Finding my Irish ancestors in Ireland

National Library of Ireland have some parish records . Look under Geoghan probably will give you Castletown Geoghan. Records are on microfiche but digitised online. Check the shipping lists but be aware they may be block booked as a group paid by Landlords to leave country post famines. Normal for groups from same villages or estates to travel together. Any idea of what they did before leaving?

do you have any idea where in county meath where christopher gagen was born? your main hope in finding any record of this person, for starters, would be church records as this was probably before the more formal censuses of the 1860s onward proceeded.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahU...

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahU...

West Meath is the main stronghold of name.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahU...

https://www.libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hainmhire.php

You may or may not have seen some of the links I just sent you. As historian happy to help out anytime. Good luck.

Hi,
The Brogan name is popular in North Mayo,Castlebar, Bohola and surrounding area, maybe, Donegal and Tuam town in Co.Galway.
hope it helps.
Hugh.

Hi John

I found not one but two of Christopher Gagen [Geoghegan] and two of Mary Brogan for you, both in Co Meath: -

Kells | Microfilm 04185 / 01
Child: Christopher Geagan, Date of Baptism: 20 Dec 1829
Roman Catholic Parish: Kells, Co. Meath
Parents Sylvester Geagan & Catherine McConnor [or McConnell?]
Sponsors John Farrelly & Elizabeth Geagan
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000635209#page/1/mode/1up

Kells | Microfilm 04185 / 01
Child: Christopher Gegan, Date of Baptism: 02 Nov 1830
Roman Catholic Parish: Kells, Co. Meath
Parents: Nicholas Gegan & Mary Lacy
Sponsors Daniel Gegan & Anne Reilly
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000635209#page/1/mode/1up

Trim | Microfilm 04179 / 01
Child: Mary Brogan, Date of Baptism: 11 Jun 1830
Roman Catholic Parish: Trim, Co. Meath
Parents: Thomas Brogan & Margaret Commons
Sponsor Frances Gugusty
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000635283#page/1/mode/1up

Child: Mary Brogan, Date of Baptism: 15 Aug 1833
Roman Catholic Parish: Killeen, Kilmessan & Dusany, Co Meath
Parents: Michael Brogan & Anne Fagan
Sponsors: William Moran & Elizabeth Roc[k]

This is a combined Parish with two separate Registers covering 1833
Either Killeen | Microfilm 04178 / 07
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000635167#page/1/mode/1up
Or
Killeen | Microfilm 04178 / 06
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000635168#page/1/mode/1up

This is the hyperlink to this second book entry
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000635168#page/8/mode/1up

I could not find the marriage however.
So, how on earth do you decide which of these is yours?

Well, the Irish are very clubbable, when they emigrated they associated with friends and relatives. So check for appearance of those sponsors/ spouses surnames on the American Census as visitors in houses or appearing as sponsors/ witnesses in subsequent Births or Marriages to find your Geoghegan or Brogan.

Good Luck & Good Ancestor Hunting
Stay Safe & Sláinte [Health] during this Epidemic

Michael GA Dixon

I would agree with Grainne, Geoghegan rather than Gagen is the name you should be looking for.

I came across a Willl for Geoghegan otherwise Gagan so I agree Its Geoghegan you need to look for. http://www.willcalendars.nationalarchives.ie/search/cwa/details.jsp...
Ansberry , I couldn't find any but there were Hansberry in Co Galway.

My husband mother maiden surname is Brogan n is from Pontoon Co Mayo, I managed to get as far as her great granfather who is Edward Brogan n her father is also Edward Brogan what i can also tell u is that the names of the family tend to miss a generation n then get used again sometimes they miss 2 generations so it is possible that my mother in law could be of the same Brogan family as your Mary Brogan n would make her Edward Brogan sister as he was born in 1837 n believe in Co Mayo. When i next go upto Pontoon i am going to go to the local church to see if i can find out more as online the church records dont show Co mayo

Grave yards and obits are critical places to gain additional info. As others point out the emigrants did tend to go where other of their villages were already. Also you may wish to join a few of the Irish Facebook pages who use GENMatch to connect DNA matches (Irish Surname Registry, Irish Genealogy) in addition post this note on Ireland Reaching Out as they do a great job connecting people to their Irish County.

I found a Christophenum [written in latin] Gagen in the church records of Kells in County Meath. The original is in poor condition. It looks like his father was Michaelis?. Date looks right. Try this link. http://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000635209#page/1/mode/1upy I could not find Ansberry's.

The name Ansberry is not in Griffith's Valuation, the 1901 or 1911 census. However the name Hansberry appears in Mayo and Galway in Griffith's Valuation. In addition there are 305 Tolans in the 1901 census, of which 167 are in Mayo.

Din't many Irish people also go to London first from where they departed to the colonies?

Re: ANSBERRY

Hansboro, Ansboro, Ansbrow Ansberry are all [roughly] phonetic renderings of the modern Hansbury by a provincial clergy, in a time before spellings were standardised.

The larger part of your query was in fact answered by ‘Margot’ in response to a query by ‘Eric’ concerning this family, just over two years ago on Ireland Reaching Out

https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/message-board/james-ansberry-ansboure

This is the remainder of your Family Story.

The Full-rigged ship Sarah & Louisa, Capt. Samuel Snow, left Liverpool on 8 Mar. and arrived in New Orleans on 11 May 1847.

The Passenger Manifest describes him as James Ansbourie

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G5JY-766?i=434&amp...

To ‘sniff’ the salt air and desolation of that time you could read: -

The Famine Ships: Irish Exodus to America, 1846-51 Paperback, 6 Nov. 1997
by Edward Laxton,
or
Robert Whyte's Famine Ship Diary 1847: The Journey of an Irish Coffin Ship Paperback, 31 Dec. 1989

Your people left from Mayo, probably the worst affected of the Irish counties during The Great Irish Famine, in its worst year, The Black 47.

This Famine starved 1 million Irish people to death on an island that was still exporting food, and then still a part of the so-called 'Great' Britain!

All because the sky high Rents exacted by Absentee Landlord Agents routinely took all the other produce of those farms, leaving a farming family just their potato patch to subsist upon.

The potato blight destroyed the crop and starved those people.

John, you can look into the Mirror and remark that you descend from hardy people.

Because your own people survived a Famine.
And then a Sea Voyage.
At a time when either would have done for weaker folks!

Best

Michael

Cobh in County Cork,
Liverpool and many other ports in UK. would be starting points for USA.
David