Hi Janet My Stinsons were Protestant in all known records. I was interested to find that there were also Catholic Stinsons in the area. Our first known Stinson was Edward Stinson (1789 Ireland - 1857 Ontario) who married Margaret Spence (1789 Ireland - 1879 Ontario). Margaret was the sister of my gggggrandmother Anne Spence and my gggggrandfather George Spence (my gggrandparents were 3rd cousins). Two bits of info suggested that they were from Fermanagh and we did find the expected children for Edward and Margaret born in Drumlish and Drumanure, Devenish parish, from Gabriel Stinson in 1817 to George Stuart Stinson in 1832 in David Elliott's Devenish transcriptions. Edward and Margaret emigrated to Ontario after George Stuart's birth as their next child was born in Ontario. We didn't find Edward and Margaret's marriage record. We did find sister Anne Spence's 1810 marriage to Robert Irwin in Killyveagh, Devenish and baptisms for four children from 1811 to 1818. Also brother George Spence's 1824 marriage to Anne Hicks in Trory, though no record of the baptism of their son Gabriel Spence in 1825. There is at least one other Stinson family involved in our family, as Anne Spence Irwin's two Irwin sons both married Stinson women. George Irwin (1813 Devenish - 1881 Ontario) married Mary Stinson (1818 Ireland - 1851 Ontario). His brother Robert Irwin Jr (1818 Devenish - ? Ontario) married Sarah Stinson (1819 Ireland - 1854 Ontario). I believe that Mary and Sarah were sisters and that they had a brother Alexander Stinson (1819 Ireland - 1909 Ontario), as there are some documents suggesting a connection between them. Alexander's parents are named on his death cert as John Stinson and Jane Scott. I'm thinking that John Stinson might be a brother of Edward Stinson. Members of the Spence and related families are buried in a private Crawford family cemetery in Albion, Ontario. Edward and Margaret Spence Stinson, and George and Robert Irwin and their Stinson wives are buried there. A John Stinson (1785 Ireland -1850 Ontario) is also buried there, which makes me think that he is Edward's brother and likely Alexander, Mary and Sarah's father. There is also a grave for an Elizabeth Stinson (1770 Ireland - 1836 Ontario), who I think is likely Edward's mother, and perhaps also John's, though he may turn out to be more distantly related. That is the extent of our known Stinsons. You probably already know this, but I have read recently that Stinson is a variation of Stephenson or Stevenson. Kathy -----Original Message----- From: caiside@comcast.net Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2015 4:04 PM To: Allan & Kathy Lowe ; fermanagh-gold@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: Re: FERMANAGH-GOLD STINSON Kathy, I was just about to answer your first sentence using STINSON as an example when I read your second! I am researching STINSON. Mine married a McCaffrey and when the family moved to Quebec were definitely Catholic. I am also interested in the William STINSON who is a teacher (and RC) in the 1826 list. Other STINSONs in the same area were Protestant, so I suspect someone in the family married a Catholic and raised the children Catholic. Where are yours from? I know my Cassidys in western Fermanagh are 100% Catholic, but there are Protestant Cassidys in Donegal and Antrim. Some people converted because of marriage or because it was advantageous for other reasons. Janet C

Hi Kathy, Thanks for this. It would seem the Stinsons are as hard to unravel as are Cassidys! My connection to the Stinsons is through the family of another Fermanagh Golder, Rob Daley, and we've been working on this line for a while. He has a Rosanna Stinson (1805-1902) married to Thomas McCaffrey. They were married in Fermanagh, as their first four children were born there. Then they emigrated to Quebec along with Thomas' parents John and Honora (Jones) McCaffrey and their 6 other children. The family settled in St. Malachie, Beauharnois. We think John and Honora emigrated in 1831, not sure whether Thomas and Roseanna came at the same time or later but they were there by 1842. Eventually most of them moved down into New York state, settling near the border in Westville , Franklin County, NY. But back to the Stinson connection. Thomas's wife Rosanna (b 1805) was the daughter of Alexander Stinson and Mary Guire (Maguire?). We are not sure where these families were from, but evidence points to the same area in Devenish. We think John McCaffrey was