After researching my great-grandmother for over 10 years I am once again at a roadblock.
After her death in the 1970s it was revealed that she was born in a workhouse in newtonards when her birth certificate surfaced. Though I have asked many times to see it, I'm guessing it's been lost. I'm unable to locate a birth certificate or any type of confirmation about her birth or her mother's.
As the story goes, mama gave birth in the morning and later that day returned to work with the baby strapped to her body.
I'm told she was a twin (from an elderly relative) but the twin didn't survive. I'm hoping this is an important detail to help locate her birth records but cannot find any evidence of being a twin. (Perhaps it was actually her mother who was a twin??)
Here are the facts I know:
Born 13 Nov 1903 • Newtownards (workhouse)
Married 1921
Died 18 Oct 1975 • Carrickfergus
Mother: Mary Elizabeth Hanna
Grandparents: Robert Hanna and Margaret Park
1911 Census
Elizabeth McClean (parents Mary and George McClean)
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Ballygowan/Ballygowan/266472/Head of household has had no children (Elizabeth and Robert) but mother has had two and there are two living. Robert a 9 mo old infant and assumed to have died young. No one in the family has heard of him. Probably not born with the surname McClean as head of household has no children. (Or maybe that's an error on the census).
George McClean treated Lizzie as his own daughter and she grew up with the name McClean. More step siblings followed (Isabelle and Ernie).
** searching for
birth records of Elizabeth Hanna (1903-1975)
and/or birth/death records for her mother
Mary Elizabeth Hanna (born 1884) - I have a photo of her as an older woman but no one recalls when she passed (likely died in carrickfergus 1960s)
