Re: Feeney(Ireland)/O'Brien(Scotland)
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In reply to:
Re: Feeney(Ireland)/O'Brien(Scotland)
Lindsey Black 1/02/12
Sorry about weighing in on this but hey it's 2012 and a good way to get the New Year started.I think, Lindsey, that Carolyn has got it right in her summation.James Murray and Edward O'Brien are the same person; however, a mix-up may have been made in his marriage registration, with his mother's maiden name entered for his own.Why it came out as JAMES Murray we haven't yet discovered.
As a retired clergyman, I think that the clergy may have to take some resonsibility here, as we make out the marriage registration forms for a religious marriage ceremony.I see on FamilySearch.org that the marriage took place on 31 Oct 1873 in Haddington, East Lothian.It was an extracted record so it's an official marriage according to the rites of the Church of Scotland, with the forms (records) filled in by the presiding clergyman.
This begs the question of the actual religion of Edward O'Brien (aka James Murray) and Bridget Feeney.My guess is that they would have been Roman Catholic rather than Presbyterian but I could be wrong and stand to be corrected.However, it might be important information for you in helping you trace back their origins.It seems quite likely that Edward O'Brien, like Bridget, was born in Ireland; hence the difficulty you have in finding his birth record, as so many Irish records were destroyed by fire and are scarce to find.
By the way, what is the PLACE and DATE of Edward O'Brien's death for any of us wanting to check it out?It IS an intriguing mystery and gets the curiosity juices going.
There also seems to be no further mention made of a James Murray after the marriage.All the secondary family sources, such as censuses, seem only to mention Edward O'Brien's name.Unless he does turn out to be a master con artist hiding from the Law, rather than a regular chap, it may all come down to a simple mental lapse by a "man of the cloth".It's been known to happen!
Happy New Year,
Hugh