MOTHERS DAY PT 1

Once again for Mothers Day I'm posting photos of our family's mothers.

For our Mom's side we don't have very many since her grandparents immigrated
here from Ireland and Germany in the 19th century.

 

John McFarland & Annie (Kelley) McFarland

First there's Anna Kelley, born 1Oct 1858 in Kiltrustan, Roscommon, Ireland. She married
my great grandfather in Edinburgh Scotland on 16May1879 and shortly after they came
to America and settled in Boston. She had 17 children, 10 of whom survived to adulthood.
Anna died 15Feb 1945 at Boston, Ma. at age 86.

Pauline (Offinger) White

Our other maternal great grandmother was Pauline Offinger, born 17Dec 1873
in Cambridge, Massachusetts to German immigrant parents. She married Edward J.
White on 27Nov 1895 in Boston, Ma. and had 9 children.          

Agnes (McFarland) White

Our grandmother Agnes (McFarland) White was born 7Oct 1898 in Boston, Ma, the
14th of John & Annie's 17 children. She was known as "Aggie" in the family.
She married Edward F.White, Sr. and had two children, our Uncle Ed and our Mom
Anne Marie. She died 12Feb 1957 in Malden Ma.

Anne M. (White) West

Finally, our Mom, Anne M. (White) West. She was born 7Jul 1927 at Boston, Ma and
married our Dad on 29Jun 1947, also at Boston. To her McFarland cousins she was
known as "Red White". She died on 28Jul 1999 at Weymouth, Ma and she is missed by
my brother, my sister, myself and the rest of the family.

MOTHER'S DAY PT 1

Once again for Mothers Day I'm posting photos of our family's mothers.

For our Mom's side we don't have very many since her grandparents immigrated
here from Ireland and Germany in the 19th century.

 

John McFarland & Annie (Kelley) McFarland

First there's Anna Kelley, born 1Oct 1858 in Kiltrustan, Roscommon, Ireland. She married
my great grandfather in Edinburgh Scotland on 16May1879 and shortly after they came
to America and settled in Boston. She had 17 children, 10 of whom survived to adulthood.
Anna died 15Feb 1945 at Boston, Ma. at age 86.

Pauline (Offinger) White

Our other maternal great grandmother was Pauline Offinger, born 17Dec 1873
in Cambridge, Massachusetts to German immigrant parents. She married Edward J.
White on 27Nov 1895 in Boston, Ma. and had 9 children.          

Agnes (McFarland) White

Our grandmother Agnes (McFarland) White was born 7Oct 1898 in Boston, Ma, the
14th of John & Annie's 17 children. She was known as "Aggie" in the family.
She married Edward F.White, Sr. and had two children, our Uncle Ed and our Mom
Anne Marie. She died 12Feb 1957 in Malden Ma.

Anne M. (White) West

Finally, our Mom, Anne M. (White) West. She was born 7Jul 1927 at Boston, Ma and
married our Dad on 29Jun 1947, also at Boston. To her McFarland cousins she was
known as "Red White". She died on 28Jul 1999 at Weymouth, Ma and she is missed by
my brother, my sister, myself and the rest of the family.

AND THE VERDICT IS...

Alright, there's been some developments regarding a possible connection
with relatives descended from my maternal great great grandparents
Anne Byrne and Patrick Kelley who were Irish but living in Edinburgh
Scotland.


First, there's what little I already knew. In the 1979 phone conversation
with my cousin Nancy she gave me some information from the marriage
certificate of their daughter Anne Kelley and John McFarland. It lists her
father as Patrick Kelley who lived at 51 Blackfriar Rd. in Edinburgh.
The marriage took place on 16May 1879 at St Patrick's Church.

From another cousin, John(who was named after his grandfather John
McFarland) I had a reference to someplace called the Iron Cathedral,
and that Ann had been born in Roscommon, Ireland.

