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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Wexford => Topic started by: bostonjan on Sunday 20 May 12 04:51 BST (UK)
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I'm searching for my paternal great-grandparents, Edward Sinnott (born appr 1849-1850) and Mary Lafferty (born either 1850 or 1858, US Census records show both) in Ireland. Mary immigrated to the US in 1872. I cannot find a record of their passage or their marriage. Between 1874 and 1889 Mary bore 10 children, 6 of whom survived including Catherine, Nicholas, Edward, Mary, Julia (my grandmother who married Earnest A. Coffinger in 1908), and Martin. Edward had an older brother, James Sinnott, born appr 1845.
I really have no idea where in Ireland they hailed from. My aunt had told me before she died that our ancestors were from "Ballymore" and "Baldemean", but that is very little to go on.
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Jan
PS: The two older women in this photo are Mary Sinnott and Julia Sinnott Coffinger (next to her husband of 50 years, Earnest Coffinger)
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Edward and Mary were born before the start of civil birth records, so you would probably need a bit more details to attempt a search of church records - e.g. a definite parish or town, along with parents names if possible. Unfortunately Ballymore is very a common placename - so doesn't really help, although Baldemean might...
see : Introduction to Irish Records (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,442233.0.html)
My Ancestor came from Ireland - where do I start? (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,498742.0.html)
Shane
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Is that your Edward and Mary on the US 1880 census in New York ?
Edward is a box maker and the address appears to be 352 10th Avenue..
Their three children Catherine (6), Nicholas (4) and James (3) - all born New York
Shane
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Hi Shane,
Yes! The 1880 US Census lists my grandparents just as you've noted above. I've been able to locate Mary (widowed) with Nicholas as head of household twenty years later in the 1900 US Census. In 1900 they were living at 445 West 32nd Street in NYC (which is now where Penn Station is in NY, I believe). The household then was:
Nicholas, Head of Household, Single, DOB: July, 1876, Age 23, "Heavy Box Maker"
Mary, Widowed, Age 42 (her DOB year is different here than on 1880 census but does list her immigration as 1872)
Edward, Brother to Nicholas, Age 18, DOB: May (?) 1882, "Assistant Shipping (?) Labor (?)"
Mary, Sister to Nicholas, Age 16, DOB: January, 1884, "Cash Girl"
Julie*, Sister to Nicholas, Age 13, DOB: October, 1886, "At School"
Martin, Brother to Nicholas, Age 10, DOB: July, 1889
and Joseph O'Donnell, listed as a 'border', Age 29, DOB: October, 1871, "Clerk in a Paper Store"
NOTE: Nicholas' older sister, Catherine, is not listed on this Census and would have been 25 or 26 years old and on her own, I imagine.
*Julie is my grandmother, Julia Agnes Sinnott Coffinger.
It also lists Mary as having given birth to 10 children, only 6 of them living in 1900. I know of one son, Joseph Miles, who had died between 1887 and 1900. The youngest child, Martin Joseph, may have been named after his older brother who died.
Any help is great appreciated... I'm really at a road block, I feel
Thank you,
Jan
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I think searching for the marriage is the best course of action at the moment. Also double checking US sources for a more detailed locations for Edward and Mary. Where did the Co. Wexford, 'possibly Oylegate' clue come from - does this apply to Edward or Mary or both ?
Very few Co. Wexford parish records are available online at the moment - as far as I know transcripts of just 3 parishes are on the pay-website at RootsIreland (2 RC and 1 Church of Ireland). There are about 45 RC parishes in the county, and the dates for which records are available vary from parish to parish.
Some RC parish records are available on FamilySearch, with copies on Ancestry, but these are not comprehensive, and probably not helpful until you have a few more details. Some RC parishes have been filmed by LDS, but I dont think they include very many for Co. Wexford.
Shane
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Thanks again, Shane. I actually corresponded with Hugh Kelly at St. Aidan's in Enniscorthy as quite a few of the Sinnotts I had seen through research listed Enniscorthy as their birthplace. Unfortunately, while there were Sinnotts baptized in the church, the years did not correspond with what I believe Edward's and Jame's birth years were. It was Hugh who suggested that he believed both the Lafferty and Sinnott families were from Oylegate and I should check further there.
I did find a possible US Army enlistment record for James Sinnott last evening. It listed him as volunteering in 1864 (US Civil War) and serving in Fort Kearney, Nebraska, discharged in 1876. Perhaps that is why he is listed as living with Edward and Mary in 1880, I do not know. The Army enlistment papers did list his birthplace as Ireland. If, indeed, he is Edward's brother and if they both immigrated to the US together, they arrived earlier than I had previously thought.
I've exhausted the marriage record tries through the NY Brides and Grooms registry. Nothing is found.
I'm hopeful, though, that the James Sinnott I have found may lead me to their place of birth (if, indeed, it is the *right* James Sinnott).
Jan
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The surname Sinnott and variations (e.g. Synott) is quite widespread in the south-east and Co. Wexford name, so I dont think it's very safe to narrow down the search area based on just that evidence.
Enniscorthy is about 10km north of Oilgate, and a separate parish.
Shane
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forgot to ask earlier - have you checked for death certs for Edward and Mary ?
US certs often include useful details such as parents names which could help confirm, or rule out, any other earlier findings.
S.
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I'm honestly not sure how to go about finding their death certificates with so little information. I believe they both died as residents of New York (based on Census years) but don't know how far back records go. I've checked online grave site listings and nothing is noted there. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Jan
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Dont know much about NY records, but it's definitely worth trying to gather as much information on Edward and Mary as you can from US records. The more clues you have the better ... even if these dont give you the direct evidence of location you need, they can help fill in extra details of your family story.
Shane
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Thank you for your suggestions and help, Shane.
