The Surname Kirk

[AKirk87]

Hello. My name is Ashley Kirk and I'm researching my Kirk family. I've been looking into them for three to four years now. I haven't made much headway so I'm looking for some much needed help. Here is what I know so far...

My earliest descendant's name is Patrick Kirk. I know he was born in Ireland, but I have no idea where. He was born in or around 1850. He arrived in the United States in 1868. He married an Irish woman (who immigrated through Canada) named Hanna or Hannorah Collins. She too was born in Ireland. Together they had two children, both boys. The first born was William (b: 1869) and the second was Daniel (b:1873). Patrick's wife was 10 years older than him and I believe she had children from a previous relationship.

My ultimate goal in my research is to find the location of where exactly Patrick was born, in Ireland. Through additional research on the last name of Kirk, I found that most Kirk surnames were originally found in Northern Ireland due to the Scottish-English/Norwegian roots of the name.

If anyone has information on this couple or Patrick, please let me know. I have searched high and low for additional information. This side of my family is shrouded in mystery and I'd really like to know more about them. So, if anyone with any type of information or that knows of any resources I could use, please let me know!

I thank all of you in advance, who are able to help in any way.

[aghadowey]

Unfortunately Patrick Kirk was born well before the start of civil registration of births in Ireland. To find a baptism record you'll need to know both the family's religion and where they lived (parish if not actual townland) but not all records for this period survive and of those that do not all are online.

However, there are some U.S. resources you might not have found yet which could give some clues.

Start with Patrick's marriage certificate- are the parents' names listed?
Birth certificates for the 2 sons- is Patrick's place of birth listed? (or does it just say Ireland)
Death certificate for Patrick- parents' names? birthdate? birthplace? (depends on informants' knowledge but can be helpful)

There are lots of other ideas in this topic on finding Irish ancestor-
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=498742.0

[avm228]

Welcome to Rootschat, Ashley

As aghadowey has said, US vital records can be extremely helpful in providing information which can assist in tracing emigres back to their origins.  However, they are arranged by state/county rather than nationally, and therefore what you can find will very much depend upon the formalities required by a particular state (or, in the 19th/early 20th century, often the county) at a particular date.  Nationalization, immigration and passport records can also be very valuable.

Are these your Kirks in Pennsylvania in 1880?

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWNF-7XL

[avm228]

What information do you have about Patrick's arrival in 1868 - do you have a passenger list or other immigration evidence?

I see on www.castlegarden.org a 19 yr old Irish labourer named Patrick Kirk arriving on the Hibernia from Liverpool, 11 Aug 1866, which seems the closest match, but perhaps you have found something else.

[stockton]

Hi Ashley,

Iv'e not done a great deal on my Kirk's, my paternal grandmother
was Beatrice Warhust Kirk. Born abt 1896,  { Stockton on Tees. Co Durham }
her parents were Arthur Kirk & Mary Moss, they can be found in the
1871 census Pocklington, seems  the early Kirks worked in Yorkshire
on the railways.
If you find a link to these Kirk's please let me know.
  All the best.
Derek

[Skoosh]

Black, in his "Surnames of Scotland" has a Sir Patrick Kyrk in St Mary's kirk, Perth in 1456. Of local origin from residence near a kirk.

Skoosh.

[shellyesq]

If the 1880 census above was the right one, this seems like a possibility for the 1900 census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3S6-NKY

If so, it looks like this is his gravestone:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Kirk&GSiman=1&GScid=1369216&GRid=107330714&

Unfortunately, he just missed the available online Pennsylvania death records that start in 1906, but a death certificate may be able to purchased from the county where he died. 

A family tree says his father's name was William, but no sources are given for that information.