Donna,

Thanks for the response.

I spent a lot of time yesterday looking at this and my thougt is that James Cain is actually an illegitimate child of Elizabeth Kissack -
IGI
James Kissack c 21/3/1852 Patrick
father -
mother Elizabeth Kissack
His mother later marries Samuel Keggin and we see him on the 1861 census as James Keggin -
1861 census
Clogher Malew
Samuel Keggin head m 78 farmer 40 acres Malew
Elizabeth wife m 36 German
James son 9 scholar Malew
Samuel son 4 "
Catherine Kissack m-in-law - 81 German
Thomas Curphey serv s 21 ploughman "
Catherine Gawne visitor m 49 fisherman's wife Peel
Eleanor " " s 18 gen serv "

and then on 1871 with his mother but now as James Cain-

1871 census
4 Peel Rd Malew
Elizabeth Keggin head wid 46 landowner Arbory
James Cain son s 19 ag lab Patrick

My interest in this is really on the Gilmour side. Margaret Elizabeth Gilmour is the sister of my gt grandmother Isabella Ann Gilmour - both the children of William George Gilmour & Mary Ann German. The Daniel Gilmour & Elizabeth/Isabella Shimmin whom you mention are WGG's parents and the other Margaret Elizabeth is thus WGG's sister.

Whilst we have the Gilmour family going forward we are stuck going backwards at both Daniel Gilmour and Elizabeth/Isabella Shimmin. DG is born abt 1794 in Ireland and comes to the Island sometime before 1818 when he marries. There are at least three Gilmour lines in the Island (one of which is Frank's) but they do not connect back here - but of course they could in Ireland. My Gilmour line are protestant/Orange and will almost certainly have come out of Scotland during the "repopulation" of Ulster.

Elizabeth/Isabella Shimmin is equally illusive - she is born somewhere between 1793 and 1799 (her census ages are erratic) in German; and her name changes between Elizabeth, Isabella and once Elizabella! The best fit we can find is
Isabel
c 18/5/1794 German
f : Charles Shimmin
m:Isabel Mylchreest
There is, however, to date no proof. I would be really interested if anyone could prove or disprove that possibility.

If anyone can shed any light on either Daniel or Elizabeth/Isabella I would be most appreciative

Thanks again

Carol