This Thursday I’m thankful for the helpful hint from Amberly, at thegenealogygirl. After reading my last post on my Irish Doran family research, she commented that Scottish birth records have the date and place of the parents’ wedding. I went right to Scotlands People and paid for the birth record of Ann Dorran from the 27th of November 1863. You can click on the record to enlarge it.

From this birth record I now have a possible marriage date for John and Ellen Little Dorran – 6 June 1857 in Ireland! This John Dorran listed his occupation as Flax-Dresser! I’m still not 100% sure that this record belongs to my Doran Clan, but it is a darn good match! My great-great-grandfather, John Doran, always listed his occupation as flax-dresser or hackler. My great-grandfather, Bernard Doran, was baptized on 10 February 1858, at St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Church, in the Belfast area. From all of our searches he seems to have been the first child. The 1901 Irish Census had Ellen Doran listed as a widow, and her age as sixty. The names, dates, and places fit together.

Below is another birth record of John and Ellen’s daughter Catherine, from 20 May 1871, where John Dorran signed. The two signatures look similar. We know from family stories that our last name had often been spelled Dorran back in Ireland. I haven’t found any other records listing a John Doran and Ellen Little that haven’t been family.

With my excitement over the new record I decided to type out a biographical outline of the life of Ellen Little Doran. I listed any dates that we had of Ellen, and any children born, married, or listed in a census. Since Ellen Little Doran wasn’t listed in the 1911 Irish Census, I decided to look once again at any Irish death records in the years between.

Previously I had found the death records of my Irish great-great-grandparents, William and Sarah Tierney Hall, at this site for Northern Ireland records, http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index.htm

I found this death record for Ellen Doran, dated 19th March 1907, and my sister and I are quite sure we have the correct one! I have ordered the complete record.

As you can see from the record, GRONI doesn’t allow the actual record image to be printed. From viewing the image, I gleaned these bits of genealogical information – Ellen Doran was the widow of John Doran a Hackler, and she died of Bronchitis, while with her daughter-in-law, Lizzie Doran, at 72 McDonnell Street, in Belfast.

Part of the fun of genealogy is the history of where your family lived, what occupations they had, and their struggles raising their own families. When my eldest daughter and I went to Ireland, we found out more about the Doran occupation of flax-dresser or hackler.

When you have a moment please take a look at thegenealogygirl, for more hints and tips about family research – https://thegenealogygirl.wordpress.com/ – Thanks again, Amberley!

Thankful Thursday is a blogging prompt suggested by GeneaBloggers. You can search almost 3,000 genealogy and family history blogs that are listed by clicking here. Good luck!

Copyright 2015 by Maryann Barnes and Genealogy Sisters.