Irish-Canadian-L Archives

Archiver > Irish-Canadian > 2004-09 > 1096302841


From: "Eilis O'Hara" <>
Subject: Re: [Irish-Canadian] Name change? McNern
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 17:34:01 +0100 (BST)
In-Reply-To: <FE6CAAB4-1028-11D9-A30A-000A95D3DB26@telusplanet.net>


--- Vaughn Atkinson <> wrote:

> Hello listers.
>
> The recent talk on the list about the changing of
> spelling of names has reminded me of one of my
current problems.
>
> My ancestors' surname was McNern, although a family
> legend says that it might have been McAnern when
they were still in Ireland.
>
> My problem is that I cannot find them at all in the
> 1880/1881 censuses available at
www.familysearch.org. I started checking the 1881
Canadian census because I think they should be there,
but when I couldn't find them I included the 1880 US
and the 1881 British censuses as well.
> There are no McNern records in any of the three
> censuses. Likewise there are no McAnern or McInern.
However, when I typed in Mc Nern (notice the space in
the name), I was sent to a number of McNairn
> listings - none of whom are the right ones.
>
> I am hoping that someone on the list might have some
> suggestion of what I should do next. I know that
eventually I need to go find a copy of
> the 1881 census, and do the research the good, old
> fashioned way, but I still would like to know why I
can't find them by using the familysearch index.
>
> Thanks for reading,
> Vaughn Atkinson
> Lethbridge, Alberta
>
> What follows is some information I do have on this
> family, in case
> that's important for anyone reading this message.
>
> Robert McAnern (b. 1824)
> wife: Ann Jane (Harron) McAnern (b. 1837)
> son: William McAnern (b. 1857, Ballantra, Donegal,
> Ireland)
> daughter: Mary Jane McAnern (b. 1859)
>
> In 1886, William marries Sarah Elizabeth Regan (b.
> 1859, Smith,
> Ontario) in Peterborough, Ontario, and they have
> seven children.




I've read of many problems using the Family Search
Index although I haven't used it myself. Any index is
only as good as the person who prepared and
transcribed it and their understanding of the spelling
from the original census document (handwriting often
difficult to decipher) as well as their understanding
of Irish (and other) surnames.

I personally prefer just to use the Indexes as a very
general guide and, as you said, do the research from
the census sheets themselves the old fashioned --
although more time consuming -- way.

The 1881 British Census doesn't include Ireland. The
1881 Ireland Census records (and 1891) were both
destroyed by the British Government during WWI for use
as pulp in the war effort.

Griffiths Valuation in Ireland does list entries for
the McNern surname in Counties Donegal and Down (enter
the surname in the following link to see the numerical
results)
http://scripts.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm

One of the McNern surname variations on that site is
noted as MacNern also.

There are a couple of options for your census search:
you can use the soundex search which might give an
even wider group of people to check. Looking at the
given names and ages of family members too in this
wider search may help.

You could also "reverse" your search from the
twentieth century backwards again using the given
names and ages as part of your search. That may give
you a clearer list of the surname variations that were
used historically in the census recods.

Eilis O'Hara

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