This is why you must verify online information

I've been researching the family tree descended from one Lawrence Collins of Adrigole (b. 1783, d. 1867), and have been chasing Larry Collinses all over Ireland and even a few who emigrated to the US.  In the process, I discovered a Lawrence Collins b. 1878 to a Jeremiah Collins and a Mary Donovan.  So I decided to investigate.

I started in the church records, and from there turned up the following:

John,Burgatia,13-Nov-1859,Rosscarbery
Cornelius, ,8-May-1861,Rosscarbery
Patrick,Ross,4-Feb-1863,Rosscarbery
Michael,Barrack Lane,28-Sep-1864,Rosscarbery
Margt,Ross,9-May-1866,Rosscarbery
Jerry,Burgatia,10-May-1868,Rosscarbery
Jas,Burgatia,22-Apr-1870,Rosscarbery
Maurice,,9-Jun-1874,Cork South Parish

I quickly poked around in the online censuses, and in the BMD index at Family search, and found the following:

1901, in Ballynidon, Kinsale Rural DED
Jeremiah Collins, age 68, HoH
Mary Collins, 62, wife
Patrick, brother, 66
Denis, son, 34
Julia, daughter, 30
Jeremiah, son, 26
Lizzie, daughter, 21
Mary Mehigan, granddaughter, 8

In 1911 Jeremiah HoH was deceased and the family was headed by son Denis.

Patrick in Rosscarbery (from the baptismals, above) *may* have ended up in house 28, Burgatia, Rosscarbery DED.


Name      Michael Collins
Gender     Male   
Birth Date     27 Sep 1864
Birthplace     0082,ROSS CARBERY,CORK,IRELAND
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins   
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan

So far I have found three references on volume 20 for Clonakilty.  This looks like it might be on volume 15.

Name      Margaret Collins
Gender     Female   
Birth Date     08 May 1866
Birthplace     0079,ROSS CARBERY,CORK,IRELAND   
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins   
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan

I found one reference on volume 10 for Clonakilty.

Name      Jeremiah Collins
Gender     Male    
Birth Date     09 May 1868
Birthplace     Cork, Ireland   
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins   
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan
Reference Number     v 10 p 113   

That one is pretty straightforward.

Name: James
Gender: Male
Baptism/Christening Place: 118, ROSSCARBERY, CORK, IRE
Birth Date: 20 Apr 1870
Birthplace: Rosscarbery, Cork, Ire
Father's Name: Jeremiah Collins
Mother's Name: Mary Donovan

Very obscure reference number, and multiple entries in the BMD index in the CLONAKILTY district.

Name      Ellen Collins
Gender     Female   
Birth Date     25 May 1871
Birthplace     Cork, Ireland   
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan   
Reference Number     v 10 p 487

Straightforward, hopefully.  She was registered in the KINSALE district.

Name      Mary Collins
Gender     Female   
Birth Date     03 Jun 1872
Birthplace     , , IRELAND
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins   
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan

She was registered in the CORK district.  Not sure if volume 10-1 or 10-2, but on page 208.

Maurice Collins - CORK
Gender     Male   
Birth Date     06 Jun 1874
Birthplace     Cork, Cork, Ireland   
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins   
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan
Reference Number     v 10-1 p 208   

Straightforward, hopefully.  He was registered in the CORK district.

Honora Collins
Gender     Female   
Birth Date     11 Jun 1875
Birthplace     Cork, Ireland
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins   
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan
Reference Number     v 10-2 p 478

Straightforward, hopefully.  She was registered in the KINSALE district.

Laurence Collins
Gender     Male   
Birth Date     06 Jan 1878
Birthplace     Cork, Ireland   
Father's Name     Jeremiah Collins   
Mother's Name     Mary Donovan Collins
Reference Number     v 5 p 415

Straightforward.  He was registered in the KINSALE district, and (sadly) died later that year.

From all of this very hasty preliminary research, I believe that there were at least three different families in County Cork with parents of Jeremiah Collins and Mary Donovan in the research period from the 1850's and beyond.  Family #1 appeared to be based in the Rosscarbery area.  Their events would have been registered in Clonakilty.  Family #2 was in the Cork area.  Their events were registered in Cork. Family #3, the one where 1878 Lawrence was from, would have registered their events in Kinsale. 

All too often, I've seen family trees out on the Internet that might have thrown all three groups of children into the same family.  Without checking up on each of these references, I would end up attaching people to the family tree who weren't my people!  As it stands, I have no idea if the Kinsale family is related.  That's for further research in the years ahead.