K is for Keough

My Father's Ethnicity Estimate from Ancestry.com

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was back in 2009. I had been doing a bit of genealogy as time allowed. I was just getting started and doing some online research on my Keough family which I knew had roots in Newfoundland. I didn't know anything about Newfoundland but I stumbled upon Newfoundland's Grand Banks website and read through all of the historical material and Bonavista South material. I had a copy of my grandfather's WWI draft registration from Ancestry.com and knew that he stated he was born in Plate Cove East.  I happened to see an advertisement for a research trip to Newfoundland put together by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. I don't know what possessed me but I decided (rather spur of the moment) to sign up for the trip. We were asked to put together a bit about what topics or families we wanted to research and that helped me focus on my basic research questions. I set about checking flights, accommodations, travel tips, and potential contacts in Newfoundland. A month later, I headed to St. John's and began a journey that would take me literally and figuratively on my own version of "Who Do You Think You Are?" (Keep in mind that show did not air in the United States until a year later in 2010 - a bit ahead of my genealogy time - who knew?!) 

Although we had a few snafus during the research trip I enjoyed the lectures, the guided visits to the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL), the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), and the Maritime History Archives at MUN, as well as the walking tour of St. John's and the conversations, meals and drinks with fellow researchers. Thankfully, I had planned my time so that I could remain in St. John's after the research trip ended and I continued my research at various facilities in St. John's and then rented a car to make the drive to the Bonavista region to visit the places I had only heard of - Bonavista, King's Cove, Knight's Cove, Open Hall, Tickle Cove, Keels, and Plate Cove (my grandfather was raised in Plate Cove East so I was going home in a sense). The most amazing thing  I found during the trip was the wealth of Keoughs (and variant spellings of Keogh, Kehoe & Kough). It is not a common surname in the United States (or most places). I had seen it in parts of Ireland, but in Newfoundland - and certainly in Plate Cove - Keough was common! In fact there were so many Keoughs that I wasn't sure if or how my Keoughs were related to any of the  many Keoughs.

And so I backed into what I didn't even know was a one-name study (I registered the Keough surname with the Guild of One-Name Studies in 2012). Since I had a limited time in Newfoundland, I could not spend hours or days trying to find my Keoughs - I had to gather all the Keoughs (and all the other people) from those small communities because I didn't know who married in (women who married into the Keough families) and who married out (Keough women who married into affiliated families). There were church registers that could be viewed and transcribed but could not be photographed, scanned, or photocopied - so I became a scrivener - arriving when PANL opened its doors and remaining until PANL closed its doors. I ventured to the Archives at the Basilica of St. John's to speak with the Archivist and view records from their vault (and get lots of questions answered). I contacted the Bonavista Archives and made arrangements for the Archivist to open the facility so I could photograph index cards that no one had checked out for years. I walked the cemeteries at King's Cove, Open Hall, and Plate Cove East with my camera in hand - and felt like I was walking among family. I had earlier checked out the Stonepics Project and had indexed all the Keough entries in those community cemeteries. Now it was time to walk the cemeteries and see where my people and those they spent their lives with (the FAN club - friends, acquaintances, and neighbors) were buried. I visited the churches where my people married, where their children were baptized, where they went to Sunday mass, and where, at some point, they were buried from.

The Bonavista Region
map courtesy of Google.com (satellite view) 

I met extended family in St. John's, Plate Cove East, and Plate Cove West. I spent all my time taking it all in and gathering every single piece of family information I could (I also backed into my one-place study of Plate Cove East as a result of my visit). I have spent the last ten years (on and off, as time allows) putting together the puzzle that is my Keough connection in Newfoundland. It is a good thing I enjoy puzzles and research because there is a wealth of information, both from my trip and from everything now digitized and available online, as well as at facilities in the United States. There is so much out there to help me with my personal family history, my Keough one-name study, and my Plate Cove East one-place study. 

