Published: Wednesday, 19th August, 2009 12:00pm

Where were they from?

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Editor,

I would like to know where my family originated. My great-great grandfather John McGuire (or Maguire) was born about 1806 in Cavan or Enniskillen to a family of stone-cutters from Enniskillen, who moved to Cavan. He married Margaret Fleming and they had at least six children (Patrick, John, James, Michael, Jane and Thomas), born 1838-1851. John died in Cavan about 1867. Thomas went to Australia but the others emigrated to the US about 1868. John, James and Michael had granite businesses in Concord, New Hampshire by 1880. I can find no direct evidence indicating which town the family came from. I would love to hear from anyone with knowledge of: the quarrying industry and/or the stone cutting trade as practised there in the 1850s; the circumstances that might have caused this family to move from Fermanagh to Cavan (they were Roman Catholic); or any descendents of this family who might still live in the area.

Yours,

Ann M. Durgin, PO Box 817, Blue Hill, Maine 04614, USA; adurgin@myfairpoint.net