Awhile back, LWJ posted a picture of an MI for John Looney of Ramsey Mason died 1871 age 85 & his wife Jane Looney alias Cubbon d 1858 age 76. He wondered who he was. He is also a special interest of Philip Allen, who wrote on the Looneys in 2011. All the census's say this John Looney was born in Lonan about 1786 but there's no reasonable Lonan baptism to place him.

Yesterday I was chasing down a John Looney stone mason of Ramsey b 1823 who seemed to acquire a new wife between each census. The last two marriages said his father was Ishmael Looney. Having never seen the name "Ishmael" before, I wanted to know who he was. Ishmael Looney was also a stone mason of Ramsey born ca 1790-1800 and his 1861 census said he was born in Lonan. Eventually on the MNB I found Ishmael was the illegitimate son of Thomas Looney & Elinor Costean, bapt 2 Jun 1791 Lonan. He was baptized Ismael Costean. Then I searched the IGI for any other children of Elinor Costean, and John Costean 24 Sep 1786 Lonan popped up. There's an Family Search image of the 1786 baptism: "John an illegitimate son of [blank] and Elinor Costean bapt eodeon die [Septr 24th]."

I presume John's father would also be Thomas Looney, and so the two boys 5 years apart in age were brought up to be stone masons and both lived in Ramsey to fairly old age. It will be interesting to see who the father Thomas Looney might be.

I would never have figured this out if the second child was named something less interesting than Ishmael.