Where We're From – Ireland

Though it is a relatively minor part of my family tree, this is where my search started. Looking for my maternal grandfather's maternal line in Ireland. I remember his mother, who died when I was in my early teens, and I knew for a long time that that branch was Irish, though I don't recall now how much I knew about where my great-grandmother was born.

When my grandfather died in 1991, I realized he was the last in the direct descent of that line for me, and I had very little contact with the few others that remained in that family line. His uncle George, his mother's younger brother, died shortly after my grandfather, and though his mother's remaining sister, Margie, survived, she was well into her ninties by that point, and remembered very little. Not to mention the fact that I had little contact with her.

However, through papers my grandfather left behind and conversations with family members over the years, I was able to cobble together bits and pieces, and this past year, I have managed to pull together quite a bit more information on one side of her family tree. I still don't have much, but I do have more than I had.

It turns out the Currans (the maternal side) were from Northern Ireland, and as such are what we in the states call Scots Irish. The Park side is still mostly unknown, possibly from Northern Ireland, or maybe from somewhere along the eastern coast, as I have heard places like Derry and Dublin in connection with my great-great grandfather. I keep hoping I will find more, given the luck I finally had with the Currans this past year.


A map of the locations:

View My (Northern) Irish roots in a larger map

1. Belfast, Northern Ireland
According to my records, I believe Robert and Elizabeth married here, and according to the family story, when they decided life in America wasn't working out the way they hoped, this was where they returned.

2. Antrim, Antrim, Northern Ireland
This is where my great-great-great grandparents Thomas Curran and Jennie/Jean Blair married and lived, if the records I have found are accurate. The two had three daughters I am certain of, and possibly as many as five other children, though I have been unable to find a birth certificate for my great-great grandmother as of yet.


And that's all I have at the moment, though I'm hoping to soon find info on the Park side, as I said above.

This side was the brick wall I have been most conscious of since I began my family search, and since finding my great-great-great Curran grandparents, I have also found their father's names. I'm hoping to find even more, but I don't know how much further I'll be able to go back without going there myself.

As always, if any of my family reading this knows more about this branch, particularly if you have any records or documentation, I'd love to get together to exchange info.

Next up: Norway! (should be interesting to see how it stacks up against Denmark… :D)