Jan
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A see some birth records on FamilySearch for the family in Manhatten.. also in the same area a marriage for Nicholas in 1905 to an Isabella Cahill. Might help narrow down the search area for deaths for Edward and/or Mary.
S.
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I'm happy to report that I've found Edward Sinnott's death record as posted in the NY Times. I am sure it is him because of the address given being the same on the 1900 census with Mary widowed. He died at age 40 on January 23, 1897 at his home of 445 West 32nd Street in NY, NY (Manhattan). So that part of the mystery is solved and I may now be able to go to the State of NY and request his death certificate.
It is confusing all the different ages given on different census years, etc. This would put his birth in Ireland as 1857. Other records have him as both 1849 and 1850.
I've spent a good hour looking for Mary's death announcement but nothing yet. Thank you for looking online records for me, Shane. Truly appreciated!
Jan
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I saw Mary's surname listed as Laverty in some of the US records I looked at.
Both Lafferty and Laverty were quite rare in the south east, but far more common in northern counties - e.g. Donegal, Tyrone, L/Derry and Antrim.
I wonder if Mary and Edward came from different parts of Ireland and met and married in NY ?
I wouldn't worry about slight discrepancies in age, it's quite common on census returns, death certs etc..
I spotted some Sinnott records on the ItalianGen (http://italiangen.org/) website, that might be worth checking out - it has an Index for various NYC records, including Manhattan.
Shane
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Shane, so do you believe that the "Laverty" records are one in the same for Mary Lafferty? Very interesting - - I'll have to start searching for that surname to see what comes up. Thanks for that clue.
I will also check out the ItalianGen site which - at quick glance - looks very interesting.
Thank you SO very much for the help and hints!
Best,
Jan
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... so do you believe that the "Laverty" records are one in the same for Mary Lafferty? Very interesting - - I'll have to start searching for that surname to see what comes up. Thanks for that clue.
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I think it's very likely the same family - Dont think there would be that many Sinnott families in New York at that time.. Even if it's not the correct family, Laverty and Lafferty would just be variations in spelling of the same name - along with MacLafferty, O'Laverty etc, so I'd consider all when searching.
That spelling appears on the 1905 marriage in Manhattan of a Nicholas Sinnott. Parents names are given as Edward Sinnott and Mary Laverty.
You can check out the details on FamilySearch : Sinnott/Cahill marriage (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F64Y-2DN)
Shane
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I'm happy to report that I've found Edward Sinnott's death record as posted in the NY Times. I am sure it is him because of the address given being the same on the 1900 census with Mary widowed. He died at age 40 on January 23, 1897 at his home of 445 West 32nd Street in NY, NY (Manhattan). So that part of the mystery is solved and I may now be able to go to the State of NY and request his death certificate.
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well done - hopefully the death cert will give new details, such as the names of his parents etc I dont know if place of birth or father's occupation is included on these certs...
Since there are very few Co. Wexford parish records online at the moment the information on his parents may not narrow down the correct baptism at this stage - but hopefully as more records are added something will show up and you will be able to check the parents names to see if any records fit your Edward. (all assuming of course that Edward was from somewhere in Co. Wexford)
Another possible search you can try when you establish the name of Edward's father, would be Griffith's valuation (http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml). It's a land taxation survey carried out a little after Edward's birth, but Edward's father might show up if he held property and was still alive at the time... Griffith's doesn't give any family details but can help narrow down possible matches.
Shane
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Thanks very much for the help, Shane. I have heard of the Griffith's Evaluation but had no idea what it was. I was able to find more Laffertys listed than Sinnotts, but - as you said - without a concrete lead to where they were from (even a definitive county) it is like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack! I remain undaunted, though, and continue the search. Thank you for all your suggestions - I'm following up on each as time allows.
Best,
Jan
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Edward Sinnott death record (from familysearch)
New York, New York City Municipal Deaths
Name Edward Sinnatt
Event Type Death
Event Date 23 Jan 1897
Event Place Manhattan, New York, New York, United States
Address 445 W 32 St
Residence Place New York, New York, New York
Gender Male
Age 40
Marital Status Married
Race White
Occupation Bin Maker
Birth Year (Estimated) 1857
Birthplace Ireland
Burial Date 25 Jan 1897
Burial Place New York, New York, New York
Cemetery Calvary
Father's Name Edward Sinnatt
Father's Birthplace Ireland
Mother's Name Kate Sinnatt
Mother's Birthplace Ireland
birth date doesn't seem to match census and other records, but I think the occupation is right.
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Corinne! Thank you SO VERY MUCH! I hadn't seen this information with the parents listed previously on familysearch.org. This is the first substantial lead I've had in years. Bless you! : )
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Now that the Catholic registers are available, and indexed, have you tried searching?
Looking for an Edward Sinnott, son of Edward and Catherine, in the 1850s time frame, I see only one match
Name: Edward Sinnott
Baptism Age: 0
Event Type: Baptism
Birth Date: 1854
Baptism Date: 24 Jul 1854
Baptism Place: St Andrew's, Dublin city, Dublin, Ireland
Parish Variants: St. Andrew's, Westland Row, Westland Row
Diocese: Dublin
Father: Edward
Mother: Catherine
Searching for a brother James provides the following record for an older brother.
Name: James Sinnott
Baptism Age: 0
Event Type: Baptism
Birth Date: 1851
Baptism Date: 5 Oct 1851
Baptism Place: St Andrew's, Dublin city, Dublin, Ireland
Parish Variants: St. Andrew's, Westland Row, Westland Row
Diocese: Dublin
Father: Edward
Mother: Catherine
I think it is reasonably clear that these are a good match. James would be a tad young to enlist in 1864 (though, unfortunately, not unheard of), so I wonder if you ever established whether the James who joined up was related, or not.