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Frain Family Tree - Illinois BranchPaternal SideBy Joseph R. Frain |
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Frain Name BackgroundInformation on this page includes: About This Page If you are researching the name Frain, Fraine, Frayne, Frane, and so on, this page contains much information about the name. It is organized to say why I am researching my name, has thank yous to the people and sources that contributed and has general information about my research.  This web site contains the genealogy of the writer, Joseph Richard Frain (b. 12/30/1937). It is being documented in order to fill in the unknowns about my family tree. Before starting my research, anything that I knew about my family, which was very little, was through personal contact with my relatives as a child. Nothing was ever discussed about my heritage. There were references to an Irish heritage, but facts were vague. I embarked on my quest to determine my heritage for my satisfaction and to be able to pass on to my daughter, Laura, a better understanding of her ancestry than I started out with. I purposely put directly quoted information with the sources identified in-line on this web site in order to record and catalog it. Although I have copies of many of the obituaries, death certificates, census entries and other family documents, it is very hard to catalog and retrieve them as needed. This will document those items to some extent. I very much want to make another attempt at writing a Frain family booklet that will be written in a more narrative format and more enjoyable to read. This web site is organized in family groups and family units. Please contact me if you wish to recommend any changes/corrections or if you wish to submit more family information for inclusion in the web site. I would welcome any copies of old documents you may have in your attics, basements and trunks that have not been opened in years. Verification of statements made in this document is welcomed and desired. There is some information that is proving hard to find such as who were the brothers and sisters of my great/great grandparents, their families and more. My first step into the world of genealogical research started with the most recommended research technique; interviews and questionnaires of family members. I wish to thank Patrick Michael Frain, whom I refer to as Uncle Bud, for helping me obtain my first major input. He distributed my questionnaires to several family members and filled out some of them himself. My sisters, Marlene and Darlene (the twins as they are often referred to), have provided invaluable input by finding innumerable photos. They obtained much information on the Cook/Darr/Coonrod side of our family from information provided by our mother, Evelyn Cook. Thank you. My research has taken me to Family History Centers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Los Angeles and Upland, California and the National Archives in Laguna Niguel, California. Many names, birth dates, addresses and such were obtained from the 1850, 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920 Census Data. The Family History Center in particular, contains many microfilm records from England and Ireland, as well as emigration records. In 1994, my family moved to Springfield, IL. The same research techniques were continued except on a more local basis. Access to the Illinois Archives, Illinois Historical and Genealogical Society, Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society, Greene County courthouse and others. Some obituaries were obtained by visiting the Illinois Historical Society located in the basement of the old state capital building in Springfield, Illinois. The Illinois Bureau of Vital Statistics provided copies of some death certificates as did the County Clerk of Bureau County, Illinois. Halbert's, Inc., the JAAD-M Historical Research Center and the Hibernian Research Company Ltd. have contributed to the general information about the Frain name contained in this document. Halbert's was the first document received and piqued my interest doing my genealogy. I joined an organization (American Genealogical Lending Library, AGLL) from which I rented microfiche and microfilm to aid me in my research. That enabled me to research more of census data for various branches of my family, as well as, other subjects such as emigration records. I had installed and used PRODIGY in order to use its e-mail, genealogical bulletin board and various genealogical research sites. I placed queries requesting information on various family names such as Frain, Cook, Darr, Coonrod, Duffy, and Sweeney. I have located real and presumed cousins from all over the world. I am no