Looking for Irish records for Nancy Buchanan Caldwell

Question

This profile needs assistance to connect Nancy to her Irish/Scottish roots. My family file links her to a John Buchanan and his wife Catherine Black. Family Tree links her to a William Alexander Buchanan and his wife Katherine Blair. The only things we all agree upon is she is from County Donegal and a protestant.

I have some unsourced myths that she is the Aunt or Great Aunt of President Buchanan, but again that information is unsourced.  Her only child according to what I can find is Hugh Caldwell.  Another unsourced myth is that she did not make it to America, assuming she died just before leaving, or on the voyage.  However, FAG says she is buried in Lancaster, PA.  

Is there an Irish protestant roots finding group here?  I need source materials linking Nancy to her birth family.

Answer 1

Registration of births, deaths, marriages did not start until the mid 1840's for Ireland, however search for her death registry and see if it says where she comes from or gives her parents names.  Sometimes history of the area she lived in will say more about where she came from.  

The other thing you can try is searching the date of her birth, name and Donegal and see what comes up for the name Buchanan.  Sometimes history of the location will talk about the families, although to be honest women were not high on their priority for documenting.  

Did she come over with a brother or an uncle or other family members that if you followed might give you information on her?

Good luck.

Comments

That's the problem. She may not have "arrived" at all.  I have seen a forum on FamilyTree that states she died before her husband and only known child left Ireland.  I have no confirmation of her father's and mother's names, muchless siblings.

I need Irish records for County Donegal protestants.  Samuel lived in Derry?  or Tyronne?  I have no hard records for any of this.  I do not consider SAR applications without sources records.  I am convinced that surely someone has gathered into books this information.  Where are these books and/or indices?

---

There are no records for that date in Donegal. The only thing you might find is mention of a family by that name with perhaps a daughter by that name in the history of the area but that would be all there is.

As explained in my earlier comment no records were required to be kept until the mid 1840's there are no records for the time period you are looking for.  No census, no births, no marriages, no death records.