Author Topic: JOHN DORAN & HELEN LEE  (Read 5386 times)

Offline thebanshee

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JOHN DORAN & HELEN LEE
« on: Friday 09 March 07 22:56 GMT (UK) »
Hello to everyone,

I have been searching for some time now for my ggggrandparents John and Helen/Ellen Doran, (m/s Lee).  They were apparently from Ireland and were, or at least rumeroured to be, "Tinkers", to use the exact term from my family members.

I have searched high and low on every web site I can find and still cannot find any further info.  All I do know is that one of their children, John Doran, married Catherine Kerr/Carr in Glasgow and they went on to have children who were born and raised in Govan.  I have an approximate date of birth for their son John of 1869 in Ireland, (god only knows where - possibly Wicklow or Wexford) and that is about it.  Oh, they were Roman Catholics. 

Family rumour says that whenever the first John Doran came off the boat it was in Liverpool, where he stayed for a while with his brothers before travelling to Glasgow and settling down, so to speak, but, again, I can still find no information linking either names or places.

Please help as I am getting to the point now where I am going around the proverbial bend and when I am drifting off to sleep my mind still seems to be tossing all the info around and around, thinking of any clues I may have missed, going over old ground again and again.......AAAGGGHHHHH!!

Is there anybody out there who could shed just a tiny beam of light on my illustrious ancestors???

Offline AMBLY

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Re: JOHN DORAN & HELEN LEE
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 10 March 07 07:31 GMT (UK) »
Hi there  ;D

How certain are you of John jnr's YOB - I see in 1891 Census transcription as follows:

Barony, Glasgow
Parish Nr: 644/10  , ED 6, pg 10, RD: Anderston
Address: 74 Clyde St 
Head: John DORAN 29, Dock Labourer , b Ireland
Wife: Catherine DORAN 27, b Ireland
Dau: Margaret DORAN 11, b Glasgow
Son: John DORAN 4, b Glasgow
Son: James DORAN 1, b Glasgow
Brother: Thomas KERR 23, Dock Labourer, b Ireland
Aunt: Catherine McGLAUGHLIN 47, Dressmaker, b Ireland

If you think this could be John jnr , it would warrant a look at the original image on Scotlands People - to see if Margaret really was 11, and to see marital status of Thomas and the Aunt.

If you have the document, what details do you have off John & Catherine's  marriage certificate - witness', parents (alive or deceased, occupations) etc.

Have you any idea at all when they first arrived in Liverpool and / or Scotland?

Cheers
AMBLY
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

"Now that we're all here, I'm not sure if we're all there...."

 Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz
 Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace
    ~Benito Juarez (1806-1872)

Offline thebanshee

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Re: JOHN DORAN & HELEN LEE
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 11 March 07 00:06 GMT (UK) »
Hya Ambly,

They are my great, great grandparents, (obviously the little John you see listed is my great grandfather John, father to my nan, who at 85 is still alive and kicking and as fit as a fiddle, - not lost any of her Glaswegian charm either, even after living in Macclesfield for the past forty odd years).

I have got this and other documents off Scotlands People but to be honest there is a lot of conflicting evidence which confuses me - eg) on this census John Doran is down as 29 therefore making his approx date of birth 1862, on his death certificate in 1923 he is listed as being 54, (very clear copy), which would make his date of birth approx 1869 and on his marriage certificate dated 1886 his age is down as 25 which would make his date of birth 1861 approx.  The same can be said for Catherine Kerr/Carr also, (differing ages/fathers name).

Thomas Kerr is actually Catherine Kerr's brother and I am still looking for any info on Cathrine McGlaughlin. 

Any how,  John Doran's father is always listed as John Doran and his mother is down as Helen Lee on his death certificate but as Joan (or Jean) Quinn on his marriage certificate - I have tried LDS, Scotlands People, and Ancestry and cross referenced names, dates, etc but all to no avail.....

Now, the Margaret listed as being 11 is actually the daughter of Catherine Carr to her first husband Joseph O'Donnell and I have tracked her right through to her marriage in later years and also seen her birth certificate and death certificate which collaborates this.  Catherine is, respectively listed as being Catherine Doran, formerly O'Donnell, m/s Kerr/Carr.  (Her first husband was a steam engine fireman with the merchant service and although she married him when 17, was a widower within a few years).

I really couldn't even begin to guess when John Doran could have first come over to Liverpool or Glasgow.  In fact every single one of my gran's grandparents were born in Ireland, according to marriage and death certs and census reports, but there is no clue as to when they ventured over here or to Glasgow.  (Wether they were babes in arms or off on adventures as soon as they were old enough to do so - with or without parents)  All I do know is that there does seem to be a common occupation with reference to quay or dock labourors.
 
If you think you can point me in any direction which could lead to further clues, etc, please, please  don't hesitate no matter how flimsy the information or direction could be.

Thanks so much for getting back to me, as you can probably tell, I'm getting more desperate by the minute.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Michelle

Offline AMBLY

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Re: JOHN DORAN & HELEN LEE
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 11 March 07 00:37 GMT (UK) »
Hi Michelle

I entirely sympathise  ;D
I also have DORAN of Ireland > Liverpool (West Derby) in my tree, they were Dock Labourer's too. A Bernard DORAN born of a Bernard DORAN who according to one maybe source had 19 children all over Ireland but may be from Tipperary. Definitely in the too hard  ;D Must be a DORAN thing, mine had ages all over the place too!

Anyway! Maybe a long shot - but what was your John's address at time of marriage to Catherine - maybe can find that affress in 1891 to see who was there?

On his marriage cert did it say his parents were deceased? What was his father's occupation? And that's very interesting re: Mother's name - wonder if his father had remarried...

Cheers
AMBLY
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

"Now that we're all here, I'm not sure if we're all there...."

 Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz
 Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace
    ~Benito Juarez (1806-1872)


Offline thebanshee

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Re: JOHN DORAN & HELEN LEE
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 11 March 07 13:58 GMT (UK) »
Nice one Ambly,

It is strangley comforting to know that I'm not the only one out there having to deal with the whole ireland, scotland to england - Doran thing! ;D

With regards to the John Doran and Catherine Carr marriage it took place in St Johns Chapel, Glasgow and the address listed is under the heading Usual Residence and this is 103 Dale Street, Govan, Glasgow.  John Doran at this point in his life is listed as being a Seaman in the Merchant Services. 

Although it lists Catherines dad, (James Carr), as being deceased her Mum, along with John's ma and pa, (John and Joan Doran, m/s Quinn), all appear to be alive and kicking.

With regards to witnesses, there does appear to be three but they are barely understandable due to the poor quality of the photocopy I have - it looks like there is a definate John Bradley and the two others seem to have a surname looking like Mc (defo Mc) Connel or Connil :-\

Anyway, thanks to your email regarding checking the address, I remembered that on Scotlands People you can actually type in the address, something I have done in the past but forgotten about totally - (I automatically assume that you can only go off names and dates), so I'll have a quick gander at that too.

Many thanks Ambly for keeping in touch, I am actually beginning to feel a little bit optimistic now - I've also been hunting for the Thomas Kerr and Cathrine Mclaughlin and may, (only a tiny may), have found Thomas in Dover with quite a few kids and Cathrine Mclaughlin, well her family could well be travellers too!!!!  I'll have to wait and see.

Thanks again,

Michelle