Grandfather Toulson -- genealogy bonanza

It's been a week of genealogy bonanzas.....and today was the ultimate!!!  On a visit to see my 94 year old Uncle and his 90 year old wife, I gleaned some great nuggets about my Grandfather (who died long before I was born), and even a PHOTO!!!!

I'd always heard the story that my Grandfather was about to emigrate to Australia, but met my Grandmother, got her pregnant, married her and stayed put in California.  My Uncle said (completely unprovoked about this story), that as a young Farm Boy, he and a friend had flipped a coin to determine whether they'd emigrate to America or Australia from England.  America won the coin toss, but maybe Australia was never far from his mind (or after 20 years in America, he was ready for a new adventure).

This means I could've been an Aussie!!! Which may explain my obsession with Oz!!!  I've been there 6 times and absolutely love it!

When quizzed about what she remembered about my Grandfather, my Aunt said "I think he's in my wedding photos" --- what???!!!! OMG!!!!  We finally found her wedding album from 1945, and lo and behold there he is!!!  I'd never seen any of these photos, and I'd never seen a photo of my Grandfather without a hat on!!!

She said he was shorter than his boys, thin, wiry, quiet but very friendly. She also said that he was convinced his first Grandchild, my cousin was going to be a champion jockey, since he was small with bandy legs and lots of energy!  (That didn't turn out to be true, but I think he was projecting -- since he loved the horses, and died on his way to the track!)

This is the same Aunt that also produced an Autograph Book that my Grandmother had brought over from England in 1915!!!  What other treasures does she have???!!!!

Bottallack Mine Disaster -- Poldark popularity and my ancestors that died there

With the popularity of the BBC and PBS drama "Poldark" there has been much interest in the scenic Cornish coastline where it was filmed.  A central theme of the show is the mining industry and the hardships of the miners.  One of the mines used in the show is the Bottallack mine, near Pendeen, Cornwall.  This was the site of a mine disaster in April 1863, where 7 men and 1 boy were killed by the breaking of the drawing chain.

Those who lost their lives were:-
John Chapple aged 50 years of Naucherrow who left a widow and several children. He was a widower and his wife a widow when they re-married.
John Chapple aged 16 years, his eldest son.
Peter Eddy aged 17 years of Nancherrow, the son of a widow with six or seven other children. Michael Nicholas of Botallack who left a widow and seven children. (His widow, Elizabeth Ann Thomas - my 7th cousin 4x removed)
John Eddy of Botallack aged 18 years.
Thomas Wall aged 46 years of Carnyorth who left a widow and several children.
Richard Wall aged 19 years, his son.
Thomas Nankervis of Trewellard. He had worked in the Wheal Hazard part of the mine but this was his first day in this mine. (My 6th cousin 3x removed)
Richard Nankervis of Bojcwyan

I can only imagine how this affected the whole community.  There was a collection fund for the widows and orphans, but money can't replace a loved one.  Some of the Nicholas family, without benefit of a Father, did what many did -- emigrate to Australia.

Another mine disaster, at the Levant Mine in 1919 affected even closer family members.  My 1st cousin twice removed (Mt Great Grandmother's niece), Gracie White lost her husband John Kevern (he my 4th cousin twice removed).

Mell Family

Another random message via Ancestry --- someone inquiring about my Mell family.  Turns out she has PHOTOS!!!! Love when that happens.  She just sent over five photos -- including one of a 1st cousin 3x removed, Thomas Wesley Mell.  He was the son of my GG Grandmother's half brother.  Thomas was born about 1846 in Aunsby, Lincolnshire and died in 1926 in Iowa.  The family emigrated to Canada in the mid 1850's, and he lived in a variety of places, Canada, Kansas, Illinois and finally Iowa.

There are also several photos of his daughter, Emma Blanche Mell Ruple, who died in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Always so interesting to put photos to names!

Mary Toulson to Australia.....a long journey with a sad ending

I love when a random inquiry comes in via Ancestry --- just the other day I had a message from a woman in Australia, asking if her ancestors marriage to a Mary Toulson was possibly one of my Mary's.

