So many places called Kilmore. Likely to be Townland or village

[Wexflyer]

Just to add - it doesn't have to be a townland or village. Could be a parish, even a diocese.

If I were to hazard a guess, it would be that someone giving an address in the antipodes would tend to avoid giving a townland address, as no one would ever have heard of it, or know where it was - they would tend to give the address of a larger unit

[Wexflyer]

Her name was Annie Burns, married Charles Edward Parkin in Melbourne, Australia in 1888. She was born abt 1861 to William Burns and Annie(maiden name "unknown" on marriage certificate). Religion: R.C, Occupation: dressmaker.

Seems strange to me that she would not have know her own mother's surname. Just seems intrinsically unlikely. Makes me wonder if Burns was her mother's name, that she ascribed to her father....?

[AllanUK]

A number of public family trees on Ancestry show that she was born in Kilmore, Dublin

Is that likely to be meaningful ?

I wasn't implying that the information was correct / incorrect -- merely pointing a possible direction to take. We all know that some FTs on Ancestry are incorrect.

[Chris.s.25]

Hi All, Thanks for your replies.
I'm new to forum type format and cant work out how to reply to individual comments, despite searching help.
I've learnt not to rely on public trees on the various sites but to use them as hints as they are invariably copied over and over. I know as I used to do the same.
My question was really if I was Irish Catholic and someone asked me, in 1888, where I was born, would I give the name of my village, townland, parish etc?
I would have thought the answer would be what you always answered rather than being concerned that the person recording the details knew where it was.
I thought it strange that she didn't know her mothers maiden name too but someone pointed out to me that such details in the 1800's weren't important and not really discussed. It makes sense since verbal birth date and other records can be +/- years. Or I wonder if they were hiding something, were her parents related with the same surname??
I was aware Kilmore meant "big church" which in Ireland isn't very helpful.
Have a lovely day.

[heywood]

Hi Chris,
There is no need to reply individually. This is just fine.
We haven’t got very far searching for Annie. 
With regard to the maiden name, she would only know it, if she had been told. Was it that important or maybe the same surname as her father. It just make searching more difficult.
Have you found any migration records? 
Sometimes relatives can be found emigrating at the same time or settling in the same area.
Did they marry in church? I am wondering if the parish records might have more detail.

[Wexflyer]

My opinion:

I think people asked where they were from tended to use larger units - counties, towna, parishes or localities/villages.

In this case, if I were OP and had an Ancestry subscription (I don't at present), I would search the Catholic parish registers (just that resource), for an Anne Burns, father William, keyword Kilmore, YOB 1861 +_ 5 or 10 years, and see what that turns up.

[Wexflyer]

OP - Have you consider the possibility that her surname might have been anglicized to Burns from - say - Byrne? i.e. have you searched for an immigration record for an Anne Byrne?

[aghadowey]

I think the answer to place of birth depends on where they question is being asked. For example, if I'm in my home town/immediate area and asked where I was born I might give the exact address or the townland. If someone in Dublin asks were I was born I might say the parish or country, to someone in England I say the county of Ireland... thus, the further from home the less exact the location might be.