I answered Don by direct email yesterday and today, and I'll post my
suggestions here, as well. I totally agree with Jim, Len and Gordon.
"Templemore" is the most likely candidate to have been
misinterpreted/miswritten as "Dunplemore."
When you're looking at an 18th-19th century handwritten document, a
capital "D" often looks like a capital "L" or "T," and even an "S." Try
it yourself by writing Lane, Sane, Dane and Tane, and comparing the
words. Type those words onto a computer document page, and put them into
several different cursive scripts (fonts) and see how much alike the
first letters are.
Besides Templemore (the place name we've suggested as most likely to
succeed), Dunmore and Derry More are also townlands in Londonderry that
might have been mistakenly remembered, or miswritten, as "Dunplemore."
Your interpretation might differ, depending on the source of the place
name being "Dunplemore," spelled that way. Is this from a family letter,
bible entry, tombstone inscription, court document, military paper, or
what record? Is it from a typed index/transcript, or an original
handwritten document? The source makes a big difference in your
evaluation of the place name's possible accuracy.
And, what families (surnames) are said to have lived at "Dunplemore," in
what time period? Or any other place name that you're searching for? You
can search the Tithe Applotments or Griffith's Valuation for people of
that surname in the "most likely" townlands or villages. If there's
absolutely no one of that surname in that location, over a period of
decades, it's most likely not your ancestor's home place.
Irish place names have been notoriously miswritten by later generations
writing down where their parents or grandparents came from. As an
example, an Australian emigrant ancestor from Co. Tyrone (in a post on
this CoTyrone board) was said to have came from "Ochnaclan" -- which
turned out to be "Aughnacloy" in Co. Tyrone. Other spellings of
Aughnacloy over the centuries have included Achadh na Cloiche,
Aghneilogh, Aghenecloy, and AghnefrCoy. And more!
One of the best resources for Irish place names in general (besides Sean
Ruad's IreAtlas for townlands) is the "General Alphabetical Index to the
Townlands and Towns, Parishes, and Baronies of Ireland: Based on the
Census of Ireland for the Year 1851." You can view it on Google Books
(https://books.google.com/), and it's available as a printed book in
many large libraries and archives.
A wonderful resource for Northern Ireland place names (especially early
spellings and alternate spellings) is the Queen's University place names
database: http://www.placenamesni.org/. I use it frequently.
John Grenham's Irish guides are great, and he's very nice in person,
too. If you're trying to identify your place as Templemore, for
instance, he has a page on Templemore here:
https://www.johngrenham.com/c_parish/c_parish_main.php?civilparishid=743&civilparish=Templemore&county=Derry
And if "Dunplemore" is actually a true place (and not a miswritten or
mistakenly remembered name), look on the early ordnance survey maps --
sometimes small hamlets don't make it into topographical dictionaries
and atlases, but you can find them on maps.
An early book on all of Londonderry is the "Statistical Survey of the
County of Londonderry" by George Vaughan Sampson (1802), viewable on
Google Books. Very interesting reading.
As another research avenue, you might want to consult Brian Mitchell.
He's an extremely knowledgeable person, and his Irish guide books (which
he's been publishing since the 1980s) are very helpful. He'll answer
simple questions by email, at no charge. And, if you ARE asking him, I
think he'd like to see the original handwritten document that says
"Dunplemore, Londonderry," or the original source of whatever place name
you may be inquiring about.
See: https://www.rootsireland.ie/derry-genealogy/
<< Derry/Londonderry Genealogy -- Brian Mitchell, genealogist with Derry
City and Strabane District Council, offers a free genealogy advisory
service via email at geneal...@derrystrabane.com, to anyone tracing
their roots in North West Ireland. He will respond to queries about
place names, surname origins, sources to search or record offices to
visit, and suggest research recommendations. >>
Again, Irish place names were inconsistently spelled until fairly recent
times. Like surnames, they were spoken more often than written, and by
the time spelling began to be standardized (and printed works became
more common for everyday people), they had been through many mutations.
Regards,
Annie
Email: anniecrenshaw (at) centurytel.net
_______________________________________________
CoTyroneList Mailing List
Mailing List Email Address: CoTyroneList@cotyroneireland.com
Change Your Preferences:
http://cotyroneireland.com/mailman/listinfo/cotyronelist_cotyroneireland.com
Mailing List Archive: https://goo.gl/mQCKrY
