee).

I have been told that there was a Mary Amos who was born in Antrim about 1822 and wondered if this might be the Mary I have been attempting to search for because the Amos name is not normally found in Ireland. 

[aghadowey]

I have been told that there was a Mary Amos who was born in Antrim about 1822 and wondered if this might be the Mary I have been attempting to search for because the Amos name is not normally found in Ireland. 

What's the source for Mary Amos born 1822 in Antrim? (Antrim town or Co. Antrim?). Civil registration of births started in 1864 (along with deaths and Catholic marriages- from 1845 for earlier marriages) so there can't be a birth certificate for her. If the information is from church records that will give you something to check further.

Amos is a name found in Ireland although it may be fairly uncommon compared to others. Search for 'Amos' in 'Ireland' on www.familysearch.org and there are 87 in the IGI alone. Seem to be some in Belfast and Co. Down certainly. Checking Griffith's there are only 7 Amos households- 1 in Belfast, and 2 each in Fermanagh, Tyrone and Longford.

[jj.carroll]

I received a reply from someone on the Irish-Scots list back in 2007 that said essentially that a reference to a Mary B. Amos was located AncestryIreland for 1858.  It was a marriage,  but there was no other information given and - quite frankly, because I am an old age pensioner I did not have the extra couple of bucks to see if there was some other information.  Actually, I stated wrongly that I thought she was born in Antrim - but marriages are "usually" held in the bride's place of residence.

I had previously found that a Mary Amos was included in the 1861 Scotland census, along with her husband Patrick and her two children, and with that I stated that our Mary was born about 1833.

We have no idea if she was born in Antrim or Antrim County; but census data from Scotland and California indicated that she might be a widow and had married Patrick. We do know, but there is little tangible evidence because of the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, that she was met by her two sisters, Anna and Isabella, when she came to California in 1867.  There has not been anything to track them either.