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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Galway => Topic started by: coreymcollins on Thursday 08 February 18 04:01 GMT (UK)
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I've just recently started on the journey to building out my family tree and I seem to have hit a bit of a wall with my great-great-grandfather. I'll break down the tree below to give some information on the family itself, as I know the name Patrick Collins isn't unique in itself and there is a lot of information on various Patrick Collinses out there.
I have information on him from several censuses - mostly from Fonda, NY but one from England in 1881. On the England census, he lists his birthplace as Galway, Ireland and on the further Fonda, NY censuses lists his birth country as Ireland. He also lists his mother and father as being born in Ireland. I suppose this all hinges on the 1881 census being correct for the Patrick Collins in question, but there are more details on that below.
Patrick Collins
-- Born 1862 in Galway, Ireland
-- Died 1938 in Fonda, NY
-- Married to Josephine Ettlemeyer Collins (1872-1925) in roughly 1893
-- Had (at least) the following children: William A Collins (1894-1981), John Collins (1898-?), Joseph M Collins (1899-1922), Henry V Collins (1906-1978), Emma Collins (1909-?)
Henry V Collins
-- Born Feb 14, 1906 in Fonda, NY
-- Died Jan 1978 in Johnstown, NY
-- Married to Emma Lilian Sitterley (1911-1994) Aug 29, 1929
-- Had the following children: Gaynell Collins (1932-?), Ronald Collins (1935-Living), Darryl Lee Collins (1937-1988), Val Collins (1944-2016), Brett L Collins (1950-Living)
Ronald Collins
-- Born May 22, 1935 in NY
-- Married to Phyllis Baldwin Collins (1935-2002)
-- Had the following children: Claudia Collins, Kevin Collins, Lawrence Collins, Melisa Collins, Rondalynn Collins (all living)
Lawrence Collins is my father.
Patrick Collins is as far back as I've been able to go thus far. I've been digging through Ancestry.com records for information on him as well as his wife, Josephine. I was able to find much more information on Josephine and her ancestors but am really hoping to go further back with the Collins name.
The records (census records and headstone) I've found so far put him being born in Galway, Ireland in 1862 but no birth date as of yet. I also have conflicting records on when he came to the US based on census reports - it was either 1880, 1882, or 1893.
1880 seems potentially unlikely because I have a record of a Patrick Collins living in Willenhall, UK in 1881 (his listed age is 18 which would line up with an 1862 birth year, depending on the census date and his birth date). Census details below:
Civil parish: Wednesfield
County/Island: Staffordshire
Country: England
Street Address: 16 Hall St
Occupation: Ag Lab
Registration district: Wolverhampton
Sub registration district: Willenhall
The discrepancies in his immigration date come from three census reports:
1900 lists it as 1880
1910 lists it as 1893
1920 lists it as 1882
All three of the census confirm his family members and are from Fonda, NY.
At this point, I'm at a brick wall trying to go back any further. I'm hoping that someone here may be able to point me in a direction or help find more information on Patrick, his parents, and my ancestors going back beyond him.
Thanks so much!
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Welcome to RootsChat.
To have any chance of finding Patrick in Galway you will need his marriage for his father's and hopefully his mother's name.
The marriage might also give an address in Galway.
Patrick was born before Civil Registration of births began in 1864 so you will have to rely on church records, not all church records survive from that period.
Have you looked on FamilySearch for his marriage?
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The immigration year in 1910 is 1883, not 1893. Have you looked for his naturalization record?
Debra :)
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The family are on the 1900, 1910 and 1920 census returns and he is inconsistenly giving his immigration details
1900 states he is aged 29 arrived in 1880 and his birth month/year are Oct 1870
The record states he is married to Josephine for 7 years implies c1893 which ties with ages of children i.e .William b1894
In 1910 he states he arrived 1893 1883 and is naturalized
The record states against Josephine that she is married 7 years and had 9 children of which 5 are alive
In 1920 he states he arrived in 1882 and was naturalized in 1887
I think you need to start by locating his marriage record from c1893 in New York
I would not be confident that the England census return is correct without further information
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In 1910 he states he arrived 1893 and is naturalized
The immigration year in 1910 is 1883, not 1893.
