The Boy from Ballyfinnane – Gerry Britt’s Ancestry Journey Part I
Isn’t it nice to know where you come from? To put a name and personality to the ancestors whose lives, work and travel brought us to where we are today?
It is nice to know where you come from, as American visitor Gerry Britt discovered, and it’s nice to come home, too.
Gerry's starting point - the village of Cashel in County Tipperary
My son stared out the window of our rental car as we drove north from Cashel. It was August 12, 2007, our first day in Ireland. I’d had to wait 42 years for this trip. My son only had to wait 8, (which he never fails to remind me about – the lucky little… but never mind that). We were on our way to Thurles, and from there to Drumbane. Or Drombane. Or even Dromban. However one spelled it that’s from whence we Britts came and that’s where we were going.
We traveled along in silence for a bit, Aeron and my wife Cindy and me, just taking in the beautiful scenery under a sky like we’d never seen. Presently, Aeron said, “Daddy, why did your grandpa have to leave Ireland?”
Now that’s an odd way to phrase it, I thought. I said, “What makes you think he had to leave?”
“’Who would want to move away from here unless they had to?”
A fair question, and not an easy one to answer. “Well now,” I said in my perfect Tipperary accent, (which I later tried out on our hostess in Tipperary. She seemed to think I was from Brisbane. I never realized the two accents were so similar.) “That’s an interesting story.” I settled back in my seat and tried to get comfortable, which was harder than it sounds since I was on the wrong side of the road, the car, and the gear box, and just recently had experienced something called the “Red Cow Roundabout.” I doubted that I’d ever really be comfortable in an automobile again.
“It was 1906,” I began, “and John Francis Britt—my grandpa—was nineteen years old and the third oldest son of a farmer. Now being the third oldest meant that John Francis would not inherit the farm. It would go to his eldest brother Jerry”
“Is that who you’re named after?”
“No, I’m Gerard. He was Jeremiah.”
Aeron looked disappointed. I quickly added, “But you know, now that I think about it, I seem to remember my father mentioning something about that, so maybe I am.”
He looked happy again. “I bet you are.”
The town of Cobh, County Cork. Photo: Kevin Scully
Then he asked what I’d hoped he wouldn’t. “Who am I named after?”
“Well now, that’s another story. One story at a time.” Hopefully I’d come up with something good. “Now where was I?”
“1906.”
“Right, 1906, and John wasn’t getting the farm, and who wants to live with his brother all his life? Can you picture me living with Uncle James?”
“Heck, no, you’d kill each other.”
“That’s right. So: John was nineteen, a bachelor, and looking to make his fortune, find a wife, and settle down on his own. Now in those days, and in too many other days in Ireland, work was hard to find, and many, many people had to leave Ireland if they wanted any hope of a good life. In fact, that’s what his brother Michael—the second oldest—had done in 1900. He’d packed up his things and took the boat to America. Now Michael was living in Brooklyn, where he’d found work as a blacksmith, gotten married, and had two children! Mick—that’s what they called him—wrote to John and told him to come to America. Mick sent John a ticket for boat passage, and John left Ireland from a place called Cobh—except they had changed the name to Queenstown.”
“Why did they do that?”
“Because the queen had landed there once.”
“So what?” American boys are not much impressed by royalty. Though that may just be his blood.
“They’ve changed it back since then.”
“Good.”
“So, with $2.50 of American money in his pocket, young John Francis Britt boarded the SS Etruria, bound for America and a new life. He arrived in New York on April 8th and stepped off the boat into an uncertain future. He was sad for the home he left behind, but he was determined to make the best of it in America.”
“He did a good job, too.”
“How do you know that, son?”
“Because he had your daddy, and you had me, and now I get to see where we’re from.”
“That’s right, son.” That’s absolutely and perfectly right. This is where we’re from.
The sun is shining but I can hardly see the road.
Love this!
Very interesting, I spend hours helping Americans trace their Irish roots and this year I have found family here that they thought left years ago for 2 American families. I feel it part of my B&B business to help others who travel so far to find their roots.
Catherine.
Very interesting, Catherine. Where is your bed and breakfast
My Family Tree takes me back to Ireland also. Would love to go there if I could. Ireland is so beautiful It parts remind me of home. I live in Missouri where we have hills and beautiful streams . But not like Ireland. Love your pictures.
With a last name of Ennis, I know we have relatives in Ireland somewhere.
I know what you mean Carol. I for sure have to have rlatives there. (Cavanaugh) I have made it my goal in life to travel to Ireland before I’m to old to remember or enjoy it.
This was great. Wish I could find out where my Donohue/Leonard ancestors were originally from in Ireland.Can’t afford to find out professionally.
My great-grandfather was a Galligher from Cork Ireland.
My paternal grandmother was Mary Frances Devine. I guess that allows me some bragging rights.
I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland because of my family lineage – can trace my line back to Clare in late 1800′s. I am determined to see those cliffs sooner rather than later!
