Hi, I am looking to find connections forward and back to my great, great grandfather Martin Merrigan born about 1817 in Ireland. Family lore has him from Clonmacnoise. He apparently emigrated with his wife Bridget and their two little boys, Michael (abt 1841- 1900) and Patrick(abt 1842-?) first to Canada around 1843, and then to Massachusetts around 1850. I would love to find relatives back in Ireland. Martin is listed as a farmer on one census record in Massachusetts and as an owner of a little land there.

Martin and Bridget Merrigan had three more children after they left Ireland: Margaret, Mary, and Ellen. Records conflict, but most likely Margaret A (abt 1846) and Mary (abt 1850) were born in Canada. Ellen (abt 1853) was born in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, the family lived in Ware, then Enfield.

My greatgrand father is Michael, who married (in 1879) Mary Anne Casey of Massachusetts. By 1900 they had had their ten children, many of whom worked in the mills. They eventually moved to Hardwick, MA and then North Adams, MA. If you have any connections with the ancestors or decendants of any of these folks, I'd love to hear from you. There is more information available on my tree GlosterMerrigan. Thank you -- Eileen