And the wall came tumbling down

About three years ago, I found clues to some of the children of Robert and Nancy. An online tree gave enough information about a Robert Mulholland and Agnes Percy (Nancy) to lead me to some wonderful discoveries about the missing Mulholland family that my Grandmother had spoken of, that had migrated to the United States many years ago. I was in touch with the owner of the tree. However, due to the unfortunate hacking of my email address a short time later, the contact was cut and I could not get any further responses from them. There was a second tree that also had some clues about the family, but attempts to contact the owner of that tree were left unanswered.

I continued my research, and it turned out that Robert, Nancy and two of their adult children, Robert and Julia, left Ireland in 1913 for Canada and soon after had crossed the border into the United States.

Robert P Mulholland was the first of Robert and Nancy's children, I have not actually located his birth record, but I have ascertained his birth date from researching his United States citizenship application papers, which also show the birth dates of his wife Martha Lynn, and their children still living at the time of the application. 

On the 26th of December,1885, in the 2nd Antrim Presbyterian Church, County Antrim, Robert Mulholland, a factory worker, full age (over 21 years), of Ballytresna, Drummaul, son of Robert Mulholland, a factory worker, married Martha Lynn, full age, of Randalstown, daughter of William Lynn, a factory worker. Their marriage was witnessed by John Hamill and Ellen Gray. The ceremony was performed by the Reverend J McKinstry.

Source - Rootsireland.ie

In his "Petition for Naturalization" dated the 23rd November, 1923, Robert Mulholland stated that he was born on the 7th February, 1865 at Randalstown, County Antrim, Ireland and his wife Martha was born on the 7th April, 1859, also at Randalstown. Robert had emigrated to the United States from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on the 20th November 1913, after travelling from Ireland to Canada with his parents Robert and Nancy, and his sister Julia, on board the Empress of Ireland. The ship departed from Liverpool, England on the 3rd October, 1913 and arrived at the port of Quebec on the 10th October, 1913.

U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) for Robert Mulholland Source - Ancestry.com

I did some further searching on the Familysearch.org and later the Ancestry websites, and found that on the 24th November 1913, Robert Mulholland senior, Nancy, Robert junior and Julia crossed the border from Canada to the United States.

Line Number

Name

Arrival Date

Port of Arrival

Arrival Contact

Departure Contact

Residence Place

Residence Country

Age

Birth Date

Birth Place

Birth Country

Gender

Race/Nationality

Record Type

19

Robert Mulholland Senior

24 Nov 1913

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Canada

70

1843

Ireland

Male

Irish

Manifests

20

Nancy Mulholland

24 Nov 1913

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Canada

66

1847

Ireland

Female

Irish

Manifests

21

Robert Mulholland Junior

24 Nov 1913

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Canada

48

1865

Ireland

Male

Irish

Manifests

22

Julia Mulholland

24 Nov 1913

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Canada

30

1883

Ireland

Female

Irish

Manifests

Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956 for Robert Mulholland Junior - Source - Ancestry.com

The best bit was about to come....when I read their details on the "List or Manifest of Alien Passengers Applying for Admission" there was the column "The name and complete address of nearest relative or friend in country whence alien came" the response for each of them was "Son/Bro - John Mulholland 67 Roseberry Rd, Belfast. BINGO...this was the name and address of my Great Grandfather as documented in the 1911 Census of Ireland.

Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956 (2nd page) - Source - Ancestry.com

At last I had found confirmation of some of the family that had migrated to the United States.... The manifest also revealed their destination - "Los Angeles California".. this brick wall was finally starting to tumble down !

© Geoff Mulholland 2013-2016

... 1901 & 1911 Census of Ireland

Joseph Cecil, John, Eliza Ann & William Geoffrey Mulholland, circa 1921

In October 1997, I obtained a copy of my Great Grandfather's death certificate, it revealed that John Mulholland died on 1 December, 1951 at the age of 79. His parents were Robert Mulholland and Nancy Pertey (this was a name that was going to give me trouble for quite some time)...he was born and married to Elizabeth McWilliam, in Randlestoun, Northern Ireland (Randlestoun turned out to be Randalstown). It also revealed that John was a widower, which confirmed what I had understood from the stories my father told me, Dad had never mentioned his grandmother, and had always referred to his Grandfather as Puppy Mul. He would remember Puppy Mul and Uncle Geoff visiting when he was a child in Fairfield. Dad would say that he and his brother Paddy, would walk up to meet their grandfather and uncle when the train was due from the city. Puppy Mul and Uncle Geoff would bring a big bag of oranges for Dad's family when they would visit. The death certificate also revealed that William G 53 living and one male deceased (Dad's  father) were his only issue. Some years later I would find that there was also an infant female that had died young.

