Ethel Mary Jackson Begg...

1878-1917

Ethel Mary was my Great Aunt the sister of my Grandfather Micheal Thomas Curr Begg and daughter of Alexander Begg and Janet Curr.

All I knew of her for many years was that my older sister shared her same name and that she had married an Irish man and and gone to live in Ireland.  Last year Irish records became available online and I was able to locate her family in the Census Records of Ireland.  Earlier this year I was contacted through ancestry.com by Sarah a granddaughter of her son Norman Alexander Greer who saw my Family Tree online.

Sarah explained that she knew very little about her Great Grand Parents and was excited to find my records online and share with me what records she had of the Greer Family.  She explained she had moved from Ireland to England but her Father and a sister still lived there and she would get help from them.

The help came a couple of day's ago when Sarah sent me a photograph of Ethel Mary's grave stone memorial   which is in the old churchyard of Drumcondra in Dublin Ireland.

It seems that the little Parish of Drumcondra has quite a history ...

A report of 1831 stated that the churchyard was in a deplorable condition - no sooner was a body buried but it was removed by body-snatchers. Over the following two years the church and churchyard were renovated and a cottage was provided for a watchman to watch over the graves at all times.

After reading the above linked article in Wikipedia I was relieved to learn that this practice no longer continues and that my Great Aunt has a safe resting place. I am looking forward to learning more of her husband Edward Marshall Greer and her six children.