Finn and Lavin Family

Danielle:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Can you locate the death records for Michael Finn and Mary Lavin Finn which may show their parents names?

I checked Roots Ireland and the only Michael Finn/Mary Lavin marriage was in 1866 in Loughlynn church in Co. Roscommon so likely your ancestors were married in America.

The Carracastle area is a possibility but I would also give strong consideration to Tibohine parish in Roscommon. 

My paternal grandfather was from Carracastle and my paternal grandmother was from Ballaghaderreen.

Do you know anything about siblings for Michael Finn and Mary Lavin?

You may also want to consider autosomal DNA testing.

Let me know what questions you have.

Roger McDonnell

Roger, 

I can find that Michael Finn and Mary Lavin Finn are buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange, NJ. Michael died February 1, 1932 and Mary died January 7, 1938. On their headstone it lists Mary with a middle initial of "A". 

On the Family Search website, I believe I just found a marriage record for Michael Finn (mispelled Finan) and Mary Lavin on Oct 1, 1886 in Newark, NJ, but there are no parents listed. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZPV-C5J

In an 1870 US Census, I found a family in Passaic County, New Jersey (about a 30 minute drive from Essex County) which has a Michael Finn born in Ireland in 1861. This census lists Michael's father as John Finn and mother as Bridget Finn of Ireland. He was the oldest child and all siblings born after him were born in the U.S. Their names were Mary A Finn (b.1862), Kate Finn (b.1866), Dennis Finn (b. 1867) and Lizzy Finn (b.1868).

I found both a John and Bridget Finn buried in the same plot at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, which is where Michael is buried, but I don't believe it's the same John and Bridget. Working some numbers.... I believe this Bridget was born somewhere around 1833, she died July 18, 1908. John was born somewhere around 1820 something and he died in 1901.The only thing is that their children's names that I know of from cemetery and census info were Catherine Finn, Ellen Finn, Mary P. Finn and Agnes C. Finn. The only other Finn's in this cemetery of age to be Michael's parents are Dominick and Mary Finn or Anna and Eugene Finn and the possibility of Patrick Finn who is not buried with a spouse.

Also, My mom had informed me that she remembers that one of my grandmother's (Margaret Finn) cousins (not sure if she is a first cousin or second cousin and what side of the family she is related) was a Roman Catholic nun named Sister Francis Marie deSales in Newark, NJ. I have found the following information online on the Geni website and believe this is the person my mother speaks of. So maybe there is a possibility that my family is from Breedogue/Ballinameen? 

Name: Winifred O'Reilly (Sister Francis Marie deSales)

Born:September 8, 1868

Birthplace:Breedogue/Ballinameen, Roscommon, Kilnamanagh, Ireland

Death:Died April 8, 1954 in Morristown, Morris, New Jersey, United States

Place of Burial:Wickatunk, New Jersey, United States

Immediate Family: Daughter of Owen [Eugene] O'Reilly and Catherine O'Reilly 
Sister of Michael O'Reilly; Patrick O'Reilly; Mary Ann O'Reilly; Teresa Reilly; Bridget Reilly; Catherine/Katie McGann and Eugene S. Reilly

"Winifred was born in Tonroe on 8 Sept 1863 and christened in the Breedogue & Ballinameen RC Parish on 19 Sept. Her father, a farmer, died when she was 10, leaving behind her mother and 7 children. Prospects were limited. Her older siblings emigrated in 1882, living on St. John's Church grounds in Orange, NJ.

Winifred Reilly (O'Reilly) professed as Sister Francis Marie deSales on April 20, 1890. The following year her mother and younger siblings joined the family in NJ. They were all living together at St. John's in Orange when Winifred came over to the US in 1899. She worked at the House of Good Shepherd in Newark, NJ, until 1931. It was a Magdalene asylum [Catholic girls' reformatory] where the girls were kept pure and penitents redeemed their souls by doing laundry and sewing clothing. The institution was shut down in 1930 during the Great Depression, because the cotton manufacturers didn't want to violate new NRA labor laws.

From there, Auntie deSales went to "Our Lady of Grace Training School" at 74 Kahdena Road, Morristown. In her final years she lived at a home for elderly nuns in Morristown, NJ. Church records for The House of the Good Shepherd" were transferred to St. Margaret of Scotland Church on Sussex Avenue, Morristown.

