Higgins/McGuinness - Shanballybaun

[millikid]

I am looking for help with these families from the Boyle, Cootehall, Shanballybaun areas. My mother Mary Kate Higgins was the daughter  of Francis (1903 -1972) & Bridget (nee Mcguinness 1910-1944) married in 1937 at Cootehall. Francis known as Frank re-married Bridie Dunne in 1951 at Church of Croona, Keadue, Boyle. They are both buried at Ardcarne cemetery one in a marked grave & one in an unmarked grave. I am looking for the 2 sons Sean & Cieran born to the 2nd marriage. I can find no trace of them at all. Someone recently told me that not all births were registered. If this is so how do I find there details. There was also a baby from the 1st marriage that I believe died at birth or closely after. I have death certificate- is there any way to know of that child has a burial or would that not have been the case in the late 1930's ? As I am in Australia any help would be greatly appreciated. many thanks Caroline

[myluck!]

I searched on www.familysearch.org and this was the result
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0l4r/
This looks like the details for your Mother and two possible siblings that may have been twins (same civil reference date and page)

By 1951 almost all births were being recorded and there is only one close match to the names you are looking for, but we are moving into the realms of the the possible living and therefore cannot refer directly to people.
I would suggest that there is a possibility that the children of the second marriage born after 1951 could have been
(1) born in a hospital e.g. Roscommon and therefore the civil register region would be that of the hospital, or
(2) named with a different name to that they were called for example naming a son Francis John after his Father and calling him Sean (the Irish for John) or
(3) that there was a large age gap between the children as the on-line records only go up to 1959
(4) that the son(s) were adopted and therefore not showing up as Higgins on the civil registers

I hope this helps a little in your search

[millikid]

Thank you so much for your efforts. I have that information & the certificate copies. It is my mother & yes it was twin sisters with one either a still birth or that died shortly after. I have done a lot of  thinking over the past few days & remember the story of my mum's brother visiting her in England. For the dates to fall into place they would have had to have been born prior to the 2nd marriage so I am now really stumped. The first wife died in 1944 ( my maternal grandmother) & the 2nd marriage was not till 1951, I wonder if they were illegitimate & thus not registered. Will have to keep searching. Many thanks.

[myluck!]

Could Frank have married three times?
Do you have his marriage certificate from 1937 and was he single or widowed?
In 1937 he would have been 34 and it is possible he had already been widowed
This could be the answer!

[millikid]

Thank you again for your efforts. I have checked the 1st marriage certificate which lists Frank as Bachelor. That wedding was 1937 & that 1st wife died in 1944. My mother was born in 1938 but sadly passed away a few years ago. I didn't know that Bridie (nee Dunne) was her step mother till I visited Ireland last year. My mother only ever referred to her as my mum & gave no indication ever that her mother had died when she was young. There is one of the twins still living but unfortunatley she had brain damage from birth & although she leads a lovely life is no help to me when it comes to things like this. There is a photo that my Aunt has which must have previously been her step mothers on the back it had "my granddaughter" & has been scribbled out & some one has written "my niece" for my Aunt. I have tried to trace the brothers through this birth without luck. I feel I have a whole other family out there - but I just can't find them. thanks again - I 'll keep hunting.

[myluck!]

I wish you luck and hope that you can locate your extended family