Thanks for this cute story.
Beautiful. We are the children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great and so on of John Conway of Waterford County. He left Dublin for Waterford then moved into Portlaw (nearby). We have a beautiful book put together with the help of dear family friends that traces each member back to whenever, late 1700′s I think. Slan!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the kind words. Poking around the internet for genealogy is fun but also addictively frustrating or frustratingly addictive…I’m not sure which. Immediate family lore is the best place to start. Family stories are what got me going.
I need to find out what part of Ireland my great-great grandmother was from, all the paperwork i have only shows that she was from Ireland…..that’s all i got, She left Ireland to settle here in Boston…. I’m going to Ireland next year in hopes of finding what Co. she was from and if she left family behind…can anyone help???? last name was Griffin…
I would love to trace my Irish Roots …all I know is that my people came from County Clare and my fathers name was Joseph Kenneth Burke …..have to go a long way back. Now live in Prince Edward Island Canada. My father sang the Irish songs to me until he died at age 40…..so those were handed down somehow.
I have traced my roots back to Monaghan, Tyrone, Ireland, (with help from my cousin), but I cannot find anything from there or around the area. I have not even found the last names that I am looking for. They are BEST and McCABE. Any ideas where I can look? My husband promised that we would go to Ireland on our 25th anniversary. I have been fascinated with it all of my life and I love the Irish brogue.
Hey all I am here in Ireland and I have been doing some family history research so if anyone would like help getting started just let me know . Thanks
Courtney, I looked on my ancestrial map for Griffin. It shows that the name of O’Griffin is found in Counties Clare & Kerry. Maybe a place for you to start. A lot of original Irish names had ‘O’ or ‘Mac” at the front. Good luck!
My paternal grandfather left Ireland at age 16 – in 1905 – to come live in the US. We have traced his paternal lineage to his grandfather, but have been unable to go any farther back than that. We haven’t been able to find much information regarding my grandfather’s mother either – nothing regarding her parents. Perhaps the information is hard to find due to the destruction of public records in Dublin in the spring of 1921. We have not given up, and a trip to Ireland is on the near horizon – not just for genealogy either.
Hello everyone. Really glad you enjoyed Gerry’s post (we certainly enjoyed reading it, he’s quite a find!).
We’ve noticed that some of you are finding tracing your roots a little tricky so we thought we’d suggest you try this little tab on Tourism Ireland’s Facebook page http://goo.gl/ftt54. It’s an excellent run-down of all the online and manual ways you can trace your heritage. Really hope it helps and the very best of luck with the search.
I’m taking a trip to Scotland, Prague and Munich this June…wanted to go to Ireland so bad, but I’m not the only one going and had to settle w/ what I get to see…I’m 1/2 Scotch-Irish and 1/2 Czech…so I’ll be able to look for one side of my family…but I do know that on my fathers side…they came over from Ireland (Donegal) sometime around 1700′s…suppose ably there were 7 Alexander brothers…then went to Sharps, Alexander again…my grandmother was Myrtle Louise (Alexander) Knight…
anyone out there want to help me?? or know my ancestors?
My other side came from Czech: grandmother: Olga Alvina (Koslovsky) Maresh
I’ve traced my roots back to the 1640′s. From here I don’t know where to look. I can’t afford to hire someone, so I guess that’s it!! The last spelling of the family name was Bryson of County Ulster. I do plan to go to Ireland someday, hopefully soon.
I’ve had the pleasure of spending two recent vacations in Ulster with cousins on the very farm where my father was born. What an experience! Met distant cousins and even visited the gravesite of my great grandparents. Aboslutely unforgettable moments. The beauty of the land and the people is beyond description!
My Great Grandfather was Bernard Nulty, born in Ireland in 1842. He died December 28, 1892 in Newark,New Jersey and is buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange, NJ,
My Great Grandmother was Mary Smith Nulty, born in Ireland in 1844.
She died in Newark, NJ May 15, 1899 and is also buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
I am trying to find any information regarding their lives and family in Ireland before they came to America.
I plan to go to Ireland this fall.
Has anybody heard of the name Devlin or O’Devlin who came from Mayo County?
Going to Ireland in May
Ive traced my family back to Donegal Ireland, James & Sarah(Roberts) Ward…Cant get no further than that…..I would so LOVE to go to Ireland and trace the rest of my roots, and to visit. They came from the Inishowen Penn, Im pretty sure thats where they came from. I keep wanting to make a trip but seems like everything seems to go wrong around the time I start planning lol
I’ve found that the best ways to start are with family stories and facts, then free web pages (Irish censuses are great and there are any number of County pages). If you find a thread to pull on, then it’s time to decide if spending some money is worthwhile. Monthly website charges can often end up more costly than hiring a reputable genealogist (trust me on this).
Remember that records can be vague, missing, or simply non-existent. If, like me, your ancestors came from rural or poverty-stricken areas their lives may not have been documented very well.
