BACKGROUND:
In Ireland, the Great Famine was a period of mass starvation, disease and emigration between 1845 and 1852 Approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%. We don’t know when James Sline actually emigrated, but know he was here by 1860. And we know that his future wife Mary Noonan arrived in about 1850.

At the time of their arrival, the city of Lowell, MA, was undergoing a tremendous surge in population as the textile mills were developed. James appears to have started as a farm worker, but shortly became a laborer in the mills. And it will be seen that their children also became employed there as soon as they reached an employable age.

MEMO: James and Mary are both very “casual” about reporting consistent dates, etc. in the following documents. I strongly believe neither were literate, and neither was very good with calendars. Also the spelling “Sline” and “Slyne” appear to be used interchangably, probably depending on how the clerk or census taker decided to spell it.

1860 CENSUS, DRACUT, MIDDLESEX, MA:
James Sline is reported in this census as age 24, a farm laborer, and born in Ireland. He is in the household of one Nathaniel Fox, a wealthy farmer who is also found in the 1850 census. There are 18 people in the household. Of these, 7 have the “Fox” name, and 11 appear to be laborers and servants. I’m convinced this is the right “James Sline”, because of conistency with the following marriage record later in the year.

MARRIAGE 23 AUG 1860:
Found marriage record for James Slyne, from Dracut, and Mary Nooman, from Lowell. (The two cities are just across the river from each other.) James is age 27 (born about 1833) and Mary is age 25 (born about 1835), both born in Ireland. Marriage by Rev. John O’Brien. James’ parents are listed as Richard & Catherine, and Mary’s as Timothy & Bridget. (I’m pretty sure all their parents remained in Ireland.) (CAUTION: Found 3 sets of marriage transcripts, with various mixing and mis-labeling of parents. I think the above is most likely correct.)

1864 BIRTH OF SON MICHAEL:
Michael is the oldest child per the 1870 census. And in the 1900 census, Mary indicates she had “7 children, 4 still living”. Given the gap between their marriage and the birth of Michael, I think they lost one or two children in 1861-63.

MASSACHUSETTS STATE CENSUS, LOWELL, MIDDLESEX, 1865:
James is age 33 and a laborer, Mary is 32, and Michael us 7 months. (Census was June, suggesting Michael was born about December, 1864)

1867 BIRTH OF DAUGHTER MARY ANN:
I found actual Massachusetts birth records for only a few of their children. One was “Mary A”, born 28 Apr 1867. In this record James is identified as a “Laborer”, and both parents were born in Ireland. (I trust this date, since it is from official state records.)

1870 CENSUS, LOWELL WARD 5, MIDDLESEX, MA:
James Slyne, age 35, born in Ireland, works in a cotton mill. Wife Mary is age 34, also born in Ireland. Children (all born in MA) are Michael (6), Mary A (4), and Ellen F (11 months).

1871 BIRTH OF JAMES JR.
James was born 28 Dec 1871. Another date we can trust.

1874 BIRTH OF JOHN:
John Slyne was born 25 Apr 1874. Parents are James and Mary. James is shown as born in Ireland, but curiously Mary is shown as “England”. I don’t believe that!

1880 CENSUS, LOWELL, MIDDLESEX, MA:
James Slyne is age 45 and a laborer, wife Mary is 45 and keeping house. Both adults were born in Ireland. The three oldest children are working in a cotton mill - Michael (16), Mary Ann (14), and Ellen (11). The two youngest sons are at school - James (8) and John (6).

1876 NATURALIZATION RECORD:
A James Sline, frm Lowell, was naturalized on September 20, 1876, before Middlesex County Superior Court in Lowell, MA. Country of birth is “Great Britain”. (Ireland would have been considered a part of Great Britain at that time.)

1881 DEATH OF DAUGHTER ELLEN:
Found a Massachusetts record of the death of Ellen Slyne in 1881. The 1880 census tells us she was working in a cotton mill at age 11, wonder if there could have been a mill accident? The Lowell mills employed children as young as age 10.

DEATH 21 OCT 1887:
Found death record for James Sline, born about 1837 in Ireland, died 21 Oct 1887 in Lowell, MA. This names his parents as “Richard & Kate”. Note parents names are consistent with that reported in the 1860 marriage.

LOWELL CITY DIRECTORIES:
I was somewhat uncertain about James’ death date, and whether I had the right family. However the Lowell city directories help tie the family together:
1878: James Sline, Laborer, address 3 Moran’s yard
1886: James Sline, Laborer, address 18 Salem
1888: Mrs. James Sline, address 18 Salem (James is now deceased)
1889: Mrs James Sline, address 18 Salem
1891: Mary, widow of James, house 6 Dane (son James listed at same address)
1893: Mary, widow of James, house 6 Dane (son James listed at same address)
1895: Mary, widow of James, house 6 Dane (sons James & John at same address)

SURNAME DATABASE: SURNAME SLINE
“This rare and unusual surname is of Irish origin, and is a variant of Sloan(e), which is originally of Scottish origin, an Anglicization of the Gaelic personal name "Slaughadhan", a diminutive of "Slughadh", meaning expedition, raid. The surname may also be derived from the Gaelic "MacSleimhne", meaning "son of Sleimhne", a personal name of uncertain etymology, which was assumed by the Norman family of FitzStephen of Co. Cork. The name was formerly written Sleyney, and when first used as a surname carried the prefix Mac: the Fiants of 1569 and 1583 mention two MacSleyneys, both of Ballygeany, Co. Cork. Cork and Ross wills of the 18th Century include those of Slyne and Sline. The Christian name to which the Mac was first prefixed must be obsolete; the suggestion that it was Stephen would imply that "l" was substituted for "t", which is unlikely. The surname is rarely found recorded outside Co. Cork and the adjacent parts of Co. Waterford. Recorded in Ireland are the marriage of Bartholomew Slyne and Judith Dorgan on July 13th 1846 at St. Anne's, Shandon, Cork, and the birth of John, son of John Slyne and Julia Keilly, on June 17th 1866 at Ballyfeard, Co. Cork. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabeth O'Slane, which was dated November 29th 1660, christened at Derry Cathedral, Templemore, Londonderry, during the reign of Richard Cromwell, known as "The Lord Protector", 1658 - 1660. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.”

Read more: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Sline#ixzz434DvZseB