I’ve been playing around with my family genealogy for a few years now. It all began when I came across a family tree started by my dad. Then I was given pictures from the Shea side of the family and my poppa's British passport. This information started me digging for a little more information and then a little more. The next thing I know I was researching census records and buying genealogy software. While I have the best of intentions to find out more information from other relatives, I just don’t get around to asking the questions I want to ask or having the conversations I'd like to have. I do my genealogy research in spurts and usually late at night. During the day regular life takes over and all thoughts of far off ancestors have disappeared.
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| Primitive Family History |
I've decided to lay what I have out there for all to read. Feel free to comment, refute and/or argue with its veracity. If someone has different information, I'd love to hear about it. It's pretty easy to start climibing the O'Connor family tree and find yourself in someone else's O'Connor family tree.
Before we begin, let's discuss a couple things. First, let's talk about dates. Birth, baptism, marriage, any date. Don't expect consistency. The Irish seem to play fast and loose with dates, as if the date was just a suggestion. Birth dates can be all over the map; from just a day or two difference to a year or two or more. Irish Civil Registration system was introduced in 1864; so prior to that time birth records did not even exist.
Second, let’s talk names/spellings. Overall, there are at least 26 variant spellings of O'Connor - O'Connor, O'Conr, Connor, Conor, Conner, Connors, O'Connors, O'Conner, Conners, Connair, Connare and so on. In our family history the surname CONNORS, CONNOR and O’CONNOR seem interchangeable. The same can be said for SHEA and O'SHEA. In general, the spelling of surnames and first names will vary with the different sources.
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