Help identifying from where in Ireland my John Donovan came
Most US/Maine census records indicate he was born in Ireland abt. 1833, d. Ellsworth, ME 2/12/1907. Married Ellen Wilton, unknown where. Ellen born abt. 1835 Ireland, d. Ellsworth, ME 9/2/1905. 1900 census states John emigrated 1849 and was naturalized. 1900 census states Ellen emigrated 1850, doesn't show naturalized.
John's obituary 1907 states he had lived for 50+ years in Maine, except for a few years in Minnesota.
One of their children shows being born in MN, so John's obituary makes sense.
Unsure if John and Ellen emigrated together as a married couple or met & married after emigration.
Uncertain if they emigrated to the US and went to MN or if they emigrated through Canada and crossed the border to MN.
Any of this sound familiar to anyone in the community?
Any suggestions on where to research next? Or should I begin to consider contacting a professional genealogist?
I've done DNA testing and the results are on GEDmatch. My GEDmatch # is GP5326492
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Irish genealogy can be very difficult due to lack of records (many burned when the archives was bombed in 1922, others, especially Catholic church records, couldn't be safely kept due to religious persecution) and a lack of variety in names, as well as a tendency of UK and US records to give the place of birth as Ireland without any further details.
I would suggest trying to find as much as possible from US sources. In particular, try and find relatives. If John came aged c.16, during the famine, one hopes that he had siblings and/or parents with him. Have you checked church records for sponsors/godparents ? Have you tried to find his name as a witness to a relatives' marriage, baptism, legal transaction etc
In Ireland, there aren't many records from this timeframe. Most Catholic parishes had started keeping records by 1828 (when Catholic Emancipation occurred), the problem is proving you have the correct person and not someone else with the same name. If they were Anglican, then unfortunately 2/3 of those records were destroyed, and Presbyterian records are often in local ownership and hard to get hold of. Less than 1% of census records from 1831, 1841, and 1851 survive. There was no civil registration. The Register of Deeds can be very helpful, but only a small proportion of the population chose to have their legal and property transactions coped into the Register.
This is a good website for Irish-American research: https://www.irishfamilyroots.com/
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You're like many of us- what we wouldn't give for the 1841 Irish Census as it would answer SO many questions.
Many of these ancestral searches will not be short term. They will take time, BUT.... if pursued they can bear fruit.
Search all the repositories and take note of what you find. Both WILTON and DONOVAN surnames are found on the various census records INCLUDING the early fragmented census's. Thats so worth a look. Griffithsvaluation was taken about 1860 or so. It only lists the HEAD of the family not individual members, but again you never know. In the absence of the early census Griffiths can be a phenomenal tool. The Tithe Applotment Books are similar but from 1840 or so.
You seem to have a rough time frame for migration - are there relevant ship passenger lists to search? Having that time frame can be very helpful in reducing the span of the search.
Devise for yourself a search strategy - decide on where you want to look, what you want to look for, and take note of what you find. You never know when you might remember having seen something at some stage----and cant remember where it was. That's painful - as I know to my cost. Get searching. And don't give up.
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@Craig Donovan_1 In addition to those who have already given very good answers, might I suggest this video given by Maureen Brady.
She gives some very informative ways to do Irish research since it can be so complicated. I found this video very helpful. One more way to help in your search.
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