Hello from Canada
I am new to this group, so I thought I?d share my brick wall. Here?s what I know:
My 2nd Great Grandparents, James Gould and Rachel Mercer were married in Nov 23, 1866 at Waringstown, Co. Down, Ireland (Church of Ireland). They were ?of age? (21 y/o) when they married so they had to have been born prior to 1845. Their fathers? were listed as John Gould and William Mercer.
They had five children: Thomas John (b.1867), Michael Shanks (b.1870), Jane Eliza (b.1871), Rachel (b.1874), and William James (b.1876). All births are registered as born at Waringstown, except for Thomas John born in Dromore, Co. Down. I found proof of these events as found at Family Search by LDS.
I can?t find any death records for anyone except Thomas John who was killed in France in WWI. His military death notice shows his parents as Rachel Mercer and Thomas Gould, yet his father is listed as James on 5 birth records and marriage.
I found Michael Shanks on the 1901 and 1911 Ireland census living with wife Hanna Walker close to Waringstown, then nothing.
Due to military records I followed William James into the army, retired from army, moved to Erie, PA, returned to Ireland to fight in WWI. He married Florence Fleming in 1900, they had a son named Robert (b.1908), but she died in 1918. He returned to Erie PA after the war, but military records show his address as Banbridge, Ireland in 1936. I wonder if Robert Stayed in the US.
Thomas John married Annie Brown on June 15, 1891 in Greenock, Scotland, my Great Grandparents. Thomas listed his father, James as ?deceased? and his mother as Rachel ***** (unreadable) formerly Gould, formerly Mercer. William Gould listed his mother as his next of kin on his Attestation Papers in 1916 as ?Mrs. Rachel Dowds of Banbridge, Ireland. I can?t find Rachel Mercer, Gould, or Dowds on either 1901 or 1911 Ireland Census.
The surname Gould was also spelt GOOLD in some records within the same family. The attached photo is Thomas John Gould with Annie Brown Gould and thier 4 boys, Alec, Jack, andrew & George. George was the youngest, my Grandfather.
Any ideas, anyone?

PS. Since I wrote this item, I have discovered that Rachel Mercer Gould married John Dowds in May 1895 in Banbridge, Ireland. I also dicovered that her daughter, Rachel Gould married John Molloy on June 23, 1895. Mother and daughter lived together in Banbridge, on Rully St at the time of the 1911 Census, both listed as widows.