Now, after my last post, Dee Blakeley sent me the information she'd found  
from the hints on the Ancestry.com World membership site from the
1871 and 1881 Scotland Census. First, the 1871 entry:

Name: Ann Kelly
Age: 12
Estimated birth year: abt 1859
Relationship: Daughter
Father's name: Patrick Kelly
Mother's name: Ann Kelly
Gender: Female
Where born: Ireland
Registration Number: 685/3
Registration district: Canongate
Civil Parish: Edinburgh Iron Church
County: Midlothian
Address: 18 Blackfriars St
ED: 12
Household schedule number: 33
Line: 7
Roll: CSSCT1871_161
Household Members: Name Age
Patrick Kelly 42 b 1829 in IRE
Ann Kelly 40 b 1831 in IRE
Mary Kelly 14 b 1857 in IRE
Ann Kelly 12
John Kelly 10 b 1861 in IRE
Sarah Kelly 3 b 1868 in Edinburgh
Robert Kelly 6 M b 1870 in Edinburgh

There's Blackfriars St. although the wrong street number. I found the
names of the siblings interesting because many of Ann Kelly McFarland's
children now appear to me to have been named after her brothers and sisters.


Next, the entry for 1881, two years after Ann had married John McFarland
and left for America.


1881 Scotland Census
Name: Patrick Kelley
Age: 52
Estimated birth year: abt 1829
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Ann Kelley
Gender: Male
Where born: Co Rosscommon, Ireland
Registration Number: 685/3
Registration district: Canongate
Civil Parish: Edinburgh Iron Church
County: Midlothian
Address: 54 Blackfriars Street
Occupation: General Labourer
ED: 8
Household schedule number: 42
Line: 8
Roll: cssct1881_287
Household Members: Name Age
Patrick Kelley 52
Ann Kelley 49 b 1832 in Co Rosscommon, Ireland
Sarah Kelley 13 b 1868 in Torn Church, Edinburgh


Thanks again Dee for sending these along to me!




As I mentioned in the previous post, there were two family trees on Ancestry
that also had this information. I messaged them both, and heard back from the
owner of one who is a very nice lady who is living not in Scotland but in New
Zealand. She and I are inclined to believe we are indeed cousins, her descent 
being from another child of Patrick Kelly and Anne Byrne. I haven't heard yet
from the other person but I have also left a message for them on their Facebook
account.

Finally, last night I sent off to the NARA for the naturalization record of John
McFarland. I'm hoping there'll be more information on it to further confirm my
belief that these are indeed my mom's grandparents.

So what do my readers think?

Am I right in believing this?

"THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART...."

or so Tom Petty tells us.

It all started this afternoon with an a Tree Notification from Ancerstry.com.
You know the one:

Dear William, Great news. We’ve found historical records that could help you discover more about your ancestors and grow your family tree, West Family of New England. Be sure to view the following Ancestry.com Hints:

Name: Anne Byrne We’ve found potential matches in these collections: 1891 Scotland Census 1881 Scotland Census View

There may be even more hints for you to explore. See all the people in your tree with hints.

Now, Anne Byrne is my maternal great great grandmother and one of my brickwalls.
I wasn't sure if I could examine those records because I don't have the World Deluxe
Ancestry membership. I was right, I couldn't.

But there was also a Public Member Family Tree link, and I clicked on it.  From what
I saw there, I may have discovered cousins,  two descendants of Anne Byrne and
Patrick Kelley who live in the U.K. I wanted to double-check so I searched my
apartment for the manila file folder that holds some of the oldest research I've done.
Specifically I was looking for my notes from a phone interview I'd done back on 3Mar
1979 with my cousin Nancy. She and I are descended from Anne Kelley, daughter of
Patrick Kelley and Anne Byrne, and she had in her possession at that time the
marriage certificate of Anne Kelley and John McFarland. The information in the notes
I made 31 years ago doesn't match up exactly with what I found on those two trees,
but the differences in dates are only off by one day.

So....

I've sent messages to both tree owners on Ancestry and discovered one of them has
a Facebook account so I messaged that person there as well.

Now I'm waiting and hoping for a reply. There's been none so far, but there is the
time difference.  So I'm still waiting.

I'll let you know what happens.