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I am researching Margaret Dorian, born around 1812-1813 in Ireland (actual date and place unknown).   She emigrated to Canada prior to 1834.  In records her name sometimes appears as Dorion, Dorien, Dorin or even Dolan or Doregan. According to census information, she was born in Ireland around 1812. She married Louis Bricault dit Lamarche in a catholic ceremony on November 11, 1833 at Notre Dame Basilica in what was then Bytown but has since become Ottawa, Ontario. Unfortunately there is no information about parents of the couple in the church marriage record.  The couple settled in a village on the Ottawa River called LaPasse or Gower Point in Westmeath township, Ontario.  She was very close to another Irish immigrant, Mary McCarthy.  Some sources think she came to Canada around 1824 at the same time as Mary McCarthy though I do not have any records to prove this.  She and her husband were some of the first settlers in this village around 1835 but he died in 1852.   Later, in 1865, a man called John Malloy (b. 1831-1836, Ireland) and his wife Catherine Dorian (b. 1829-1834, county Donegal, Ireland) settled a couple of miles from their farm but I do not know if there was any connection to these two Dorian women.  Margaret Dorian was still alive in 1871 for the census but after that date, I cannot find any records related to her death, despite following the trail of all her children so I do not know when she died. 

My DNA test has provided some leads for potential relatives of hers.  Margaret Dorian (b abt 1812-1813) may be related to a James Dorian who was a mason in County Down and married to Ann Dorian (some uncertainty about her surname).  They had a daughter also named Ann Dorian (1809-1882) who married Hugh McGraw.  The person who is my match also matched someone who is looking for a Sarah Dorian born abt. 1820 in Co. Donegal who married a Bernard Duffy who was born in Fanad around 1820.  Sarah and Bernard had at least 2 sons, one also named Bernard who was born in Ireland around 1840 and died in 1907 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; the other son was William born around 1842 died in 1909 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  These DNA result indicate a potentially mobile Dorian family in the early 1800s who lived in counties Down and Donegal.

PJohns

Tuesday 14th Jun 2016, 02:43PM

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  • Pjohns:

    Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

    in the mid-19th century, the surname Dorian was primarily found in Co. Donegal with Co. Down have the second most Dorians. This information matches your DNA connections. Unfortunately, none of the RC parishes have records back to the early 1800s.

    The Griffiths data would indicate that your ancestors likely came from the area to the west of Donegal Town specifically the following civil parishes: Killaghtee, Inver, Killbegs Lower, Killybegs Upper, Inishkeel. There were also a group of Dorians up in Clonavaddog parish in northwest Donegal.

    Roger McDonnell

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Tuesday 14th Jun 2016, 04:07PM

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