So who are my Keoughs and how did I learn more about them? Thankfully Doctor John J. Mannion (Department of Geography, retired; Department of Folklore, current; one of Canada's leading cultural geographers and an expert on Newfoundland's settlement history, has written papers, articles, books, and taught generations of MUN students the importance of their cultural roots transplanted from Ireland to Newfoundland). Much of his work is in tracing early settlers to Newfoundland. For example his books Irish Settlement in Eastern Canada and The Peopling of Newfoundland, as well as the Mannion Papers - over 5,000 undergraduate and graduate student papers detailing community and family histories (available at the Maritime History Archive).

Andrew Keough/Kough is my Newfoundland connection. He was born in County Carlow, Ireland in 1784. In response to a request for information about Andrew Keough/Kough, Professor Mannion wrote

I think Andrew (1784) resided first in King's Cove, he was fishing there in 1815 with Henry Handcock, a shareman. In 1819, Andrew was supplied by the merchant company of James MacBraire & Company and was in debt for 94 pounds, a huge sum. Kough's property at King's Cove was seized. But he was still there in 1823 when MacBraire sued him for 42 pounds. Andrew denied the claim and travelled 3 times to St. John's to defend against it. MacBraire lost and had to pay Andrew's expenses. 7 pounds 10 pence. I think Andrew moved to Plate Cove around this time. James Heany of Plate Cove was godfather to James ( 1824), son of Andrew. I cannot account for John, Thomas or William in Lovell [Lovell's 1871 Directory of Newfoundland]. 

(with thanks to Vince Hunter and and Jeri Keough who did and continue to do Keough family research and share much of their information at Newfoundland's Grand Banks website. Just a reminder that we gratefully stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us with family history research.)

Additionally, Seary's Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland references my Andrew as follows: "Andrew Keough or Kehoe, of King's Cove, 1816, of Plate Cove, 1824, of Open Hole (now Open Hall), 1829 (Nfld. Archives KCRC) [Kings Cove Roman Catholic].

Here are some snapshots from my work-in-progress on Andrew Keough  and his descendants:

Andrew Keough & Catherine Aylward Family
10 children
[click on any images to enlarge]

James Keough - Margaret Dooley Family
14 children

Patrick Keough - Mary Driscoll Family
11 children

My Keoughs were/are Irish Catholic and much of my time in Newfoundland was spent with baptism, marriage, and burial registers for the Catholic churches in King's Cove, Open Hall, and Plate Cove. I have 443 individuals with the Keough surname in my Newfoundland Families database. The Keough family has affiliated (married in and married out) with the Aylward, Barker, Carew, Donahue, Driscoll, Dooley, Fitzgerald, Furlong, Gallahue, Heaney, Joy,  Lane, Lawton, Mahoney, Maloney, Melvin, Moss, Murphy, Philpot/Philpottt, Russell, Tracey, and Walsh families. Do you recognize any of these 3 generations of Keough families of Plate Cove East? Do any of your Keough lines intersect with mine? Do you have Keoughs in surrounding communities that we might be able to put together? Do you have Keough lines in other parts of Newfoundland that might connect up to County Carlow, Ireland? If you do, I would love to hear from you and put the various Keough pieces of the puzzle together!

As you can see from the first image (above), my father's DNA test results confirm my research - according to Ancestry, he has 100% Irish ethnicity and the connection is Southeast Ireland to Newfoundland on his paternal side. If it looks like we might have a Keough connection through the Keough line or any of the affiliated surnames, please comment below and let's start sharing!

J is for Joy

I have 27 individuals with the surname Joy in my Newfoundland Families database. According to Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Joy is a surname of England and Ireland, it is from the common noun joy, or from the male and female baptismal names of Joie and Joia, or also in Ireland as a variant of Joyce. It is traced to Essex and Devon and found in Counties Kerry and Waterford. It is found in the 1750s in St. Johns, and in various regions of Newfoundland from then on. [Seary, E. R., et al. 1998. Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland. St. John's, Nfld: J.R. Smallwood Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland.]  My particular interest is in those found in Bonavista, King's Cove, and Open Hole (now Open Hall). If you have Joys in your family history do check out pages 278-279 of Family Names for early occurrences - are any of these individuals yours?

