Hingerty, Hingerton, Ingerton- Are They Related?

In a previous post I listed some of the various ways that the surname HINGERTY can be recorded or indexed.

But sometimes there are surnames that appear not to be a spelling variation or an indexing error, but different names altogether- or are they?

A case in point are the surnames HINGERTON and INGERTON....

1. Are these surnames totally independent of each other and the surname Hingerty?

2. Are they related to each other because way back in time they all derived from the older Gaelic name of O hlongadail?

3. Are they more closely related and all from the same wider family group with some branches changing the spelling of their name since/during the 1800s?????

Hingerty and Hingerton appear in records about the same time and in the same geographic areas in Ireland, making it look very much like they were variations of each other.

Evidence has been found of there being 'shifts' between all three names in the early records indicating possibly that the split in the use of the names came about as spelling became more important and more stabilised in the later part of the 1800s/early 1900s as literacy rates were increasing rapidly. Previously, spelling was less standardised and more fluid.

While there are some incidences of Ingerton in the same areas as Hingerton and Hingerty (namely Roscrea) and certainly evidence of shifts between the usage of the three surnames within families, there are also some Ingertons in Cork, an area associated with the older form of O'Longadail/ O Hingerdell etc but not with the surnames Hingerty or Hingerton. Most of these occur in the late 1800s/early 1900s e.g three Ingerton households in Monacappa, Blarney, Cork who seem to be largely employed in the textile industry and may have migrated to Blarney from other rural areas.

We do not yet know which option (1,2 or 3) is the case for the adoption of these three surnames, but there is certainly enough evidence of an overlap with these three rare surnames, which all began in Ireland, to warrant further investigations.

For example:

1. Cornelius Ingerton

* Cornelius Hingerty is listed in the 1850 United States Federal Census (note that his first name is obscured by a blot of ink- but Cornelius is the most likely name) as resident in the town of Stamford, Connecticut.

* In the Boston Pilot newspaper 4 December 1858.

Of Cornelius Ingerton, and his sisters Mary and Bridget, of Loughpark parish Roscrea co Tipperary; when last heard from about 6 years ago, Cornelius was in Stamford, Conn and Mary and Bridget in Brooklyn, New York, about 5 years ago. Please address their sister, Ann, care of Michael Sheedy, 261 Third Street, South Troy, New York.

* There is a Baptism record for a Mary Hingarty June 1809 at Carrick-on-suir, Tipperary with parents Cornelius Hingarty and Bridget Walsh- this is about a 17 hour walk from Roscrea- is this the same family? Is this Cornelius' sister Mary who is also listed as missing in 1858? I have not been able to link this family to any Hingerty family in the area.

* Cornelius Ingerton (a labourer, born in Ireland about 1825) is listed in the1860 United States Federal Census living with wife Winnie and children Thomas, William and Mary in Boston, Summit, Ohio.

* In the US Civil War Draft Registration Records for Boston Ohio, a Cornelius Hingerty in April 1865 is crossed out and noted as being "over age". If born around 1825, he would have been 40 years old.

* Cornelius Ingerton (indexed as Carmeline on Ancestry) is listed in the 1870 US Federal Census as living in the town of Boston, County of Summit, State of Ohio.

Cornelius is a 50 years old labourer working in a stone quarry and living with his wife, Winnie and children Thomas, William, Mary, Anna, Ellen and Francis. Thomas is listed as being born in Connecticut and the other children are listed as being born in Ohio.

* Cornelius probably died before 1880 as in that year, in the Census, his wife and children are listed (as Ingerton), but he is not listed at all. A death record is yet to be found.

His son William married and had a son he called Cornelius. William and his family seem to have used Ingerton consistently as their surname.

Thomas Hingerton married Anne McDonnell in Roscrea in 1827. He was listed as farming land in Loughpark, Roscrea in the 1850s- the came location as reported for Cornelius Ingerton in the newspaper article listed above.

Were Thomas and Cornelius (born about 1825) closely related?

