Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hello,
Please help as I am new to this game..
GG-grandfather Henry McLean gave his details on 1911 census as born Ardnaglass, Co. Antrim, Ireland about 1837. I know he married Margaret Brannan at St Nicholas church, Liverpool in 1862, but I don't know how to determine when/how he came over from Ireland?
Also, does anyone know exactly where Ardnaglass is?
Looking forward to any replies.

Hi...and welcome to the home of amazing ancestry detectives (unfortunately I'm not one of them!!!)
I'm sure there will be expert advice before long. Enjoy!
Pauline.

Hi and welcome.

If you have not already done so you need to either purchase the marriage certificate of the couple or check to see if it is one of those newly on the Ancestry website.

On the same website you can look for their entries on the census after 1862 ie 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 that will lead you to children where they lived etc.

At the same time you could look and see if he was here in the 1861 census and the 1851 census. If he is not here in 1851 but here in 1861 that gives you a time slot. For most people they moved for work - it's still true today! Ireland was part of the UK at that time so there are no shipping lists as they weren't immigrants.

As for Ardnaglass - have you tried googling for it?

Hi and welcome,
Ardnaglass is a townland in County Antrim. From: http://www.seanruad.com/
Ardnaglass - 665 acres - Co. Antrim - Barony of Upper Toome - civil parish of Ballyscullion Grange - in the Poor Law Union of Ballymena - Province of Ulster.

Your Ardnaglass, originally Ard na Glaise, could mean 'the height or hill of the stream'. Possibly the field(s) or hill above the stream, but there are other translations from the ancient Gaelic.

A townland is a uniquely Irish, and very ancient, description of an area of land. It can be from as small as a couple of acres to very large expanses. It's name often derives from a geographical feature such a a small hill, a particularly large tree, a standing stone, etc. I live in Barraglan, 312 acres, and it means 'head of the glen'. The townland is the smallest administrative division throughout the island of Ireland that is still in use today.

For the location of Ardnaglass see here: http://www.placenamesni.org/resultsdeta ... entry=5155

With regard to finding out exactly when Henry McClean first arrived in England, unfortunately there is no way of doing it. But you should be able to pin it down to sometime between 2 censuses.

Dickiesam

Very many thanks for such a quick response, how wonderful it must be to have such a depth of knowledge on this elusive subject. Thanks again.

There's only one church baptism on the Irish pay-to-view sites in County Antrim that come close to yer man. There was a Henry McClean baptised in 1837 at St Anne's Church of Ireland, Shankill. That's Belfast probably too far away from Cross Keys Ardnaglass.

I think 1861 is the earliest English census to include Henry. The age is out but it's Birkenhead so links with births to his family:-

1861

MCCLANE, Henry
46, St Annes Street, Birkenhead Cheshire
RG09 Piece 2643 Folio 14 Page 22

FITZPATRICK, James, Head, Married, 52, 1809, Dock Labourer, Ireland
FITZPATRICK, Catherine, Wife, Married, 50, 1811, Labourer's Wife, Ireland
COOK, Ann, Daughter, Widow, 26, 1835, Not Known, Ireland
FITZPATRICK, James, Son, Unmarried, 18, 1843, Cab Driver, Ireland
BACKER, Anne, Boarder, Unmarried, 7, 1854, Birkenhead Cheshire
FITZSIMONS?, Arthur, Boarder, Unmarried, 28, 1833, Labourer in Docks, Ireland
MCCLANE, Henry, Boarder, Unmarried, 29, 1832, Labourer, Ireland


Blue

I've had a look at the marriage using the Ancestry indexes and Family Search:-

Henry McClean & Margaret Brannan
27 Oct 1862
St Nicholas Church
Groom's Father: George McClean
Bride's Father: James Brannan

The baptism at St Anne's, Shankill County Antrim does not match the father for this baptism is called Henry.

It looks likely that Henry came over to England as a young man looking for work in the 1850s.

Blue

Gosh, this is wonderful, George and Henry are at last becoming real people. I agree with Pauline and her analysis. Thank you so much. It just goes to prove that there is information out there, but you need the knowledge to find it.