This is the final installment of my introductory series on getting started researching your Cosgrove family line. Part 3, Section A provided a brief overview of my brick wall and several research approaches (Tips #1-#3) that I used to chip away at the brick wall. Section B picks up at Tip #4 and ends with Tip #8.
Step #4: Instead of searching for John Cosgrove and Theresa Dunn as individuals, search for records that listed them as the parents.
I decided to broaden my search for records across the U.S. for individuals with parents’ named John Cosgrove and Theresa Dunn. I found a gentleman who died in South Carolina in the early 1930s whose parents were John Cosgrove and Theresa Dunn. At first, I dismissed this as a coincidence. However, this gentleman kept appearing in additional searches that I conducted over a several month period. While I was still suspect of his connection to the family, I made a note to re-consider his possible connection to the family if I were eventually to find sufficient evidence that suggested he was indeed a member of my Cosgrove line (technically, the family unit now numbered 8 people).
Step #5. Use Facebook genealogy groups and don’t be afraid to “Jump over the pond.”
I was able to obtain a copy of the elusive 1871 Limerick City marriage index record after 16 months. Unfortunately, it contained the same list of 10 names listed in random order as the transcribed record I had found online. I was in utter shock and dismay. Upon returning home, I decided to post a message on an Irish genealogy group page on Facebook. I had joined a series of Irish genealogy groups over the past year, but never participated in any of the discussions. Once again, I summarized my research findings and my brick wall. A kind person looked up the 1871 marriage record on Rootsireland.ie and found the transcribed record!!!! I paid for a month-long subscription to Rootsireland.ie and found the record myself. The record did show that John Cosgrove and Teresa Dunn married in June 1871 in Limerick City. It also listed their fathers’ names and occupations. I used the information to locate Theresa’s 1853 birth record. Her parents’ names listed on the record were the same names listed as the parents on her 1890 Watertown Death Register.
Subsequent research located records chronicling the birth,s and in a few cases deaths, of nine children that John and Theresa had together while living in Limerick City from 1872-1882. Four of the names found in the Limerick birth records coincided with the names of four of the six people living in the US who I had theorized were John and Theresa’s children……one of whom shared the same day of birth and full name as the gentleman from South Carolina (the two remaining people out of the six possible children had been born in the Boston area in the mid-1880s. I added all of the additional children’s names to my family tree for a total of 11 children (five of their children born in Limerick had passed away as infants).
Step #6. Consider name changes.
When I discovered the nine children born in Limerick, there was one name not found among the nine: John Patrick. The first child born was Mary Bridget Cosgrove whose birth month and year was Feb 1872. The second was a Michael Cosgrove born in Sep 1873. My John Patrick was born between 1872-1874 if the ages found on his various Massachusetts records was indeed correct. Since I could not find a John Patrick among the children, I assumed at first that I had found the wrong family and was back to square one all over again. However, a month went by and I discovered an Oct 1873 Limerick City baptism record for a Patrick Michael Cosgrove whose parents were John Cosgrove and Theresa Dunn. Then I discovered a couple of critical clues. The first clue was that John and Theresa had two sons born and die a year apart in the early 1880s who they had named “John.” The second clue was the birth date of Patrick Michael Cosgrove was 29 Sep 1873. One of the birth dates listed for my John Patrick Cosgrove was 30 Sep. I decided to do a search for a Patrick Cosgrove born around 1873 in Ireland. It led me to a passenger list that listed a Cosgrove family of five traveling from the UK to New York City in 1883. The parents listed on the passenger list were John Cosgrove and Theresa Dunn with three children…….Patrick, Joseph, and Theresa….three of the names of the six children I discovered living the US with parents named John Cosgrove and Theresa Dunn. The ages for the children were very accurate compared to the Limerick City birth records. I made the assumption that my John Patrick was born Patrick Michael and took the forename John to carry on his father’s first name sometime in his teens or early adulthood.
Step #7. Use research trees to build out the family branches to present day and confirm the relationships through DNA.
While I discovered much more detailed information, much of it was still circumstantial in nature in my opinion. I decided to review the information on hand and to use it to piece together a more comprehensive family tree. After my evaluation, I had John and Theresa as parents of 11 children, six of whom has passed away as infants (five in Limerick, Ireland and one in Watertown, Mass). Of the remaining five adult children, only three had descendants of their own (one of which was my own line of descent from John Patrick and the other two were his Mary and brother Joseph (yes, the South Carolina gentleman who I initially dismissed as a member of the family!!! ). I decided to make a “research tree” on Ancestry.com in an attempt to build out the three lines to present day. One thing I like about Ancestry.com is the fact it allows you to build and maintain multiple family trees under a single subscription. I have my primary family tree which contains validated family members. In addition, I maintain several research trees that allow me to test different theories on possible relationships without tainting my primary tree with potential (and likely) errors.
Using my Cosgrove research tree, I built out the three family lines for Mary, John Patrick, and Joseph to present day as best I could using public trees I found on Ancestry.com along with additional records and obituaries found on various other websites. Since several known family members of mine from John Patrick’s family branch had taken commercial DNA tests, to include my paternal uncle and myself, I had hoped that living descendants of the other two lines (Mary and Joseph respectively) would eventually take the commercial DNA tests themselves and appear on our match list. The wait took 18 months before two first cousins from Mary Cosgrove’s line tested and appeared on our DNA match lists. It was worth the wait considering that some people have to wait decades before finding a vital clue that helps break down a brick wall!
Step #8. Don’t be afraid to send a letter through the U.S. postal service to a possible cousin.
The appearance of two cousins from Mary’s line on our DNA match lists motivated me to locate a living descendant of Joseph Cosgrove. It took a month of searching on the internet before I found someone who I believed was a great-grandchild of his. I mailed the person a letter explaining my research findings and the possibility of our family connection. I received a phone call four days after I had mailed the letter!!! The person was very kind and shared family records with me that proved this Joseph Cosgrove was born in Limerick on the same date as the evidence I had collected myself. The person agreed to take an AncestryDNA test. After six weeks, the person appeared not only on my uncle’s and my DNA match list, but also on other Cosgrove cousins’ match lists as well.
An additional note regarding DNA testing.
I should add that my uncle and I also took a Y-DNA test at Family Tree DNA in addition to the autosomal DNA tests we conducted at Ancestry.com. Our Y-DNA test results showed we matched another Cosgrove male whose research suggested his own line originated from Limerick as well. In addition, we had more distant matches with men with other surnames who were able to trace their lines back to Limerick and neighboring Tipperary. While the Y-DNA results didn’t confirm a specific relationship, the results strongly suggested my surname line was connected to the Limerick-Tipperary area, which the geographical evidence eventually proved to be true.
Final thoughts.
In conclusion, its important to take a comprehensive and holistic approach to your genealogy research. While sites such as Ancestry and FamilySearch are world-class, there are other lesser known and used websites that contain invaluable information as well. While most of my research was conducted via the internet, I quickly realized the value in interviewing living family members, reading obituaries, examining family photos, visiting libraries, and mailing off requests for vital records from city/town clerks’ offices. Sending emails and letters off to possible cousins proved critical in piecing together DNA clues. Using genealogy message boards and social media sites, considering name changes, and using research trees to build out family trees to present days for targeted DNA testing were all critical steps I took in breaking down my brick wall. Persevering and not allowing frustration to take root paid big dividends too. I hope you can benefit from this mini-blog series and apply my lessons learned and tips to improve your own research skills, and more importantly, attain your genealogical goals!
Cosgrove Genealogy 