Our Joy connection comes from Thomas Joy married to Diana Keough. They had three children, Patrick, Mary, and Catherine. Do you have more information on this family or know who Thomas' parents are? Are there any Joys in your Newfoundland Family tree?

The Joys in my Newfoundland Families' database
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Patrick Keough - Susanna Ryan Family
Diana Keough

Thomas Joy - Diana Keough Family

Patrick Joy Birth and Baptism

Information comes from Birth & Baptism Registers, located at PANL

Come back tomorrow, when we focus on the Keoughs of Plate Cove!

I is for Indexes - Breadcrumbs to our Ancestors

Have you taken a look at the Newfoundland Vital Records and 1935 and 1945 census images over at FamilySearch.org? If not, well sometimes it pays to procrastinate. The various registers and censuses have now been digitized and indexed (no more browsing through pages of information by district to find your ancestors). To learn more about these record sets visit the FamilySearch Wiki entry. 

This got me thinking that I should check out the big four subscription websites (Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindmyPast, and MyHeritage) to see what all is available for Newfoundland, and what has been indexed. MyHeritage does not have any Newfoundland specific records. FindmyPast has the 1871 Lowell's City Directory and it is indexed and searchable. Ancestry has a number of Newfoundland specific records and it appears that Ancestry either indexed the birth, marriage, and death registers scanned by FamilySearch itself or acquired the rights to the indexes from FamilySearch. The index results at Ancestry link directly to the FamilySearch scanned images. Ancestry also has indexed (among other records) the 1935 and 1945 censuses and has the digitized images.

Images from Ancestry.com 

Images from Ancestry.com

The indexes for Ancestry and FamilySearch contain the same information (in slightly different order). The following example is for the Newfoundland Birth Register.

• name of child 
• gender
• type of record
• birth date
• birthplace
• father's name
• mother's name
• entry line from register (included by FamilySearch)

Remember that an index is your finding aid and you will most definitely want to go beyond the index for the additional information. Keep in mind that the birth register often includes the following (items in bold are additional items):

• birth date
• place of birth
• parents' given names and father's surname
• father's occupation
• registration certificate number 
• baptism date 
• religious denomination 
• by whom baptized
• given name of child
• gender
• date of registration
• registration official
• remarks

Images from FamilySearch.org

Images from FamilySearch.org

Images from FamilySearch.org

Ancestry and FamilySearch have vital records (birth & baptism, marriage, death & burial) as well as census returns, histories, books, and directories. These indexes should help you locate the registers and census returns for your Newfoundland ancestors. And be sure to check out unindexed records (you will simply need to browse) at FamilySearch. You can certainly get started reconstructing specific families and specific communities in Newfoundland. Cheers!

H is for History

There is a difference between the terms genealogy and family history. Genealogy is defined as the study and tracing of lines of descent or development. Family History, as an extension of genealogy, is defined as the study of the life and times of the people concerned, whether that is a family, a community, or a society. It's been said that family history is about putting flesh on the bones of those ancestors we study. So, are you a genealogist, a family historian, or both?

I gave this some thought when I began my one-place study for Plate Cove East, Newfoundland in 2009 and later when I helped found the Society for One-Place Studies (SOPS) in 2013. What I continue to learn as I work on my Newfoundland families is that it is not enough to get the names, dates, and places for the people who lived in Plate Cove East*. That exercise would end up being static, dry, and not scratch the surface of the history of Plate Cove East. To do my one-place study justice, I need to learn its history. That starts with taking a big picture approach (Newfoundland) to get my bearings and it involves all types of history - cultural, economic, family, political, and social - before I focus on my community (Plate Cove East).