Debra :)
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Apologies Debra - on reviewing especially by comparing to the 1903 below I'd agree with 1883
Meaning he most likely arrived in the early 1880s
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Ah, you know - that definitely could be an 8 instead of a 9 on that one form.
I did look on FamilySearch but haven't found anything (yet), but it sounds like I have a few more things to add to my list here - naturalization records and marriage records, which will hopefully lead to the names of his parents.
The inconsistencies across US census reports are frustrating, as it seems like certain information changes from one to the next - though the big ticket items (wife, children, town) all continue to line up. I do know that his birth & death years (1862-1938) should, in fact, be correct as those dates are on his tombstone which my family still visits each year.
I'll do some more digging and let you know what, if anything, I'm able to find. Thanks!
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There are four entries showing for men named Patrick COLLINS on Ancestry's New York, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1940 (birth year 1863 +/- 5 years).
Debra :)
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I do know that his birth & death years (1862-1938) should, in fact, be correct as those dates are on his tombstone which my family still visits each year.
His death year is probably correct but his birth year may not be, unlike today people didn't always know their date of birth, as you can see with the differences in the census a date given is often just a best guess.
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I have a bit of an update here. I wasn't able to find much in the way of documents, but I was able to get in contact with one of my great-uncles to fill in a lot of blanks.
Patrick Collins was born January 28, 1862 in Peterswell, County Galway, Ireland. His parents were Patrick and Mary Goatley Collins.
He married Josephine Ettlemeyer at St. Ceclias Catholic Church Fonda on May 10, 1893. Rev. Father Dolan preformed the wedding ceremony.
Josephine died 13 years before Patrick. Patrick died in bed while taking a mid morning nap and was discovered by his son Henry at noon on a Saturday. There was no indication of poor health and it was believed he died in his sleep from a heart attack.
Patrick and Josephine had several children of which some died prior to child birth or shortly after. The children who survived were Joe, William, John, Henry and Emma. He had two brothers Michael Collins, Chicago Ill. and Owen Collins, Ireland, and two sisters Delia Collins, Ireland and Nellie Collins, Fonda.
His information confirms a lot of what I already had - birth years, death years, wedding years, and the children they had who survived. This also sheds light on the census where Josephine noted having 9 children, 5 of whom were living.
Time to do some more digging!
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... Patrick Collins was born January 28, 1862 in Peterswell, County Galway, Ireland. His parents were Patrick and Mary Goatley Collins ...
I think that's incorrect.
If you look at the following Peterswell RC parish register entry of 1862, you will see that the parents of Patrick Collins, baptised on 30 January with a birth date given as 28 January, were Patrick Collins and Margaret Ruan(?) of Kilderry (2nd entry up from bottom):
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634187#page/28/mode/1up
Someone called Mary Goatly was one of the sponsors, along with Michael Collins.
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Given where the following birth was registered, this may be Patrick's brother - Martin Collins born 1864, parents given as Patrick Collins and Margaret Ruane:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1864/03592/2324355.pdf
The names involved are very common, however 'Kilderry' in the church register I previously posted might mean the townland of Keelderry in the civil parish of Kilthomas (fits well in the context of the Peterswell RC parish), very close by in the same civil parish of Kilthomas is a townland called Knockoura, which may be the address in the above birth registration.
Added: Here (below) is the baptismal entry, the address looks like Keelderry, Margaret's surname - after the more doubtful rendering in Patrick's 1862 baptismal entry - is most definitely Ruane (bottom of page):
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634187#page/36/mode/1up
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Mary Goatly ?
Right hand side
Mary Goatly to John O'Donnell 4th May 1867
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634187#page/80/mode/1up
Son Patrick 1868
488
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1868/03449/2266468.pdf