“Shanks Mare” was a common form of transportation in our Berkeley, California household in the early 1960’s. My mother (a farm girl by birth) would offer it as an alternative to the public bus system - notice that that chauffeuring us around was not among the options.
As to why names and places got jumbled as they crossed the Atlantic, here are a few explanations from my family tree: 1. Lost in Translation? My family always said the Conways came from came from Armagh. It wasn’t until I ran across Omagh and the rest of County Tyrone that I found my Conways. * Those of you in Ireland are probably thinking those two names aren’t pronounced anything alike; to most Americans they sound enough alike to get mispronounced from generation to generation. 2. Mixing up the family trees. Was that your great grandfather or my great grandfather? Or my great grandmother? On your mother’s side or your father’s side? * As it turns out I do have a family connection to Armagh; it is not on my great grandfather Conway’s side, but his wife, Annie Kelly. So as not to lose the information, a relative handwrote a note about some of the siblings. Unfortunately they skipped over her sister and included her married daughter - a local cousin that everyone knew. It took my DNA test to sort out that one! Despite lack of knowledge about Irish culture, geography and pronunciation of names, it is amazing we have learned as much about out our Irish roots as we have. Thanks to all who have helped us out along the way! Jane Conway Mill Valley, California ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Boyd Gray <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 5:04 AM To: Teena from BC Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [CoTyroneIreland] Susanna PATTERSON daughter of Robert of Strabane / FINLEY These are all fascinating histories, Teena and I wish one of them belonged to my tree. Oh to know in so much detail what happened to people when they disappeared into America. We all have lost dozens if not hundreds in that way. However, I am often perplexed by the placenames given in these family histories, usually written by the descendants of the emigres who do not really know Ireland and its geography or society. One, for example gives their home as Antrim, Co Tyrone. And this one gives a marriage of someone from Carrickfergus to someone else from Strabane, opposite ends of Ulster. I know that my own folk rarely married "beyond" the schugh"! With no form of transport except Shank's Mare, they did not travel much more than a few miles from home in their entire lives. It was mainly clergymen or the very rich who could make such distant connections so I suppose that has to be the explanation, if there has not been an error. But still, what fun it would be to "own" one of these and to tease out the truth as far as it was possible. Thanks. Boyd https://www.facebook.com/westulstergenealogy/ [https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-1/p200x200/11193330_10152702994752303_2663960331892309004_n.jpg?oh=76548e82bd69d209a7253032dbe436bc&oe=59620910]<https://www.facebook.com/westulstergenealogy/> West Ulster Genealogy Services - Home | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/westulstergenealogy/> www.facebook.com West Ulster Genealogy Services. 1.8K likes. Would you like help finding your Irish Ancestors? Contact [email protected] https://familytrees.genopro.com/boydgray26/ THE BANN VALLEY GRAY and GORDON FAMILIES<https://familytrees.genopro.com/boydgray26/> familytrees.genopro.com Summary report of THE BANN VALLEY GRAY and GORDON FAMILIES containing 1757 individuals and 487 families. This report describes the genealogy and ancestry of families ... On 17 April 2017 at 23:46, Teena from BC <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Susanna PATTERSON FINLEY's descendants Robert Finley born in Ireland (Derry?) and died at Carrickfergus in 1809. He was a gunner in the Castle at the seige of Bell Isle (He served in the reign of the last three kings of England). In the Parish of Carrickfergus is listed the marriage of Robert Finley to Susanna Patterson, daughter of Robert Patterson of Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland, on May 16, 1740. The eldest son, John Finley died at the Parish of Choghill County Antrim and his will mentions his son, Francis, his son, John, who was in America at that time, his son James, and a daughter, Margaret, who had married Mat Blakely. The second son, William, left a will dated Jan. 1, 1816 and mentions his sons, James, Mathew, Pat, Robert, John and daughter, Agnes. There is little information concerning the other children of Robert Finley and Susanna Patterson in the writings of Major France, indicating to us that Susanna, Mathew, David, and Thomas might have migrated to America, thus accounting for the absence of records in Scotland. We do know that James died at Belturbet, unmarried, in 1817 Conner and Masters, pioneer families of Guernsey County, Ohio; ... Conner, E. Margaret Masters (Emma Margaret Masters), 1908- https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89066040254 _______________________________________________ CoTyroneList mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.cotyroneireland.com/mailman/listinfo/cotyronelist
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