My lengthy list of history to study and process includes:

• a general history of Newfoundland
• political subdivisions of Newfoundland
• religions practiced and persecuted in Newfoundland
• earliest dates for all types of records and resources
• newspapers published in Newfoundland AND newspapers published elsewhere that shared news of Newfoundland
• the economic history of Newfoundland - and its connection to migration from specific parts of England and Ireland
• where, why, and how did the people who settled in Plate Cove East* arrive - migration from another country, migration from other parts of Newfoundland, and migration to other parts of Newfoundland
• the homes and businesses/trades built in Plate Cove East*
• the families in Plate Cove East*
• the religion(s) practiced in Plate Cove East*
• the records maintained - privately (by families, by the churches) and publicly (regional and provincial levels)
• the maritime industry - its ups and downs as it affected Plate Cove East*
• education, social activities, correspondence, diaries, music, and oral traditions of Plate Cove East*
• illness, disease, epidemics, causes of death, and tragedies in Plate Cove East*
• governmental record keeping (census, birth, marriage, death & burial, deeds, taxes, military service, voting lists, election results, etc.) in Plate Cove East*
• business records, directories, atlases, maps, drawings, photographs, recordings, and transcripts of interviews with community members

Gathering the documents, records, recordings, and transcripts requires visiting libraries, archives, courthouses, and businesses, walking the community and talking with residents (past and present), photographing and recording the sights of the community, as well as seeking this information from a variety of sources (different perspectives). And do keep in mind that what we attempt with a one-place study is to focus on history from the inside out, rather than the outside in - we are finding the stories of all of the people (both his story and her story), we are including the women, immigrants, ethnic groups, individuals and the families, labor and business, not just the community itself but also its interplay with the larger society.

I was able to do some of my preliminary work online through Newfoundland's Grand Banks website, the FamilySearch website, and through the Facebook group page for Plate Cove East. What was available ten years ago pales in comparison to what is available today. One example is the tremendous amount of digitization by the Maritime History Archive, the online facilities provided by Memorial University libraries, and the online facilities provided by the Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. I was especially lucky that I was able to visit Newfoundland and spend several weeks at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritime History Archive, the Memorial University Libraries, the Folklore and Language Archive, the Bonavista Archives, the Basilica of St. John's Archives, the Registry of Deeds, and the informal archives of a certain resident of Plate Cove East, who invited me into her home and shared her knowledge of the community.

If you want to learn the history of your people, their community, their life and times - you can do no better than to immerse yourself in the various Archives associated with where they lived. Whether you research at a distance or in person, there is a treasure trove available - all the bits and pieces preserved - so that we can touch history. Perhaps you will be able to see your ancestors' signatures, read the contracts they entered into, learn more about their military service, understand how they built up their communities, learn about their experiences from their correspondence and diaries, view photographs to see their communities as they did. There are any number of ways to gather, analyze, and share their history. Whether you focus on a family (personal family history) or a community (location history) - why not get started putting your people in their places!

* I have always included Plate Cove's surrounding communities in my research because Plate Cove East residents' family, extended family, neighbors, business relations, church activity, education, friends, and marriage prospects are represented by these nearby small communities. To find my Newfoundland families through the years, I include residents from these communities as well. 

G is for Newfoundland's Grand Banks Website

Newfoundland's Grand Banks website
[click to enlarge]

If you want to research your Newfoundland ancestors and you are not in Newfoundland (heck even if you are in Newfoundland), you really must visit Newfoundland's Grand Banks website. This site contains genealogical and historical data for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Do read their mission statement - it is a terrific reminder that genealogy and family history volunteers are amazing people and accomplish large and small acts of genealogical kindness every day. This website began when volunteers decided to transcribe and digitize the 1921 Newfoundland census. Then they moved on to church records, graveyard transcripts, will transcripts, census transcripts forward (the 1935 and 1945 census) and backward (23 earlier and partial censuses), obituaries, voter lists, business directories, vital records, maps, histories - you name it and a volunteer has been working on it.

Did I mention that all of the information added at this site is from original resource material and is made freely available to all? The volunteers, working through the six directors and many district coordinators, set to work reviewing, transcribing, checking, and publishing their work on a regular basis. I helped to transcribe the 1945 census for the communities of King's Cove, Open Hall, and Stock Cove - my way of paying it forward and contributing to this wonderful site.

