I am at a loss to know how to best pursue the vague hints I have of my Irish connection on my mother’s side. The most complete information I have is from a biographical sketch of John Ratliff included in the History of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Vol II . Therein, it says that “in 1818 he married Elizabeth Wilson, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Hyde) Wilson, who were natives of Ireland but came to this country when quite young.” There is no indication in this terse reference to where they were from in Ireland, where they immigrated to the US, or wen this was—‘when quite young’ could not be any vaguer. My mother was told that she was “part Scotch-Irish” which would seem to indicate they were from Ulster, but that still is no real help without more details than I have. Assuming that Elizabeth was about 20 when she married John Ratliff, and that she was born when her parents were about that same age, that could place their births at around 1778, give or take a few years, but this is just guesswork. I keep looking for their names on the genealogical sites, but no one else seems to have any better idea than I do.It doesn’t help, either, that Elizabeth, Robert, Hyde, and Wilson are all common names.
