Gartland Fox Families - Part 1

Back in May of this year, I found an email address on a site connected to a history site for Newport, New York.  It had the surname of Fox indicated.  I looked over my family tree and found a Hannah Fox married to James Gartland (Gartlan).  Hannah and James Gartland's daughter was Mary Ellen Gartland McLaughlin.  She married James McLaughlin at the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York in 1838.  Mary Ellen had two known siblings - Frank and Hugh Gartland.  They were all living in the Newport, New York area after immigrating in 1824 from Ireland.

What I find interesting about this family is that I quickly found the Gartland's and Fox's in Newport, New York, identified the two marriages of the Gartland's into the McLaughlin line, and found more of the Fox family living in the area too around the same time.  My research came to a screeching halt for these lines because I was very focused on the spelling of the Gartland name.  Census information has it spelled as Gartlan as do some notes that I have.  When I jump to Ireland to complete research, I find the name spelled as Gartlan.  Other researchers of this family line stateside have indicated that it is Gartland.  Even a McLaughlin indicated that it is spelled with a 'd' on the end in official records.  Maybe the 'd' was added after they immigrated to the U.S.

Anyway, I think that I am back on track with this line.  Now that I'm spelling it with a 'd' on the end on Ancestry.com, I have loads of hints to go through.  I'm not quite ready to jump in and run with all of those hints though.  I need to review what I've learned up until now.

From the Fox family line, I found a descendant online who indicated Hannah's brother was Thomas Fox.  There may have been another sister but she was not sure of her name.  The information that has been passed down by word of mouth in the Fox family is that Hannah Fox and James Gartland came from County Monaghan.  When Hannah's brother, Thomas, died in 1858 in Newport, NY, Hugh Gartland (James' and Hannah's son) helped Thomas' widow, Nancy, with probate and signed his name on the documents.  Thomas Fox was Catholic.  He donated money to help build Old St. John's Church in nearby Utica, NY.  Thomas may have worked on the Erie Canal.  He bought 50 acres of land in Newport, NY in 1836.  Thomas' wife was Nancy Davis.  Thomas Fox is buried in the Irish Settlement Cemetery.  There is also a Michael Fox buried there who could be a brother of Thomas and Hannah.  The information for the Fox family is "kind of" sourced.  At least there are marked graves that can be located in Herkimer County.

The next bit of information that I've gathered about Hannah Fox and James Gartland is rather sketchy and unsourced.  I can't actually recall where I got some of this information.  I do know that a McLaughlin researcher identified James Gartland and Hannah Fox as Mary Ellen Gartland's (the wife of James McLaughlin) parents.  I should state that I have definitely found James Gartland in Newport, New York.  I have him on 4 U.S. Census from 1830-1870.  I really need to source my Fox information though.  I have nothing for Hannah right now.

The sketchy information that I do have is as follows:

James Gartland  b:  1777  Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, Ireland
                         arrival:  1824
                         d:  After 1870 because he shows up in the 1870 census at age 93

Hannah Fox  b:   1785  Clontibret, Co. Monaghan, Ireland
                    arrival:  1824
                    d:    9 Feb 1850 Newport, New York

So where to go next.............