Have been looking for records for my GGGrandfather Francis McStraffic alias Francis Hines born in Ireland in about 1835, came to Nebraska by 1870. (I'm giving the spelling that my Grandfather gave us when recounting what little he knew about his family history. My GGF apparently didn't share much.) We have records since his arrival in the US but can find no trace of a Francis McStraffic before then. His family worked in the coal mines. According to my GGGrandfather, his parents were Neal McStraffic and Catherine Hinds McStraffic but changed the name to the mother's family name Hinds at some point.

I did find something exciting recently. I found a census record in the UK in Durham County 1861 showing a Neal McStraffic from Ireland 18 years old as a lodger and working as a miner and then Court record in Durham UK in 1863 that read "Neil McStraffic alias Hinds", he went to prison for 12 months for counterfeiting coin (what are ya gonna do?) and then we have a death certificate for 1864 showing that Neil McStraffic died at the age of 23 in the mines in Easington of Black Lung and preset at the death was James Hinds.

This particular Neal McStraffic (born in 1843) would be too young to be my GGGGrandfather so was most likely the younger brother of my GGGrandfather Francis McStraffic and named after their father Neal McStraffic. I am thinking the James Hinds present at the death must have been another brother. My GGGrandfather named his sons in the US John, Francis Allen Hines(my GGrandfather), James and the daughters Miriam, Catherine, Rose, Margaret, and Mary.

I did find a Francis Hinds from Ireland in Durham UK in the 1861 census married to a Susan Hinds and, until 1867 when he "died", they had 2 sons named Henry and Cornelius and 2 daughters named Catherine and Mary. It has entered my mind that this could be the same as my Francis Hinds and maybe his wife declared him dead or he just vanished after coming to the US, although it looks to me like he came here with some family friends or relatives last name Walker. :-/

SO, do these names ring familiar to any who know Irish McStravick family history? I suspect they are from Northern Ireland and my Grandfather, GGrandfather, and GGGrandfather Francis McStraffic/Hinds match the physical description of what I hear referred to as the "Black Irish" (dark hair, small build, medium skin tone, etc.). ANY connection would be helpful. We're going to the UK and Ireland this summer was hoping to see something of where they lived and were from, etc.

Thanks and sorry so long! This has been a beatdown!