Winifred died in 1954 and is buried at the Sisters of the Good Shepherd cemetery in Wickatunk, New Jersey. Her nephew Frank Reilly was named after her and always carried her little gold religious figure of Mary in his pocket. Everyone spoke highly of her and said she was lovely and very kind."

This is about all of the information I can come up with outside of DNA testing. If any of the above information would allow you to find anything more out about my Finn or Lavin family, please let me know. thank you so much for any help.

Danielle

Danielle:

Just getting back to your message. I found two baptismal records in Carracastle in 1858, the second record is one that you have seen and mention in your original message.

I would really recommend DNA testing. Who knows you may match me.

Roger

Date of Baptism:26-Oct-1858Address:DerinabruckParish/District:CARRACASTLEGender:MaleCountyMAYO
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:John FinnMother:Margt ForkanOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:Thos Finn Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Anne Bones 

Name:Michael FinnDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:06-Nov-1858Address:GowelParish/District:CARRACASTLEGender:MaleCountyMAYO
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:Patt FinnMother:Mary KilbrideOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:Thos Kilbride Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Ellen Kilbride 

Roger,

I am really starting to consider DNA testing. I will let you know what I find when I have it done.

Hi Roger, 

Based on your last message, I was thinking about the traditional naming order of children and my great-grandparents (Michael Finn and Mary Lavin) named their second daughter Margaret which would fall in line with tradition with the Margaret Forkan that you found. However, their only son was named Bernard and Margaret Forkan's husband's name was John Finn. How common is it during the early to mid 1800's to use the traditional naming order? 

If tradition fell in to place for my family, Michael Finn's parents would be named Bernard Finn and Margaret Finn (maiden surname?).  Mary Lavin's parents would be Catherine Lavin (maiden surname?) and (? first name) Lavin ......due to the fact that Michael Finn and Mary Lavin did not have a second son, i do not know.

FYI.....I have sent my DNA testing kit in and it is in the process of extraction. Hoping results will be in the next couple of weeks. 

Danielle:

Sometimes the naming pattern was followed other times it was not. I have two examples from my immediate family.

Great-great grandfather was Peter Roddy and his oldest son was Bernard and Bernard named his oldest son Peter after his father. However, the third son not the second son was named after the mother's father.

Great-great grandfather was John McDonnell. His son was Rodger but Rodger's first son was Michael who was likely named after his brother who had emigrated to Australia. . The second son was named John.  The third and last son was not named after the mother's father.

When my grandfather, Patrick McDonnell, came to America, he named his oldest son Roger after his father but in the States the tradition at least in the 1940s/1950 was to name the first son after the father so my name is Roger.

Roger

Roger, 

 I am hoping that my DNA analysis will give me some much wanted answers soon. Thank you for your input. 

Danielle

Roger, 

I have had the autosomal DNA testing completed and have my results. Wondering how we will be able to compare to see if we may be related? When looking on the site where my tesing results are located, I have a list of "family" that is related to me, Mostly 3rd, 4th and 5th cousins. I have not seen anyone with the surname Finn or Lavin in my list.  I can see that my relatives either have family or are from County Roscommon, Sligo, Mayo and a few others like Tipperary, Clare, Galway, Cork and probably some more. My maternal grandmother's side is also from Ireland and I have not even tried to decode where the Donohues and Reardons came from yet. I am 46.6% British/Irish according to my DNA results and I have 965 relatives on the site that are either British or Irish?  I am also 1.7% Iberian, which makes me wonder if this might come from my Lavin family. I am the only one to test in my family, so I only know my maternal haplogroup. It would be very interesting to see if I can find a link somehow to my Michael Finn and Mary Lavin. 

Danielle

Danielle:

Did you test with Ancestry or Family Tree DNA or another company? I have tested with both Ancestry and Family Tree. You may also want to look into Gedmatch. www.gedmatch.com   Gedmatch is a volunteer run site where you can load your raw DNA data and see who you match from other testing companies and also loaded their data to Gedmatch.

Roger

Roger,

I tested through 23 and me. I have obtained a Gedmatch Kit #. I have over 2000 autosomal matches here. If you would like to exchange kit numbers, please email me at danimomma2@aol.com.

Danielle:

My Gedmatch number is T690844

Roger

Roger,

I compared our GED Match kits and unfortunately we don't have any matching segments. I was hoping we would, so it would steer me onto the right path and I could finally pinpoint part of my family's lineage.

Roger, 

FYI, while going through my dna matches on 23 & Me, I have found a male 5th cousin with the surname Sweeney who states that all of his family exclusively comes from County Leitrim, so I am thinking either my Finn or Lavin family may come from there.

