We now contend that Mary McKernan did not come from Old Machar in Aberdeenshire, nor from County Down, as previously hypothesized. As of early 2026, those theories no longer fit the record. A different explanation has emerged, supported not by one decisive document but by a growing coherence among many smaller ones.
The Great Frost, a severe cold weather event across Europe 1740-41, had significant impacts on Ireland. As the winter stretched into spring of 1741, it brought widespread destruction and hardship to the entire island. The Irish Famine, as it is also known, is estimated to have killed between 13% and 20% of the population of 2.4 million people.
In the late 1850s, the town of Parma, New York—a rural community in Monroe County northwest of Rochester—stood on the cusp of change. Within a 30-mile radius lay bustling Rochester, canal villages like Brockport, and farming towns like Parma itself. By 1860, Parma’s population was about 2,900.
The cold air gradually pushed southward. After a brief warming around Christmas, the frost returned with even greater force. Temperatures dropped further each day. In Berlin, for example, it reached minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22°F) on January 10, 1709.
As 1830 drew to a close, the stage was set for a decade of transformation. The world our ancestors' families knew stood on the precipice of change, poised to leap into an uncertain but irresistible future. Sound familiar?
As we reflect on this period, we find numerous parallels to our own time. The political instability, economic uncertainties, and social upheavals that characterized 19th century Hesse echo in our modern world.