Saunders family in Knockalane Townland

Sinnamon,

I just joined. I trace my family to the Edwards and the Saunders of Lambton Co., Ontario. I currently live in Cleveland, Ohio. My mother and sister plan on going to Ireland in September. It would be nice to talk to you.

Lesley Watilo

Hi Lesley,

WE must be related.  My grandaprents were Thomas and Cecil Saunders,

G Grandparents - Thomas and Rachel (Williamson)

GG grandparents - Absalom SAunders and Mary Bryce

GGG grandparents - Thomas SAunders and Martha Edwards

GGGG grandparents - Thomas and Jane SAunders (I know that Thomas and Jane were married in Carlow, Co. Kilkenny - I was there about 2 years ago.

They are all buried at the SAunders family cemetery outside of Watford Ontario (Brooke Township), Lambton County.

I am going to Ireland as well in two weeks and really want to go the village where they came from - I might just send an email to the County Registry office and see where that gets me.

Patty Sinnamon

Mount Forest, Ontario

Hi Patty,

Do you know much about their emigration? Dates, the reason why they left, etc.? Generally more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which city they arrived at (e.g. Liverpool, Castle Garden, Ellis Island etc), this could be a good place to find more information, and perhaps even find out an exact place of origin. There may be shipping manifests/passenger lists that could be searched as well. One site which may help http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/022/022-908-e.html .

Also, the spelling of names - particularly placenames on older documents is not very reliable. Often those emmigrating could not read or write and those taking the information only had a rudimentary ability themselves. Sites for investigating placenames include: http://www.irish-place-names.com/ and http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/placenames/ . 

You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64). The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38): Microfilm copies of the books for all of Ireland are available at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/tithe-applotment-books-and-the-primary-griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here: www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at.

Information from the Irish Genealogy database for Kilkenny is available for a fee at http://kilkenny.rootsireland.ie/

I wish you the best of luck in your search.

Please make sure you link anyone else in your family who is interested in their Irish heritage to our site - and indeed anyone else you know of Irish heritage.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

Ireland Reaching Out

My Griffith family came from Knockalane and Ballahsallah. I am very familiar with the Saunders group as they came to Canada with a group from this area. Many were intermarried in Ireland and settle as a group first near Beckwith in Lanaek Co. and later in Montague in Wellington Co.

I have attached some documents as to the location.

Here is a piece of a 1817 document that lists the families of Knockalane:

Knockalane

1. GRIFFITH Thomas, Susan, Mary, Anne, Rachel, Francis, Sally, Thomas, Susanna, Esther,


2. JACKSON Robert, Mary, Hannah, Sally, Mary, Robert,


3. LUCAS Widow, Robert, Sally,


4. TOOLE, James, Susan, Robert, Sally [might be POOLE as Pooles settled on Con 4 near Prospect, Beckwith Twp. Lanark Co along with Alcock, Willoughby, Kerfoot]


5. DUCK / AUCK / HUCK William? Margaret? Jonathan married to Anne, Richard


6. SAUNDERS, ??, Margaret, Thomas, John, Margaret, Jane, Martha,


7. SAUNDERS Widow, George, Ellen, James, Nath, Bridget, Betty, Mary, Jane Joseph,


8. PRESCOTT Widow, Henry married ? Mary, Mary, William


9. SAUNDERS William, Anne, Anne,


10. LEECH /Leach/Leich George, [see family 25 Bassett]

Here are the families from neaby Coolcullen:

Coolcullen

1. GRIFFITH, Widow, Lewis, Elizabeth?, Jane1, Catherine, James, Jane2 , Mary,


2. GRIFFITH, Richard, Sarah, William, John, Lewis, Richard


3. PRESCOTT, Richard, Mary, Lewis


4. JAMES, Thomas, ?, Anne, Catherine, Jacob, Thomas, religion RC


5. PIELOW, name missing, Sally, Dinah, Elizabeth


6. SMYTH, John, Molly, Mary, Sally


7. KIRFOOT, William , Elizabeth, Jane, Thomas, Samuel, Eliza, [this KERFOOT family settled Con 4 lot 25 Beckwith Twp. Lanark Co.


