Our ancestor McKernans came to the USA (Amsterdam, New York) around 1848. Three brothers, reportedly orphaned, arrived; some accounts say together, some say the youngest (John b. ~1832) arrived first, followed by Thomas (b. ~1830) and William (b. unknown) around 3 years later.
Parents are believed to be William and Mary (maiden name Ross).
The boys were 'sponsored' in the US by a Ross family (William) and a Shannon family, reportedly cousins who came some years before.
McKernan has been spelled many ways, and might have been spelled differently originally.
A 'cousin' Bernard McKernan also came to live with them between 1860 and 1870. He was born ~1845.
We would love to know the county and parish they lived in so we could visit and gather more info on their lives and travels.
Wednesday 26th Dec 2012, 10:08PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi,
Thanks for your message.
Have you tried looking into their emigration more? Generally more information was given at the port of arrival rather than that of departure. This may be somewher yo could information-and perhaps even an exact place of origin. A good place to start your research into US immigration information is the US National Archives at the following website: http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/
Given the dates of their arrival in New York, they most likley went through Castlegarden Immigration Depot. You can now do a search of the Castlegarden ship passenger records online. Here is the link:
Some other websites which may guide you in your reseach 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
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 regarsd,
Genealogy Support
Wednesday 13th Feb 2013, 04:05PM