Genealogy Emails

he Genealogy section of the homepage gives instructions on locating your Irish ancestors. This points out that as a minimum, you should know the approximate date of birth of your immigrant ancestor, the names of his/her parents and the county he/she came from (preferably the townland). Some, without this type of information hope to get lucky as can be seen from the following E-Mail:

I like your homepage. I am working on my genealogy, and know that a relative of mine, Pat Murphy, married Joan Kinsella. I believe they live in Dublin. Do you have my family line?

It’s a bit tough to help out in cases such as this but only a handful of responses to the Kinsella Homepage were similar to this.

Many people sent in brief genealogies consisting of ...son of, son of, etc., while others sent (by snailmail) detailed genealogies. Below is an abbreviated summary of those received to date. It is our hope that, by building up an ancestor database from this information, we will identify connections with ancestors. By the Spring of 1998 we hope to have a searchable database up and running on the Kinsella Homepage so Clan members can do their own research.

Seeing your Web page was a real treat. I have embarked on that never-ending journey into my family’s past just recently. I am a Kinsella, born in Louisville, KY in 1953. My father is Robert Leo Kinsella, son of Louis Leo Kinsella, son of James Kinsella who emigrated from Ireland around 1851-52.
Bobbye Kinsella-Winterberg
Kentucky

Hi Jim,
How are you? I sure haven't forgotten about you or your Dad. It seems that time has just flown by and the computer and genealogy have been put on the side to do tomorrow!! Your home page is GREAT with a lot of info. I promise this week I will send my family info to you. How is Dad?? Tell him I said Hello. Thanks again for the GREAT page.
Frank Kinsella
Missouri

[Jim and Jack (Jim’s dad), have been carrying on an extensive E-Mail correspondence with Frank for several years. ]

Your father has been sending me Kinsella Chronicles periodically. I just wanted to let you and your dad know that you have created a wonderful homepage. I have a lot of information on the Kinsellas that I will send to you and your father soon (hopefully).
Christine Cheesman
New York

[Christine’s Great Great Grandparents, Michael Kinsella and Mary Doyle, both of Brideswell, near Gorey, County Wexford, were the first of her line to emigrate to the USA. They settled in Charlotte, a suburb of Rochester, where they raised 10 children. One of their sons owned the Kinsella Hotel, a famous gathering place in Charlotte for many years.]

Thanks firstly to the Web for allowing me to spend a work day pointing and clicking. And thanks to you for putting together such an exciting page. Having been born in Virginia, and growing up with no other Kinsellas nearby (aside from family, of course), it's always a shock to see anyone or anything with the name. Relocating to Illinois made me realize that it's not so rare, and now I'm more anxious to discover some of the history of my family. Thanks again for the great page.
Mark Kinsella
Illinois

Dear Kinsella,
My brother gave me the Kinsella WEB page address. I'd like to introduce myself. I am the sister of Mark Kinsella who writes to you from Illinois. I, too was in Ferns in July of 1995 with a cousin of ours. And I did a little research for Mark. He has told me that you were there this summer and attended the Kinsella clan meeting. Mark was in Ferns two years ago with his son Robert. He has probably told you about that.

Mark has told me that you are a teacher. So am I. I am a Sinsinawa Dominican Sister and presently live in Oak Creek, WI which is a southern suburb of Milwaukee, WI. At the present time I am the principal of a Catholic elementary school in Caledonia, WI. Our Sisters have taught in three schools in New York - Our Lady of Refuge, Our Lady of Mercy, and Corpus Christi all of which are in New York City. I did teach in Washington, D.C. and Piscataway, MD but have never visited NYC.
Virginia Kinsella
Wisconsin

Hi,
Great homepage & what a great find for me. I have just completed a book documenting the first members of my family line in America. In 1660 I have a tantalizing marriage record for Hugh Kinselo. The clear family line goes back, with documentation, to Eastern Virginia, 1693. This line derives from my earliest definite ancestor named Cornelius Kinshello (also spelled Chenshello). I have records for the ten generations that follow. I have not ever seen an earlier Kinsella variant in early American records.

I have encountered no fewer than 11 spellings of the family name, but my name apparently evolved to our current spelling, Kincheloe, in Northern Virginia after 1724. It has developed further variants, but the records show that all of these variants derive from the Kinsello/Kinshello root.
John Kincheloe
North Carolina

My name is John Michael Kinsley. Please send me what you have on the name Kinsley. My father was born in Erie, PA in 1918 (John Maurice Kinsley), his father emigrated from Ireland and was from county Wexford. My grandfather worked for the railroad in PA and then bought a farm in Stollel, PA near Wyalusing. Rumor has it that he had a brother named Peter who left and had several sons. There is another family named Kinsley in Seattle who work for Boeing, Michael and his brother John. Help me find a historical link . I would be happy to send you a family tree.
John Kinsley

Greetings.
My name is Norman Stephan Kinsella (b. 1965), son of Norman Joseph Kinsella of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, son of Peter Joseph Kinsella of New Orleans (b. 1896), son of Peter Kinsla of New Orleans (b. 1871), son of Andrew Joseph Kinsla (b. 1834, Wexford, Ire.) and Mary Kinsella (b. 1840, Ireland). Andrew Joseph was born of George Kinsla in Ireland, and Mary Kinsella was born of Bridget Doyle and John Kinsella of Ireland. A cousin of mine compiled this and other information not too long ago. If you would like to see this tree let me know.

I am curious how you and other Kinsellas pronounce the name. I noticed in Ireland and England that it's pronounced differently: as "KINs'la". Here, we say "KinSELLa".
[Our experience is that it is pronounced "KIN s’la" in Ireland and "KinSELLa" in England and the USA.]