Some of the great features of the Grand Banks website that you won't want to miss include:

• Message Board - do sign up for the message board and take a look at the current messages. Give some thought to your message - a name, a place and a time frame ("Andrew Keough, Plate Cove, 1830-1860" is more precise than "Keough, looking for my family"). Be concise, complete, and focus on a question that someone can answer. Most people are happy to help but since there are many messages, make sure yours stand out.
• B,D,M,W Tab - lots of great information here (birth, death, marriage, wills - arranged by district) but do not miss Stonepics database and Foreign Cemeteries found with Cemetery Transcriptions. Stonepics database index contains 221,470 entries for names found on headstones, war memorials, and monuments photographed in Newfoundland by the Stonepics Project. I have found so much information here to help in reconstructing my Newfoundland families.
• Official Lists Tab - check out all the census information available here. Did you know that Newfoundland did not join the Canadian Confederation until 1949? That is why the 1935 and 1945 Newfoundland censuses are available (at this site they have been transcribed and partial transcripts - columns 1-3 and 9-12 are available). At the FamilySearch website (another free website) the indexed digitized records are available. Be sure to check both resources.
• Historical and Districts Tabs - learn the history of Newfoundland and the various districts - are you researching in a particular area? Do you know where your people lived and why they might have migrated to other districts/communities? The resources for each district can be found here and you can work your way through official records, newspapers, church records, historical records, and some additional resources, like songs, books, and a community page. Get to know your district and communities!

And we just scratched the surface. Be sure to work your way through all the tabs on the drop-down menu at the top of the Home Page. Also scroll down the Home Page to see many more resources you can find at this site.

Genealogical Source Material - a goldmine!
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And there is also a great search feature - put in an ancestor's name or simply a surname, and results will keep you busy for hours!

A clear and helpful Home Page - with thanks to those contributing  AND a really helpful Search feature!
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The Grand Banks website is a true gem of genealogy site. Thanks to all the volunteers who have worked on it through the years and a special thanks to the current directors and coordinators - take a bow for an amazing effort that the rest of us get to use and enjoy! 

So what are you waiting for, check out Newfoundland's Grand Banks website.

F is for Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland

A family name (otherwise known as a surname) is, for most of us, our oldest possession. Most of us received it when we were born. It may have changed if we were adopted or took on a spouse's surname when we married. Our surname is found on our legal and church documents, we sign our name on contracts and letters, we introduce ourselves to others by telling them our name, and oftentimes, upon hearing a surname, we may make certain assumptions. If I see the surname Keough, or its variants of Kehoe, Keogh, Kough, I am pretty confident the holder claims Irish descent. If I see the surname Chevalier, I would assume the person has a French connection.

When we research our Newfoundland roots, we look to the surnames of those ancestors we are aware of and make connections with those we are related to who share the surname, those who married in, and those who married out. We wonder where the surname originated, when it arrived in Newfoundland, what the surname means, and whether there are others who share the surname (and whether they might be close or extended family). 

The really big book of Newfoundland surnames

To learn more about surnames found in Newfoundland, you really must consult Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland. It is a great big book that takes you on a tour of the almost 3,000 family names of Newfoundland. The introduction provides a brief discussion of the history and linguistic origins of surnames found in Newfoundland, which are primarily made up of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, Syrian, Lebanese and Micmac (a First Nations people indigenous to Canada's Atlantic Provinces). The majority of the book is a dictionary of those 3,000 surnames in Newfoundland and is based on data collected from family records, government documents, voting lists, and newspaper reports from the earliest Newfoundland records. The entries include the variant spellings, records found, date of occurrence, countries from where the surname came, and the surname's meaning. For Newfoundland researchers, the most helpful section is the individual occurrences included (the person, the place, the date, and the original source document). If you are looking for early Newfoundland ancestors, this is definitely a book you will want to check out. You can also find a ranking of the most common surnames in Newfoundland (together with a frequency comparison of the most common surnames in England, Ireland and Scotland). The author's investigation of the various surnames and the bits of information he unearthed is fascinating and entertaining.

