My GG Grandfather, John Nevins (Nevens?), was born in Rahara Parish, County Roscommon (About 1825- 1882). He married Mary Kinsella (1830-1896), from the same Parish. They emegrated to the US in 1846, during the Potato Famine. John fought in the US Civil War, and was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg. I am trying to locate any descendants of John and Mary who might currently be living in Ireland. I have Ancestry DNA uploaded to GEDmatch, Kit GA5719625. My wife and I will be going to Roscommon in July, and it would be fun to meet any (Nevins or Kinsella) descendants while there Thanks!.
Brucemo1950
Saturday 23rd Mar 2024, 04:16PMMessage Board Replies
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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
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Saturday 23rd Mar 2024, 07:03PM -
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.
kevin45sfl
Saturday 23rd Mar 2024, 10:43PM