Genealogy Chat

Hi Its amazing just how many of us have ancestors who came either from London or Ireland. There must be about 15 to 16 million English people of Irish descent and about the same number of people with London ancestry, about 8 million of them who werent born in London. I know how difficult it can be tracing Irish ancestry, and how sometimes it is difficult with London forebears, as the city has so many parishes, and peple moved from parish to parish in London, making it even more difficult to know if you have the right ancestor but when you do uncover elusive Irish or London ancestry it is so lovely. Ben

My family are all 100% English as far back as I've got and they all moved to London, so I've not had much difficulty finding them. Husband's London lot - Jewish relatives seem to have been here before 1790s. Another lot are very difficult. Husband's mother said there was Irish ancestry. His great x 2 grandparents Elizabeth Goodwin and Dennis McCarthy married in Holborn in 1848. Dennis' father was Callaghan mcCarthy and Elizabeth's John Goodwin. In 1881 Elizabeth's brother Charles was living with them. Now I can't find Dennis or Elizabeth or John or Callaghan or Charles in 1841. 1851-61 Dennis is James McCarthy on census 1866 Dennis McCarthy on his son's birth cert 1871- onwards he is James Carter. We are now wondering if James/Dennis was born in Ireland and just said he was born in Holborn for some reason. Elizabeth says on every census that she was born in Long Acre, which hasn't made finding her any easier! nell

Ann The problem is that if Dennis/James and/or his father Callaghan were born in Ireland, I don't know where! There are tons of Callaghan McCarthys and tons of James and Dennis McCarthys in 1841 London but none that match up with mine. Similarly, without a rough idea of how old Callaghan was when his son was born, I can't select one from the dozens born Ireland on familysearch. nell

I have no known Irish ancestors but I do have some London ones though, Mostly from The East End but lots from Soho, St Pancras and Westminster as well.

My grandma's family came from Ireland around 1868, and my grandad's family settled in East London from Poland around 1900. My Irish lot came from Roscommon and Wicklow and my London lot were mainly from Whitechapel, Hackney, Lambeth, Mile End Old Town and most are now buried in East Ham Jewish Cemetery.