My local newspaper (Record-Journal, Meriden, Conn.) prints items from the past in its Friday editions. The following appeared recently: 125 Years Ago: 1879 OCTOBER 15 "...Mr. C.C. Kinne went to New York today with two Irishmen who wish to return to the old country. There is a fund to pay the return passage of all who have not been in this country two years and both men wished to take advantage of it." I haven't had enough time to find out if this was a local fund, but focusing on New York, does anybody on the list have any sense if there was such a fund operating out of New York City? and if so, might there be records? Thanks in advance for any information, and my apologies for any duplicates, as I will post this to a few other lists. Margaret J in Meriden, Connecticut

Hi, listers -- In light of Margaret's interesting post on Irish returning to the old country, I'd like to offer a bit that's puzzled me for some time. An ancestor born ca. 1847 is listed in Lower Moville in 1901 with his Donegal-born family, but with a smudged birthplace that looks uncannily like "America". What are the chances that his parents were in the U.S. or Canada around 1847, bore a child there, and later returned to Ireland? I can't imagine they would have returned in '48 or '49, but he was definitely there by 1886. I've had no luck with FamilySearch, only a vaguely possible match in the 1850 census, and no luck in 1860. His daughter emigrated from Ireland, though, and all her US census records say her father was born in Ireland. I'd welcome any insights. Thanks! Patrick S. Philadelphia ----- Original Message ----- From: "Margaret Jenkins" <m.s.jenkins@att.net> To: <DONEGALEIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 8:09 AM Subject: Return to Ireland > My local newspaper (Record-Journal, Meriden, Conn.) prints items from the > past in its Friday editions. The following appeared recently: > > 125 Years Ago: 1879 OCTOBER 15 > > "...Mr. C.C. Kinne went to New York today with two Irishmen who wish to > return to the old country. There is a fund to pay the return passage of all > who have not been in this country two years and both men wished to take > advantage of it." > > I haven't had enough time to find out if this was a local fund, but > focusing on New York, does anybody on the list have any sense if there was > such a fund operating out of New York City? and if so, might there be records? > > Thanks in advance for any information, and my apologies for any duplicates, > as I will post this to a few other lists. > > Margaret J in Meriden, Connecticut >