There were two enclaves of Irish in McHenry Co. in the 1800's--one in Hartland, north of Woodstock, and the other in McHenry and just south of the that city (called the Irish Prairie). Some of the Irish from McHenry went to western Iowa (Carroll Co., Iowa) and settled there. McConnell is a Woodstock name so your gg grandmother may be associated with the Hartland Irish. Both groups of Irish were in McHenry Co. early--1830's and 40's, so in 1851 things were pretty well-established. There would have been many places to stay. Jim Wyman mfdonlan@aol.com Sent by: To: ILMCHENR-L@rootsweb.com gc-gateway@rootsw cc: eb.com Subject: Irish passing through McHenry County in 1851 12/02/2003 10:10 PM Please respond to ILMCHENR-L This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Zg.2ADI/797 Message Board Post: I was wondering if anyone knew whether families on their way out west passed through McHenry county in 1851 typically. I recently discovered that my great great grandmother, Ellen McConnell was born in McHenry County, Illinois yet her family was supposedly one of the first families in Winneshiek County, Iowa in that same year. Does anyone know how people traveled across the county in 1851? Stagecoach? Were there places in McHenry county where these people would stay, especially if they were expecting a baby?Thanks