The book, originally published in 1976, was written by Edgar Ronald Seary, professor and head of Memorial University's English Department. The book was updated  in 1998 by William Kirwin and Shelia M.P. Lynch to include several additions and corrections. Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland can be found at most University libraries as well as many regional or central libraries. Be sure to check on Worldcat.org to find it in a library near you. Then check out the surnames of your Newfoundland ancestors and learn more about them. A bit of sleuthing with Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland might just help you make some connections to your past.

My direct line Newfoundland surnames are Aylward, Dooley, Driscoll, & Keough. Each of those surnames appear in Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland and my people are mentioned with places, dates, and sources. What are you waiting for? Find this book and check out your Newfoundland surnames. Just a mention that I conduct a one-name study of the surname Keough and my study is registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies. I'm interested in all my Newfoundland family names, but especially my Keough connection. If you have Keoughs (or Kehoes or Keoghs or Koughs) please get in touch!

Seary, E. R., W. J. Kirwin, and Sheila M. P. Lynch. Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland. St. John's, Nfld: J.R. Smallwood Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1998.

D is for Dooley

James Keough & Margaret Dooley Family
[click to enlarge]

As you can see my second great-grandfather is James Keough and he married Margaret Dooley on 31 October 1849 in King's Cove, Newfoundland. Their marriage was recorded in the King's Cove Roman Catholic church register and their witnesses were Michael Walsh and Ellen Fennell. Margaret and James had 14 children - 8 sons and 6 daughters. Although I have information on my direct line, I do need to fill in the blanks on several of their children.

James Dooley and Margaret Michan Family
[click to enlarge]

Margaret's parents, James Dooley and Margaret Michan had 11 children - 6 sons and 5 daughters. From the baptism records it appears the family moved around a bit in the Bonavista South region and this is borne out by the information contained in Seary's. With the exception of birth dates for the Dooley children, I have little information. 

Seary's Surnames of Newfoundland references as follows:  "James [Dooley], of Ragged Harbour (now Melrose), 1823, of King's Cove, 1826, of Plate Cove (Bonavista B.), 1828, of Tickle Cove (Bonavista B., 1830 (Nfld. Archives KCRC)." 

In addition, there are 15 references with the Dooley surname found at cemeteries in Melrose, Open Hall, and Plate Cove - are these individuals connected? 

So calling all Dooleys in the Bonavista South region - are any of these names familiar? Do you know anything about James Dooley or Margaret Michan (parents or siblings)? Can you help take the Dooleys back to Ireland (or elsewhere)? Can you shed light on any of the James Dooley's children? All information and corrections gratefully accepted!

C is for Census

Why do we use a census with our genealogy research? A census record gives us a snapshot of a person and oftentimes that person's family and community at a specific point in time and place. Doing census research helps us place that person, family, or community and we can learn something about our ancestors that we might not have known before. 

Newfoundland had a number of censuses (simply the government's opportunity to count heads for any number of reasons) and many of them are available for review. Where can we find them and how do we use them? FamilySearch.org has the 1935 and 1945 Newfoundland censuses digitized, indexed, and available to search by surname, by full name, and by residence. Alternatively we can browse the census records to view all the members of a community. The original records are housed at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Where do we look at FamilySearch and what will we find in the 1935 and 1945 Newfoundland Census?

Just two of the record sets for Newfoundland - the 1935 and 1945 Newfoundland Census at FamilySearch.org (see links below)
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1935 Newfoundland Census

Name of person

Residence

Description of Home Age (owned or rented, value or rent, number of rooms, does family have a radio)

Relationship to head of household

Gender

Marital Status

Age at last birthday

Birth Place

Birth Place of Father

Birth Place of Mother

Year of Immigration to Newfoundland

Year of Naturalization

Nationality

Religion

Education (can read and write, number of months at school since September 1, 1934)

Occupation

Industry

Total Earnings since June 1, 1934

How to cite the 1935 Newfoundland Census FamilySearch Collection

"Newfoundland Census, 1935." Database with Images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org: 14 June 2016. Department of Tourism, Culture, and Recreation, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

1945 Newfoundland Census

Name of head of household

Description of home (owned or rented, value or rent, number of rooms)

