Since first writing this journal, some very kind and helpful people have given me several pointers, that have allowed me to expand my Carey connections considerably. A lot of detail is still missing, of course, but that is always the way with these things.

My mother came from a line of Careys. As I have traced the name back through time, the spellings have varied considerably, and this in itself has been one reason for the difficulties. So....now I have arrived in the 1770's/1780's; in Old Luce (or Glenluce) Wigtownshire, south-west Scotland. Here lived William KEIRY (and sometimes spelt KERRY!), my g-g-g-g-grandfather, born around the 1770-1780 period. He lived in a part of Old Luce called Challochman, where in 1799 he married Jean McKenna, who seems likely to have been from a neighbouring parish, Kirkcowan.
Their children were born in Old Luce parish, between 1802 and 1815; Helen, Elizabeth, John, Agnes and William. All were recorded with surnames spelt KEIRY, bar Helen, who was spelt KERRY.
So far, I have done no research on them except William (my g-g-g-grandfather). He was born rather later than I had first estimated (c1815 rather than 1804), having worked his possible birthyear according to his age (66)from the 1871 Glasgow census.

William KEIRY by now had become a CARREY, and married Mary JOHNSTON in Kilmarnock on 30th June 1836. I have not, however, found either of them in the 1841 Scottish census records.
In around 1844, a son James was born; exact location unknown but possibly either Kilmarnock or Glasgow. Since first writing this up, the family have been located in the 1851 Kilmarnock census, showing two further children....another William, born c1836, and John, born c1847. Interestingly, none of the children's birth or baptismal records have been found.

I have no details at present of the subsequent futures of William or John. However, James Carrey (still using two "r's") married Mary MATHIE in Tarbet Street, Glasgow Central District, 1863. His occupation was stated as "shoemaker and journeyman". His father William was also stated as being a shoemaker.

On September 7th 1863 a boy William was born. By now, the surname seems to have changed to being spelt as CAREY. Two further children were born, in the late 1860's, but did not survive more than a year or two.
In early 1877, Mary Carrey (nee Johnston) died, in Glasgow. By the end of the same year her husband William had also died. Mary's death entry gave her name as Mary CERRY......yet another spelling variety!
The Scottish 1881 census has not yet revealed the whereabouts of James, Mary and surviving son William, and I have as yet no records of deaths for those parents. William, however, moved eventually from Scotland, sometime between 1881 and 1888.

In 1888 William married Isabella WILSON, from Northumberland. It appears that this was William's second marriage, since his certificate states that he was a widower, aged 24. Nothing is known about the first marriage.
The second marriage occurred in Newcastle. William's father, James, was stated as being a "soldier". It is assumed he was still living at this time, although the marriage certificate does not say either way.

By the time of the 1891 census, William and Isabella were living in Hebburn, South Shields. There were two boys, James (born 1888) and William (born 1889). By 1901 they had all moved to the Cardiff area, and a third boy, John had arrived (c1892). Nothing further is known about James or John.

I don't know of any emigration patterns in the family. It is likely that this family line is very narrow, geographically. As to finding the origins of the KEIRY family, that is still ongoing. There was much travelling between Galloway and Northern Ireland, in particular Portpatrick, where I understand that many marriages conducted there were between non-parishioners. The surname KERR can be found in considerable numbers on the Portpatrick parish listings, so one can only speculate on the likelihood that KEIRYs may also have been KERRs and come from Ireland!

Just goes to show how spelling can throw spanners in the works.