I am interested in John CONROY, chimney sweep, who was born in Coventry, in about 1843. He may have been an inmate of the Union Workhouse in Chilvers Coton, Nuneaton,in 1851. Not yet found in 1861. In 1871 he was married to Ann and lodging in Wotten-under-Edge, Gloucestershire. Later in 1871, he was in Pontypool, Monmouthshire, where his daughter Harriet was born. She was baptized in St Alban's Catholic church and my great-grandfather, Irish-born John Harris, was the godfather. The next month, John Conroy was godfather to Ellen Harris, John Harris's daughter. In 1881 John, Ann and Harriet were in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. In 1891, John, a widower, was in Cardiff Union workhouse in Glamorgan. John may have been the brother of Michael Conroy, also a chimney sweep, born in Coventry about 1845. Like John, Michael may have been an inmate of the Chilvers Coton workhouse in 1851 but the census entry isn't clear. He was in Nuneaton in 1861, and in Roath, Cardiff in 1881. John and Michael may have been sons of John and Harriet Conroy who were listed in Holy Trinity parish, Coventry, in 1841. That elder John Conroy, a broker (probably a dealer in secondhand goods) was born in Ireland in about 1820. In 1861, another Conroy family, William and Eliza and their children, Catherine, Sarah and Mary Anne, were listed in the same Holy Trinity parish, Coventry. William, a shoemaker, Eliza and Catherine were born in Rathdowny, Queens County (now County Laois, Leix), Ireland. This family may be related to the John Conroys mentioned above. My suspicion is that my John Harris great-grandfather, himself born about 1820, was closely related to the elder John Conroy. I would be grateful for any further information on these families. Best wishes, Sean (Davis, California) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/features_spam.html