8. GRIFFITH, Henry, Catherine


9. LETT, John, --olly, Martha, 3 more unscrambled names,[ this family was one to move with some of the Willoughbys to Lambton Co.]


10. STONE, William, Susanne, John, Eliza, Jane, William , George,


11. FLEMING, John, Betty, Jane, William ,Richard, Dorah,


12. WARD, John, Anne, Ellen, Mary died,


13. WARD, Luke, Betty, Richard, John Anne,


14. GORDON, Samuel, Mary, John, Samuel,


15. KIERFOOT, George Senior, Jane, Jane Foxstone servant,[ George KERFOOT was known to come but died at Nepean?s Point 1819 before rest got to Beckwith]


16. MORRIS, Joseph, Sarah, Susan, Jane, James, Mary,


17. MORRIS, William, Jane, Henry, James Mary, Joseph? Betty?, Jane, Ellen,


18. WILLOUGHBY, George, Anne, [nee Kerfoot], MaryAnn, Peggy, Alley, William, Thomas, Richard [I descend from Mary Ann]


19. GRIFFITH, John, Mary, Betty, Sally, Anne, Peggy, Jane, May, John, Betty Gregg= servant


20. Missing


21. PENDER, Widow, Mary, Samuel, John, Mary Langford=servant


22. LANGFORD, Widow died Oct. 1817, George, Sally Joseph, William, Richard,


23. STACEY/ STEACY  William, Allie/Sally/Alice, Sally, Joseph, Annie, Betty, Jane,


24. BRADLEY Samuel, Betty, Isaac, John,  [Samuel will be related to the Kerfoots via Wm?s wife Elizabeth. Records indicate she was Elizabeth Bradley, the widow Wilson before her marriage to Wm Kerfoot. Sam might be a son of Eliz]


25. BASSETT, Edward, Mary, John, Peggy, Thomas, William, Edward? Bassett? Michael Leach/Leech apprentice, Sally Bradley, gone to America 1817, family emigrated to America, probably Canada in 1817,


26. BRADLEY William, ..ea perhaps Jane Shea noted in burial Register Mothel ,Shea Bradley Coolcullen died of fever Oct 12^th buried Coolcullen,  ..illy, Betty, Henry, John, Alley, Thomas, Samuel,


27. SCARF James Anne, Enoch, Joseph, John, Becham,[Scarfs are found throughout Carleton Co. Scarf family is being traced by Barbara Hadden]


28. RATHWILE/ Rathwell/Rothwell, Edward, Jane and Jane FENNEL[Rothwell is the spelling used in the Tithe applotment book 1824 for Prospect church Coolcullen. Ireland and in land records for Con 4 lot 26 Beckwith Twp.1880]


29. ROSE Widow, Joseph, Betty, James, and James servant


30. KEAYS/ KEYES/ Keys Thomas, Mary, Mary left 1818 ,Mary Married William ??, William left 1818 William married Mary??, Jane, Mary or May, Elizabeth, Richard


31. KIERFOOT/KERFOOT George, Deborah, William,


32. EUSTACE William, Catherine, left 1817


33. GARLAND Thomas, Jane, Elizabeth, Thomas, Nicholas, Anne


34. ALCOCK, Thomas, Dorah, Mary, Thomas, Joseph, Mary, Francis [Alcocks settled near Kerfoots on Con 4 at Prospect, Beckwith Twp. Peter Light is tracing some of these]


35. TRISTRASSE??, Thomas, Catherine, Patrick, Mary, Thomas, Adam, family left 1817


36. SHIRLEY Basil, Jane, Ellen Morris servant [see families 16 & 17 Shirleys married into Willoughby, some Shirleys stayed in Ireland]

My own family is the widow Griffith family (Lewis and Elizabeth Griffith). Their children James and Elizabeth came to Canada.

The annotations are by High Masson a Willoughby descendant. I cannot verify the source but I have used this document many many times and I have yet to find an error.

Thanks for the information and mapping.  Unfortunately I ddin't get your reply until after we left, however, we hope to go over again in two years' time.  We were actually very close to Knocaklane and Coolcullen - we spent a few days near Bagnelestown and Borris - just a few miles away.  Will know for next time.