longer using PRODIGY, but rely on this web page to provide a link to those who may wish to contact me. The Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society in Carrollton, Ill. has provided valuable information, in particular, about the Darr and Coonrod branches of the Cook family tree (my mother's side of the family). In some cases the facts on dates and survivors are conflicting. Some of this is due to imprecise memories and the fact that obituaries and death certificates are filled out by grieving family members. Some is due to just plain miscommunication. Census data varies from one decade to the next. The 1920 census has somewhat of a bad reputation concerning the accuracy of the collected data. The Frain name is not a common name. Once I get away from the immediate family, not much is found about my branch of the Frain family tree and family ties to other Frains are hard to trace. To complicate research, it is necessary to be aware of various ways that the name may be found in records. The name Frain can also be found as Frein, Fraine, Frayne, Freyne and Frane. There also seems to be a tie to the French spellings of Du Fresne, De la Freigne and Du Frayne. From Halbert's Inc: One of my first sources of information on the Frain name was from Halbert's, Inc. Their business is to do research on various names and to provide the results to people of that name for a fee. The research isn't specifically geared to any one family but to all with that name. It provides interesting details about the Frain name and I will quote some of them in the following text, not necessarily verbatim. The surname Frain is comparatively rare. It is associated with the Irish, meaning, "dweller at, or near the ash tree". There was undoubtedly more than one Frain Coat of Arms. The earliest Coat of Arms for Frain found by Halbert's was described as "D'azur a trois gerbes d'or" which means "Blue with three gold sheaves". Blue represents loyalty and splendor. Gold (or yellow) represents generosity, valor or perseverance. The sheaves probably indicates that the name Frain is associated with farming. It is documented in RIETSTAP ARMORIAL GENERAL, one of a number of heraldic books documenting coats of arms of medieval times. In order to qualify for a coat of arms it is necessary to have been in service in armor. Halbert's compiled a listing of 487 Frain households in the United States. The state of Pennsylvania has the most Frain households with 95 followed by Illinois with 45. From JAAD-M Historical Research Center: My wife Linda was at the Montclair Shopping Center in Montclair, Calif. doing some Christmas shopping when she spotted a small store that provided historical information on many different names from around the world as well as coats of arms for the names. She found that the Frain name was documented by them and purchased the Frain family name history and had it framed as a birthday gift for me. What follows is extracted from the narrative. Many of the facts I had already found in other publications, most notably, 'More Irish Families' by Edward Mac Lysaght, which follows next. New information showed that the Irish surname of Frain originated in France and was introduced to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman invasion in the twelfth century. The source of the name can be traced to the earlier form De La Freigne which is of local origin, derived from the name of the place where the original bearer once lived or held land. In this case, the name comes from the French word 'frene', meaning 'ash tree' and indicates that the first bearer of the name resided near ash trees. (Note that the same reference to the ash tree is contained in the Halbert's description of the Irish name translation of Fraine, also). The Blazon of Arms is described as "Ermine, two bars gemelles gules in chief a demi lion rampant issuant of the last." The crest as "a demi lion as in the arms". The origin is Irish. This differs from the Coat of Arms described by Halbert's. More Irish Families The following is quoted from "More Irish Families" by Edward Mac Lysaght, Publisher O'Gorman, Galway, & Dublin, 1960. FRAIN, Freyne, Freeney The earlier form of the names given above is de la Freigne (with many variant spellings) and as such it repeatedly occurs in every collection of documents relating to Counties Kilkenny and Tipperary from the year 1302 when Fulk de la Freigne was seneschal of Kilkenny, an office held frequently by members of the family, as was the similar post in Co. Tipperary. The form used in mediaeval deeds in Latin is usually de Fraxineto. It is thus etymologically akin to the better known surname French: Latin fraxinus, French frene (ash). The surname of the Barons de Freyne, of Frenchpark, Co. Roscommon, is