McDonnells of Antrim

StandSure

Hello.

My late grandfather believed he was descended from the McDonnells of Antrim and had apparently done some genealogical research, which is now sadly all lost.

The furthest I can get back is John James McDonnell, born October 1853 in Liverpool, married Myra Fox 26th December 1874 in Warwickshire. All I know of his father is that he was called James McDonnell and was a surgeon, but other than that, I’ve hit a brick wall and no records on Ancestry line up.

There are many James McDonnells and the famous surgeon does not appear to be a connection, since the family remained in Ireland as far as I can tell.

My McDonnells settled in Birmingham.

Are there any potential relatives here, or otherwise any pointers?

Elwyn

You really need to try and find your ancestor’s mother’s name to be sure of finding the right McDonnell family. You should get that from his birth certificate.

I searched the indexes and cannot see a John McD born in October 1853 in Liverpool but there was one in the April - June quarter (Volume 8F page 134). If you are sure he was born that year in Liverpool it seems to be the closest match. There were others in adjacent years including one in 1854, but hopefully the father’s name and occupation will help establish whether it’s the right one. With that information you could search for the parents marriage, siblings etc.