Seeking info on McQuigan, Evans, Goodwin

Hi,

Thanks for your message.

Yes the use of differant variants of surnames can really make it difficult to trace your family history. It sounds intriguing that questioning it caused such a reaction in "the men"!

I used the irishtimes surname search to see if there were any record of McQuigan families in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The search yielded no results. McGuigan did have some results, however these results date from anywhere between 1847 to 1864. If the famiily emigrated before 1847 they may not be included in the results. You can see them for yourself here:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=

It will be quite hard to find information on the family without narrowing down the area where they came from. Do you have any documentation that mentions a placename such as townland/parish or even town/village?

Do you know much about their emigration? Generally more information was given at the port of arrival rather than that of departure. If you knew which port they arived at it may be a place to find more information-and perhaps even an exact place of origin. For immigration information in Canada check the National Library and Archives of Canada at the following link: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html

Do you know the names of any members of the family? 

You can check the land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century for some mention of the family. (I have already done so and results came back for McGuigan, however without forenames and placenames the results may not be much use to you)

There are two such records:

The Tithe Applotment Books, dating from 1823-1838, found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

and Griffith's Valuation, dating from 1848-1864, found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/  

You can also use church records to find information once you have narrowed town a place of origin to a parish.

Some other websites which may help you with your research are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm

Family Search: https://familysearch.org/  

I hope some of this helps. Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. 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.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support