French, (see "Irish Families, pg. 152). Freney, to which numerous references appear in the Elizabethan Fiants for Counties Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford, and in the Hearth Money Rolls for Co. Tipperary in 1666, does not seem to have been used before the sixteenth century, though I should mention that the name of the treacherous Linebed a Frende, who betrayed O'Connor Faly in 1419, is equated by William Hennessy, in his notes to the "Annals of Loch Ce." with the modern Freyne or Freney. The latter, of course, is very well know on account of the exploits of the celebrated Co. Waterford character James Freney, whose career as a highwayman modern commentators think was less glamorous and heroic than popular tradition suggests. His autobiography, written about 1750, is a remarkable document. In later life he received a pardon and settled down as a respectable minor official at New Ross. Freney of Ballyreddy is recorded as one of the chief gentlemen of the barony of Ida (Co. Kilkenny) in 1608. Later in the same century the Book of Survey & Distribution shows Freneys to have been old proprietors in that barony. James Freeney, of Ballyreddy, was one of the prominent people attainted after the Jacobite defeat. Frain (Frayne etc.) is now more numerous than Freeney. The former is most often met with in Mayo and Roscommon; while Freeney, scarce in its mediaeval homeland, is chiefly found in Dublin. Mother Ursula Frayne (d. C.1886), notable for her work with missionary priests in Canada and Australia a century ago, was from Co. Carlow. There is much information relating to families of Frayne in Carrigan's "History of the Diocese of Ossory". Surnames in Ireland This special report on surnames in Ireland by R. E. Matheson contains a table of surnames in Ireland having 5+ entries in the birth indexes of 1890. Province of Connaught Reference number 647 for Frayne, Frane, Frein, Frain and other variations. Frain is the principal spelling. The table shows 10 families in Co. Mayo, 6 families in Co. Roscommon and 4 families in other counties. The following is quoted directly from "The Ancestor Trail in Ireland" by Donal F. Begley. How Irish Christian Names are Given - Christian Name Pattern in the Generations "We now come to take a look at the system widely used by Irish parents in the 19th century of choosing Christian Names for their children. The tradition strictly adhered to in many parts of Ireland was that the father named the first-born after his father or mother and the second-born after her father or mother. They then alternated until both sets of parental names were used up Then they used the names of their brothers and sisters - always alternating." Sometimes, knowing this, it is possible to figure birth sequences and to extrapolate what the names of the brothers and sisters might have been if there is no evidence to indicate precisely who they were. It may also be a way to apply probable names to the mother's side of the family. Hibernian Research Company Ltd, Dublin, Ireland I sent an inquiry to the Hibernian Research Company Ltd to see if they could uncover some information on the Frain family in Ireland. The search was limited to County Mayo, Ireland. No new information was obtained on the Frain family from which I am descended. The following was extracted from their reply. A description of the town of Ballaghadireen (a variant spelling of Ballaghaderreen) was extracted from the "Alphabetical Index to the Towns, Townlands and Parishes of Ireland (1851)" by the Hibernian research and is quoted as follows: "BALLAGHADIREEN, a market and post-town, in the parish of KILCOLEMAN, barony of COSTELLO, county of MAYO, and the province of CONNAUGHT, 12 miles (W.S.W) from Boyle, and 97 3/4 miles (W. by N.) from Dublin; containing 1147 inhabitants. This town is situated on the new mail coach road from Ballina to Longford, and consists of three principal streets, containing about 200 houses, of which nearly all are neatly built and slated. Here are infantry barracks, adapted to the accommodation of 4 officers and 92 non-commissioned officers and privates. Many improvements have recently taken place in the town, which is rapidly rising into importance. The market is on Friday; and the fairs are held on March 25th and 26th, May 1st, June 25th, Aug. 1st, Sept. 8th, Nov. 1st and Dec 22nd. The market-house is a commodious building; and a court-house has been erected, in which petty sessions are held every Tuesday. A chief constabulary police and coast-guard stations have been established here, and there is a R.C. chapel. Within a mile of the town are the ruins of Castlemore." From "The Roscommon Guide" published by Bord Failte, the Irish Tourist Board: Ballaghaderreen is situated