Origins of an Adventure
All of the previously posted family history is based on some of the documented research I performed in Massachusetts or some of the work by researches at the Galway and Limerick Ancestry Offices.
As part of my consulting practice I have been doing work for an international public / private partnership called the West Africa Water Initiative. In late September 2005, the Partner hosting the group’s 6th Headquarters Meeting asked me if I would be their facilitator. The meeting is scheduled to be held in London, UK on Monday and Tuesday October 24 and 25, 2005.
They established a budget for my round trip travel. I found a flight from Boston to Ireland to London to Boston that cost less than what they had budgeted for round trip to London and they said that would be fine! So I am going to leaving on Sunday evening the 16th and arriving in Shannon Ireland the next morning. I will spend the week in Ireland and then fly over to London the following Sunday. Then I will be flying back to Boston Wednesday evening the 26th.
My plan is to spend the first two days in Tuam and Galway City, County Galway. Then I am going to spend two days in Ballylanders, County Limerick (where my farther visited his family in 1946). Then two days in Dublin (including a business meeting).
Now here is the cool part. When I got agreement that they would pay the plane fare by way of Ireland, I went online and found an Irish phone listing. Based on the family histories, I looked up Corless and found two listings in Tuam, four in Galway City and another six in the general area. I also looked up Fox and found seven in Galway City and bunch in the surrounding area. I looked up McCarthy and while there were none in Ballylanders, there were over 20 in adjacent towns. I also looked up Martin and found four in Ballylanders and a half dozen in surrounding towns.
My thought was to send letters introducing myself, saying I was looking for cousins, giving the family information I had and asking that, if they were related, could they call or e-mail and might I meet them when I was in Ireland -- next week. International airmail postage costs $0.80. It didn't seem to make sense to spend the money to send letters to all these people especially when they lived in small towns and likely knew or were related to each other. So I sent letters to the people in Tuam and in Ballylanders and then selected one person per town from some of the towns closest to the known locations selecting folks with first names were the same as from the family.
I mailed 23 letters Tuesday, October 4. On Monday, October 10, the phone rang and a sweet voice with a strong Irish accent said "Is this John Corliss." I said "yes" and she said "This is your cousin Mary Martin." We chatted a bit. She seemed to clearly remember Dad's visit and asked if he were still alive. She said when she saw the letter she wondered if it was from him but she knew he was older and she was now 72. She said she would be happy to see me when I came over. I told her that I had not yet decided where I would be staying when I was in the area on the 19th and 20th but I would let her know and would be very happy to come by for a visit. She promptly said well you can stay with me if you would like. I then talked to her son Patrick to get some additional information and told him of her invitation -- he encouraged me to accept saying he had a brother who looked after the place and while they might put me to work during my stay, they would love to have me visit. So that is the plan. He said it is quite a large family in the area and so I would likely meet many relatives.
Now here is the "God thing" in all of this. This particular letter was addressed to John Martin -- as it turns out Mary's husband who died 3 years ago. I sent this letter thinking that John Martin might be a descendent of my great-grandmother's parents. It turns out this woman is the daughter of my grandmother's youngest sister -- Bridget (McCarthy) Condon and just happened to marry a man named John Martin! If she hadn't married someone named Martin she would not have received the letter!
I also received a phone call form the daughter of one of the women named Fox in Galway City. She said she did not know her family history and if we are related but would be happy to talk to me when I get to Galway. I also received two e-mails – one saying they were no relation and the other saying that while they were not related a colleague was a friend of a number of Ballylanders’ McCarthy and would pass the word along.
So it is shaping up to be quite an adventure.
As part of my consulting practice I have been doing work for an international public / private partnership called the West Africa Water Initiative. In late September 2005, the Partner hosting the group’s 6th Headquarters Meeting asked me if I would be their facilitator. The meeting is scheduled to be held in London, UK on Monday and Tuesday October 24 and 25, 2005.
They established a budget for my round trip travel. I found a flight from Boston to Ireland to London to Boston that cost less than what they had budgeted for round trip to London and they said that would be fine! So I am going to leaving on Sunday evening the 16th and arriving in Shannon Ireland the next morning. I will spend the week in Ireland and then fly over to London the following Sunday. Then I will be flying back to Boston Wednesday evening the 26th.
My plan is to spend the first two days in Tuam and Galway City, County Galway. Then I am going to spend two days in Ballylanders, County Limerick (where my farther visited his family in 1946). Then two days in Dublin (including a business meeting).
Now here is the cool part. When I got agreement that they would pay the plane fare by way of Ireland, I went online and found an Irish phone listing. Based on the family histories, I looked up Corless and found two listings in Tuam, four in Galway City and another six in the general area. I also looked up Fox and found seven in Galway City and bunch in the surrounding area. I looked up McCarthy and while there were none in Ballylanders, there were over 20 in adjacent towns. I also looked up Martin and found four in Ballylanders and a half dozen in surrounding towns.
My thought was to send letters introducing myself, saying I was looking for cousins, giving the family information I had and asking that, if they were related, could they call or e-mail and might I meet them when I was in Ireland -- next week. International airmail postage costs $0.80. It didn't seem to make sense to spend the money to send letters to all these people especially when they lived in small towns and likely knew or were related to each other. So I sent letters to the people in Tuam and in Ballylanders and then selected one person per town from some of the towns closest to the known locations selecting folks with first names were the same as from the family.
I mailed 23 letters Tuesday, October 4. On Monday, October 10, the phone rang and a sweet voice with a strong Irish accent said "Is this John Corliss." I said "yes" and she said "This is your cousin Mary Martin." We chatted a bit. She seemed to clearly remember Dad's visit and asked if he were still alive. She said when she saw the letter she wondered if it was from him but she knew he was older and she was now 72. She said she would be happy to see me when I came over. I told her that I had not yet decided where I would be staying when I was in the area on the 19th and 20th but I would let her know and would be very happy to come by for a visit. She promptly said well you can stay with me if you would like. I then talked to her son Patrick to get some additional information and told him of her invitation -- he encouraged me to accept saying he had a brother who looked after the place and while they might put me to work during my stay, they would love to have me visit. So that is the plan. He said it is quite a large family in the area and so I would likely meet many relatives.
Now here is the "God thing" in all of this. This particular letter was addressed to John Martin -- as it turns out Mary's husband who died 3 years ago. I sent this letter thinking that John Martin might be a descendent of my great-grandmother's parents. It turns out this woman is the daughter of my grandmother's youngest sister -- Bridget (McCarthy) Condon and just happened to marry a man named John Martin! If she hadn't married someone named Martin she would not have received the letter!
I also received a phone call form the daughter of one of the women named Fox in Galway City. She said she did not know her family history and if we are related but would be happy to talk to me when I get to Galway. I also received two e-mails – one saying they were no relation and the other saying that while they were not related a colleague was a friend of a number of Ballylanders’ McCarthy and would pass the word along.
So it is shaping up to be quite an adventure.
posted by J Corlss at
3:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home