The Polland Irish connection

An email from Mum:

Hi my lovelies.

 Dad and I just found a nice bit of family history. I now know for sure  my Dad's side of the family came from County Down in Ireland. We had thought so earlier as it was said so in a letter I have a copy of - from my Dad's brother. But we had no real proof my family did come from.

The family name then was Ferris. (sometimes spelled as Ferries. sometimes Herries or Harries, in the old documents.

This was due to the very strong Irish accents, and in fact, many of them would have been Gaelic speakers with English as second language, so were recorded by what the authorities though it sounded like.

So far we have found Jean Ferries/Ferris married to James Polland, a 'carter' (mean he own a cart and used it for business. He married Jean Ferries/Ferris in County Down in Dromore, Ireland in 1852. Dromore is a town, but also a county, so not sure which the certificate refers to. We have visited there years ago, but couldn't find any records as we had so little info. But We have seen that record of Jean and James,  so we know that is correct. They had a little boy, that we know of called Daniel who died very young, I think Jean is a sister to my great grandmother, Margaret Harries'Herries/Ferries. Both sides of my Dad's family came from Ireland, and all had Irish accents for ever, like I still have my Scottish one. These Irish relations were all Catholic, and my mother was a Protestant, which in the days when they got married in Scotland could cause families to disown their child for a mixed marriage. Sounds crazy, but that's how it was. My dad did not speak to my brother for a few years after he married a protestant.

The name Daniel has come down in our Polland and linked families for a couple of centuries, as the naming traditions meant the first boy was also the same name as their father. My nephew in USA is also called after that earlier Daniel, though in reality my Dad Daniel. I suppose that was a way of the family keeping records if people had no way of writing it down in earlier times. It wasn't a legal requirement, it was tradition, but it was practical too, in a time when the family themselves had no written records.

1st boy was called after the grandfather on the father's side. 1st girl after the grandmother on the mothers side; the second girl after the grandmother on the mothers side. I always wondered why the family were so strict about all that in those days. But it was a form of record keeping for them.  At census time, they could give the officials the right details.

Now have you followed all that? Because you may get a test on it, Hah, hah!  This long email is my way of keeping a memory of that little story. The family started in Ireland, County Down, and also Armagh (The Cassidys and Creaton;s came from there)

and the Armagh and Down often shifted borders, so, in reality they may all have lived in the same state (County to them) at one time.

It's interesting to see how far families get scattered. Ireland, Scotland, Australia, American, and South Africa, and that's just my side. One relative was a  Hugh McLeish, who lived closed to me in Armadale. neighbour Armadale.West Lothian. He's and I are great grandchild from Margaret McLeish who married my great gandad, William Polland.

Hugh was, and may be still an official in a large Women's soccer organisation in USA AYSO  I had taken care of Hugh when he was about 13 or 14, and we both flew to USA when I was about 17, He was going to his sister who had married there. And I never saw him after that, but send cards each years still. His wife is Dora. here's some info about that association, and Hugh's involvement. I spoke to him on the phone many years ago, and he said he didn't know I was in Australia, and he had just been here in the Eastern states on tour with a young women's soccer team. You can see from the list below he was very much involved. Interesting that we should have that link with women's soccer in the USA.

My sister Jeanette went to USA, and stayed there till her death. Dana Went to South Africa and Died there, and I came to Australia.  Maybe we should be called the wanderers.  So many people left Scotland because life was pretty hard in those days, and now I think of all the parents, brothers and sisters who sort of lost their families, and it's a bit sad.  But I'm glad I came here. I do love Australia, and never wanted to go back, though I love dear old Scotland!  Well I have gone on a bit. so will go and make a cuppa!

Love Mum, Nanna

Additional Members Added to Task Force to Help Design Extended Play Programming

Member	Section	Yrs. of Service	Position
***Hugh McLeish	8	25	National Coaching Adv. Comm. Chair
Eileen Tabert	9	16	National Management Adv. Comm. Chair
Patrick Mullane	6	23	National Referee Adv. Comm. Chair
Irwin Kavy	3	22	National Tournament Adv. Comm. Chair
John Hadidian	10	22	NTAC member, RCA

Task Force AYSO Years of Volunteer Service : Fourteen Extended Play Task Force members have 291 years of volunteer service to AYSO.   That's an average of 19.4 years of service per task force member!