Hello,
Continuing with my family search, I wonder if anyone could help me find Mary Carlan's (name subject to different spellings) parents?
I think their names were Bridget & Patrick, their first daughter, Ann, was born around 1859 with Mary, my great grandmother, born the following year.

Thanks to the wonderful Sheffield Indexers, I've found Mary's baptismal record (I think) It gives Bridget's name as Cunningham, but I can't find any record of any marriage. I don't know if they married in Ireland or England.

I understood that they were both born in Ireland, and I don't think Cunningham would be an Irish name; could it be an anglicized version of an Irish name? If so, does anyone have any suggestions.

I have a subscription to Find my Past, but that doesn't help because there were many Patrick Carlan/Carlon/Carlin/Carolin/Carolan/Corlan marrying Bridgets in the mid 1850s. I've tried Familysearch too. The name seems to change on every census.


This is the 1861 census.

Patrick Carolin
1861 England & Wales Census
Birth: Circa 1829 - Ireland
Residence: 1861 - 14 Bakers Yard, Pea Croft, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Wife: Bridget Carolin
Children: Ann Carolin, Mary Carolin

Patrick Carlon
1871
Birth: Circa 1833 - Ireland
Residence: Hollis Croft, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Wife: Bridget Carlon
Children: Ann Carlon, Mary Carlon, Thomas Carlon, Margaret Carlon, John W. Carlon

Just looking for someone to point me in the right direction.

Thanks
Verna

Verna,
GRO index confirms all the children as mmn Cunningham. There was also a Brigget, twin sister to Margaret, who died young.
Cunningham is an Irish name. It is among the 75 most common surnames in Ireland. It is most commonly found in the counties of Down, Antrim, Galway and Roscommon.
Dave
Edit. A bit of a long shot but there is a Bridget Cunningham marriage q4 1856 Manchester. The husband name according to Free BMD was Patrick Kurakkan???

Thank you Dave, you’re very helpful.

I’d no idea that Margaret had a twin although I was wondered why there wasn’t a child called Bridget.
I thought Cunningham sounded like an English name, now I know!
I will follow up the marriage of Bridget and Patrick in 1856.
Thanks again
Verna

Hi Verna,
There is a marriage on BMD for:

Patrick Carlon
M: 1857 Sept Q. Sheffield. Vol.9c, Pg.500
to:
Bridget Quineum

Could this be the marriage you are looking for..??

There is also a burial on SI website for Bridget Carlin, died HOLLIS CROFT, burial
2 Jan/1900 age 61

Could this be your Bridget Carlin...??

Happy Hunting
Wendy in Guelph :sleuth_or_spy:

Verna, it is simple to find all the children on GRO index. Simply search births with surname Carlon (and phonetically similar). Put Cunningham in mother maiden name and do 1855 +- 2. Select Female then search. Change to male then search again. Now change to 1860 and search again. Then change to female and search again. Now repeat the exercise changing to 1865and again changing to 1870 and so on. It is a bit annoying but quite quick. If you want you can simplify by putting in Sheffield, but then you would have to repeat the whole process for Ecclesall Bierlow.
I find it easier to leave out the place and just pick out the answers which are obviously right.
Dave
PS wendy' suggested marriage is much more likely than mine.

Hi Verna/Dave,

Just to add to Dave's excellent explanation of how to use the GRO Index (General Registry Office) I add 22 or 9c in the Volume Box. When registration started July 1st 1837 Sheffield came under 22 Vol. I believe it was 1853 that it was changed to 9c. That covers Ecclesall Bierlow & Wortley.

Elaine in Ottawa.:sunglasses:

Instant Messenger: Skype

Elaine, thanks. Good tip
Dave

Hi Wendy
Thanks for this information. Yes Quineum to Cunningham isn’t too much of a stretch taking the accents into consideration.
Will check this out.
Verna

Ok Dave will have another try with GRO,
Must have been doing something wrong before because I couldn’t find anything.
Will go step by step with your instructions by my
side.
Thanks for your help
Verna

Hi Elaine
Good advice thank you. Will do this.
Verna

Hi Verna,
Your family, like mine, were Irish Catholic. You will find some of the baptisms and burials on this site. Baptisms in the Catholic church were recorded using a Latin name so if you go to parish records to the side of this page and under church type in *Vincent*, surname *car*,father's name *patr* and mother's name *brid*. The star means it will bring up all record's for St.Vincent's Catholic Church with a surname that starts with car but could have any other spelling after car, and father's name will be in Latin beginning with patr*. Then repeat the list but switch the church to *marie* and this will bring up any records for St. Marie's Catholic Church. The star is important to use. Under burials there are some listed in St. Michael's Rivelin so use the same approach as with the baptisms but put *Michael* in the box for cemetery and just try *carl* or *caro* in the surname box. You have FMP, so have access to archived newspaper reports. The Sheffield Daily Telegraph has a report on Sat. Dec. 30, 1899 regarding the tragic death of Bridget Carlin. Her dress caught on fire and she burnt to death. This seems a horrifyingly common way for women to die at that time. Three of my ancestors died when their long dresses came in contact with the fire while cooking or cleaning the hearth. There is also a report in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph on June 13, 1872 and in the Sheffield Independent on June 15, 1872 that may be your Patrick Carlan. Bridget is shown as a widow on the 1881 census so Patrick must have died between 1872 and 1881, if the newspaper reports are of your Patrick.
Helen C.

Hi Verna

There is a possible marriage on Free BMD

Marriages Q to Sep 1857
Carlon Patrick Sheffield 9c/500
Quineum Bridget Sheffield 9c/500


There is a Public Member Tree on Ancestry

Patrick Carlon born Ballandine Ireland 1833, died 1880 Sheffield
But they have Bridget Quinnem b 1836 & dying 1901 so needs checking out

The spellings vary throughout

Vicki

Oh my goodness, thank you Helen. What sad news. Poor Bridget what a terrible way to die.
I never thought of looking in the papers. Never thought we’d be newsworthy!
Thanks also for the correct way to search on the site. I’ll do that from now on. Very helpful.
Verna

Thanks Vicki
I will be checking out the Bridget Quineum link.
So difficult when dates don’t agree. You wonder if you’ve got the right people; is it a mistake etc.
Thanks for your help
Verna

Hi Helen
I’ve been checking on Findmypast for newspapers but they don’t have Sheffield Daily Telegraph or Sheffield Independent.
I’ve trawled through hundreds of articles from other Yorkshire papers but can’t find mention of Bridget or Patrick.
Is it possible for you to tell me what it said about Patrick? I have a feeling it’s not good:/
You’ve already told me the sad news of Bridget.
Many thanks
Verna

Hi Helen
Never mind. Haha
Don’t know why it wasn’t coming up before . I’d obviously made a mistake somewhere.
Got it now
Many thanks
Verna 😎