Pre-Census Help Needed

Hi Sherry,

If you have checked all the U.S. records--census, church records, birth, marriage, death, cemetery, probate, newspapers, headstones, etc.--then why not look for the family in the Irish records at rootsireland.ie and irishgenealogy.ie.

If you haven't looked at all the U.S. records, why not do those first? One of them might mention the place of origin in Ireland.

Good luck!

RootsIreland has a transcription of a 20 Aug 1791 marriage for George McGhee and Jane Thompson in St. Columb's parish, Co. Derry, Church of Ireland.

Sherry:

Can you confirm the religious denomination  for the Wilsons? Church of Ireland? 

The subscription site Roots Ireland did not have a John Wilson baptismal record in the 1840s with father Robert and mother with surname McGee anywhere in Ireland.

I looked at the Tithe Applotment listings available on the national archives site and there were 44 Robert Wilson records across Ireland but only one in Co. Cork which your DNA is indicating you have ancestors who came from that area. Now we don't know if your Robert Wilson was listed in the Tithes but here is the record http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004625724/00…

He was leasing land about 19 acres in Waterstown in Templerobin civil parish which is very close to the port town of Queenstown (now called Cobh).

So at this point we are assuming (unless you correct the record) that the Wilsons were C of I and the Tithe record in Co. Cork is for your ancestor.  (The latter is a big assumption).

The Church of Ireland records for that parish Templerobin/Clonmel) go back to the 18th century and are available at the Representative Church Body library in Dublin. The RCB is working on digitizing records but in the interim you would have to use a paid researcher   Here is a link to the RCB  https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/rcb-library/list-of-parish-regis…

Have you contacted your top Ancestry DNA matches to see if you can find maternal connections who might have more info on the Wilsons and McGees?

Roger McDonnell

Hi,

I saw the death of Robert and on the hand written document in the last column of his name it says Scotland. This is in familysearch.org
Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915, 1921-1924; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6327-Q9L?cc=1463156&wc=MJCJ-W38%3A1043007101

marriage 1836
Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, 1623-1866; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L94F-MCLB?cc=3460239

Thank you all!