near the end of the Lung River which empties into Lough Gara, east of the the town. Beyond rises the chain of sandstone hills which stretches north-eastward to the shore of Lough Key. From "MAYO" edited by Bernard O'Hara, the population according to the 1971 census is in brackets: "BALLAGHADERREEN (1,121), Bealach an Doirin, ('the pass of the little oak-wood'). (* In Co. Roscommon since 1898.) Belach an dairin in Annals of Loch Ce, sub anno 1548; Dirin alias Ballaghdirrin in BSD. Pop. 1841 1,341; 1851, 1,197; 1871 1,496; 1891 1,266; 1911 1,317. The Tithe Books in the National Archives, The Four Courts contains 3 entries for Fraine in the civil parish of Kilcolman (1832). Kilcolman contains the town of Ballaghadereen. Ballaghaderreen was picked as a starting point location for research in Ireland because Ballyherine was shown as the birthplace of Luke Frain in 1836 according to his obituary. Since the town of Ballyherine does not exist, the nearest equivalent in pronunciation was used. Ballaghaderreen was considered the most probable. In the townland of Upper Larga, Michael Fraine and others occupied a plot of 18 acres. The tithe was 0.12.0 pounds. In the townland of Glashecroghena, John Fraine and others occupied a plot of 25 acres. The tithe was 0.16.8 pounds. In the townland of Magheraboy, Eleanor Frain occupied 2 acres and 2 roods. The tithe was 0.2.7 1/2 pounds. One might make the connection to John Fraine on the basis of the way sons and daughters are named by the Irish. Luke and Mary Sweeney named their first son John. By that we could surmise that John Fraine might be a brother or uncle of Luke. However, they did not follow the naming tradition to the letter. Perhaps John had a special relationship to the family. They named their second son, Luke, after the paternal grandfather (Luke Frain) and their third son, Patrick, after the maternal grandfather (Patrick Sweeney). If the pattern continued correctly, then Martin would have been a brother of the father, Luke. Their only daughter, Mary, was named after the paternal grandmother. The 1900 census showed that Luke Frain and Mary Sweeney had 10 children, although only 5 were shown as living at the time. Research at the Church of Latter Day Saint's Upland Family Center has provided information which closely resembles the Hibernian research but without the detail. This summary information is provided from an index of ""Griffith's Primary Valuation" and the "Tithe Applotment Books" for County Mayo for the years from 1824 to 1860. The "Griffith's Primary Valuation" shows 50 families named Frane, 3 families named Frain and 2 families named Frayne. All lived in the barony of Costello which contains the parish of Aghamore and the Swineford and Claremorris Unions. The "Tithe Applotment Books" for 1825 to 1827 has the Frane and Frayne names. Kilbeagh Parish which includes the Castlereagh and Swineford Unions had 22 Franes. Kilmovee Parish in the Swineford Union had 28 Fraynes. All parishes were in the Diocese of Achonry. More research at the Upland Family Center uncovered a listing of Frains, Fraynes and Fraines born in Ireland from 1864 thru 1869. The listing is provided as an appendix elsewhere in this document. The mothers' and fathers' names are provided as well as the place and date of birth. There are 69 families listed. It is notable that many are from County Mayo and a few are from Ballaghaderreen. It is likely that some are my distant relatives and may be children or grandchildren of Luke Frain and Mary Duffy. Research continues in this area. Microfilm of Kilcolman and Ballaghaderreen Parish records of the early to middle 1800's were reviewed for marriages and births. I have observed an interesting pattern concerning the name Frain as the priest wrote it in the Parish registers. In the 1830's, the name was, in most cases, written as Frein. There was a change in priest in the late 1830's and he wrote many of the names as Frane. Towards the late 1840's another change in priests occurred and the name started showing as Fraine. Around the middle 1850's the name was being written as Frayne. In the 1860's there were a couple of occurrences of Frain and Freyne. All this from the same Parish register. It is interesting to note that the 1st name was Latinized. This practice was established by the Catholic Church for record keeping. For instance, Patrick became Patriticus, Brigit became Brigida and John became Johannes. It seems as if every fourth male was named Patrick and every fourth female was named Brigit. Patrick and Brigit, of course, are the 2 most famous Irish saints. County Mayo Surnames and number of householders for each in Griffith's Primary Valuation 3 Frain 21 Frane 30 Frayne 17 Freyne 1 Duffey 347 Duffy 212 Higgins Power By Ringsurf |
