Hi Brian - Hard to trace a common name such as John SULLIVAN. George SULLIVAN might be a bit easier. SULLIVAN is most often connected to the province of Munster. Perhaps you can locate some death notices, wills (oral history from living relatives) in the KNOWN places he lived to try and pin down an Irish county. It would be worthwhile, I would think, to hire a genealogist in the place he lived for a time to "jump start" your genealogy. Documents found should (hopefully!) point you in the right direction. Check out the all-Ireland IreAtlas townland search engine at the Leitrim-Roscommon.com website. Circa 1851 there were 51 places in Ireland called Castletown, in many counties. Your surname of interest, SULLIVAN, may narrow things down. Check out the www.ireland.com/ancestor/ website. During the Primary Valuation (1848-64) there were 3,388 SULLIVAN households in Co. Cork and 2,567 in Co. Kerry. The next highest county was Limerick at 378, Co. Tipperary 272, Cork city 242, Co. Waterford 199, Co. Clare 158, down from there ... SULLIVAN Households were found in 31 counties as well as Limerick city, Dublin city, Belfast city. (Co. Louth only had 28). Check that IreAtlas by typing Castletown in the "townland" field. Is it your belief that the family was well-to-do? Were they Protestant? Catholic? If a person emigrated to NZ, purchased his own ticket, he might be fairly well off. However, after 1840, colonies such as New Zealand and Australia offered money or land grants to skilled workers to attract needed immigrants. Whether that fits with a family of mariners, I couldn't say. Anyway, you can check my figures above for accuracy. Jean ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Stoddart" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 7:48 PM Subject: [IRELAND] John Sullivan > Hello Everyone > > I am new to this post and in search of some possible assistance. > > My gggfather was John Sullivan who married a Margaret Baker in Penzance, > Cornwall in 1843 > > He was listed as a mariner, born about 1820 in "Castletown, Ireland" > > He and his wife show up living in Penzance in the 1851 Census but then > disappear > > Their son George (who leaves for NZ in the 1870s) marries in Marazion, > Penzance in 1874 but there is no other sign of them there > > His own father, another John, was said to be a "master mariner" > > My problem will be fairly obvious - which Castletown was my gggfather born > in (given the seafaring, my uneducated guess is in either Louth or Cork) > and how do I track him and his father from there? I suppose the > possibilities are that my gggfather went back to Ireland after the 1851 > Census or emigrated somewhere else > > Any suggestions would be most welcome > > Many thanks > > Brian > > Professor Brian Stoddart > Writer, Consultant and Strategic Advisor > PO Box 928 > KYNETON > VIC 3444 > Australia > > 0418171983 mobile > + 61 418171983 International > > 03 54223238 Home > +61 3 54223238 International > > [email protected]