I am a patent lawyer practicing law--originally from Baton Rouge.
Stephan Kinsella
Pennsylvania

Do you have a data base of Kinsellas? My great grandmother Bridget Brearton of the Rower, Co. Kilkenny had a sister, I believe her name was Anastasia, who married John Kinsella. I am in Florida now and my genealogy info is back in NY state. I have a letter written by him from Ireland where he remained. It was written in the late 1800s.
Nancy O'Donnell
Australia

Hello,
I am a direct descendant of Anastasia Kinsella. I strongly suspect that she was from Gory. She married John Patrick (Fitzpatrick) about 1830. He was in the British Coastguard, so after their marriage they moved around and finally ended up at his last duty station in Co. Kerry. John was born in Co.Wexford. They were Roman Catholic. I have extensive data on their descendants. Would dearly love to connect with the Kinsella's.
Bob Commins

Hi--
I have visited your home page and noted that you have records for the Kinsellas of Wicklow. That is where mine came from, not sure exactly where in Wicklow, but they did inscribe Co. Wicklow on their headstone. So if you could send me the records you have gathered I would appreciate it and might be able to find my Kinsellas. Thanks.

I have also recently found out that they were part of the large colonization attempt led by Fr. Thomas Hore of Wexford/Wicklow to the US in 1850/51. But the book written by Jim Rees , A Farewell to Famine, does not talk about them in particular. It does list all 1200 of the travelers, and there is more than one Kinsella family. Best regards,
Patrick L. Coleman

Hello,
Your father and I have been corresponding recently concerning Kinsella genealogy. My Great Grandmother’s (Mary Ann Kinsella Lynch) father was Terrence Kinsella. Your dad said my Terrence and your Martin were brothers or first cousins.
Regards,
Patricia Welty
Florida

[ Records in Auburn, NY show that Martin (Jim’s GG Grandfather) and Terrence (Patricia’s GG Grandfather) were definitely closely related. Terrence was a witness when Martin was naturalized and Martin was godfather to Terrence’s daughter Mary Ann. Both are mentioned in the will of a Patrick Kinsella. However due to a gap in the baptismal records in Athy, County Kildare where Martin was known to have been born, it has not been possible to prove the exact relationship.]

I have some information which I’m not sure will be of any use. My name is Maria Kinsella. I come from a family of 10 children and we live in Melb. My fathers name is William and his fathers name was Dennis. They originate from Arklow in Ireland. We emigrated from England 31 years ago. Have a good day,
Maria Kinsella
Australia

Hello!
I am researching my Kinsella family. My great, great, grandmother Bridget De Rochie (Kinsella) was born in the tiny hamlet of Tyotown, Glengarry County, Ontario Feb.18,1828. Her father was Walter Kinsella and he is buried at Flanagan's Point Cemetery (now called Precious Blood Cemetery) in Glen Walter, Glengarry County, Ontario. His headstone reads;

A native of County Carlow Ireland
Died 1872 Aged 86 Years
May his soul rest in peace.

Mark De Rochie
Ontario, Canada

Hi,
My name is Jolene Kinsella and I am from Montana. I am trying to do genealogy on my ancestors. I do know that my grandfather's name is Francis Joseph Kinsella and his father's name was Lawrence I. Kinsella (I think). Anyway, my grandfather's relative was a professional baseball player in northeastern U.S. and the movie Field of Dreams was about him, and W.P. Kinsella also wrote a similar book Shoeless Joe. Could you help me out?
Jolene Kinsella
Montana

Hi.
My father was Frederick Joseph Alfred Kinsilla a.k.a. Joseph Alfred Kinsella. He was born on March 26, 1920 at Cameron Mills, Kent County, New Brunswick. He was the son of Edward and Lena [Gautier] Kinsella. My name is Constance Jean Kennie [Kinsilla]. I have sisters and brothers and nephews as well. But I wasn't sure if you wanted this information. I was wondering how I could find out more about my family.
Connie Kennie Kinsilla
Ontario, Canada

My name is Diane Kinsella Yeagle. My father and grandfather were both named John Kinsella and lived in Merna, Illinois. My great grandfather was Patrick.. I believe my brother, Jack, has already contacted you that 10 would be interested in attending the next reunion in Ireland. My husband Jim, my daughter, Julie, and I are among the 10 who would like to attend.

Dear Mr. Kinsella:
I am descended from a branch of Kinsella's whose origins are located in the Village of Rathrush, County Carlow. My Great- Grandmother was Katherine Kinsella from that particular village. Do you receive many inquiries from Kinsella's whose origins are in Carlow?
Edward Callahan
Massachusetts

Hello Jim,
My name is Jim also. I was baptized James Edwin Kinsella in Berkeley, California. However, my father was born in Minnesota and named James Dean Kinsella. His father was James C. Kinsella born in Red Wing, Minnesota. Before that I know only apocryphal fragments.

My great grandfather came from Ireland (I thought I once heard County Kildare). He emigrated to Canada where I thought part of his family went to the East Coast while he went further inland. He was a big man, a logging champion at about 6'-6" and with his wife (5'-0") had six boys and six girls...most of whom survived and lived in and around Sauk Centre, Minnesota.
James Kinsella
California

Hi,
I have just joined the internet and am a keen amateur genealogist. I had a daughter die from Hallevorden Spatz Syndrome. It is a recessive genetic condition and fatal. I have yet to get further information as to which two out of the four grandparents are responsible. It may well be the Lally’s not the Kinsellas, however it still goes back to Ireland. I have been researching for at least ten years on the Kinsellas. We are living in Adelaide in South Australia. We would like to join the Clan. May I suggest that it would be a good idea to have some register so that the younger back-packing members of the clan have places to stay when traveling the world.
Susan Kinsella
South Australia

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