 Hi Rodger and Danielle I ​have been folling your post's with intrest the places are close to me and the names are farmiller .

I will inquire from the local familys and if I can find some local information . I have attached information on a Kilbride family that emagrated to Batley Yorkshire the family that they talk about in the attachments are from Gowel . there is a other family's of Finn's Lavin's Sweeney's all  living in Lurga / West Kilgarriff in the civle parish of Kilbeagh but there dates dont match  .--------- My Gedmatch number T844731 Gedmatch numbers with local connections T337738 T380977 T623603 T132063 T673913 M119044 T392620 T923919 Z582350 T252759 T945368 A074078 A300615 T575740 A 713567 A938148 

This maybe of a little help

Seamus

Seamus, 

Thank you very much for this information. Out of all the GED Match Kit numbers you have given me, I am an ancestor to two people. Now, it would be very interesting to see which Lavin or Finn ancestor of mine they were possibly related to. I am nowhere near an expert at this DNA thing, but will list what I have found. My kit number is M196263.  I am related to:

1.) Evelyn Jacob (T132063) - We have a 7.8 cM match on chromosome 2 with 795 SNP's. Estimated # of generations to  MRCA = 7.4

2.) Michael Mulhern (T945368) - We have an 11.8 cM match on chromosome 14 with 676 SNP's. Estimated # of generations to MRCA = 5.1

I am not sure how accurate the generation estimation is on GED Match because I have a known first cousin twice removed on my mom's side and it estimates us to be 3.1 generations apart.  Do you know of the distant relatives for either one of the people I am related to? 

I really appreciate any help that you are able to give me. This is at least a start on trying to find a link to this part of my Irish family. 

Have a wonderful day. 

Danielle

Hi Seamus!

Thanks! Up Mayo!

Roger

Hello

on Lavin

There are some based around  Strokestown and Cregga in Roscommon

For Finn they lived in Church Street Roscommon and there are Finns in the town now

My monther says they came from Ballaghadereen area originally

Some moved to the US to New Jersey and many became cops.  There are Rooneys there realted on one side of the family and had a chain of drug stores.

Bridget Finn seems to be a common name in the family as is Jim

i can ask my monther for more info, she resides in Strokestown, Roscommon

Tom Cregg

tcregg73@gmail.com

Hi Roger,
This is a long -winded post.
I know that when I checked on the standard settings on the GED Match one-to-one comparison awhile back, it showed we didn't share any DNA. I played around a bit with the standard settings and believe we are most likely distant cousins.

Comparing Kit M196263 (Danielle Sauer-Bevis) and T690844 (Roger McDonnell)

SAMPLE 1
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 200 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 100 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 3.0 cM

300890 SNPs used for this comparison.

Chr Start Loc. End Loc. cM SNPs
2 232,173,765 234,502,005 4.5. 299
3 73,613,013 76,940,655. 3.7. 257
4 188,216,624 190,028,097 4.2. 267
6 167,049,807 168,454,019 4.8 223
10 113,022,716 115,755,356 4.6 366
16 53,348,302 55,152,000. 3.4 247
20 34,393,615 37,170,884. 3.0 205
21 40,595,978 41,949,521. 5.5 265
22 32,686,096 35,117,876 4.1 295

SAMPLE 2
Minimum threshold size to be included in total = 300 SNPs
Mismatch-bunching Limit = 150 SNPs
Minimum segment cM to be included in total = 4.0 cM

300890 SNPs used for this comparison.

Chr Start Loc. End Loc. (cM) SNPs
10 113,022,716 115,755,356 4.6 366

I have found a 5th cousin whose father was from Carrick on Shannon, Leitrim and mother from Spotsfield, Bekan, Mayo. Surnames are Mcloughlin (Doyle, Mulvey, Hunt), Ganly, Mullen and Neiland. In a 1911 Irish Census, a young 11 year old Delia Finn was listed as present in both the Neiland and Ganly homes. Funny thing is my great-grandfather was Michael Finn born around 1858 and emigrated to the U. S. around 1882. Still can not figure out the connection, however common relatives between me and this cousin lead us to believe that we are related through the McLoughlin side. Maybe we could have multiple connections? According to my research, there were far more Lavins than Finns in the Carrick on Shannon area, although I have Michael Finn, child of Patrick Finn and Mary Kilbride of Gowel in prior posts which I believe is close to Carrick on Shannon. I believe that I have noted that you have Kilbrides in your family, as well.