Well I had the privilege of going to ireland for the first time with my daughter and a friend when I turned 60 (better later than never). We did our own drive/stay. Flew into Shannon rented a car and stayed at all B & B’s except for one night we treated ourselves to a stay at Ashford Castle up near cong In Mayo. My great grandparents were from Kerry and Clare. My daughter’s friend’s ancestors came from around Kinsale. so we basically stayed on the south west coast. I have never seen such beauty and I am trying to plan a trip next year. I hit a brick wall with my ancestors too, have the names, birth years, approximate towns, but being Catholic, the records are sparse. And having the names of O’Sullivan and O’Brien, well I can’t tell you how many families there are with those names. On my father’ side they were Scanlons. from Clare. Joined Ancestry dot come really didn’t find much more out from that. Guess you really have to hire someone.
I realize the many possibilities of losing birth records, it’s just so frustrating! I’ve always been in love with Ireland. Books have always been my best friends, and from the time I could hold a book, pictures of Ireland and Scotland have totally fascinated me. Strangely, at about age 5, (even before I’d ever heard the word “Ireland”), I showed a picture of Ireland to my Mother and proudly stated that “this was where I was born and I’m going back home some day when I grew up!” I will go, just not sure how soon.
Im the same way…Ive told my mom the same thing. Ive got a pic of Ireland on my screen as my wallpaper. lol The whole Ireland thing fascinates me to.
Every single one of you would be welcome…The National Census of Ireland for 1901 and 1911 is online (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/) and once you have the name and county you would be able to make a start. There are also schemes whereby local people in different counties will meet and greet those who come back to visit their ancestral home. It has been so successful in the Galway area that I believe it other counties are creating their own* Welcome Home* scheme. Best of luck.
Just a thought for everyone this is the year of the gathering of the Clans in Ireland. My sister and I really want to find all our family history but so far we haven’t found anything under the spelling we have Callaghan and McVicker. We are hoping to go to Ireland this year to join in the celebrations. Our families came from both the north and south-should be very interesting indeed!
I went to the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal and found where both my grandparents came from. While I was there I met cousins from my Grandfather Patrick McCarron side and my Grandmother Mary Ann Hirrel side. It was wonderful and I hope to go back someday.
An enjoyable read! I grew up in Dublin (late 40s/early 50s) and had a super teacher from Cashel. Name of John Quinlan. I met him some years ago on a return trip back to Dublin from my home of 56 years, Southampton UK
I am having some bit of trouble knowing where to start….last name is Craig…..and not sure if we are Irish, Scot, Welsh or English….any ideas???
Hello Gerry,
My g-g-grandmother was Bridget Britt from Clonmel, Co.Tipperary, just down the road from Thurles. We might be related. She married John Butler on June 4, 1831 in St. Mary’s RC Church in Clonmel. They lived in the village of Marlfield just west of Clonmel. My great-grandfather James Butler was their first son, b. 1832. He later immigrated to Tennessee after being impressed into the British Army and serving in India and the Crimea. He was an artilleryman on the cliffs overlooking the Charge of the Light Brigade.
There were more Britts who married Butlers in Newcastle, a few miles west of Marlfield. I have not been able to find Bridget’s parents, but she may have originally been from Newcastle. I’m on my way to Ireland next month to continue my search. When I was in Marlfield in 2011, a local man gave me a map c.1840 that had the home of John and Bridget marked on it. When I visited the site, a rainbow suddenly appeared that ended on the field as if to say “this is the place!” It was magical…
I learned to look to the locals for information, also the history of the area. You never know what you might find.
Mary Butler Arnold
To Melissa .read on here about ur family .Our family came from the same place as urs also our names r the same.dont no how 2 get in touch with u. u can get me on facebook.etta kohler.hope 2 hear from u
My dad came from County Cork – Lynch was the name and left for America in 1927 when he was ten years old to meet up with his dad….
Get the Chance and visit Ogonoloe in County Clare. The best B& B is run by Phil and Liz Hogan on the hill overlooking the Shannon,s Loch Dern… The Lantern….great food, great pint and great people… Great prices too..
I was born in Befast lived in Australia for 44 years . Find it hard 2 get anything on N. Ireland.
The National Library of Ireland responded to an email I sent a few months ago. They said they are looking for a partner to digitize all the church records that are on microfilm. That will be a blessing for us across the pond.
In the meantime, some records are on http://www.irishgenealogy.ie.
The counties listed are limited, though.
The records at http://www.rootsireland.ie cost, but I’ve found lots of my family there, several generations I didn’t know about. There are very few records past 1800.
I also check the websites of local libraries in Ireland. Some have online records. Co.Tipperary studies are at the Thurles Library, and the librarians are very helpful. Dungarvan in Co.Waterford has some great records online too, which include some of Co.Tipperary since parishes overlap the county boundaries.