Hi Blair,

A few notes on my last post.
On Brian Lawson's Manx pages he lists Crane/Crain/Craine as one. On the IOM 1841 census there are 29 Ann/Anne Cranes listed.
I listed John Frederick's mother as Quayle , I should have said Cunnell, but if you look at the handwriting It is more likely Cannell.
I wrote " Could not find death/Burial on IOM 1830-4" , I was of course talking of Mary Ann's father. The other scenario could be that John had gone earlier to set up and then send for his family - this frequently happened. However I could not find him on Castle Garden or on the 1850 US census. 1840 census is too difficult to trace people as no place of birth given.
After arriving in N.Y. in 1832, the first state we can find them in is Mary Ann in Louisiana in 1850 and John Frederick also there in 1853 for John's son Williams birth.
Most Manx Immigrants went to Ohio - not sure why, Frances might be able to tell us why.
Mary Ann shows POB as England in 1850 and IOM in 1860.
Assume you know that Hector Darling had Confederate Military Service in 1862 ( Per IGI) - cause of his death ?
Assume that Ann remarried in the U.S. if husband John did not come.
Spent a lot of time trying to find Ann, William and John on the 1850 US Census. Looked for William with any surname POB IOM or England .
John born IOM 32 , only one Crane not him
John born England 2741 too many to check.
John born Eng residing in Louisiana 24 nobody matches.
Did similar for Ann and William with no matches.
John (Frederick , just given as John) is found in 1860 in Algiers with wife Alice (Whelan I think) and children William, Eliza and Edward. Original census copy looks like John Crane Jnr !!!!!
On 1870, just place Louisiana, he is John F with additional children John F and Alice, but biggest find is William 17 is shown as Willian "R".
Seems John and Alice split up by 1880, Alice is head and John F not with her. There is a Civil Court Case between them , now can't find John in 1880/90. But he is shown as father in children's marriages Alice in 1882 and John 1883.
The fact that Mary, William and John have second names gives favour to them being siblings, on the IOM in that time there were few second names other than using mother's maiden names. Mary Ann does dispute that theory :
Births of Mary Ann Anyname on the IOM 1820-1830 946
Births of William Richard 1820-1830 ONLY 1
Births of John Frederick 1830-40 only 3 and 1 Craine.
Jean mentioned about Ancestry - I do not subscribe to it , but both Ancestry and IGI user sponsored details are very wrong.
I have found the best way of tracing back is to obtained BMD Certificates, have you tried ?
Although my look at around 1870 in Louisiana it is not easy.
Good Luck
David