Hello, I have been trying to help my friend learn more about his grandparents. One set of his grandparents was James GAVIN and Anna Mary Magdalene McLAUGHLIN who probably married in 1912 or 1913 in Cambridge or Waltham, MA (USA). James and Annie GAVIN lived their married life in Cambridge, MA, and had, perhaps, six children there. This month, through Census and Cemetery data, I have found a few more tidbits of information about James and Annie: Cemetery information shows that Anna Mary Magdalene McLAUGHLIN died in 1949 at Age 58, so that puts her birth year around 1890 or 1891. Census data shows that "Annie" came to the USA in 1908. This was taken from the 1920 Census for Massachusetts where she is shown with her husband and children. (James, 31, and Annie, 29) I am not able to find Annie in the 1910 Census for MA; but, if she arrived in MA in 1908, she should be there someplace. Someone on the MA List reminded me to check the Ellis Island records. I did that last night, and only came up with four Annie McLAUGHLIN's who would have been in the right age category, and who would have been arriving in the USA between 1907 and 1910. The only one who had connections to MA was an Annie who arrived in December 1907 at Age 20. She listed her last place of residence as: Donegal, Ireland. Her ethnicity was listed as British, Irish, which matches up to Census information which showed that her father was born in England and her mother in Ireland. She was listed as a seamstress, and she listed her "contact" as .. Patrick McLAUGHLIN, father, in Charlestown, MA. I tried finding Patrick in the Census data I have access to, and I could not find one who would have been the right age to have had a daughter, Age 20. But, I did find one who was living in Charlestown, MA, in the same general time period. That was a quick search last night; I will spend more time looking for Patrick during the coming week. ...Cemetery information shows that James GAVIN died in 1943 at Age 54. This means he was born in 1889. Census information helped me to locate the family he grew up in. The 1900 Census for MA showed Peter and Margaret GAVIN, both Age 40, living in Waltham, MA. They had children: William, Mary, James, Agnes, Joseph, Margaret, and Elizabeth (15 to 2). In this Census, Peter and Margaret were both listed as being born in Ireland, and they stated that they had arrived in MA in 1883.... Peter and Margaret GAVIN had been married for 16 years in the 1900 Census, which puts their marriage date around 1884. This means that they married approx. one year after they arrived in Massachusetts. (I have no idea what Margaret's maiden name was.) The 1910 Census showed Margaret as a widow, and it showed that they had had another son, Peter, in 1901. So, sometime between 1902 and 1909, James GAVIN had died and left his widow with 8 children. The 1920 Census showed that the family had probably moved, as the only members of the family still in Waltham, MA, were the two youngest daughters, then Ages 24 and 21, living in a boarding house. The 1920 Census showed James M. GAVIN, 31, and Annie GAVIN, 29, with three of their children: Laura, Helen, and James. They also had a niece, Florence McLAUGHLIN, 13, and James' older brother, William GAVIN, 35. I believe they remained living in Cambridge, MA, until their deaths in the 1940's. I just noticed that their children would have been only in their 20's when their parents died. However, I just remembered that there were three more children born to James and Annie, and they would have been teen-agers when their parents died. (George, Gerald, Frederick GAVIN; I wonder where they lived after their mother's death.) FYI: There was another GAVIN family in Cambridge, MA, at the same time. They were David and Margaret (McDONALD) GAVIN who had been born in Nova Scotia. A little investigating showed that this GAVIN family had come from Ireland but had been in Nova Scotia for 50 years before migrating to the USA. They had a son, Lauchlin GAVIN. ..In summary, I am looking for: Annie McLAUGHLIN, Ireland to Mass./USA, ~1908, Age ~20 (possible father, Patrick McLAUGHLIN, to USA ???) James GAVIN, b1889, MA, whose parents, Peter and Margaret (?) GAVIN migrated to Mass./USA ~1883 They seem to have married here in ~1884, or they came here as ..newlyweds. Thank you for your time. Betty (near Lowell, MA, USA) P.S. My friend's other set of grandparents were from the Azores. They came to Massachusetts/USA around the same time as the Irish grandparents. :o) "There are two lasting bequests we can give our children; one is roots, the other is wings." Hodding Carter, Jr. "What does Jesus want in his "stocking" on Christmas morning? Loving kindness, a warm heart, and the stretched out hand of tolerance!" The Bishop's Wife (1947)

Hello, I have a vague sort of question I'm hoping someone on this list might be able to help me with. I am researching my MCK lines in Donegal in the 1600s. Where can I check to see what kind of records are available? I've found online records here (I'll share the links in case someone else can use them): 1609 Pardon List http://members.aol.com/lochlan2/donegal4.htm 1630 Muster Roll http://members.aol.com/Manus/dngl1630.html 1665 Hearth Money Rolls http://members.aol.com/lochlan2/donega10.htm Is anyone aware of any other sources online? ANd if not online, where else should I target my search? Also, how common were wills in the late 1600s in Donegal? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Jen McKemie