my immigrant greats
Ann Gardner and Henry Coyne
Dunwich Irish~Manx


"17" July journeys through time : )

Today, July 1, is Canada Day. Another day of ancestral voices calling me with many discoveries of a kindred spirit named Jon Davidson. His greats have been telling me their stories all day. Many similarities and recently even discovered common greats flow between Jon and myself, John Ireland. This story is only just beginning.
I share this mid 1800's frontier hotel photo of my Canadian greats, Ann and Henry Coyne. They first immigrated to New York's Hudson Valley in 1810 after sailing from their home in Belfast, Ireland. When they set sail Northern Ireland did not exist as it is today. It is still tragic to me how other ancestors of mine actually promoted the strife in what is now Northern Ireland. I say, Ireland would be much better off as one nation...
Anyway, Ann and Henry, sailed on the ship named the Blue Danube in October 1810 with their 3 wee children, Mary, James, and John. By 1825 they would have added 6 more children, 4 born in the USA and 2 born in Canada. Events of the War of 1812 eventually led Ann and Henry to move to the wilderness of Lower Ontario. I remember them this Canada Day of 2006 with love... I hope you always cherish your ancestors flowing within...