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Gainforth Name

  • The GAINFORTH Name

    in Ireland, Ontario, and Michigan

    On June 20, 1798 Thomas GAINFORTH, along with 96 others, was piked to death at Wexford Bridge in Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland by Catholics during the Catholic uprising. This was known as the "Insurrection of 1798". I am attempting to locate the ancestry and descendants of Thomas Gainforth and eventually publish a family history.

    Wexford Bridge in 1798

    The surname GAINFORTH is English in origin. It has had many variations in spelling, and has been found as GAINFORTH, GAINSFORTH, GAINFORD, GAINFORT, GANFORD, GAYNESFORD, GANESFORD, GAYNSFORTH, etc. The current spelling in the U.S. is GAINFORTH, although one branch spells it GAINSFORTH.

    Related surnames include: ADAMS, ADLAM, BELL, BLAKELY, BRANSCOMBE, BULL, BUTLER, CROSS, CURRY, DENNIS, DUFORT, EDSEL, FORBES, HAGGITT, HASKELL, HERMAN, HOLDEN, HORNET, KENNEDY, KEYSER, LINCOLN, LUTHER, MASTER, McDIARMID, McKAY, MILLER, MOORE, MORRIS, MOTT, OGDEN/ODEN, PARR, PRUTCHICK, RIGOLE, SAELENS, SOUTHGATE, STEVENSON, THOMAS, VERBEKE, VOLK, WALKER, WESSELS, WHITLOCK, and WILSON. There are many more surnames intermarried into this line - please browse the surname postings and feel free to add your own surname!

    GAINFORTH and related surname postings

    List of sources used in researching this GAINFORTH line

    Photos of unknown Gainforths - please help with identification!

    Descendants of Thomas GAINFORTH

    First Generation

    Thomas GAINFORTH b._____; d. 20 Jun 1798, Wexford, Ireland. Ancestry unknown. This was probably the Thomas who married:  (from The Freemen of Wexford in 1776)
    m. Margaret HATCHELL 1757 in Co. Wexford, Ireland; b.________; d._________

    Ancestry of Margaret HATCHELL

    Second Generation

    Thomas GAINFORTH b.abt 1781 in Ireland; d. abt 1873, possibly near Brussels, Huron Co., Ontario, Canada.
    m.Sarah BUTLER (or JONES?), Ireland; b.abt 1774 in Ireland; d. between 1861 and 1871, in Ontario, Canada. Ancestry unknown.
    It is unkown whether Thomas had siblings; however there were many other Gainforth families settling in this same area of Ontario in the 1800's and probably some of them were related to Thomas.
    Thomas and his wife left Ireland and arrived in New York Harbor in 1815. Their son Thomas was born on board ship while in New York Harbor. By 1817 Thomas, Sarah and their 5 children are living in Murray Township, Northumberland Co., Ontario where they are enumerated in the Murray Township census.

    Third Generation

    1. Unknown Male b. about 1806.

    2. James GAINFORTH b. abt 1811 in Ireland; d. 22 May 1892 in Brighton, Northumberland Co., Ontario
    m. Sylvia WESSELS b. abt 1815 in Canada d. 1892 in Northumberland Co., Ontario

    Children of James and Sylvia

    Photo of Children of James and Sylvia

    Will of James Gainforth

    Wessels Home Page

    3. Thomas GAINFORTH b. Oct 1815 in New York Harbor; d.12 Jan 1908 in Akron Twp., Tuscola Co., Michigan.
    m. Martha "Patty" BULL b.24 Aug 1823 in Ontario; d. 1 Jul 1904 in Akron Twp., Tuscola Co., Michigan. Martha was a direct descendant of Josiah BULL, a Quaker from New York and Prince Edward County, Ontario.

    Children of Thomas and Martha

    Photos of Thomas and Martha

    4. Unknown Female b. between 1807 and 1817. This could possibly be Fedelia GAINFORTH who married a RYCKMAN and lived in Murray Township, Northumberland Co., Ontario.

    5. Unknown Female b. between 1809 and 1817. This could possibly be Ann GAINFORTH who married Andrew BARNUM and lived in Murray Township, Northumberland Co., Ontario.

    Thomas Jr. and his family removed to Michigan in the 1870's, eventually settling in Akron Twp., Tuscola Co., Michigan. All U.S. Gainforths appear to be descendants of Thomas. James and his family remained in Northumberland Co., Ontario, and there are descendants still living in the Brighton/Murray township areas.

    Post your GAINFORTH or related surname to the board

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    Related links:

    Northumberland Co., Ontario GenWeb Page

    Tuscola Co., Michigan ALHN Page

    Tuscola Co., Michigan GenWeb Page

    1798 Irish Rebellion Home Page

    Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet-Ireland

    Wexford, Ireland

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    Last updated January 24, 2002