Dear Listers, It's a long time now since I started searching for my grandmother and I have all but given up to concentrate on my grandfather's family, who have been considerably easier to trace. However, it's a new year, so I have decided to try again. I wonder if any of you could help me? Mary Sheehan was born about 1863 somewhere in County Kerry, to Daniel Sheehan and Kate Lynch. She supposedly had a younger brother who died. Mary came out to Christchurch, New Zealand in 1883 on the British Queen, where her occupation is given as "servant". At that stage the Canterbury provincial govt was offering free passages to immigrants and there were many other young women from Ireland on board, whose occupations were "servant" or "dairy maid". Mary married my grandfather Richard Lloyd of Doon, Co. Limerick in 1891. She supposedly came from Castleisland. However, I haven't been able to trace a birth or baptismal record for her there. (I realise she was born just before compulsory registration of births). She may have been born elsewhere in Kerry and come to Castleisland at a later date. I have discovered 2 possible lines of enquiy, but no proof of a link to either. The first find was the birth of a son Daniel Sheehan to a Daniel Sheehan and Kate Lynch in Dreineijh, Glanbehy (baptised in Glanbehy in 1865). This could be Mary's brother. When I visited Glenbeigh a few years ago, I discovered that the townland would have been high up in the hills above Glenbeigh -a wonderful setting, but it would have been very remote and poor. The second possibility was the discovery of a Kate Lynch married to a Daniel Sheehan in Castleisland in the 1901 Census. However, this couple seem to have been married in Castleisland in 1875, (both from Cahirciveen parish according to parish records) when my grandmother would have been 12. If this is the family, then Mary would have been illegitimate, her parents marrying only when Daniel was widowed. Each of these scenarios seems possible, BUT I can't find any evidence of Mary, herself, to prove which one (if either) is true! I wonder if anyone has any suggestions? Margaret Lloyd