William Hickson marries Mary Needham In 1858 the oldest son in the Hickson family of Killorglin married the oldest of the Needham daughters of Templenoe. Their marriage certificate gives some details of their respective backgrounds: 1858 Marriage Hickson Needham The date was October 5th and … Continue reading The Hickson-Needham connection
Category: Home and other places
Places in Kerry – family origins
Our Irish forebears originated from County Kerry, in the South West of Ireland. A number of places in Kerry are significant in the family story: Killarney, home of the Byrne family, Killorglin, home of the Hicksons. Templenoe, home of the Needhams. Sneem, a few miles … Continue reading Places in Kerry – family origins
Gledfield Free Church
Back in May when Hamish and I travelled around the Highlands we passed through Gledfield, the home of my Scottish Ross ancestors. We saw an old church that had no sign outside but which I took to be the Gledfield Free Church. I took a … Continue reading Gledfield Free Church
The Year of the Sheep
According to John Prebble there were two periods of major clearances in the Highlands, the first from 1782 to 1820, and the second from 1840 to 1854. My ancestors came from Ross-shire, which was the scene of unrest during both of those periods. The first … Continue reading The Year of the Sheep
Catherine Urquhart of Golspie (1800-1887)
My grandmother was Winifred Urquhart Ross (Holford). As a child I was fascinated by her middle name, which she told me came from her Scottish ancestry, as did her surname Ross. During the three years we lived in the UK when I was a child … Continue reading Catherine Urquhart of Golspie (1800-1887)
Forgotten tales 