related to my Mary McCaffrey (1816 Devenish-1887 WashDC) who married Patrick Cassidy (1804 Devenish-1894 WashDC). We also have an Edward Stinson (b. 1825) in Ireland (son of Edward Stinson and Mary McGinnis) . He married in Quebec to Mary McCaffrey, sister of Thomas McCaffrey and daughter of John and Honora. We think Edward may heave been the nephew of Thomas's wife Rosanna. What a tangle! Have you been in touch with Des Taylor of Queensland? He has an Alexander Stinson whose parents were John Stinson and Jane Adams m. at Monea in 1846. He has a list of their children all born in Drumbeggan. Alexander was born 1866 in Fermanagh , died 1909 in Queensland, Australia. John was son of William and Prudence Stinson. God bless the Irish for their tendency to repeat the same names in families!! It is enough to make a genealogist throw up her hands! Janet C On 3/9/15 1:34 AM, Allan & Kathy Lowe wrote: > Hi Janet > > My Stinsons were Protestant in all known records. I was interested to > find that there were also Catholic Stinsons in the area. > > Our first known Stinson was Edward Stinson (1789 Ireland - 1857 > Ontario) who married Margaret Spence (1789 Ireland - 1879 Ontario). > Margaret was the sister of my gggggrandmother Anne Spence and my > gggggrandfather George Spence (my gggrandparents were 3rd cousins). > > Two bits of info suggested that they were from Fermanagh and we did > find the expected children for Edward and Margaret born in Drumlish > and Drumanure, Devenish parish, from Gabriel Stinson in 1817 to George > Stuart Stinson in 1832 in David Elliott's Devenish transcriptions. > Edward and Margaret emigrated to Ontario after George Stuart's birth > as their next child was born in Ontario. > > We didn't find Edward and Margaret's marriage record. We did find > sister Anne Spence's 1810 marriage to Robert Irwin in Killyveagh, > Devenish and baptisms for four children from 1811 to 1818. Also > brother George Spence's 1824 marriage to Anne Hicks in Trory, though > no record of the baptism of their son Gabriel Spence in 1825. > > There is at least one other Stinson family involved in our family, as > Anne Spence Irwin's two Irwin sons both married Stinson women. George > Irwin (1813 Devenish - 1881 Ontario) married Mary Stinson (1818 > Ireland - 1851 Ontario). His brother Robert Irwin Jr (1818 Devenish - > ? Ontario) married Sarah Stinson (1819 Ireland - 1854 Ontario). > > I believe that Mary and Sarah were sisters and that they had a brother > Alexander Stinson (1819 Ireland - 1909 Ontario), as there are some > documents suggesting a connection between them. Alexander's parents > are named on his death cert as John Stinson and Jane Scott. > > I'm thinking that John Stinson might be a brother of Edward Stinson. > > Members of the Spence and related families are buried in a private > Crawford family cemetery in Albion, Ontario. Edward and Margaret > Spence Stinson, and George and Robert Irwin and their Stinson wives > are buried there. A John Stinson (1785 Ireland -1850 Ontario) is also > buried there, which makes me think that he is Edward's brother and > likely Alexander, Mary and Sarah's father. There is also a grave for > an Elizabeth Stinson (1770 Ireland - 1836 Ontario), who I think is > likely Edward's mother, and perhaps also John's, though he may turn > out to be more distantly related. > > That is the extent of our known Stinsons. > > You probably already know this, but I have read recently that Stinson > is a variation of Stephenson or Stevenson. > > Kathy > > > > -----Original Message----- From: caiside@comcast.net > Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2015 4:04 PM > To: Allan & Kathy Lowe ; fermanagh-gold@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: Re: FERMANAGH-GOLD STINSON > > Kathy, > > I was just about to answer your first sentence using STINSON as an > example when I read your second! I am researching STINSON. Mine married > a McCaffrey and when the family moved to Quebec were definitely > Catholic. I am also interested in the William STINSON who is a teacher > (and RC) in the 1826 list. > > Other STINSONs in the same area were Protestant, so I suspect someone in > the family married a Catholic and raised the children Catholic. > > Where are yours from? > > > I know my Cassidys in western Fermanagh are 100% Catholic, but there are > Protestant Cassidys in Donegal and Antrim. Some people converted > because of marriage or because it was advantageous for other reasons. > > > Janet C > >