I had a quick look at the possibilities and did find a Mary Toulson that had "disappeared" after 1861.  I'm not sure if I'd assumed she married and didn't look very hard for a marriage or what. Because, lo and behold I immediately found a marriage for her in the Summer of 1862 in Grantham, to James Alexander Stow.  Makes perfect sense, as he lived in Caythorpe, and she lived in Hough on the Hill (neighboring villages).  It also makes sense, as her sister Alice Toulson married Samuel Stow, a brother of James Alexander Stow.  So, we have 2 Stow brothers marrying 2 Toulson sisters -- keeping it all in the family.

It looks like they married and immediately left for Australia.  Not sure if it was a "paid emigration" scheme by a Parish (to remove the poor from their rolls), or if it was by choice.  In any case, sure enough there is James and Mary Stow emigrating on the Ivanhoe from Southampton to Melbourne and arriving in Feb 1863.  And shortly thereafter, in April she gives birth and dies.  The child, John Henry Stow, lives a month and then dies in May 1863.  A long journey with a sad ending.

Eureka Moment!!!!

The newly released Catholic Parish registers from the National Library of Ireland have been an eye-test to be sure, but they are yielding some absolute gems!  One of those was the discovery of the marriage record from 1826 (yes, 1826!!!) of my GGG Aunt, Margaret "Peigen" Walsh to John Rainey in Gorumna Parish, Co. Galway.

We knew they were married, but didn't have a date or place.....and wouldn't have thought to look in Moyrus Parish -- and beyond that, Gorumna is not a Catholic Parish when most Catholic registers begin, as it is absorbed into Killanin or Killeen.

The witnesses are listed as Michael Walsh (probably her brother) and Peter Conneely.

This obviously set me off looking for other relatives in this old time Gorumna Parish (which unfortunately only has marriage records) -- and lo and behold, I found an Anne Walsh marrying Tom Folan in 1828 -- with the exact same witnesses, Michael Walsh and Peter Conneely.

This fits nicely as Folan's lived next to Walsh's in Lettercalla as early as 1850's in Griffiths Valuation. And there is a lot of  conflicts between the Walsh's and Folan's all through the 1800's in the Petty Session records.  Lots of throwing of stones, threatening each other with death by hatchett, etc.  So obviously there was some bad blood between them!!

Next up, can I find any of spring of Tom/Ann, to further prove the connection via naming patterns, etc.

Nee Family -- A Brick Wall Broken Through?????

A recent trip to Ireland proved to be a goldmine of genealogical discoveries.  Through Ancestry.com I found a descendant from my Grandmothers village --- and met up with her in Galway.  The village only had 4 houses and 3 families -- all with the surname WALSH.  I've always been brick-walled at my GG Grandmother Mary Nee, who married into the Walsh family.  

Nee is a name in the general area, with a concentration in Rosmuc -- so I suspected she was from there, but that was just a guess.  She was born about 1820, so well before any Irish records.  She married before 1843, again before any records ....... I looked at some clues as to her children's baptismal sponsors, a Barbara Nee and a Mary Nee -- but still not much to go on.

I also knew that my Grandmother's brother had also married a Bridget Nee.  When I asked this new contact if she had any idea where the Nee's were from, she said Costello (or Casla in Irish).   This was somewhere I had NEVER looked!!!  It is just a bit south of my Grandmother's village, and she said that it wasn't that far a walk down the hill towards the sea. This all makes perfect sense, as it's closer than Rosmuc.   

So, when back in the States, I started trying to sort out any Nee's in the Casla area.  The parish is really called Derrynea or Doire Ne' (in Irish).  The Costello fisheries are in this area, and the Costello Lodge was a fishing lodge, that I found several Nee's working at.  Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any Tithe Applotment records for this area, and the Griffith's Valuation has residents of Costello Lodge, but no tennants..

