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OUR EARLY GORMANS |
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The exact origins of our Gormans are not known. The earliest records I have been able to document pertain to a Peter Gorman. Peter appears on the 1851 UK Census. At that time he lived at Carrodus Square, Keighley, Yorkshire. He was 65 and was born ± 1786 in Ireland, but the county and village of his birth are unknown. He was married but his wife was still living in Ireland. Sadly, her name is not known at this time. During the 1851 UK Census, Peter was a lodger and was employed as a gardener. His unmarried son (grandson?), Stephen Gorman, 18, also born in Ireland, was a laborer and lodged with him during the 1851 UK Census. Undoubtedly, Peter and Stephen Gorman went to England for work during the famine years. Stephen Gorman, the son or grandson of Peter Gorman, was born in Ireland ± 1833, perhaps in the village of Nobber (au Nobair), County Meath. This village is just about due west across the Irish Channel from the Wigan/Liverpool area, i.e., the shortest hop possible. The Gorman family may be associated with the Matthews and Daly families of that village. As we will see later, George Daly was the best man at the marriage of Stephen Gorman's son Michael Gorman (1853-1878) to Margaret Doran on 7 November 1875 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Wigan, Lancashire, England. There is also a Peter Gorman who appears on the list of 1796 Flax Growers of Ireland in County Meath. This Peter Gorman may be the father of the above Peter Gorman who appears on the 1851 UK Census: Gorman Peter Monknewtown Meath The major problem with identifying Peter Gorman as the grandfather of Michael Gorman (1853-1878) is this: the Irish naming pattern is not continued. In fact, there is no other recorded Peter Gorman in subsequent families. I simply include him here as a possibility until further research indicates otherwise. |
MICHAEL GORMAN: OUR EARLIEST VERIFIED GORMAN ANCESTOR 1853 - 3 MARCH 1878 Our first recorded and verified ancestor is Michael Gorman (1853-1878). We do not know for sure where he was born, but we do know who he married, where he was married, and where he died. The best guess is that he was born in Ireland ±1833, perhaps in the village of Nobber (au Nobair), County Meath as I mentioned above. I am busy researching leads to establish where and when the Gorman family left Ireland for England. All we can say with some certainty is that they left during the late 1830s - 1840s, arrived in Liverpool and then made their way to Wigan before they finally went to Rhode Island. The birth and short life of Michael Gorman: There are no births recorded in Wigan for a Michael Gorman from 1848-1858 (ie. 1853 +/-5 years). There are two births for Michael Gorman near Wigan and they are recorded in Ashton. Ashton is an alternative name for Ashton under Lyne and it spans the boundaries of the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire: Births Sep 1851 There is also one birth for a Michael Gorman recorded in Liverpool in 1852, one in 1853, and two births in 1855. If Michael died on 3 March 1878 at the age of 25, according to his death record, then he was born in 1853 in Liverpool. The 1871 UK Census shows a Michael Gorman, age 18, born in 1853 and living in Liverpool. This could be the family of our Michael Gorman: RG10/3762/F? CD1 R10_3762.pdf p.211 Gorman, Patrick, 62 Gorman, Bridget, 51 Gorman, James, 29 My Internet friend, Ann Welding, sent this email to me 26 Jan 2007: Bill, I found the record of the death of Michael Gorman in Wigan Q1 1878 in the BMD records. The record says he was born circa 1853: www.freeukbmd.org.uk I have searched the 1871 census & found 9 individuals in England, with the name Michael Gorman born between 1848 & 1858 (ie. 1853 +/-5 years) 1. Michael Gorman abt 1858 Birkenhead, Cheshire, England Boarder Birkenhead Cheshire If he is amongst these, my money would be on one of the Irish boys. I've not checked them all, but the one in All Saints, Derbyshire, could be a possibility, his mother was born in Ireland. Also the one b 1851 in Derbyshire, his mother was also born in Ireland. It could be that he isn't one of these, he might not be in England in 1871, or his name could have been mis-spelled or mistranscribed. I'm afraid you will need a marriage cert to find his father's name, as he was married to Margaret Doran in the Registry Office. Sorry I can't be of more help. Anne Michael Gorman may be on of the 9 Michael Gormans listed above. But which one? On the 1930 US Census, Stephen Gorman, the son of Michael Gorman and the grandson of Stephen Gorman, says that his father was born in the Irish Free State! The question remains: where in Ireland? |
The marriage certificate of MARGARET DORAN and MICHAEL GORMAN reads: "Married (7 November 1875) in the St. Joseph's Church, according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Catholic Church by Certificate by Henry J. Lamon. Witnesses George Daly and Alice Doran. James Jolley, Registrar." St. Joseph's Catholic Church is on Caroline Street which lies between Wallgate and Chapel Lane, which is the continuation of Poolstock. Its equivalent Church of England was St. Thomas, which is now merged with St. James, Poolstock. St. Thomas was demolished, but St. Joseph's still stands with a prominent statue of the saint on its north wall. It's future fate is unknown. Michael Gorman signed his own name and Margaret Doran signed with her "X". Michael Gorman was 23, Bachelor, Coal Miner, residence: Queens Hotel Yard, Wallgate, Wigan. Father: Stephen Gorman, Laborer The marriage record of Michael Gorman and Margaret Doran can be found in the GRO Index: Marriages Dec 1875 The marriage of Michael Gorman and Margaret Doran can also be found at the Wigan & Leigh Register: ROW/41/198: Lancashire Marriage indexes for the years: 1875 Michael Gorman died on 3 March 1878 of typhoid fever at the Union Workhouse in Wigan. He was only 25 and a coal miner. Typhoid fever is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. Common worldwide, it is transmitted by ingestion of food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person. The bacteria then multiply in the blood stream of the infected person and are absorbed into the digestive tract and eliminated with the waste. At the Union Workouse in Wigan, Michael Gorman gave his residence as 22 Victoria Street, Wigan. At that time Victoria Street was located in Wigan at Location #117 in the area known as Wallgate. Wallgate is/was one of the major roads going through Wigan town centre. Victoria Steet met Wallgate next to where the building or house numbered 117 was situated. His wife, Margaret Doran-Gorman, signed the death certificate, No. 442, with her "X" and it was registered 4 March 1878 by Robert Halliwell, Registrar. Surname: Gorman |