Find Ancestors

Shelma ... newbie ...

Do I understand you're rejecting what Katherine and I found because the surname is spelled "McDonell"?

You are a newbie. ;)

Those might well not be your people ... but they might well be them. A change in spelling between Ireland and Scotland, for people who may well not have been literate and who didn't have the local church registers to rely on for spelling once they moved from home and were relying on local officials where they were now living, would hardly be a unique event.


As far as I can tell, there's no such place as "Belgaer". You're relying on Ancestry's transcription of the 1901 census. Ah, newbie! In 1901, Ancestry has transcribed my MONCK ancestors as MORICK ... and their children as MARK.

I believe you can see originals of the Scottish censuses at

http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

-- register for free, pay to buy credits to see images.

"Belgaer" might turn out to be Belfast, or any number of other things.

Actually, I see that Belfast is in County Antrim:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountyAntrim.htm#PageTitle

-- where the birth and marriage Katherine and I found took place -- so I'd bet that's exactly what the 1901 census does say.

At this point, if these were my ancestors, I'd be working on the theory that the birth and marriage in question are them. It might be wrong, but odds seem to be in its favour at the moment.

Thanks alot to both Kathryn/Katherine's for your help.My original info comes from eliz marraige cert (1890 Helensburgh Scotland) to my ggg granfather James Donachie.She is definately down as McDonald and was 19yrs old.The reason I know she was born in Ireland is the 1901 census has her born in Belgaer.She died in 1911 at 39yrs in Helensburgh.

I like a challenge:-p

It's looking closer!

Wot a team, eh?

Even if you do spell your name funny. ;)

Hi Shelma

Here's what is probably the marriage for the John and Mary which Kathryn found above
MCDONNELL, John Age: 20
Wife: Mary IRVINE Age: 23
Marriage Date: 8 Apr 1867 Recorded in: Co., Antrim, Ireland
Collection: Civil Registration
Husband's Father: James MCDONNELL
Wife's Father: John IRVINE
Source: FHL Film 101509 Dates: 1867 - 1867

Hey, Shelma! It's always worth taking a first kick at the IGI to see what it might turn up.

http://www.familysearch.org
click "advanced search"
click "international genealogy index"

search for
Elizabeth McDonald
father john
mother mary
birth 1870 +/- 5 years

-- is what I did.

Here's a freebie for you, just to show you what's there if you're new enough not to have seen these yet.


ELIZABETH MCDONNELL
Birth: 17 AUG 1871 , Antrim, Ireland
Father: JOHN MCDONNELL
Mother: MARY IRWIN
Batch No.: C012366


Those names are all just off -- but all so very similar. You might want to consider her. (How do you know the names you have?)

The batch number starting with a C means this is an actual extracted record, taken from parish records and accurate barring human error in the transcribing. You can click on the batch number and search within it for siblings. There aren't any. You can search for the parents' marriage. I don't see one.

That's exhausted my Irish know-how. ;)

Thanks Claire still new to this game.

Shelma very few of us touch Ireland so if you don't get a reply, try posting on Inis's thread which is on page 2 at the moment

GGG Grandmother Elizabeth McDonald born in Ireland (poss place called Belgaer) c1870 how can i trace her birth cert. Also her parents Marraige they were John McDonald and Mary Irvine. Any help would be much appreciated.