Thomas and Anne of Roscrea had a son Laurence.

2. The Family of Laurence Hingerton

Laurence was variously listed as Ingerton when he signed on for the army in Lancashire in 1861; as Hingerton when he lived in the Roscrea Workhouse in 1864 ; as Hingerty in Roscrea in 1884 when charged with being drunk and finally as Hingerton when he died in Roscrea in February 1900.

Laurence's oldest son John Joseph was registered as Hingerton when born in 1864 in the Roscrea Workhouse, but as Ingerton when he died as a toddler in 1867.

Laurence's next son, William was registered and Baptised as Ingerton in 1870 with parents listed as Ingerton. However he seems to have used the surname Hingerton for the rest of his life including numerous court and prison appearances.

Laurence's younger son, Nicholas' birth was registered on 22 Jan 1876 at Grove Street, Roscrea, Tipperary as Hingerton. His parents were listed as Laurence Hingerton and Mary Guilfoyle.

However, his Baptism on the following day is listed as Hingerty with the same first names for parents and same address.

When he died only a few months later on May 31st, Nicholas is listed as Hingerton but his mother is listed as Mary Ingerton on the same record.

These 3 records created within a very short time of each other indicate that the spelling of surnames was still very fluid even as late as 1876.

3. The Family of Patrick Hingerton

Patrick Hingerton married Mary Mcredmond at Roscrea in 1824 (witness Hanna Mcredmond).

A son William Hingerty was Baptised with parents Patrick Hingerty and Mary Mcredmond in Roscrea a year later with Hanna Mcredmond as a sponsor.

William Hingerton later married Bridget White and they had a son Patrick who married in Leeds, England and had a family with his wife Mary Melone.

This Patrick was usually listed as Hingerton throughout his life, except for the 1901 UK Census where he, and his family are all clearly listed as Ingerton.

This Patrick had a son, also called Patrick, who married Elizabeth Carmody in Leeds. He is usually listed as Hingerton except for his birth record in May 1880 wherein he is Ingerton and a 1910 Tax Valuation list where he is clearly handwritten as Ingerton.

It's early days yet and more research is needed:

* to ensure that all early (1800) incidences of the surnames HINGERTON and INGERTON in Ireland have been located.

* to build family trees down from these initial individuals to the present day, noting name changes

* to compare existing family trees on sites such as Ancestry to ensure that all lines have been 'discovered' and linked back to the earliest known record/individual

* to locate living descendants to share information and

* to locate potential YDNA testers.

YDNA Testing

The surest way to know if Hingerty/Hingerton/Ingerton all share the same common direct male ancestor and surname origin is to YDNA test direct male descendants alive today.

A 37 Marker YDNA test at FTDNA would tell us if they match.

If they match each other and other Hingerty testers at 37 Markers then they share a common direct male ancestor.

If they then upgrade their test to the FTDNA Big Y test we can 'map' how the various lines relate to each other and estimate when the three surnames branched off from each other.

Summary

Early days yet, more research to do, people to contact and, hopefully YDNA testing to be done- but one day we may well be able to answer the questions

Are Hingertys, Hingertons and Ingertons related? and

How are they related?

STOP PRESS: UPDATE March 2023

An Ingerton male has taken a YDNA test.

The Ingerton tester is a direct male descendant of Thomas Hingerton/Hingerty/Ingerton born in Roscrea, Tipperary about 1810. Some members of this line later emigrated to Leeds in England and then on to Australia and New Zealand.

The Ingerton tester's Y111 STR Marker test results are now available... and... drum roll.... he matches all the Hingerty YDNA testers!

The estimated Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor at the Y111 Marker level of testing is

That would indicate that Option 3 (of the 3 options presented at the beginning of this post) is the correct option.

We await the completion of the BigY700 results for this Ingerton tester. these results should give us a more refined Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor estimate and better indication of the relationship between the Ingerton tester and the 11 Hingerty testers.

If you are a HINGERTON or an INGERTON and would like to work with a HINGERTY on the possible connections, please....

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