I don't recall exactly when I found this, but some time between December 2007 and June 2009 the Census of Ireland for 1901 & 1911 was made available online.

The 1901 Census of Ireland, household Form A

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Cromac/Beech_Street/968223/

Residents of a house 57 in Beech Street (Cromac, Antrim)

Show all information

Surname	Forename	Age	Sex	Relation to head	Religion	Birthplace	Occupation	Literacy	Irish Language	Marital Status	Specified Illnesses
Mulholland	John	28	Male	Head of Family	Church of Iriland	Antrim	Bootmaker	Read and write	-	Married	-
Mulholland	Joseph Cecil	3	Male	Son	Church of Iriland	Belfast	-	-	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	William Geoffery	1	Male	Son	Church of Iriland	Belfast	-	-	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	Lizzie	29	Female	Wife	Church of Iriland	Antrim	Housewife	Read and write	-	Married	-

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000331294/

The 1911 Census of Ireland, household Form A

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Ormeau/Rosebury_Road/217042/

Residents of a house 43 in Rosebury Road (Ormeau, Down)

Show all information

Surname	Forename	Age	Sex	Relation to head	Religion	Birthplace	Occupation	Literacy	Irish Language	Marital Status	Specified Illnesses	Years Married	Children Born	Children Living
Mulholland	John	38	Male	Head of Family	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Boot Maker	Read and write	-	Married	-	15	3	2
Mulholland	Eliza Ann	40	Female	Wife	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	-	Read and write	-	Married	-	15	3	2
Mulholland	Joseph Cecil	13	Male	Son	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Scholar	Read and write	-	Single	-	-	-	-
Mulholland	William Geoffrey	11	Male	Son	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Scholar	Read and write	-	Single	-	-	-	-

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002172531/

It turned out that John was one of  fourteen children. According to the 1911 Census of Ireland, household Form A, my Great Great Grandparents Robert and Nancy Mulholland, had been married 46 years; nine of their fourteen children were still alive, and one of their daughters Julia was also recorded on the census form with them.

The 1911 Census of Ireland, household Form A

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Ormeau/Glendower_Street/227229/

Residents of a house 6 in Glendower Street (Ormeau, Down)

Show all information

Surname	Forename	Age	Sex	Relation to head	Religion	Birthplace	Occupation	Literacy	Irish Language	Marital Status	Specified Illnesses	Years Married	Children Born	Children Living
Mulholland	Robert	68	Male	Head of Family	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	-	Read and write	-	Married	-	-	-	-
Mulholland	Nancy	64	Female	Wife	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	-	Read	-	Married	-	46	14	9
Mulholland	Julia	28	Female	Daughter	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	-	Read and write	-	Single	-	-	-	-

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002197386/

The marriage clue in the census enabled me to find an entry in the Irish marriage index on the Familysearch website, and some time later I located a marriage entry on the Rootsireland website, and I also managed to obtain a transcribed copy of the marriage certificate -

On 18 May, 1864, Robert Mulholland, aged 21 years, a labourer, of Aughaboy, Drummaul, son of John Mulholland, a labourer, married Nancy O'Neill, aged 18 years, of Ballytresna, Drummaul, daughter of James O'Neill, a shoemaker, in the Ballymena Registry Office. The marriage was witnessed by Eliza Macartney and Andrew Lamont.

Aughaboy and Ballytresna were Townlands, located in close proximity to Ballymena and Randalstown.

I have managed to find the names of ten of Robert and Nancy's children, the other four are out there somewhere, but locating their children's birth records was not as easy as one would expect. It seems that Nancy was known under various different names, and as I would find later, when each of her children passed on, the record of their mother's name would also vary. Six of the children were found in the 1901 Census living with Robert and Nancy -

The 1901 Census of Ireland, household Form A

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Shankhill/Snugville/949868/

Residents of a house 48 in Snugville (Shankhill, Antrim)

Show all information

Surname	Forename	Age	Sex	Relation to head	Religion	Birthplace	Occupation	Literacy	Irish Language	Marital Status	Specified Illnesses
Mulholland	Maria	25	Female	Daughter	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Linen Yarn Winder	Read and write	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	Joannah	12	Female	Daughter	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Scholar	Read and write	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	Mary Agnes	21	Female	Daughter	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Linen Yarn Winder	Read and write	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	Ellen	30	Female	Daughter	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Linen Yarn Winder	Read and write	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	Julia	14	Female	Daughter	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Linen Yarn Winder	Read and write	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	Robert	58	Male	Head of Family	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Retired Linen Lapper	Read and write	-	Married	-
Mulholland	James	17	Male	Son	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	Cropping Machine Worker	Read and write	-	Not Married	-
Mulholland	Nancy	54	Female	Wife	Church of Ireland	Co Antrim	-	Read	-	Married	-

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000302399/

© Geoff Mulholland 2013-2016