FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
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In reply to:
Re: FORKER or FORKNER in Wales<PA<VA<OH<IL
8/13/99
Patrick,
My wife's Gt Gt Gt Grandfather was John Forker (b abt 1790) of Annagary, Donegal, in the Rosses, on the shore of Inishfree Bay just south of Bloody Foreland. John had two sons, Neal (b. 1827) and Charles (b. 1825) who migrated to the US in 1847.They spent several years in the "Donegal Settlement" in western PA, (where several earlier generations of Forkers, Dougans and O'Donnell's from the Annagary region had preceded them) then went to the California gold fields for three years.Charles returned to the settlement in 1855 (having made his "fortune"), married Elizabeth Dougan, and purchased a farm along the Allegheny River.Neal returned to his family home in Annagary and died the next year on 12 January 1856. His tombstone can be found in St Mary's RC churchyard, Kincasslough Donegal, on the shore of Inishfree Bay.
Many related Forkers still live in the Annagary region, and in fact the only folks in the telephone book bearing that name in Donegal today live in the same general region.US-born Forkers / Forquers have spread far and wide from the original "Donegal settlement" in western PA.
The name Forker was apparently a phoneticization of Farquar.John Forker (above) was listed as John Farquar in the earliest extant (1826) valuation survey records (the Irish equivalents to land titles).Since few in that area could read or write English, name integrity didn't exist, and spelling variations of surnames were common as the records show.Charles "changed" his name to Forquer after emigrating to the US.
Joe Erkes
More Replies:
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
Patrick Forker 3/31/00
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3/31/00
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Judy Louden 6/10/00
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
6/29/00
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
Judy Louden 6/30/00
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
6/16/00
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
Patrick Forker 6/21/00
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
christine macbean 8/20/00
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
7/13/01
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
Patrick Forker 10/02/01
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
Patrick Forker 4/03/00
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......
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Re: FORKER / FORQUER IRE/PA.......