Hello,
I'm looking for details on my great-great grandfather John Canniff
(also spelled Caniff/Canniffe), born in Swansea in (I believe) May
1868. His parents, James E (aka John) and Margaret (Corkery or
Corkey?) Canniff, came to Swansea from Ireland (town/county unknown)
about 1864-1865, where they had married and had their first two
children, James E (abt 1862) and Ellen Elizabeth "Nellie" (abt 1864).
Four more children were born in Swansea: Jeremiah W (Apr 1865?), gg
grandfather John (May 1868), Mary (Feb 1871) and Margaret E (Dec
1872). They appear (except for Margaret, not yet born) in the 1871
Wales Census (where the elder James is listed as John - he is James in
all other documentation I have found), living at 20 Brook Pl in Upper
Swansea. There are Corkeys (also born in Ireland) living at the same
address (along with a third family, the Barrys), who could be
Margaret's parents and sisters - Jeremiah (age 50), wife Catherine
(50) and daughters Anna (15) and Norah (12). I do not have any
independent corroboration for Corkery/Corkey as Margaret's maiden
name, but her name is given as "Corkery" on family charts by other
relatives.
I have located what I believe to be the entries for John, Mary and
Margaret's births in the England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, but
Jeremiah is nowhere to be found:
John Caniff (sic), Swansea, Apr-May-Jun 1868, vol 11a, pg 654, Civil
Registration of England & Wales
Mary Caniff (sic), Swansea, Jan-Feb-Mar 1871, vol 11a, pg 629,Civil
Registration of England & Wales
Margaret Canniff, Swansea, Oct-Nov-Dec 1872, vol 11a, pg 616, Civil
Registration of England & Wales
The whole family left Swansea and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts,
USA on 14 May 1873, according to passenger records of the steamship
Atlas which sailed from Liverpool (James E Sr's occupation is listed
as "farmer"). They settled in Canton, Massachusetts. Both John and his
son Harry (born in Canton in 1890) died in their mid-20s, and my
grandfather Nelson's mother (John's daughter-in-law/Harry's wife) died
the day after my grandfather's 11th birthday, so this branch of the
family lost much knowledge of its history.
What I am seeking is any help or suggestions for tracing the Canniffs
before or during their time in Wales. I would ultimately like to
determine where in Ireland they came from, when they arrived, confirm
Margaret's maiden name, and see if I can find James and Margaret's
parents/siblings. I know I can order birth certificates for John and
his sisters, which should list his mother's birth name, but from what
I can tell, parents' places of birth were not recorded before 1969.
Any advice or assistance you can give is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Bridget Canniff