Name of each person in household

Relationship to head of household

Gender

Marital Status

Age

Birth Place

Place of Residence in 1935

Nationality

Racial Origin

Social Condition

Religion

Current Occupation

Industry

Occupation in 1935

Total Earnings 

How to cite the 1945 Newfoundland Census FamilySearch Collection

"Newfoundland Census, 1945." Database with Images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org: 14 June 2016. Department of Tourism, Culture, and Recreation, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Once you have found any of your people in the 1935 and 1945 census, you now can work forward with other records (deeds, voter lists, city or telephone directories, marriage records, birth and baptism records, death and burial records) and work backward (marriage records, birth and baptism records, death and burial records). Be sure to check on neighbors in the community - families tended to live in the same or a close by community. 

Be sure to check the census transcriptions available at Newfoundland's Grand Banks website - they have a wealth of census transcriptions as shown below.

27 Census Transcriptions at Newfoundland's Grand Banks website
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What a treat to have such recent census records - why not visit both FamilySearch and Newfoundland's Grand Banks today and get started with that research!

B is for Barker

Samuel Barker - Catherine Keough Family
[click to enlarge]

Andrew and Catherine's eldest daughter (also a Catherine) was baptized on 2 Aug 1814 at St. John's Roman Catholic church. On 5 May 1846 Catherine Keough married Samuel Barker in Keels, their witnesses were Patrick Keough and Mary Keough (her brother and sister). The marriage was recorded in the King's Cove Roman Catholic church register. Samuel and Catherine had eight children, 4 daughters and 4 sons. (And yes I did notice that the marriage register follows after 3 of their children arrive.) 

As you can see my Barker family needs some attention. Does anyone know who Samuel Barker's parents or siblings were. Does anyone recognize these Barker children and can you help fill in the blanks on this family.

Seary's Surnames of Newfoundland references Barker as follows: Samuel, of Open Hole (now Open Hall), 1829 (Nfld Archives KCRC); Samuel, of Plate Cove (Bonavista B.), 1859 (Nfld. Archives KCRC).  Modern status: especially at Open Hall. 

The following is the baptism information from The King's Cove Catholic church registers found at The Rooms in St. John's. I spent a few weeks transcribing and/or photographing various records at a number of research facilities. From these baptism entries, note the sponsors (godparents) for these children - Aylward, Barker, Keough & Murphy surnames. Also note the spelling variants for Keough (Kehoe, Keogh). A reminder that spelling was not a concern, spelling often depended on whomever filled out the register (clerks and priests), and family members rarely saw the registers.

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I have several more Barker entries in my Excel workbooks for baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials - information transcribed while researching in Newfoundland. So calling all Barkers, especially those originally from Open Hall - let's find our connections. Thanks.

See you back here tomorrow for the letter C!

A is for Aylward

Andrew Keough - Catherine Aylward Family
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Catherine Aylward is the matriarch of my original ancestor family on my paternal side (the Ireland to Newfoundland connection). Her husband was Andrew Keough. Andrew Keough & Catherine Aylward are my major brick-wall (going backward).  Andrew Keough (Kough) was originally from County Carlow, Ireland (as inscribed on his tombstone).  He arrived in Newfoundland in the early 1800s and lived and worked in St. John's. Andrew and Catherine met up in St. John's and had their first child baptized at St. John's Roman Catholic Church (now the Basilica). They moved from the Avalon region to the Bonavista region. They moved first to King's Cove and later settled in Plate Cove. They had nine more children, for a total of 5 sons and 5 daughters. I have not been able to find any information on Catherine (except the baptism register notations for their children, the marriage register for her marriage to Andrew, and instances of Aylward individuals being witnesses or sponsors at various family sacraments). 

Do you recognize any of these individuals and/or the family?  Do you have conflicting dates and want to to help tidy up my genealogy "work in progress."  Are there any Aylwards out there who may know who Catherine's parents and/or siblings were?  Please contact me and let's put our "genealogy" heads together and share information.

And please do come back tomorrow to meet another of my Newfoundland families.