Looking for Chinnery from Ireland
In my 100 percent Irish ancestry, John Chinnery is the most difficult to trace. Born in County Cork about 1825, he shares his surname with some minor-aristocracy English men and women who settled in Ireland starting in the 1600s. Not all Chinnerys were wealthy or distinguished, of course. "My" John may have been a farmer, for all I know after years of research. I do know that he married Julia Lehan, also of County Cork, on Sept. 15, 1849 - name of church, town or village unknown. Julia was Catholic; John may have been Catholic or Church of Ireland (Anglican), I don't know. Nor do I know the parents' names for John or Julia. I sure have corresponded with many many Chinnerys over the years, but none were "mine." There was a George Chinnery a famous painter, but I have been unable to trace my line to him, either.
Family story says John and Julia went to Wales after their marriage. There their four children were born between 1850 and 1859: James, John, Katherine and Michael (my g-grandfather). John apparently died in Wales about 1850, following which Julia brought her children to NYC, moving to the nearby city of Yonkers. I have traced the descendants of her children (mostly, that is; two of them had 10 kids apiece). Julia raised her children Catholic.
I even hired a researcher several years ago to no avail. I have dug into all the Chinnery records I could find. There are still Chinnerys in England (none of whom that I corresponded with knew anything about the Irish Chinnerys) ... but none left in Ireland that I know of. At least, there are none in the Irish telephone directories. Anyone know anything?
My grandmother was Doreen Chinnery, she married Norman Manley. I think she was born in Wales too. Have you come across her name in any of your research...?
Lynn: I have not come across the name of Doreen Chinnery. But that doesn't prove it's not the same family. After all, I don't know the names of John Chinnery's parents, nor the names of his siblings if any. John and his wife Julia Lehan were born in County Cork, Ireland, and, as I said, WENT to Wales. There their four children were born (none named Doreen). After John's death, Julia took all four children to New York; from there I have traced them. Do you know any more about Doreen? Do you have the names of her parents? Are you sure she was born in Wales? If it was within the last 100 years or so there should be a birth certificate for her in the Welsh records. Anne