Summary information for the Honnan's
First recorded facts
The earliest identified Honnan’s in this family tree are Christopher and Mary Honnan (maiden name unknown) and their estimated births from the 1851 Scottish Census Extract are 1815 and 1811 respectfully. The Census Extract also lists their children Mary (b.1836), Andrew (b.1837) and John (b.1841) and they are all recorded as Irish born. The Honnan's occupy a dwelling at 44 High Street Close, in Dumfries, Scotland and Christopher’s occupation is listed as an agricultural labourer. Although the 1851 Census Extract records their names as Honan, later census data and birth/marriage/death records for their decedents in Glasgow use the surname Honnan.
Possible earlier information
Where Christopher was born, when and where he was married and, when and for what reason he left Ireland has not currently been determined. The Internet Surname Data Base states that the names Hannan, Hannon, Honnan and possibly other derivatives are Gaelic surnames, which can be Scottish or Irish. It is said that the name originates from the early clan name O' Hannain, meaning the male descendant of Annan, and originally the surname was associated with Counties Limerick, Galway and Roscommon.
Christopher’s birth year and the time frame of the Irish Famine (1845-1852) may give some insight into why and when he went to Scotland. Education Scotland Web Site reports that between 1841 and 1851 the Irish population of Scotland increased by 90% and, that the nearest counties to Ireland, Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire and Dumfriesshire, had substantial increases in Irish populations between 1841 and 1851, pushing the numbers up to 16.5% in certain localities. Wikipedia notes that the effects of the famine led to approximately 1 million deaths and a million more emigrated.
Life in Scotland
Generally, genealogical evidence shows that Christopher and Mary’s children married and raised their families within the Dumfriesshire region but, there is some evidence to suggest that they may have moved further north towards Ayrshire seeking work. Christopher’s youngest son John married Elizabeth Branigan in 1862 and their 7 children, born in Dumfriesshire, are recorded in the 1881 Scottish Census. Two of their sons, Andrew (b.1869) and William (b.1867) are known to have gone to Glasgow where they are recorded in the 1901 Scottish Census.
Emigration to Australia
Andrew’s son Robert (Christopher’s g-grandson) married Annie Martin in 1913 and they had 6 children (possibly 7) and lived in the Kelvin District (inner north-western) of Glasgow. Their eldest daughter name was Mary Catherine Honnan and in 1940 she married Joseph Stewart. Mary and Joseph's first four children were born in Glasgow and the family lived in the Maryhill District. In 1950 the family went to Australia and they settled in Canberra where their fifth child was born. Mary (Christopher’s g-g-granddaughter) and Joseph’s children and their children continue to live in Australia.
Other Honnan's
There are of course many other Honnan’s and their partners recorded in this family tree; access to their details is via the Name Index and Pedigree pages of this site. Christopher (b.1815) and his family are not the only Honnan’s who appear in Scottish records in the 1850’s and there may be some connection between them, especially those located within Dumfriesshire. There is also some evidence that a least one of Andrew’s (b.1869) children went to America and has decedents there. In more recent times, descendants of Christopher are known to have emigrated to Western Australia and New Zealand. Hopefully, as new source material becomes available, additional Honnan records can be added to this Family Tree.
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