I have been noticing more and more Carmody coming onto the site and
looking for their families.
Not an easy thing by any means unless you have family that took notes
or rembered all the relatives or had a bible possibly with family names
etc., or for those who actually paid attention when the folks talked
about heir relatives coming from Ireland and the hardships.
Most Carmodys of course came from Clare, then Kerry and Limerick.
However, if they were RC than thee is a problem in most cases of
finding any records unless you know exact town.
Some, few I admit, even wound up in Cork. Where? is a problem -at least
for my relatives who were born in CORK in 1825 and 1826.
I have been searching for over 40 ears and still not found from where
or why they went onto England. It is suspected they went because of the
famines in the 1850 time period, as Great grandfather was an
agricultural farmer and the area is not exactly condusive to farming
with as many rocks as I have seen thru the pasteurs there while
traveling thru the towns in Cork, and trying to get info from the
churches. And few records to tell you where someone actually lived.
I did find where in England and many other Carmody's in Middlesex,
first thru the 1881 Brit. census and then going back in to 1871, 61
and 51.to find by 1861 they were there but not in 1851.
Luckily found my grandfather and his siblings before he ventured to
cross the pond to NYC, where after having no luck with getting steady
employment due to the prejudice of the times, he joined the US Cavalry
shortly before his citizenship papers came thru. He stayed in the US
Cavalry from 1895-1901, and fought with Teddy Roosevelt and Rough
Riders during the Spanish american war.. I had heard that store when I
was very young but figured as I grew older and started my search it
could be just folklore.BUT , lo and behold his documents from the Army
came thru the archives after waiting a year and it sue was true! Seems
he was sent out W at first.then after Alaska was bought the Cavalry was
to be sent to 'Alaska and the men were issued winter gear for their
trek there when the Spanish american War broke out and he was
transferred to Roosevelts group.
It was then that frustration really took hold as in documents as person
to notify in emergency was was his Father.....DEnis- supposedly in
Cork.
Another frustrating few years trying to locate before actually
finding him still in England where my grandparents both died. DEnis an
Johanna Carmody.
In searching then for the siblings found a brother, Denis, who went on
London Metropolitan Police, a sister, Johanna called Annie, who was a
matron at an asylum and a brother as guard at same asylum...finally
finding the sister marrying to a man named John Carter and a start of
another search and more brick walls but I broke thru that after a year
or two......but never to this day, have I found the oldest brother,
Patrick, tho, who was the guard at the asylum.
Searching thru Annie's ( Johnana, Jr) family, finally led me to some
living relatives and all living still in England, but it took another
few years and help of a friend in England after my visiting there..
All of us related to the same great grandparents.
Since I had NO direct family to ask questions of after I was 6 years
old this was a real labor of frustration most times but it can be done.
So good luck to you all who are still looking for the folks with
little info to go on. Keep plodding along.things, records, etc and a
lot more help is availalble and are a lot easier today then hey were
40+ years ago to find.