Genealogy Chat

Hi, I am stuck. I am looking for my husbands grandmother who said she was born in Ballymena Northern Island, 1889. We have sent away for her birth certificate and it came back with 'no corresponding particulars'. The registration of BDM searched 1885-1899. She emigrated to New Zealand in 1921, and must have had a British passport. Her marriage certificate gives Ballymena, and we have no reason to doubt that. We have a New Testament, that says she was baptized (Protestant) on her first birthday. Where do we go from here? Is there anywhere to go short of hiring a genealogist to help us? Thanks for any suggestions.

Hi Janet,
I have looked for certs for other people and have come up with the same problem many a time. Not every one was registered, but if you give me her name i could look up the IFHI and see if i can find it there.
REGARDS,
Betty.

Her name was Frances Hunt Williams Shields,
We did not go with any alternate spelling of her last name, though her marriage certificate says Fanny and her death certificate Frances, so there are two possible spellings for her first name. Her mothers birth name was Margaret Dugan/Dougan/Duggan and her father was Daniel Shields.Thank you so much of replying,
Janet

Oh, and her birth date is supposedly 26th July 1889 - though the more I do this the less I know for sure!

Was she married when she went to New Zealand?

We came to NZ in 1973
My husbands passport had me and our 2 children on it. I had never travelled overseas before so never had my own passport. Probably that was the same back in 1921

Hi Janet,
I have seen one for a Frances Shields but the site at the moment will not let me in any further as it says that it is updating(probably putting on more BMD) am going into town to-morrow or wednesday and will have a look there and come back to the site later to see if it has finished up-dating. Will let you know. Sorry about that.There are also births for 4 Daniel Shields and some for Margaret Duggans.
Do you have their Marraige cert and birth certs?.
Regards,
Betty.

You gals/guys are all amazing, I have just become a member here, and I'm amazed (there goes the word again! That you will try to help. Yes, she was married with one son, John Duggan/Dougan/Dugan, when she came to NZ. Her husband Thomas Duggan came out a year earlier so they were on their own passports - yes her mother did have the same maiden name as her married name - we just found out they were first cousins - it blew my husband away, he's stil trying to get his head around that one!
Janet

We are pretty in the dark about her parents, Margaret Duggan/Dugan/Dougan was born pre 1870 probably and her father Daniel was reportedly much older than her and died before the wedding in 1919. Not much to go on...also so complicate things they could have been Irish or Scottish since my husbands grandfather was Scottish and the first cousin to his grandmother (ie one of them must have moved from or to Ireland or Scotland)

This may be her and her son??

Passenger lists leaving UK 1890-1960
Name: Mrs Fanny DOUGAN
Date of departure: 6 September 1923
Port of departure: Southampton
Destination port: Auckland
Destination country: New Zealand
Date of Birth: 1891 (calculated from age)
Age: 32
Marital Status:
Sex: Female
Occupation: H/w
Notes:
Passenger recorded on: Page 4 of 11
The following people with the same last name travelled on this voyage: -
Mast John DOUGAN
Ship: DORSET
Official Number: 118256
Master's name: S W Somers-Vine
Steamship Line: The New Zealand Shipping Company Limited
Where bound: New Zealand
Square feet: 8490
Registered tonnage: 5543
Passengers on voyage: 357

She lived at 24 Church St, Alexandria, Dumbartonshire - she appeared to live with a family called Doig, who also sailed at the same time as her.

MaryMc

Ahh, this is probably him!

he sailed to Sydney first then on to NZ.

Mr T Dougan.

Date of departure: 21st July 1922.

From London to Ausralia.

Ship: Ormuz.

Address: 5 Argyle St, Alexandria, Dumbartonshire.

Labourer.

Age: 30

Intended country of residence: NZ

MaryMc

If you click on my name and send me your email address, I'll send you the original images :)

DO NOT put your email address on here.

Night for now.

MaryMc

Nudging up for Janet

Hi - a bit late but now the 1911 Census is digitized it's easy to find. Fanny Shields aged 24 living with mother Margaret Shields aged 54 in White Abbey, Co. Antrim. Ballymena is also a town in Co. Antrim so this is most likely them. Says her mother had had 9 children, with 7 still living in 1911. Margaret listed as widow, other siblings of Fanny living there are Margaret, James and John.

Census for 1901 and 1911 is all free to use.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/White_Abbey/Abbey_Gardens/190650/

You could always send her a personal message by clicking on her name.

If she still has the same registered email address and is able to access it, she will be notified that someone on GR is trying to make contact.

My mother was born in 1928, have only ever found her baptism record and never found a birth certificate/registration

May explain why she celebrated her birthday over 3 days.

Her mother said she was born on the 23rd, her uncle said the 25th and her baptism certificate says 24th!

Lots of alcohol imbibed at the time methinks!!!!! ;-) ;-)