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Archiver > LANCSGEN > 2004-09 > 1096308533


From: Claire <>
Subject: Re: [LAN] Thanks Claire..Templepatrick
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 14:12:55 -0400
References: <000a01c4a2bb$edba2540$36d90ad2@ultimate> <41557E9A.8090402@comcast.net><002101c4a356$68102520$46d90ad2@ultimate> <41573E1E.9040409@comcast.net> <005401c4a48a$27adf310$91d90ad2@ultimate>
In-Reply-To: <005401c4a48a$27adf310$91d90ad2@ultimate>


Norm and Sylvia wrote:
> ...I believe that they were catholic,...
> I'm presently racking my brain to find a way of knowing where in Ireland
> they came from.

Sylvia,
Right answer! If you had said they were Church of Ireland (or CoE when
they moved to England), they could have been from just about anywhere in
Ireland, based on the prevalence of the surname. But since you say they
were Catholic, you're almost certainly looking at historical Ulster (9
counties) for the RODGERS surname. Unscientifically, if I had to guess
(hedge, hedge), I'd start with the Glenelly Valley in Co. Tyrone, or the
parishes of Upper and Lower Bodoney (much of the Glenelly Valley is in
Upper Bodoney), where there is a large concentration of RODGERS / ROGERS
/ McCRORYs (etc.) The bad news is, you're looking for births prior to
civil registration in Ireland (birth registrations began there in 1864),
so your only hope is baptismal registers, and many Irish Catholic
registers do not start as early as you might like. (It's hard for me to
say for sure, as all I know from your post is that it was sometime
before 1851; you almost certainly won't find any surviving Catholic
baptismal registers before 1820, though there may be an odd one about
here or there).

As I mentioned, I have a friend who researches McCRORYS / RODGERS in
that area. If you send me the full info on your family, I'll ask her to
see if she's transcribed anything for them, or if she could keep an eye
out for them as she continues researching. (Right now, all I know is
that you're looking for James and Mary RODGERS from Ireland who had an
(unnamed) daughter in Ireland and who all moved to Bolton sometime
before 1851, so anything to narrow down the names, dates, etc., would be
very helpful -- are there other kids? were they all born in Ireland?
if some were born in England, that helps determine when the family moved
to England).

Meanwhile, back to England for a moment. In your first email, you said
James and Mary's daughter was your Ggm; in your last, that their
granddaughter was your Ggm. If it was their daughter, and you say she
married a Quaker, have you checked Quaker records? Quaker records are
meticulous and often (in "Miscellaneous Papers" collections, esp.) will
contain references to extended family, so you may find clues on your
non-Quaker relatives in them as well as your Quaker ones (your best bet
is to start with the Monthly Meeting records and branch out from there).
Also, you should look back through whatever sources you've found on
your RODGERS family to see if you have any record of what their family
nickname may have been (it could be something Irish, like Ban or Ruad,
or based on father's names, like Mickey or Mickey Tommy -- old family
letters are especially good for this, if you have any). In some
records, it may show up as a middle name or as a name that comes down in
the family through the generations.

Finally, did any of the Irish-born survive until at least 1908? (Since
you don't give ages, I can't hazard a guess at the likelihood of this).
If so, there's a chance they may have applied for an Old Age Pension
in Ireland (you didn't have to still be living in Ireland to get one).
To apply for the OAP, you had to prove you were at least 70 (so were
born before 1839); since this predates birth registrations, the
government checked the 1841 and/or 1851 Irish censuses (now destroyed)
or baptismal registers (and sometimes other documents). The OAP files
for the Bodoney area are especially useful (whole families are routinely
transcribed from the censuses). If there's a chance your people
applied, my friend may very well have transcribed the data. So, the
more info you supply on your family, the better she'll be able to judge
which record transcriptions she should check for you.

I hope that helps.

Claire K.

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