Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland
Does anyone have any information on Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland?
The information I have at the moment is that he was married to a Johnson, he had children named Johnson, John, Charles, Latetia, Robert and Mary. I don't have a birth date as I have seen many different dates of birth for Robert and am not sure which one is accurate.
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Re: Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland
I forgot to add that he was born some time in the 1700s. Most of the birth dates I have seen have him born in 1760 but, as I said, I don't know if it's correct.
Tammy
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Re: Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland
Dear Tammy. your message on ancestry makes me think we might be researching a similar ancestor. My gr.gr. grandfather was James Gillan from CloonageeherCo. Longford,Leinster,Ireland. His mother was Margaret Shaw,his father Johnston Gillan. Johnston's father was I believe a Robert Gillan and his wife an M. Johnston. The family name in Ireland and Canada is spelled Gillan or Gillen, but have seen it spelled also as Geelan. My gr.gr. Grandfather was James Geelan who emigrated to Canada in the 1840's his name in the census is spelled both as Gillan and Gillen, but funnily enough is spelled Geelan on his tombstone. He lived with an Uncle Francis who came to Canada in the 1830's until he bought land of his own. I feel we are distantly related.
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Re: Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland
This sounds familiar to me.
My great great grandmother was Isabella GEELAN born 1820 in Clonageeher (also Cloonageeher), Mohill (which straddles Co Longford and Co Leitrim) and died 17 May 1890 Creenagh, Mohill. She was the daughter of Robert GEELAN 1792 - 1838 and Mary DOBSON 1794 - 10 Apr 1868 and married Thomas COSGROVE 19 May 1844 Mohill.
Robert's father was also Robert GEELAN 1740 - ? was married to unknown JOHNSTON. Children were: Johnston 1771 - 1846 m Margaret SHAW John 1777 - 1872 m Mary NISBITT Charles 1780 - 1862 Latitia 1782 - 1852 m John HUNT and emigrated to Fitzroy, Carleton, Canada Francis 1784 - 1862 (is this the uncle Francis that had already emigrated to Canada?) Robert 1792 - 1838 Mary 1795 - 1840
I'm looking for more information on Mary DOBSON as well as the unknown JOHNSTON that married Robert GEELAN snr
Thanks Isabel COSGROVE
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Re: Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland
Dear Roseneath. Your on thre right track. I've come across the Isabella Cosgrove you've mentioned. Her father was Robert who was my Gr.Gr. Gr. Grandfather Johnston Geelan's brother, he had married a Shaw as you have stated. Francis a brother had emigrated to Canada in 1831. One of Johnston's children was James Geelan, my Gr.Gr. Grandfather who emigrated to Canada sometime in the early 1840's and lived with his uncle Francis for a few years, eventually married and moved to another town in On. about 30 miles West of Pakenham On. Canada, which was the town Francis resided in. Their are many Gillan descendants over here. We changed the name to Gillan over hear after their arrival., not sure why. You will also find close members of this same family who emigrated to Australia and the U.S.A. I am also trying to find out more about the Robert Geelan born around 1740 married to a Margaret or Mary Johnston. The Johnston,Shaw and Hunt families have intermingled with the family in Ireland as well as in Canada.,for many generations. Also the Latimer families seem to have been connected to us in Ireland as well as Canada.Very hard tracing back to Robert Sr. or before because of loss of records etc. I am in contact with people in Ireland,U.S.A. and Australia , and other parts of Canada trying to connect as many dots in the family tree as I can. Difficult task. I believe the Geelan's could have come from Scotland during Irelands Plantation Period. The name Geelan is also very rare old name in Ireland, with there being both Catholic and Protestant Geelan's living within a very close distance. But I do know our branch has been Protestant since at least early 1700's, so that fact and their intermarriage into other anglo/scot families in the North of Ireland for that long a period makes me believe that we must have resided in Scotland for centuries probably before our ancestors returned Ireland where the clan seems to possibly have originated.
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Re: Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland
Hello cousin DeGower
I see there is Annette interested in this thread, maybe we can link up somehow.
With regard to your information, I have done a bit of research.
I have managed to trawl through the whole of Hart's 'Ireland when Cromwell invaded' and have found no GEELAN or GILLAN listed. That suggests to me that, if they came at that time, it was not part of the Cromwell Plantation and they did not get a land grant in the first or second submission.
There is a website RootsIreland that does give quite a lot of info regarding early church records. I found: Johnston GEELAN marriage Co Longford 1842 which must have been a 2nd marriage after M JOHNSTON died. his son Johnston 1833-1888 married Martha HOLMES Co Longford 7 Feb 1860 But nothing for Robert snr or jnr
By the way, the SHAW family connects later to the COSGROVE family as do the DOBSON, just trying to work out how!!
Thanks
Isabel
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Re: Robert Geelan/Gillan from Longford Ireland
Dear Cousin Roseneath. I believe that its possible if not soldiers brought over during various periods of unrest in Ireland, which includes periods going back to the Elizabethan era, they probably would have come as farmers to tenant lands for two of the aristocratic families that had major land grants in the area. This to me seems very plausible. I know they were flax farmers going back as far as the late 1700's, possibly before that, possibly other crops.Thus we might not find a lot of info. on the Geelans, just some sporadic info. Annette I have had email contact with before over the last year or two. I believe she lives in Australia if I remember correctly, there is another lady out there, a distant cousin also who is on this site also. I lived out there for 8 years wish I would have looked up relatives then, didn't know much about that branch before, only in family chats. I take it from what you've written your branch came to Canada and then went back to Ireland. Do you live near the Cloonageeher area.
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