Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Can anyone figure out who these people are? I found the relative I was looking for, Ada Ryan, b.Liverpool 1887. She emigrated to Canada in 1911 (on the ship manifest her intended employment is as 'domestic to brother') where her sister and half siblings also emigrated.

On the 1911 Canada census she's a domestic not with her (half) brother William Hawkins but in a household in York South, Ontario with a couple whose names are indecipherable.

Ancestry: James and Verina Mc_Lavan
FamilySearch: James and Verena McCash.

I've searched for marriages in England and Canada with James Mc..., Verena, Verina, and Serena. No luck. I'd really like to know if there was any connection between them and Ada. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Perhaps this might help those who don't have access to see whether they can help with the names.

James and Irene McCosh? McCosh is common enough in Northern Ireland.

Or Serena?

You are too good, Mary, thank you. I need to spend more time figuring out how to add an image with that Photobucket thing.

Thanks for the suggestions luxor, could be McCosh. Could be anything!

Could that be MacLeish or McLeish

Ann

Thanks Ann, I can try that.

I wonder if, in view of being unable to clarify the name, and not being able to find them in further censuses ( yes I did have a look in the 1921 census for Ontario), it might be worthwhile looking into all branches of Ada's family, wondering if there may be some obscure relations after noting that you said she had a half brother.

MaryA wrote:Perhaps this might help those who don't have access to see whether they can help with the names.

Looking at this transcript Mary posted James 42 is Scottish and Serena / Irene/ 21 or 27 ??? Irish and there's the age gap maybe James was married before...On the other hand maybe no relation at all just Ada working as a domestic .

I have checked back re the George Hawkins to Mary Bradley then Mary to John Ryan marriages and presuming you have all of that info.

Ann

I have tracked down all her siblings Mary. They were all from Liverpool and emigrated to Canada - a sister Lilian who married a Herbert Wyer, half sisters Emma and Hannah Hawkins and half brother William, all of whom I have in 1921. Ada married Herbert Potter in 1926, a year after his first wife died in an accident. He died thirty years later and was buried with his first wife. I got the impression he married poor Ada just to cook and clean. I really want to know what happened to her, she and her sister were orphans in 1901 so I feel very protective!

Thanks for your efforts Ann! Yes, that's the family. I did find a James McCosh born Scotland, right age, but no marriage so far. I was excited to see an Iverna in one census record but can't find a connection. The search goes on.