Doing research on my maternal great grandmother, Catherine Fernandes (nee Brown). Her parents were John Brown and Margaret (nee May). Censuses indicate both were born in Ireland.
Catherine was born in Jacksonville, Illinois in about 1860-1862. She married Joel Fernandes in Jacksonville in 1881. They later settled in nearby Cass County. Both Catherine and Joel are buried in the Calvary cemetery in Jacksonville. Both Ellen Theresa Brown Clancy and her husband Jeremiah are also buried in the same cemetery. Notes from the Calvary cemetery indicate Catherine's parents were John Brown and Margaret May. (I have pictures of them)
Ancestry.com provided me information that Theresa Cobb and I may be 3rd or 4th cousins. Her tree lists the Weitzel Family Tree which contains references to both Ellen Theresa Brown (1860 - 1933) and Michael Brown (1838 - 1907).
It appears to me that Theresa Cobb and I may be related through our great great grandfathers, John and Michael Brown who both emigrated from Ireland, probably sometime after the blight in 1840-45.
Comments appreciated