 From Findmypast.com, I checked the Petty Session Records and found records from 1857 - 1870 listing Pat Nee, Thomas Nee and Peter Nee, all of  Derrynea or Costello Lodge.   

I also found some marriages in the 1860's, which helped me get to birthdates in the late 1830's early 1840's and their Father's names. 

Thus I think I've found siblings to my Mary Nee born about 1820 -- which are:

Patrick Nee of Derrynea:

      son Thomas Nee b 1843 m. Sarah McDonagh in 1869

            had Peter b 1871 d 1959 m Anne Ridge of Lettermore na' Coille Feb 1915

                   Michael b 2 May 1875

                   Mary b 21 Nov 1880

                   John b 22 May 1887

Michael Nee of Derrynea:

      son Patrick Nee b 1839 m Mary Conroy of Rosmuck Nov 24 1865

      dau Anne Nee b 1843 (of Camus) m Michael Nee (Glencaugh)

Other Nee's --- 

       Patrick Nee of Carraroe m Mary Donnell on Nov 20 1865

           had Bridget b 11 July 1875 in Derrynea

           had Mary b 20 Oct 1872 in Derrynea

      Patrick Walsh and Margaret Walsh of Furmoyle
           had Bridget Walsh - bapt 21 Nov 1814, sponsors Rodger Walsh and Bridget Walsh
           had John  Walsh - bapt 14 July 1819, sponsors Martin Walsh and Honour Walsh
     

      Matthias Nee of Lettermuckoo b. abt 1810  (listed in Griffiths Valuation) m Ellen Conroy

           had Anthony b abt 1830 marries Bridge Nee in 1870

           had Anne b 16 Mar 1842 (witnesses Bridget Nee and Mark Canavan) marries Patrick McDonagh of Clynagh 3 Mar 1867

           had Barbara Nee b abt 1847 - marries Patrick Kean 1871 (witness Penelope Nee)

           had Penelope Nee b 6 Aug 1849

And from Findmypast.com --- The Irish Dog License Registers - Derrynea Court:

Peter Nee 1911-1913 (Bealandangan)

Pat Nee 1907-1914  (Maumeen)

John Nee 1908-1913  (Bealandangan)

Anthony Nee 1902-1913  (Lettermuckoo)

Nixon's......

I know that I have a 4th Great Grandmother named Elizabeth Nixon.  She was born about 1734 in the vicinity of Grantham, Lincolnshire.  She and her parents have proven elusive. There are multiple Nixon families in the general area, all with similar common names, so that I cannot definitely sort out the family that Elizabeth belongs to.  I know she married in 1763 at St Wulfrum's Parish in Grantham, and is listed as "of the Parish".

But, recently I got a DNA hit -- at first there was only the names Hewson and King, which didn't mean anything to me, but when I did some checking the King line was from Fulbeck, Lincolnshire! Aha, I have direct Toulson ancestors in Fulbeck -- so there must be some connection.  I did some further research, and although this DNA match had a family tree -- it seemed to connect this Hewson/King family to another part of Lincolnshire, which I think can be disproved (two Elizabeth Kings born about same year - one from Pinchbeck and one from Fulbeck; and their family tree was going up the Pinchbeck trail).

When I followed the Elizabeth King of Fulbeck, I found her Mother was Sarah Nixon, the dau of Philip Nixon and Mary Musson (who married in Somerby, which is near Grantham).

The Somerby records start about 1730, and I don't see my Elizabeth Nixon in the records -- but it could be that I need to look at the surrounding parishes, such as Ropsley.

The DNA match is a distant cousin, so it's possible that Philip Nixon is a sibling to Elizabeth Nixon's father. Need to sort through the generations and make sure I'm lineing them up correctly.

I'm hoping I can solve this Nixon conundrum, because I've never been able to add anything to her line.  The other family I need to sort our is the MUSSON family, as Elizabeth Nixon's son Michael marries a Mary Musson.  I have her ancestors up two generations, but have had trouble tracing her siblings.

Now that there are some good Lincolnshire records on Findmypast. com --- this may become easier!