Personal recollections, observations, and random thoughts as I trace my lineage.
Facebook ... Genealogy Wise ... Blogs ... Podcasts ... Twitter = All possible tools for genealogist. Please send comments to: storygenes@gmail.com Embedding a blog on Google Sites is a bit of a challenge, so I've decided to try a different approach via this page. These short notes are my thoughts as I try to trace my husband's Irish ancestors, Patrick Green and Margaret Callaghan. October 16, 2009 No one ever said tracing Irish ancestry would be easy! I have established contact with a descendant of John Green. Perhaps we'll find some new clues. September 24, 2009 O happy day! I had a response from the Catholic Church in Ballingarry, Co. Limerick. The Greens and Kellys aren't recorded in the archives, but the priest has provided me with another contact who may have more information. My letter to the new contact is in the mail on the way to Ireland! September 17, 2009 Using (and paying to view) a record found via the Irish Family History Foundation site, I have found the marriage record of the parents of Patrick Green! They were married Feb. 16, 1836. Adress given is Knockaderry. It's a big break. September 16, 2009 What can I learn from the 1911 Irish census? It is now online at the National Archives of Ireland. September 10, 2009 Would using Twitter help? There is a 140 character limit (includes spaces). Hmmm, the names of some of my ancestors and vital information would not fit into one message! September 8, 2009 An examination of the filmed LDS records for Ballingarry doesn't provide any entries for the Greens. August 30, 2009 The Family Search pilot index project has the Civil registry index, 1845-1958 online. Unfortunately, I did not find the Greens or Callaghans there. August 23, 2009 All the frustration in tracing the Irish ancestors makes me wonder if they were part of the FBI witness protection program! August 12, 2009 My husband Jim recently gave me the book Tracing Your Irish Family History by Anthony Adolph (Firefly Book Ltd, 2009). It's another tool I'll use. Hopefully it will help, because this search for the Irish ancestors is going nowhere-- fast! July 24, 2009 I have sent a request to the Catholic Church in Ballingarry. Waiting eagerly to hear back. July 22, 2009 I ordered the following book through interlibrary loan: Ballingarry, Granagh and Clouncagh, County Limerick, 1800-1900 by Christy Kerris The author describes the available records for Ballingarry, Ireland. The only clue is there is a Robert Greene listed as a landowner in Cloontemple, Townland. However, I did not find any answers to the puzzle on Patrick Green. July 21, 2009 Not much is known about them prior to their marriage in New York City on 19 Oct. 1870. On the marriage record they are both listed as 27 years old. Patrick's parents are given as Robert Green and Mary Kelly. Three daughters were born to them in New York City: Mary, Margaret, and Agnes. In approximately 1878 they migrated to Bremer County, Iowa, where Patrick had and older brother, John Green. In 1880, Patrick and Margaret Green moved again to Clark County, South Dakota. Through all my searching, I have not been able to find exact birth date and place of Patrick Green. The only clue is the obituary of John Green which gives his place of birth as Ballingarry, County Limerick, Ireland. I've checked the microfilmed records for Ballingarry, Ireland, available through the Family History Library, but could not find a listing for Patrick or John Green. The family was Roman Catholic. However, I think the records I examined were for the Church of Ireland. The search continues. ©2009 Story County Genealogical Society | November 9, 2009 A friend and I attended our first Ostfriesen Tea, sponsored by the Ostfriesen Genealogical Society of America. The event was held at the Germanic-American Instsitue in St. Paul. It was a delightful event and a chance to meet some persons I've had email contacts with for several years. Gene Jannsen, president, told me about the Neermoor OSB available at the Minnesota Genealogical Society in St. Paul. I found some of previously unknown ancestors in the book and cleared up some other questions. Here are a few images from the tea. October 20, 2009 Members of the Lohr family recently paid a visit to Rommerskirchen, Germany, the village of our immigrant ancestor Mathias Loehr. No connections were made with relatives living there, but reports are the people (especially the taxicab driver) were extremely friendly. I am very eager to see the photographs. In the meantime, we are enjoying some excellent "hausgemachter Fruchtaufstrich" brought home to us. Yum! Can any one help me date this photograph? The youngest child being held by the mother was born in August 1913.  October 16, 2009 I have found some common names in the two lines Konz (Conz) Germany but no indicated relationship. Also, my direct ancestor was not recorded! Only more questions with few answers. September 8, 2009 Using Google helped to re-connect with a distant cousin. The syntax is phone: name state August 30, 2009 Is it possible two different sides of my ancestry, previously thought not to be related, may show a link? If so, it goes back to Conz (Konz), Germany via Luxemboug. I am eagerly awaiting the reopening of the local Family History Center this week so I can order films and explore this further. (I am wondering if this supports the "six degrees of separation" theory!) August 23, 2009 Searching the Internet via Google late at night piad huge dividends awhile back when I found my great-great-grandfather Heye Groeneveld in the Groeneveld Genealogy 4 dateabase. This is a huge work and is an ongoing compilation. If you have Ostfriesen ancestors it's worth searching. Thanks to Hinrich and Dirk Groeneveld for their enormous contributions and work on this one. August 12, 2009 Searching World Vital Records during their free trial period gave me some hints my Schwans (i.e. Schwaans) ancestors may have been in the Oldenburg area of Germany for many generations. August 6, 2009 A lot my paternal line is German with a large part coming from the Ostfriesen area of Germany. Interested in learning more about this culture? Visit the East Friesan "Embassy." Click on the British flag for the English translation. (Warning: don't take this site too seriously!) |