I recently found an Italian 3rd cousin whose deceased husband was a cousin of mine whose family had ties to Leitrim. Their daughter shows as a third cousin on 23 and Me with relatives that are strictly Irish, Scottish, English. According to my cousin, his name was James T McGeever, son of Sylvester T McGeever and Mary E Malloy of Chicago. Mary's parents were James and Nellie Malloy.
Sylvester's parents were Thomas McGeever and Jessie Rodden. Thomas's parents were Patrick McGeever and Catherine Kilbride. Jessie's parents were James Rodden and Jessie Guthrie. Thomas and Jessie were married January 19,1882 in the district of Patrick, County of Lamarck, Scotland. Again, I am searching for the Finn or Lavin connection to this family. I see a strong link between the Finns and McGeever's in Cloontia, Mayo. I also see McGeever/ McLoughlin marriages in Leitrim, not sure about Lavins.

I found an 1880 US Census which shows my great-grandfather, Michael Finn as a boarder living with Austin Gabbin, Margaret Gabbin, Patrick Kane and Bridget Kane. I am assuming somehow they were related? I left the link below.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN89-8DB

One last piece of information: Somehow either my Finn or Lavin side are related to the Crean/Cryan family. There was an older woman named Mary Crine. who never married from Marlborough, Monmouth County, NJ that used to come for holidays when I lived in NJ. She was around the age of my grandmother, Margaret Finn (b. 1889) or maybe a little younger. The story from my mom (who is not related) is that the Crine's connection went back to Ireland and that Mary's family sold a portion of their land in NJ which produced tomatoes to The Campbell Soup Company.

Trying to solidify a connection for either my Finn or Lavin family, so anything that you or anyone else can add would be appreciated.

Hello Danielle, 

You wrote " Thomas and Jessie were married .... in the district of Patrick, County of Lamarck, Scotland."  Did you mean Partick in Lanarkshire? Lanarkshire is a county adjacent to the city of Glasgow. Partick was absorbed by Glasgow in 1912. By then it was a site of heavy industry. There's a football club called Partick Thistle. Partick was an old village. The name derived from 2 Welsh words. (Part of Southern Scotland was a British kingdom which include much of NW England; language of inhabitants was similar to Welsh.)

Both Jessie and Guthrie are very Scottish names.

I'm following this thread because I have an interest in Lavin and Sweeney families of Roscommon, although no connection myself.

You also wrote in your latest post re DNA links  "Maybe we could have multiple connections?" My answer to that, while knowing little about your family would be " very likely". The farther back you go,even more likely. Many marriages were made for practical reasons.  Some entries in marriage registers had relationship degree written in margin. Anglican Church (C. of I., C. of E.) allowed 1st cousin marriages, R.C. Church disallowed them, except with a dispensation from Bishop for a serious reason. The priest would make a note in marriage register that a dispensation had been granted. 

PS I forgot there's no automatic spell check on this site. I've sadly become reliant on it.

Hi Danielle!

Thanks for sharing your analysis. Likely we are 7th or 8th cousins somewhere back in the 1500s.

Roger

CRINE

there are also CRINES in Roscommon

Joe Crine or Crines as locals would say is from Grange, Four-Mile-House, Roscommon

Usually people did nt travel too far in those days but were sometimes seprated to further areas when Land Act allocated land from English Landowners to Irish people.  My Aunt lived opposite him and was allocated land in that very way.

LAVIN is thought to be from the northern Spanish/Basque name LANVIN

Many names where anglicised from Irish and came out spelt slighlty differently.  When the irish went to the US they often could not spell their names or their name was taken and spelled how the registrar understood it hence many more variations of Irish/UK names existing in the USA.  

Maggie May, 

I believe you are correct. It most likely is Partick, Lanarkshire, Scotland. I received the information from my cousin and just copied and pasted it from her email. Interesting information about the area. I took a look online and read some of the history of Partick.

The more I think about it, there is probably a good chance that one of my family lines could be linked to Mary Malloy vs. the McGeever's. Only time and more research will tell. 

In regards to the statement I made, "Maybe we could have multiple connections?", I was thinking that maybe the McLoughlins could have a connection to the Lavins and maybe the Ganly's or Neiland's could have a connection to the Finns or vice versa.

May I ask what your interest is in the Lavins and Sweeneys? 

