People in Ireland that's of "Collins" ancestry I need your help. This is a longshot.?

Question

My great grandfather (five "greats" back) was named Patrick Collins.  He was born is Ireland around the year 1755 from everything that I've found.  I've never found a county or town that he might have came from.  That's one of the things I've been searching for, and have come up empty.  Around 1780 he came to America, to Fredrick, Maryland, maybe as an indentured servant.  He married Elizabeth Pepper a few years later.  He finally settled in Washington County, Virginia where he bought a farm.  That's where he died supposedly.  I can't find anymore information on him past the U.S. 1790 Census.  Would anyone in Ireland have him tucked away in their family tree somewhere.  I know this is a longshot, and any SERIOUS answer would be greatly appreciated.  Maybe somewhere in Ireland I could try to find this person in public records?

GenevievesMom · Accepted Answer

Your answer is in Catholic or Episcopal parish records. You'll have to track down which church he belonged to (and his indenture probably lasted no more than 5 years, so he became a freeman and was free to worship).  Whichever church married him and buried him should have made note of which parish in Ireland baptized him and the names of his parents.

KCBA · Answer

Two things I would do to try and find out.  First, I'd go to 

http://www.usgenweb.net/md

Click on the county Frederick MD is in.  You'll be at a genealogical website for the county.  There is a possibility there will be links to others searching Patrick Collins's line there--and a great liklihood there will be a link to a county history which may indicate where in Ireland immigrants came from at that time.

Next, I'd go to 

http://www.rootsweb.com

There are a lot of links there that you may find useful.  Start with World Connect--see if anyone else is researching your Patrick.  I've helped you out a bit by doing an advanced search, and have found a Patrick Collins listed in four different family trees:

http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi

Back at rootsweb, I'd click on Message Boards, and find the Collins message board, where you can leave your query.  You can also find the message board for the county where Frederick MD is located and place the query there.

Finally, when you have a notion about where in Ireland he is from, go to World Gen Connect, again from rootsweb, and check out the Irish websites listed there.

Good luck!

People in Ireland that's of "Collins" ancestry I need your help. This is a longshot.?

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