Nevins, Rahara Parish, County Roscommon

Bruce:

Records for the RC parish of Knockcroghery start in 1841 so no baptismal records would be available for John or Mary. I searched on the subscription site Roots Ireland and did not find a marriage record for the couple. Possibly they were married before 1841.

I checked the 1855 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Rahara civil parish and there were no Kinsella or Nevin records. There were five Navin records in the nearby parish of St. Johns so possibly your John was from that parish.

Roger McDonnell

Nevin, Nevins, and Navin (and other variants) are all anglicizations of the Gaelic surname Mac Cnáimhín, which was apparently once anglicized as Knavin (which is closer to the Irish pronunciation of the name).  The name originated in Connacht (which includes Roscommon), though it is also now found in other parts of Ireland.  The name contains the word cnámh, which means "bone" in Irish, so some say that it is derived from that word (cnáimhhín means "little bone"), but that etymology is disputed.

Have a wonderful trip to Roscommon. My ancestors are also from Roscommon. Read my messages regarding Thomas Nevin, my grandfather. My father Michael Nevin was born May 6, 1913 the baby of 2nd marriage of Thomas Nevin & Ellen Gilleran.

When I visited with my husband and daughters in 2014, we had limited time in Roscommon but got to see the small home still standing in Roscommon. My father Michael before he died went back to Roscommon to have a gravestone erected to honor his ancestors. It is in Derrane Cemetary. We couldn’t find it but I have a photo of it. I also have a newspaper article from Roscommon Record that my great grandmother was buried there too.

Since Nevin is not that common, we are probably related in some way. 
 

Mary Cilmi nee’Nevin

sorry could download photos