Tom Cregg, 

Thanks for your input. I have looked at my ancestry matches on 23 and me and I have one match with the last name Craig, which I assume may be the anglicized version of Cregg. I also have two ancestors with the last name Rooney, one from the US and one from Ireland. One lists another family surname as Campion and the other as McHugh. The most common Irish surnames that I see in my list of relatives are the following: (the number represents the number of relatives with that particular surname)

• Smith (30)
• Murphy (18)
• Ryan (16)
• Brown (15)
• Jones (12)
• Wilson (12)
• Moore (11)
• O'Brien (11)
• Miller (10)
• Morgan (10)
• White (10)
• Anderson (9)
• Collins (9)
• Davis (9)
• Duffy (9)
• Kelly (9)
• McCarthy (9)
• Murray (9)
• Scott (9)
• Evans (8)

My biggest issue is trying to determine who would be related to the Finns or Lavins on my dad's side and who would be related to the Donahues and Reardons on my mom's side. 

I have done a bit of research on the Lavin family name and read where they came from the area of Cantabria, Spain. Based on my DNA, I believe this maybe true. I have a small percentage of Iberian DNA, which my Italian ancestors do not.

Tom Cregg, 

I found a marriage record between Patrick Cregg and Margaret Lavan in Roscommon in 1851. They would probably be the age where Margaret could be my Mary Lavin's aunt through her father. Do you know if your family has a connection here?

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGJ3-546

Roger, 

I am just amazed that the technology exists for us to figure out that we are connected that far back in time.

Hi Danielle

My grandmother Bridget Duffy nee Finn was a Finn from Derrinabroc, Cloontia, Co. Mayo

This whole area is full of Finns and looking back through the census 1901 and 1911 they are nearly all Michaels and Bridgets so its hard work figuring out who is who.

While doing some work at my grandmothers childhood home in Derrinabroc recently we found an old black and white picture of one of my Grandmothers aunts, Mrs Mary Finn, the pic was dated 1916 and has the address 81 mount Kemble Avenue, Morristown, New Jersey.

We know that my grandmother had several aunts and uncles who had left Cloontia before she was born and that she had doxens of cousins born in the states though we also though Chigago for some reason.

We found a Mary Finn on the 1930 USA census living in Morristown, born 1891 Ireland, aged 39 at census, this is likely her as she appears mid twenties in the photo dated 1916.

I have attached the pic in the hope that the address or name means something to someone

I can be contacted at peterduffysiteagent@gmail.com

Seamus,

You have posted on my thread before. Is your last name Bermingham? I see a Seamus Bermingham that manages Evelyn Jacob on My Heritage.com. She and I share 2 segments and are estimated to be 3rd cousins +. I am assuming that Evelyn may be your daughter? After reading some of your information on My Heritage, I believe the Patrick Finn that you speak of was my either my great-great grandfather or my great-grandfather's brother, depending on his date of birth. My great-grandfather Michael Finn was born about 1858. I have been trying to pinpoint a location in Mayo for my Finns. Can you tell me Patrick's date of birth and where he was from? Do you have a family tree?

Thanks,

Danielle

Hi Danielle!

Seamus has not been active on the message baord for a couple years. Did you try sending him an e-mail message? He is also active on the Facebook Mayo Genealogy page.

Roger

Thanks so much for responding to let me know Roger. I will attempt to get in touch with Seamus there.

Hi
My name is Peter Duffy.
My grandmother was Bridget Finn from Derrinabrook, Cloontia, Mayo.
The nearest town is Ballaghadereen, co.Roscommon though it's really a Mayo town but county borders were changed at one point.
My grandmother was raised in the same house as her mother, grandfather and great grandfather and her people were always from that corner of the parish.
We know my grandmother had lots of cousins and aunts and uncles In the states, morristown New Jersey in particular

Danielle found my notes on my family tree about my father's aunt Winifred Reilly, aka Sister DeSalles.  She worked at the House of the Good Shepherd in Newark,then when it was shut down for child labor violations (the "inmate" girls were free labor for hotel, hospital and institution laundries, and mostly as seamstresses for the garment business), Auntie DeSalles moved to Morristown.  Her sister Theresa, "Tessie," was a Sister of Charity at Convent Station.  Their parents were Catherine Beirne and Owen Reilly/O'Reilly, my dad's grandparents.  Catherine and Owen were married in 1857 in the Tibohine-Fairymount RC Church -- usually the parish of the bride.  Sponsors were Shanley and Cregg.  There were Creggs, Reillys, and Beirnes in Tibohine.  Catherine & Owen had that farm in Tonroe; the kids were all baptized in Breedogue & Ballinameen and lived right next to Thomas Cregg.  

