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My great grandfather's great grandfather married twice.  His name was John Wright and he was born in North Meols about 1776 and moved to Manchester/Salford area sometime about 1795 and opened a Dye works there.  I have found two children from his first marriage, Richard and Mary Ellen and from his second I have four, William, John, Samuel and Elizabeth.  I have also found another John Wright who could be my John Wright's from his first marriage except that he was alive at the same time as the his supposed half brother.  I know that it was usual to reuse a name once a child had died and that there could be several Johns in the same family - would they have used the same name in a second family even though the first son was still alive?

James Cummings and his wife Mary Ellen Rock (Nellie) emigrated to Canada, Alberta in 1909.  They lived in Carstairs for a while he was a printer.  Daniel was born in 1910 - he may have had siblings.  James joined the Mounties then the army in 1918.  Nellie died in 1918 in Regina after an operation.  She is buried in St Mary's in Calgary.  I am her great grandniece and hoping to find their descendents.

They came from Bolton Lancashire England.

Would love to hear from anyone who can help me find them.

Frances

Looking for a connection between the Norris family of Speke and the Norris family of Bolton - this way back.  Is anyone researching this family in the 15th and 16th and 17th centuries?  I believe part of my family is descended from the 8th son of Sir William le Norreys born 1431 whose great grandson ended up in Bolton in the early 1500s.  This is a vast family with lots of descedants.
Frances

I am painfully putting my Irish family together - My Great Great Granfather married Margaret Kilgariff in Ballaghdereen, Mayo in 1856 (I believe).  I looked in the Phone Book and wrote to the only Kilgariff left in Ballaghdereen (well in the phone book) and she wrote back to me via her son in law - totally delighted to have a complete stranger from Canada asking her about her family for she has some memories and stories of interest to me.

The one thing in the letter that startled me was the Dowry system in place then - her father in law married his wife in 1911 and the wife brought a large amount of property to the marriage as a dowry. 

The dowry system is one of the reasons for the drop in population after the Hunger.  It seems the English finally decided to help the Irish by outlawing the division of land among the sons, so that only one could inherite.  That one would have to wait on his father's death or retirement to inherite.  A woman could only marry if she had a dowry and the families arranged the marriage.  The dowry required would be large so it wasn't unusual for only one daughter to have it (the eldest).  She'd only marry someone with property so he'd be a bit long in the tooth as would she (after waiting around for her betroth to qualify for marriage) so when they married they would have a small family.  The unmarried sibling would either remain at home as unpaid labor or go to the city (Dublin I guess) or immigrate.

Has anybody after more information on this Dowry system - its fascinating and I am trying to come to grips with it and its effect on family relationships.  It did undervalue women - couple it with the lack of young men after the First world war (and yes lots of Irish men died in that too) I can't help feeling that the countryside of Ireland would be full of Spinsters.

Frances

okay got a birth certificate and it says that my Michael Rock's dwelling place was Boholis - anyone heard of  it?  It was in the parish of Castlerea in Mayo/Rosscommon area in the district of Ballaghadereen.  Could it be Ballyhaunis?  The Irish is killing me!

Also does Landholder mean he owned land or held it like rented it?

Frances