Chapman Family

Hi there,

Yes the parish you are looking for is Cloontuskert, Co. Roscommon. You can find this here: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/townlands/index.cfm?fuseaction=TownlandsInCivil&civilparishid=2036&civilparish=Cloontuskert&citycounty=Roscommon

There are Roman Catholic church records for the diocese of Clontuskert (Elphin). These date from 1865 for baptismal and marriage records. You can find these at the National Library of Ireland, Pos. 4612, or the Church of Latter Day Saints, ref. no. 0989747. If you have any difficulty, you could try writing to the parish priest for more assistance.

You might find William and Elizabeth in other documents, such as the the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38). You can find these at the National Archives of Ireland or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS).

• 1796 Spinning Wheel Premium List. There are 1,650 names for Co. Roscommon. You can check www.failteromhat.com for this
• 1780 Freeholders, LDS Film 100181
• 1790-99 Freeholders c.30 lists. National Library of Ireland (NLI), Ms. 10130

Have you tried checking the Ellis Island records (www.ellisisland.org) or the Castle Garden records (www.castlegarden.org)? Generally, more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which city they arrived at, this could be a good place to find more information.

Please feel free to contact us again if you find out more information.

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,

Sinead Cooney

Genealogist (Ireland XO)

Hello Sinead,

Thank you so much for the tips and leads for my search. So far I have not been too successful, but I'm not giving up! My dream is to make a trip to Cloontuskert, Co. Roscommon and walk through the town and the countryside where my ancestors are from. It's such a powerful feeling to connect with your collective family soul.

Thank you again,

Billie Thrower

Sonoma, California (USA)

I just found this page, and believe that it's possible that Billie Thrower and I may have some shared ancestry.  My great-grandmother, Mary Chapman, was born  24 Jun 1842 in Cloontuskert Parish, County Roscommon, Connaught Province, Ireland. I do not yet have information on when she arrived in the US. She married John Kilker sometime before 1865. They lived in the area near Centralia, PA before moving to North Bend Nebraska. I have an incomplete family tree - but it has William Chapman and  Elizabeth McNeil on it, without specific dates or other information. It seems possible that Mary Chapman and John Chapman were brother and sister.  Is it possible for Billie and I to connect somehow via this site? If she has learned more about the Chapmans of Roscommon who emigrated to the US, I would be interested in learning more. If I learn more, I would be happy to share with her. 

Thank you for your help.

Julie Baum

Hello Julie, I do indeed think we might be related! My great great grandfather was John Chapman: Birth: 1839: Cloontuskert County, Rosommon, Ireland. Death: 1896: Centralia, Pennsylvania. Marriage: 4/22/1866. Civil War Service: JACKSON GUARDS OF TAMAQUA. Company D, I6th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers.

His parents were: William Chapman, Birth: 1817; Ireland, Death: 1891 Dodge, Nebraska, USA. And Elizabeth (Betsey) McNeil, Birth: 1819 Cloontuskert Roscommon, Death: 1881 Dodge, Nebraska, USA. Marriage: Cloontuskert Parish Rocommon Ireland.

William and Elizabeth had quite a large family....10 children! Mary Chapman was born in 1842 in Cloontuskert County, and died in 1895 in North Bend, NE. So Mary was John's older sister. Our chain stops at about the same place yours does...with William and Elizabeth above. I haven't been able to locate their immigration date. I would love to talk to you and exchange our information. My email address is: throwerbillie@yahoo.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Billie