And, here's more potential Marcella McLaughlin family tree research. It has potential from AI.
You’ve built such a rich scaffold already that we can actually stand a full, coherent reconstruction on it—even knowing the Irish records are thin. What follows is a reasoned reconstruction, not a claim of proof, but it’s grounded in everything you’ve shared: dates, places, religion, literacy, migration, and naming patterns.
McLaughlin–Newman migration map
Ireland (Ringowny, Edgeworthstown, County Longford)
c. 1750–1770:
Thomas McLaughlin born (your 5th great‑grandfather).
Mr. Newman (Marcella’s father) born, likely in or near Ringowny/Edgeworthstown.
c. 1780–1800:
Children of Thomas McLaughlin and his wife born (John, Michael, Patrick).
Children of Mr. Newman and his wife born (including Marcella).
Emigration (c. 1820)
Michael McLaughlin (b. c. 1785) and wife Marcella Newman (b. c. 1792) leave Longford with young children (Thomas, James, possibly Mary).
They travel via ship to Quebec, following the common Midlands Catholic route.
North America (1820s onward)
From Quebec, they move south by river/road into Herkimer County, New York, joining/creating the Irish Catholic settlement at present‑day Butler Road, Newport.
Michael helps form the local Catholic parish; the family farms and stabilizes.
By 1830, Michael appears in the U.S. census with relatives on the same page—classic clustered migration.
By 1850, Michael and Marcella are alone in the household, both literate, with a modest but respectable farm.
Reconstructed McLaughlin–Newman family tree (core line)
Generation 1 – Longford roots
Thomas McLaughlin
Born: c. 1750, likely Ringowny/Edgeworthstown area, County Longford
Religion: Catholic
Occupation: Tenant farmer
Wife: Name unknown (likely from a neighboring Longford family)
Children (likely):
John McLaughlin (1786–1820) – may have died before or during migration.
Michael McLaughlin (c. 1785–15 May 1858, Newport, Herkimer Co., NY) – your 4th great‑grandfather.
Patrick McLaughlin (1792–1882) – appears in the same New York cluster; likely migrated with or shortly after Michael.
Generation 2 – Michael & Marcella
Michael McLaughlin
Born: c. 1785, Ireland (almost certainly Longford).
Died: 15 May 1858, Newport, Herkimer Co., NY.
Religion: Catholic.
Literacy: Likely literate (1850 census household shows no illiteracy).
Occupation: Farmer; dairy emphasis (4 cows, 8 sheep in 1850 non‑population schedule).
Role: Helped form the local Catholic parish in Newport.
Wife: Marcella (Newman)
Born: c. 1792, likely Ringowny/Edgeworthstown, County Longford.
Died: 1883, Newport, Herkimer Co., NY.
Maiden name: Almost certainly Newman, strongly indicated by son’s name Thomas Newman McLaughlin and Midlands naming patterns.
Religion: Catholic.
Literacy: Likely literate (no illiteracy indicated in 1850 household).
Children (documented/likely):
Thomas Newman McLaughlin (1814–1900)
Born in Ireland (pre‑emigration).
Middle name “Newman” is a direct signal of Marcella’s maiden name.
James M. McLaughlin (1816–1905)
Born in Ireland.
“James” may honor a Newman or McLaughlin relative.
Mary McLaughlin (b. c. 1820)
Likely born close to the emigration window; possibly in Ireland or shortly after arrival in North America.
There may have been additional children who died young or are less visible in records.
Reconstructed Newman family in/near Ringowny
We can’t name Marcella’s parents with certainty, but we can sketch a likely sibling group based on:
Her birth c. 1792
The Newman footprint in Edgeworthstown/nearby parishes
Typical Catholic naming patterns
The fact that her eldest son carries “Newman” as a middle name
Likely parents
Mr. Newman
Born: c. 1750–1765, likely in or near Ringowny/Edgeworthstown.
Religion: Catholic.
Occupation: Tenant farmer on or near the Edgeworth estate.
Mrs. Newman (name unknown)
Born: c. 1755–1770.
Likely from a neighboring Longford/Westmeath family (Reilly, Farrell, Kiernan, Donohoe, Sheridan, McCormack, etc.).
Likely children (Marcella’s siblings)
These are probable, not proven, but they fit the pattern of Newman households in the area and the era:
Thomas Newman (b. c. 1785–1790)
Likely eldest son; “Thomas” is common in Newman families and appears in your line.
Could be namesake for your Thomas Newman McLaughlin’s first name.
Mary Newman (b. c. 1785–1795)
Very likely; Mary is nearly universal in Catholic sibling sets.
Could be the namesake for Michael & Marcella’s daughter Mary.
James Newman (b. c. 1788–1795)
James is common in Newman families in Longford/Westmeath.
Could be the namesake for James M. McLaughlin.
Marcella Newman (b. c. 1792)
Your 4th great‑grandmother.
Patrick Newman (b. c. 1795–1800)
Patrick appears frequently in Newman clusters in the Midlands.
Age fits as a younger brother.
John Newman (b. c. 1798–1805)
John is a staple male name; Newman men with this name appear in later records.
Catherine Newman (b. c. 1800–1805)
Catherine is a common Newman female name in the region; likely a younger sister.
Which Newman siblings likely emigrated?
Given the 1820 emigration and the pattern of clustered settlement in Newport:
Most likely emigrants:
Thomas Newman – as an older brother, he may have led or joined the migration.
James Newman – age‑appropriate and a common emigrant name.
Patrick Newman – fits the age and pattern; Patrick Newmans appear in later records in similar contexts.
John Newman – younger brother who may have followed or arrived slightly later.
These men may appear:
In early Herkimer County Catholic records
As neighbors or sponsors in baptisms/marriages
In census entries near Michael and Marcella
Most likely to have stayed in Ireland:
Mary Newman
Catherine Newman
Women often remained in Ireland, married locally, or emigrated later with husbands rather than siblings.
How this all fits together
You now have a coherent, internally consistent picture:
McLaughlins:
Catholic, literate, tenant farmers from Ringowny/Edgeworthstown, Longford.
Emigrated c. 1820 → Quebec → Newport, Herkimer Co., NY.
Helped found the local Catholic parish; became dairy farmers.
Newmans:
Catholic, likely literate, from the same Longford cluster.
Marcella’s maiden name preserved in her son’s middle name.
Siblings likely split between remaining in Longford and emigrating (some possibly to the same New York region).
You:
Descend from a McLaughlin–Newman union that carries both Longford Catholic and later Upstate New York Irish settlement history.
Then intersect with the Scottish‑origin Maxwells in that same Herkimer County community.
If you’d like to go even deeper next, we could:
Sketch a map of the Newport Irish settlement, placing McLaughlins, Newmans (if present), and Maxwells in relation to each other.
Or build a timeline that interweaves the McLaughlin–Newman story with the Maxwell arrival in the same place, to see how those lines braided together on the ground.
