Hello Brian,

Lovely to hear from you. I fear this is going to get a little confusing.

My g-grandfather Andrew Breen emigrated to New Zealand from Kerry, Ireland in 1875 aged 23. That places his birth at around 1852 but according to info on headstone he was aged 86 at time of his death in 1932 - birth date 1846 - yes well. I have yet to out sort that little discrepency! Anyway according to an Irish relation who is decended from a Maurice Breen, a farming family from Glencar, Killarney - my g-grandfather Andrew was his brother. We know that Maurice fought in NZ 1861-1866 in the Maori Wars for the British Army. He returned to Ireland to marry Alice Boyce in Wexford and they had 5 children. One of their sons we know went to the America.

Andrew's death cretificate states that he was born in Glencar, Kerry but we have no evidence apart from verbal to connect Andrew Breen with Maurice Breen. But for what it is worth we have always grown up knowing the connection.

Maybe they are not the same families but closely connected. Family names do seem to flow through Irish families as one of Andrew's children was named Maurice. Maybe the connection is a generation further back on the Breen side?

To confuse matters further, one of Maurice and Alice Breen children Andrew (born Killarney) we know settled in USA. All I know is that he married, lived in Maine and had a son Lloyd. Another of their daughters Anastasia also emigrated to USA, married a Fred Plucker. I only know a little of this line as we have lost contact.

I think that maybe our connection goes back a further Breen generation . I suspect a connection as the name Andrew is coming though several generations and they definitel hail from the same area. I wonder how many Breen families there were around that area. What do you think?

Please email me direct you convenient.
Regards

Christine (Hastings, New Zealand).