This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: Eilis_OHara Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.ireland.may.general/7987.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: I would not recommend adopting a family of McDonaghs in a different location in Co. Mayo just because of a similarity of given names and the surname in a transcribed census. Many people abroad wouldn't be familiar with just how common given names and surnames can be here in Ireland and it wouldn't have been at all unusual to find that commonality in several locations in Co. Mayo. Genealogically, however you want to be sure that you link correctly to your actual family line in Co. Mayo -- not just based on surname and given names in a transcribed census that may have omissions from the original census records. You would find genealogy links not by pairing common given and surnames but by finding civil and church documents to link your Patrick back to his actual family members in Co. Mayo. Hopefully you'll find Patrick's baptismal information at the church in Middlesbrough where he was married and that will confirm his birthplace in Co. Mayo. What year did he marry? If the church doesn't have the baptismal information you can search the other genealogy records sources I listed in my first message. There's also a possibility Patrick may have had other relations in that area in England with him. They may have been witnesses at his marriage or sponsors for his children's baptisms. As I mentioned the online Mayo census is transcribed from the microfilms held by the Latter Day Saints in the US and as such -- and as with any transcription -- may not be complete. The site is administered from the US. However, the National Archives of Ireland are in the process of digitising both the 1911 and 1901 Irish census records and putting them online free. You can then access the actual original census records images from the original records. Here's a link to the Irish National Archives website with information about that: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/about/futureplans.html Regards. Eilis O'Hara Ireland Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.