The only Lavin connection I know of is through Beirne/Reilly inlaws.  Catherine (Beirne) Reilly's brothers were Patrick, Thomas and Michael Beirne, who all changed to Byrne when they emigrated to Orange after the US Civil War.  Michael Beirne's son Francis Byrne (Gov Brendan Byrne's father) married Genevieve Brennan, whose father Patrick had emigrated from the Frenchpark area of Roscommon to Orange).  Well Patrick Brennan's 2 brothers also emigrated to Orange. They were masons. One of them had married a Lavin from that same area of northern Roscommon.  So maybe that's the "cousins connection"?  

You mentioned Sr. DeSalles (Winifred Reilly, my dad's aunt.) Our other Byrne/Beirne cousins were Father George, Father Gordon and Monsignor Byrne, whom we called "Father John". They all settled in the Orange and West Orange area.

 I'm still trying to find out whatever happened to Owen & Catherine (nee Beirne) Reilly's daughter BRIDGET REILLY, born 10 April 1866 and baptized in Breedogue & Ballinameen.  Also, we're somehow closely related to the McLoughlins who emigrated to Orange.  Mrs. McLoughlin was my uncle Gene Reilly's godmother and she also gave my father her large property in her will when she died around 1919-20.  ???  Hope this helps you somehow.  Sure wish someone woudl do research on all the Roscommon people who cme to Orange from 1845 onward, established St. John's Church, and then Our Lady of the Valley and Our Lady of Lourdes.  There's so much history to be found!

Hi Brennan, Danielle and all!

This is a fascinating thread. So, Brennan, I am a descendant of one of those Roscommon people who came to Orange/West Orange. My grandmother was Cecilia Morrisroe, the daughter of John Morrisroe from Tibohine, Co. Roscommon. His father was Luke Morrisroe who married Winifred Farrell. Winifred Farrell's father was Richard (Dick) F arrell and her mother was Cecilia (Cecily) Lavin. That's my most immediate connection to this thread, however, there's more. I was born and raised in West Orange (Our Lady of Lourdes - My mother's family was among the founding families of the parish) After college, I joined the Benedictines at St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown, where I have lived since 1976. The monks here were the chaplains to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Convent, that used to be on Kadhena Rd. (about 2 miles from here) There were two types of nuns at the convent: The Good Sheep (as they were known) and the Magdalenes (reformed bad girls, who became nuns).  The monks were also chaplains to the Sisters of Charity in Convent Station.

There seems to have been a direct pipeline from the village of Tibohine to the street that I grew up on! Our neighbors to one side were the Degnans (Deignan) and on the other side, the McCormicks to whom we were related on the Morrisroe side. There were also two families of Sharkeys, one known as "the Irish" Sharkeys had immigrated in the late 50's or 60's from Tibohine. Mr. Sharkey only died recently. My great-grandfather worked as a gardener in Llewellyn Park, where he died from a fall off a ladder. His son, my grandfather, did become an Essex County policeman.

One of my McCormick cousins has done quite a bit of research. One of her cousins actually wrote a book that I got from Amazon called "I'm Sending You a Shamrock to Remind You of Home", the author is Thomas Callahan,Jr. While it focuses on the McCormicks, it gives one a lot of insight into the phenomenon of "chain migration" which explains why Orange/West Orange seems to have a preponderance of families from Roscommon.

I bet if we were to sit down together over a drink we would know a lot of people in common!

Paul

Just so it doesn't seem that I spent all this time in a Mayo post talking about Co.Roscommon, my grandmother Cecilia Morrisroe married James Lavelle, whose family was almost certainly from Mayo. . . . but that's for another time.

Paul

  Hi and good luck. My GG Grandfather was Thomas Lavin and he married a Mary in the parish of Killedan 1869. And registered  It in Swinford. I can't find anything else about them before they emigrated to Scotland. I wish I had asked and listened to my Granparents about their past. My gran said that we were the "Black Irish" and related to the survivors of the Spanish Armada although I doubt that. My DNA results state Northern Europe, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and 0.8% Finish. There is a town in the north of Spain called "Santa Maria de Lavin" and, apparently, they supplied sailors for the Amada. The amount of Thomas and Mary Lavin's that I have looked up and not found the correct one! It also appears that Lavin is a common as Smith in that area.