Robert Farrell from Donegal

[lahpun]

Hello from Australia, Looking for help re finding ROBERT FARRELL.  We know he was born in Donegal around 1855/56.   It is said he had a sister Margaret and a brother Andrew.  The latter two having gone to the United States.
Robert Farrell came to Australia and married here.  He had 10 children and when his wife died in 1907 he left for the United States in 1916 and died there in 1918.
Can anyone help find his family in Donegal?
Regards
Lesley

[aghadowey]

Difficult to find information without more details, so here are a few comments-

1) does his death certificate list place and date of birth, parents' names? Most U.S. states include those details on certificates.

2) civil registration of births in Ireland didn't start until 1864 so no birth certificate and to find a baptismal record you need to have an idea of family's religion and location (parish of not actual townland).

3) any information about siblings Andrew and Margaret? tracing them and their descendants might help find details of the family in Ireland.

4) Where in the U.S. did he die in 1918?

If you click on 'report to moderator' in either of these posts you can ask for this topic to be moved to DONEGAL board.

[lahpun]

Thanks for your advice.  Unfortunate that Robert was born before your record begin.  Have no death record from America.  The only thing we have re Margaret A. Farrell is a letter dated 16th March 1918 from America to someone called Bella (Robert and his wife Selena had a daughter Isabella) and Margaret was telling her that her father "had gone to his long home on the 8th March 1918 at 11pm".  It appears that his son Robert Ambrose Farrell also was working in the States (according to that letter) but we know he died in New South Wales.  The father was noted as Robert Ambrose Farrell as well on the NSW Records. 

Margaret lived at a place called Millers Place Long Island New York which is where we presume he died. Margaret talks about her brother I think "back in the old country named James/Jamie.

Another letter from Uncle Andrew, Millers Place, Long Island but very hard to read as written in pencil. Dated October 17th, 1918.

Another letter dated March 23rd 1921 from Margaret states that Robert was cremated and his ashes placed with "Aunty Mary" as they were good friends.  Uncle Andrew has married again.

There are conflicted entries here in Australia where others state Robert (father) died here in Australia in 1938.  As we know the letters state his ashes are in the States.  Where I do not know.  I know nothing more about Margaret or Andrew.

I have no idea where to go from here.

Lesley

[aghadowey]

Robert Farrell arrived in San Francisco, California on the 'Sienna' 'SIERRA' from Sydney, Australia on 2 Oct.1916. He was a mechanic, age 61, born Co.Donegal Ireland, widower. Son- R. Farrell of Crown St., Sydney, Australia. Passage paid by sister and he was going to Millers Place. Had been in U.S. 1866-1871 'East West.' Sister Miss M. Farrell, Millers Place, N.Y.

This details may help locate more information.

[lahpun]

Thanks for your reply.   I actually had the shipping manifest information which you just sent but I have one query - was the ship SIENNA or SIERRA which I thought.  The copy I was sent from Ancestry looks like the latter.  I did not have the latter information about being paid for by Margaret or that Robert had been over there in 1866 to 1871.  Thank you for that.

I tried to contact a funeral home in Long Island but the email was returned unknown.  I will ask my friend if they want to contact the register for births, marriages and deaths to see if they can help.

Margaret does state in one of the letters to Bella (Isabella) "that she and her brother Andrew would love for Isabella and her family to live in New York as their family which was once very big in Ireland has now diminished and it would be lovely to have other family there."

Thank you again for your help.
Lesley

[aghadowey]

Sorry, had trouble reading my own writing  It was the SIERRA

[lahpun]

Since talking with you about Robert Farrell I have found some further information from old documents and one states that he was an Orangeman and that he was a prison warder  before coming to Australia.  Are there records with regards to names of Prison Warders?  So if he were born in between 1850-1860 and married supposedly in Australia in 1878 I now have to try to locate him arriving in Australia.  He would have been aged around 23 if he were born 1855 and married 1878.  First child born 1879.
If, as you say, it says he went to America in 1866 he would only have been 10 years of age.....maybe it was for a holiday and then back to Ireland and when in his 20's came to Australia.

Interested to hear if anything on Prison Warders.

Lesley

[aghadowey]

People didn't 'go on holiday' to America from Ireland in 1860s (or even much later)- it's more likely the whole family/other family members went to U.S. at the time.

[lahpun]

Well then, maybe he came to Australia from America - does that sound feasible?