Black Forty-Seven: The Brodericks Atlantic Crossing

I didn't want to get my hopes up when I learned new details about my 3rd great-grandfather Michael Broderick's (1801-1889) emigration from Ireland to Canada. 

After all, Michael Broderick's obituary said that the family sailed from Ireland to Quebec in 1847. Over 400 ships sailed to Quebec in that year referred to as "a black page in the annals of the sea"! 

Rev John A Gallagher  (who wrote "The Irish Emigration of 1847 and Its Canadian Consequences") said that "The Irish themselves have written this year (1847) down as "Black Forty-Seven" -- a year black with Famine, Disease, Death and Exile from the land of their birth." Gallagher added, "The manner of transporting the Irish emigrant of '47 fills a black page in the annals of the Sea. Anything that could float or hold a sail was used to carry the emigrant across the sea. ... Dr. Douglas, the medical Superintendent of Grosse Île, estimated that 8,000 died at sea in 1847.

What could I learn about Irish emigration to Canada in 1847? What kinds of records exist that could help me piece together the Broderick family's journey?

Ontario Township Papers For Matthew Moynahan (1770-1860)

Piecing together the story of our ancestors has become increasingly more convenient as many records are digitized and made available online.

The Archives of Ontario's most popular collections have been digitized by Family Search International and made available for free.

Thanks to the Kent Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, when I reviewed the Ontario Township Papers for Sandwich, Ontario, I discovered 23 pages of correspondence dated 1835 to 1848 from my 4th Great Grandfather Matthew Moynahan (1770-1860)

Ancestry Adds The Casey Collection

In October 2020, I blogged about a wonderful presentation by the Olde Sandwich South and Area Historical Society OSSAHS regarding the Irish settlement in Sandwich South, Ontario and how it was connected to the Blackwater area of Cork and Kerry, Ireland.

Screen Capture of Essex OGS Pesentation (21:27)

When Obituaries Get It Right (And Sometimes Wrong)

In building my Broderick family tree, I have relied upon obituaries to fill in many of the blanks. Recently, with the discovery of my 3rd Great Grandfather Michael Broderick's obituary, I contacted my fellow Broderick researchers (and DNA matches) to ask them a question:

Is it possible that Marcus ("Mark") Broderick (1838-1912) pictured below with his son Marcus (1868-1945), was not my 3rd great-grandfather Michael Broderick's nephew, but rather his son?

Photo source: American cousin T.S.: Broderick Father and Son: Marcus Sr. and Marcus Jr Taken about 1895 in Holland, Ottawa Co., Michigan, USA

Randy Majors "Ancestor Search" Yields Surprising Results

Randy Majors created an online tool called "Ancestor Search" for genealogists and it is one of the BEST search engines that I regularly use and one that often yields surprising results. 

Today, while using "Ancestor Search", I found another Broderick family history researcher (at Irelandxo) AND an obituary for my 3rd great-grandfather Michael Broderick (1801-1889) for the very first time.

Those two findings inspired this blog post in the hope that this method can help others locate their ancestors as well.

Update For Subscribers By Email

In April, 2021 Google announced that the Feedburner service (that has been automatically generating emails about this blog) would be discontinued in July 2021.

I have been researching alternatives to FeedBurner and reviewing the two options that would be best for my subscribers: migrate all current subscribers OR request that subscribers sign up all over again?

I have chosen the email subscription service offered by follow.it. I chose follow.it because:

• it is committed to no email SPAM
  
• the basic level of subscription is 100% free for both emails and RSS readers
  
• it's a mature operation and not a start-up
  
• it takes the EU GDPR seriously - unclear about applicability for Canadian privacy/data protection
  
• it offers choice to the follower re what their preference is for how they want to follow
• N.B. above points originally appeared on blog Making A Mark  along with several other recommendations

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