Family Search for Samuel Smith 1748–1841

Would you please verify a couple of dates?  Samuel Smith born 1748 and baptised 1778 ?  That means he would have been aged around 30 at baptism.  The baptism was at a Catholic church.  A young man becoming a Catholic in Ireland then was putting himself at a disadvantage, although the worst of the penal laws against Catholics had been relaxed.  Another baptism at St. Andrew with parents Jois (?) and Catherine was Joes? 1771;  any connection? 

Did Samuel and Mary Emerson marry before or after leaving Ireland?

The links you posted are viewable only by people with Ancestry subscription. 

I have a connection to a Smith family from Swords, County Dublin.

Maggie,

Thank you for your thoughtful question and reply.  My apologies about the confusion on Samuel's birth date.  My original post was incorrect and I will try to correct it.  Samuel's birth date was 1778, not 1748.  I am not sure if he married his wife in Ireland or the USA.  Since my original post, I have discovered the names and baptism dates of his siblings all born in Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland:  Joes Smith Dec. 16, 1771, Georgius Smith May 23, 1775, Maria Smith June 14, 1781. 

I am not certain that this Samuel Smith is indeed my 5th Great Grandfather.  It is my current best guess, based on records I have uncovered so far.  He may have been born somewhere else in Ireland.  All I know with certainty is that Samuel Smith was born in Ireland in 1778 and had a son named Samuel who was born in the US in March 4, 1799.

Kind regards, Theresa

Thanks for clarification. 

I assume that "Joes" and "Jois"  were attempts at transcribing abbreviations for Joseph. The image of the register wasn't accessible on Irish Genealogy.ie. the Government website. I found the microfilmed register on National Library of Ireland website but the pages and years seemed to be mixed-up so I haven't seen what was originally written on the page.  Georgius was obviously George. There may have been more than 1 Joseph & Catherine Smith husband & wife in Dublin. The registers lack detail.

Was your Samuel Catholic? Although people did change religious affiliation or conform.

There aren't many surviving Catholic registers from before 1800.  

Immigration and travel records are also sparse before 1800. There is a section on emigration on Irish Genealogy Toolkit. It is under "Genealogy" tab.  https://irish-genealogy-toolkit.com 

Irish custom was to name 2 eldest sons after their grandfathers and 3rd son after his father but it wasn't always kept. Samuel's wife's family may have had a different tradition. 

Your insight on naming conventions is fascinating and I will consider this in my future research.  

The Smith Family in later generations were devout Catholics and I assume this would be true for the unknown Samuel.  The search continues...

My DNA points to Ulster as the place of origin for my Irish / Scot roots which accounts for 65% of my DNA match. I am unclear if the area I am searching is near Ulster or not?  My dad’s family, surname Brett, was from County Mayo. which could be the Ulster connection?

Thank you so much for your kind assistance!