Searching for Seven and Finding More

boston collegeThanks to Úna Wogan for finding this gem.

A Boston College project has made available advertisements taken out by Irish immigrants looking for Irish people in America. The advertisements were placed in the Boston Pilot. Seven names from the Parish of Powerscourt appear. They are listed in the table below.

You can broaden the search, and in searching my own surname I came across a husband and wife duo of Michael and Ellen Seery being sought by Ellen’s mother. They were listed as being from Dublin, which would usually lead to no further thought, except that Ellen’s mother was named Jane Grimes. There is a Seery-Grimes connection in Enniskerry. John Grimes married Winifrid Seery in 1833, and was best man to Winifrid’s brother, Daniel Seery in the same year. Is it too much to hope that Michael and Ellen Seery were from Enniskerry, and ended up in Boston in 1848?  I’ve always liked Boston…

You can search the Boston College “Information Wanted” project at http://infowanted.bc.edu/

First Name Townland Travel Date Seeker’s Name Date of Ad
Peter Burns Cloon 1848 James Greegan (Brother in law) Feb 1868
Thomas Costlar (Powerscourt Parish) 1851 Alice Costlar (Wife) Dec 1854
Michael Gallagher Ballybrew 1855 Charles Gallagher (Brother) Aug 1858
Owen Magurk Aurora 1853 James Magurk (Brother) Nov 1865
Patrick McEnerney (Powerscourt Parish) Catherine Cullen Oct 1856
Owen Magurk (Powerscourt Parish) 1851/2 Margaret Magurk (wife) May 1856
Catherine Nicholson (Powerscourt Parish) Jane Heyden (sister) Apr 1857

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