information of the Suffren family in New Brunswick

Question

On 20 Aug 2022 Wendy Ross wrote on New Brunswick Team:

My great grandparents were, John Suffren, b. c. 1824 Saint John, New Brunswick - d. 18 July, 1917 Ballarat. Victoria. Australia and Elizabeth Fenton, who travelled to Australia with her parents in 1852. They married in Ballarat in 1863. Searching for further information regarding the origins of the father of John Suffren, JOHN SUFFREN, born Ireland c. 1797 - Married Margaret Bruce Mawhinney, in 1819 in County Londonderry. (My 2xgreat grandparents) Both travelled at some point to New Brunswick, where they raised five children. Both are buried in the Fernhill Cemetery, Saint John, New Brunswick -1864 and 1879, respectively. The family yarn is that the Suffrens, formerly known as de Suffren, originated in France as Hugeunots who fled to Ireland to escape protestant persecution. Further to the this yarn is that there was some connection to Admiral Pierre Andre de Suffren de Saint Tropez. Many years of research has been undertaken by three generations of the family, resulting in very little or no conclusive evidence to support the French connection. Has any member of this group, further information of the Suffren family in New Brunswick??

Answer 1

I've created profiles for the parents, John Suffren (1797-1864) and Margaret A. (MacWhinney) Suffren (1794-1879) (maiden name from Margaret Bruce (Suffren) Flood's death certificate)

Comments

Thanks Aaron. Not picking up anywhere to add the thanks to your page yet. Yes, that is the correct family and have been following the Floods for some time. The Flood name links to the Carson name. The spelling variations are interesting and also confusing in some instances. Suffren is another, with at least four variations to date. Wendy

Answer 2

Well today I added a child with the middle name Suffern, and also their mother whose father had the forename Suffern, although some 50 years younger than you are looking at. And there are certainly Bruce and Mawhinny locally in Co Londonderry too. Though I’m chasing the husband’s line currently. I wonder if they will turn out to be distantly related. Where they from the Magherafelt area? I’m afraid I can’t add any more information

Comments

My records indicate that my John Suffren (Sufferin) and Margaret Mawhinney were married in the Drimbolg Reformed Presbyterian Church in Maghera, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. I have a couple of records here also that state that Magherafelt is the Registrar's District for Maghera, in  Co. Derry, for a 1919 marriage between James Sufferin and Emma May Cunningham. I also have what I believe to be this James' birth in 1891, to Robert Sufferin and Sarah Jane Sloss in the District of Maghera, in the Union of Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry. So yes, they are in the same area. The name Sloss links into our Suffren history somewhere but will have to do  some revision. Note also the variations in the Suffren name. Wendy