Looking for distant Kinsella relatives

Joe:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Kinsella is a common surname in Co. Wicklow. There are 63 Kinsella listings in the online phone book https://www.eirphonebook.ie/ which is a partial list of phone users. Use the Residential TAB.

I located the civil birth record for Christopher on December 21, 1867. You have to sign-in to see the record.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

I checked the 1901 census for Holdenstown and there were no Kinsella families in the townland. So did your Kinsella family emigrate before 1901? 

Roger McDonnell

Hi Roger, thanks for your reply.

Michael Kinsella left for the US in 1867. Sorry I should have mentioned that before, but he had many children. Some in Ireland and some in the US. It's very possible some of Michael's sibliings and/or his children could have had lineages that continued in Ireland. Christopher Kinsella was born in Ireland but stayed in the US, which is where my lineage originates. 

Joe

Hi Roger, I wanted to touch base on this post. Hopefully you will get this. I was able to get in contact with a 3rd cousin related to the Kinsella family lineage. This distant counsin's sister had come across a picture of Michael Kinsella (b. 1845 in Graney, Wicklow, Ireland) that had been passed down the generations. His image was verfied by their father's handwriting which noted Michael's name and placement in the photograph. I'm pretty astounded. When I started my ancestry research about 7 years ago I never would have thought I'd be able to get an image of who was my great-great-great grandfather. The picture is now public on Ancestry.com. Is there a place on this website I could post his image? Perhaps Michael Kinsella could be one of the IrelandXO highlights. I know a little bit of his story, but I'm sure there's more. He later married a woman by the name of Margaret Clarke and had Christopher and I believe 2 other children before moving to the States in 1867 where he had more children. He was the co-president of the United Marble Workers Union. He was a stone cutter (marble rubber) as an occupation. He passed away in 1895 in Brooklyn, NY. He was 53 years of age. Is there a Wicklow archive of some kind I could send the photo to? Michael had so many children and likely sibilings I'm wondering if there are others looking for the same information. 

Kind regards, 

Joe Ugalde (NJ, USA)

Hi Joe!

Great to hear that you found a picture of someone born in the 19th century. I would love to have a picture of one of my great-grandparents but none so far.

We do have an XO Chronicles site https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy/ancestor-dat…; where you can add a profile/story for an ancestor who left Ireland and add a picture. Michael Kinsella would be a great addition. Here is a link to a Wicklow heritage group   http://www.countywicklowheritage.org/

Roger

Phoenix MD

Hi,

I have a difficult request...I am also looking for Kinsella relatives. Unfortunately, I don't have much information.  My great grandfather was John L. Kinsella who I know was living in New York City. I can't find info about his parents so I don't know if they came from Wicklow but see that it is a common name from this area.

To make things even more difficult, I can't find a marriage certificate for him. He married Sara Jane (Jennie, Jeanette) O'Brien (spelled O'Brein). Sara was from Ottowa (spelled Attawa on one of the census I could find )....THere are so many Sara Jane O'Briens in that area that I haven't been able to narrow down.

I tried to find a marriage certificate in Canada thinking( John & Sara Jane) may have married in Canada but again without knowing her parents, siblings, I can't narrow down my search. And of course, the death of birth varies from one document to the other.  

Any help would be appreciated....Thanks Margaret

Margaret:

In the mid-19th century, Co. Wesford and Co. Carlow had more Kinsella households compared to Co. Wicklow which comes in third. I have no idea when your John was born but I looked at the free site www.irishgenealogy.ie and there were 122 John Kinsella civil birth records in Ireland from 1864-1880.

Have you considered DNA testing?

Roger McDonnell