I am searching for information on my relatives Thomas McComb and Esther Jane McCulley. Family tradition says they were from Armagh, although I cannot find documentation in the US or Canada that will substantiate this fact.
Thomas McComb was born in July 1813. He married Esther Jane McCulley (known as Jane in our family) in 1841. They left Ireland for Canada in 1843 and may have traveled through the state of Maine in the US on their way to Ontario, Canada. His name is listed in the 1851 Census for Darlington Township, Durham County in Canada West (Ontario). Conflicting dates show that the McComb family left Canada in 1855 or 1860. They are listed in the US Censuses for 1860, 1870, and 1880. Thomas and Jane had 10 children, nine born in Canada and one in the US. Thomas died on 17 March 1885 and is buried in the Lakeview Cemetery, Sanilac County in Michigan. Thomas had a brother named John McComb, born in 1816 and his name is listed just below his brother's in the 1851 Canadian Census. Apparently they were close as he eventually bought the farm across the road from Thomas in Michigan, where he died in 1883.
Esther Jane McCulley was born in or around 1814 in Ireland (again family tradition says in Armagh) and was married to Thomas in 1841. She died 25 August 1887 and is buried in Bridgehampton, Sanilac County, Michigan. I have no other information on her history.
I would very much appreciate any information you may find on these two families. Thank you in advance and with hope.
Elizabeth Gribble
Saturday 22nd Mar 2014, 02:46AM
Message Board Replies
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Dear Elizabeth
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out and apologies for the delay in replying to your message.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information without a more specific place of origin. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.
Have you tried searching Ancestry.com for any mention of your ancestor?s name in member family trees or messages? Ancestry is also hosting ?webinars? on their site. The latest focuses on how to use Irish records when you do not know where your ancestor is from.
There are some places where you can search online, however these websites do not have complete collections and many do not cover the period after 1900:
www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some church records for Ireland.
www.rootsireland.ie have a large collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.
Other important sources include the Tithe Applotment Books and Griffith?s Valuation:
Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1837): http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp
Griffith?s Valuation (1847-1864): http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites that may be helpful are:
The National Archives of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/ you can search the 1901/1911 Census on the National Archives page too for instances of the family name in the area at that time
Ulster Historical Foundation: http://www.ancestryireland.com/
Remember to post any new information that you find here. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Best of luck with your search
Clare Doyle
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 8th Apr 2014, 03:22PM