When I started this journey of researching my paternal family name, I did not expect to find so many derivations of the spelling nor the number of people with that last name between 1795 and 1930 in Ireland. I also did not expect to find them in the locations I found either. I had been under the (obviously wrong) impression that my ancestor(s) came from what is today called the Republic of Ireland (Co. Cork). As it turns out, they are pretty much completely from today’s Northern Ireland. Of course, back in the day, it was simply Ireland. Most of the time in the census of the United State, they just stated they were from Ireland, if not born in the US.
Now, I have over 700 names in my database (Family Historian7) and adding more every day. It is with genuine excitement when I am able to connect the dots and have someone show up in before unseen records that is already in my database. When all is said and done (as if that ever happens when researching genealogical records), all those people for whom there are no connections to be documented get to be individuals hanging out, unattached and waiting for someone (other than me) to find them and connect them.
I had started this project with a goal of finding out where my original ancestor from Ireland, James McCrystal, came from and if there is any of that family still in Ireland. Given that he first appeared in Mercer County, Kentucky in a marriage record in August 1853, stating he was 20 years old, and no other information available, the chances of achieving my goal has become slim and next to none. I am finally resigning myself to this fact. He supposedly was born in Ireland in the year 1833. I have two documents recording this fact – the marriage book, stating he was 20 years old – and the August 1863 Union draft register (He states he is married and 30 years old.) He also shows up in the 1860 Mercer County, Kentucky census, with his wife and children.
Now I have to resign myself to the fact I may never have any more information than that about him. However, I am ending up with documentation of the McCrystals (and all derivatives of spelling) of Northern Ireland, mainly Co. Tyrone and Co. Londonderry. I have not yet found anyone else (besides me) who have any documentation of these Northern Ireland McCrystals. If anyone ever reads my blog and have information, I would love to hear from them. Leave a comment below, please, if you have any McCrystal documentation. Also, if you have a similar brick wall for your family name, I’d love to hear your story! Please leave a comment here.