I'd like to thank publicly Pete and Diane for their attention to my inquiry. I asked my question because Bernard McQUADE was the brother-in-law of my great-great-grandfather, James GRIMES, the former living in Monaghan the early part of the 19th century, and the latter just over the border in Armagh. Bernard's wife Mary TRAINOR was the sister of Catherine (or, often, Catharine) TRAINOR, James' wife. I thought that knowing more about Bernard and Mary would lead me to more facts concerning my great-great-grandparents. Yesterday, I had a conversation with my 90 year-old aunt, someone who actually knew and talked with my grandparents, and one of the few people still alive from that time. I learned that my research pointing to a change of surname by my g-g grandfather and his son Patrick is quite accurate. My aunt said my grandmother told her that her father-in-law and his father had changed their name from GORMLEY to GRIMES when they arrived in the US in mid-1864, for reasons that remain a complete mystery to me.(Thanks to Ancestry.com, I had already seen a ship's manifest from June 1864 listing side by side a James and a Pat GORMLEY as passengers traveling from Liverpool to NYC. What's more, a search of the general area around Tynan in Griffith's Valuation revealed that James GORMLEY did indeed live there, but no GRIMES. As you all know, the end date for that valuation is 1864.) It is startling to learn after almost 70 years that your family name was changed rather recently for who knows what reason. Again, thanks to Pete and Diane. John Grimes 2012/7/2 <irl-monaghan-request@rootsweb.com> > > > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > >>Put SURNAMES in CAPS << > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: McQUADE from Glaslough, Monaghan (PeteScherm@aol.com) > > >