it is a BIG challenge. my interest has been roused again in the Denigan side of my tree mainly due to the records FindMyPast has made free to view this week. i havent really found anything that fills in my blanks on my tree but i have found some really interesting reading. Denigan with or without the extra 'n' is a unique name and my little lot come from E.D Killashee Ballyclare. a teeny little stretch of land, so you would think they would be easy enough to trace? i have a number of posts about various Denigans and i can give links if anyone wants although they dont really relate to what im looking for here. i will give purely bare bones info as i have them and let others do their thing if they want to. i have no funds right now to purchase any certs or records and im still actually looking at the more recent history of this family. But given the FindMyPast freebies this week and given that i know some rootschatters love a good puzzle i thought i would post this.
Richard Denigan born 1882 killashee ballyclare. father james denigan mother mary ann burke
(i rang the records office to ask for something and a wonderfully helpful lady offered to have a quick look on the computer for Richards birth. it comes up the only richard born in killashee in this time frame is born to james denigan and mary ann burke. very helpful of her, she then proceeds to have a quick look and tells me there are no other james denigan and mary ann burke marriages in the longford area that she can see! i couldnt believe how helpful she was!)
James Denigan born 1827 m mary ann Burke born 1962 1881 in st mels cathedral longford
(i cannot locate the email sent to me with a copy of the marriage cert. i do remember father though for James was Richard Dinnigan. father for mary ann was thomas burke i have found this family with some of the children on the irish 1901 and 1911 census giving me rough DOB's also i remember james occupation on his marriage being ex RIC and in census he says RIC pensioner. further research by another Denigan who paid a hefty sum for his records, shows he was only RIC from 1849-1851 when he was sacked. so he was not a RIC pensioner)
so my question is. who was richard dinnigan. where was he born who was he married too. did james have any siblings?
all of these i dont know. i have all the information as far as i know with regards to james and marys children and i have them in the various census after 1882 and their marriages and children. there is a debate amongst those researching this line as to whether richard Denigan b 1882 actually belongs in this family. everyone in killashee (im told 116 acres) knows of the denigans and their family feuds and fallings out. indeed if i just look at the records under denigan longford, the petty session records show denigan against denigan a lot. yet no one recalls Richard denigan being born to james and mary ann. a gentleman who is also related to me through one of james and marys other children has extensively researched this family and spoken to many residents locally to the farm the denigans owned and he has heard no mention of Richard. my gut feeling on this based on what i know is that richard just upped and left.
richard denigan was my great great grandad. he was not a nice man. im not ashamed to admit this and no one in my family would disagree. i have him on the 1901 census in the uk. from there i can trace everything about him. my gut feeling is he was either sent away and disowned (not unlikely given the kind of man he became) or he decided to leave (again not unlikely given how much the denigans fought) given that the lady at the records office told me what she could see on screen and she was so helpful i am inclined to believe that my facts are true and the stories and leaving Richard out of conversations does not mean he didnt belong to this family.
sorry really long post. anyway. if anyone fancies a go at it, im looking for james denigan/dennigan/dinnigan his birth death and his parents and siblings. ive been looking now for nearly 6 years and still cannot find them.