Hi! Thought I'd throw out some of the info I've been gathering and see if anyone can help or advise me. My 3x great-grandfather was THOMAS DOBBINS, who came to Carleton Co., New Brunswick in the 1820s-early 1830s (the 1851 census says he came in 1826 but I think that's a little early) from Ireland, raising a family from which I am descended. I found out that he apparently left behind a wife, LYDIA CLARE (I've seen other variations on this maiden name) DOBBINS and a daughter, MARY DOBBINS (which explained why I could never find a marriage record for Thomas and MARY ANNE DALEY, with whom he had his NB family!). Mary (born late 1820s -early 1830s)married JAMES MCHUGH(a blacksmith,son of JOHN MCHUGH and CATHERINE MCHUGH) and by 1881 had moved to Glasgow with their children. Their oldest child, another Lydia, was born in 1859 in Clare Upper, Ardstraw Par., Co. Tyrone (where they were living at the time of Griffith's Valuation); another child, Dominick, was born in Castlederg, possibly 1864 or so. As of 1882 LYDIA DOBBINS was living in Lettercarn, Ardstraw Par., Co. Tyrone. So it seems that the family, at least Lydia and the McHughs, were from this area, but I don't think Thomas Dobbins was. I've rooted through the Griffith's Val. to get a feel for the distribution of Dobbins and variants and there are only three in Tyrone-and as nowadays, a lot in Co. Antrim and elsewhere. Does anyone know if the addition of the "s" on Dobbin particularly means anything? There are definitely fewer of Dobbins, both in Griffith's and the N. Ireland phonebook, and they seem to be in somewhat different areas than Dobbin and Dobbyn. Was it a Catholic/Protestant thing ? This family was Roman Catholic-even Thomas raised his NB family as Catholic. I haven't looked at the parish records yet, so I know that's a source I still need to tap (whenever I get over there!) but hope that maybe someone might recognize the names and could offer advice on finding where Thomas hailed from. St. John, New Brunswick lost most of any passenger lists in a fire and I've searched what there is (that I know of). Thanks! Debbie, Saco, Maine [email protected]