DNA & STILL A BRICK WALL

[Lisa in California]

Received a message from Deb late last night which she asked me to pass on. Her computer has died. She's currently setting up essentials like email and banking on her iPad. She won't be back on RootsChat until she has a replacement computer.

Thank you for letting us know, Maiden Stone.  How frustrating and disappointing for Deb.  I hope Deb is able to get things back to normal soon.

[Maiden Stone]

 I tried looking for death registration of Bridget Dwyer, Jer's wife,  between 1864 and 1893 (assuming she died after start of death registrations) but was put off by the numbers.

Possibly Bridget Dwyer's death in 1873. Age 52. Residence Ballough. Informant John Dwyer.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1873/020687/7258792.pdf

[Lisa in California]

I’ll continue searching in the states 

I don’t think this has been mentioned before?  Could this be your John?

Civil War draft registration
John Welch, born 1827, Ireland. Farmer.
Age on 1 July 1863 - 36
Race - white
Residence - Elk, Delaware, Iowa
Congressional District   3rd. Class 2.

I wonder if there are any more detailed military records for this John?

[Maiden Stone]

A question for Deb.  Who were beneficiaries and executors of John Welch's will?

[Maiden Stone]

…I have a cousin who is also doing research and thinks the John in Tippecanoe is not ours!  I discovered the find and I don't know why she thinks that! 

Apologies if there are slight errors in the following; I’m not taking the time to double-check entries as it is difficult switching between census records and here.

Your (Deb’s) tree shows:
1850  John, age 23 (born c1827).  Bridget, age 19 (born c1831).
1860  John, age 37 (born c1823).  Bridget, age 30 (born c1830).
1870  John, age 48 (born c1822).  Bridget, age 40 (born c1830).
1880  Bridget, age 48 (born c1832).

I wonder if the John and Bridget in 1850 were actually your couple?
In 1850, they were recorded living in Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana census.

I wonder if this couple was actually the 1850 couple?
1850  John, age 23 (born c1827).  Bridget, age 19 (born c1831).
Bridget might have died between 1850 and 1856.
John marries Mary O’Shea in 1856.
1860 John, age 30, Mary, age 29.  Living in Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana.
John’s headstone states he died in 1892, age 65 (born c1827). 
Obit about this John Welch and his family: https://www.rootschat.com/links/01rqd/

If the above John and Bridget/Mary were actually the folks from the 1850 census then where might we find your John and Bridget? Ireland? New York?  Somewhere else?

Reading obits of that John Welch, his parents and siblings, it seems that the family arrived in 1839 and remained in the area. I noticed that a brother younger than John was born in New Jersey and that John's surname was Walsh on his gravestone.
Deb's John and Bridget could have been anywhere in 1850 and not necessarily together.   

[shanreagh]

'Deb's John and Bridget could have been anywhere in 1850 and not necessarily together.'

The earliest sighting I think is the 1860 census? 

I did find a John and Alice Walsh and a dau Alice in Australia and will do some more on that.  Other Hennessy family members went to Aus as well.     

Looking at the Dwyers in Ireland around Bansha there were some Edwards and more Edmunds. 

If we can locate the birth of Edward in the US that would get us a long way........

[Maiden Stone]

'Deb's John and Bridget could have been anywhere in 1850 and not necessarily together.'

The earliest sighting I think is the 1860 census? 


If we can locate the birth of Edward in the US that would get us a long way........

Yes to all that.

[Lisa in California]

Once Deb is able to check, I wonder if the following might provide clues, providing she hasn’t already tried?

Search for DNA matches on Ancestry for only place of birth (do not include a surname) in
Elk, Iowa
Greeley, Iowa
Jacksonville, Illinois
New York (she most likely would have to include a surname with this search)

Since the first three locations appear to have small populations any results might be easier to follow up than locations with large populations.

[Maiden Stone]

Deb, are you 100% sure that the information you have about Bridget (her parents, birthplace, etc.) is correct?  Have you found U.S. records verifying her family? Apologies if you did mention facts in this thread or in your previous off-site threads.

I only ask because long ago we assumed we had found my mum’s ancestor’s family only to discover decades later that while we may have found his relatives, we did not find his actual parents. It was quite a blow to find out there were at least two John Ovens, born c1809 in County Fermanagh.  We thought Ovens was an unusual name.  We were wrong.

I've not seen any trees as I don't have a sub for Ancestry.