Post
by Andy » Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:12 pm
Hi Ina,
Please remind me of your various Bonnars. There are 133 listed in Greenock and Port Glasgow I used Bon*r.
I also came across a couple of Bonars as sponsors on a number of pages, I'll have to look through dozens of pages but I'm sure a few were familiar.
Another tentative tip:
Lots of the early Parish Priests at St. Mary's were from Banff. Banff remained largely Catholic even after the Reformation. Anyway, using previous data and information on my own lot and the Rathlin settlers in Greenock, I've found that the Banffshire Priests used the female sponsors Maiden Name EVEN when they were married, unless the husband and wife were sponsors when they would be listed as Mr & Mrs Husband's full name.
I found this out by accident when Esther Horan is listed as a Sponsor in 1841 (days away from the Census). There are no Esther Horan/Horn/Horne or varients in the Census but I knew that Esther Horan had married Angus Black before 1830. Indeed they were neighbours of the Parents in Dalrymple Street.
Then I checked my many transcripts and downloads for, firstly, unusual Rathlin Given Names, Esther, Matilda, Martha, Susan, then as many of the female sponsors for a great many "Rathlin" babies baptised in St Mary's. Turns out all I've checked that were recorded by John Davidson, William Gordon and Alexander Tailor used the maiden name. When the Ryan and Keenan Priests arrive it seems to stop.
Searching for Keogh, Kelly, Fitzgerald, Riddell, Stewart, Wilson, McQuilkin, Lynch, Boyle, Cairney, Ross, King, McIlravey, McCurdy, Drennan and Woods (to name but a few).
Also looking for any information on Rathlin Island, County Antrim, Ireland.