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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Derry (Londonderry) => Topic started by: Mo37 on Tuesday 17 March 09 22:42 GMT (UK)
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Wondering if anyone knows the names of Watty Graham's 2 children. The Watty Graham in question is the one hanged in Maghera 1798. I am related to him in some way and would like to know through which of his children. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all given the middle name Graham because of the family connection. I can't get back farther than my great grandmother whose maiden name was McKay.
Thanks
Mo
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Hi,
There is an article on the BBC website "Your Place and Mine" on the Maghera Church and in the responses there are several people who claim to be descended from Watty Graham. If you can contact these they may be able to help.
Regards
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Thanks for your fast reply. I've been to that article and in fact I'm one of the people who left a post and hoped to hear from some of the others there. I've had no reply from anyone.
Regards
Mo
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I found a reference to a book 'Ulster in '98: episodes and anecdotes'. When I looked through it there is a poem on Page 60/61 called Watty Grimes 1798. Am I right in thinking that this poem is about Watty Graham. He is a distant relative although I can't find exactly how he is related. Does anyone know what his children were called?
Mo
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Hi Mo
Sorry I can't help with the names of his children, but I have a book called "Famous Maghera Men" by Eoin Walsh which also includes extracts from a poem called "Watty Grimes" in the chapter on Watty Graham. Assuming it's the same poem, it IS about your relative but Eoin Walsh notes some factual inaccuracies in the version of events in the poem so don't rely too heavily on it. The book mentions Watty's "wife and family" but unfortunately no names are given.
BTW I also have a personal connection to the case as a distant relative of the man who arrested him :-X
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Hi Akanex2
Thanks for the info. The Watty Graham GAA club also have a history page on Watty which mentions his wife and 2 children, but no names are given. I know he is related because in my Great Grandmother's obituary it says she is a descendant of the famous Watty Graham. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all given the middle name Graham because of the relationship.
Mo
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You've already started a thread about names of Watty Graham's children so will merge the two to avoid any more duplication.
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Hi Mo
Sorry I can't help with the names of his children, but I have a book called "Famous Maghera Men" by Eoin Walsh which also includes extracts from a poem called "Watty Grimes" in the chapter on Watty Graham. Assuming it's the same poem, it IS about your relative but Eoin Walsh notes some factual inaccuracies in the version of events in the poem so don't rely too heavily on it. The book mentions Watty's "wife and family" but unfortunately no names are given.
BTW I also have a personal connection to the case as a distant relative of the man who arrested him :-X
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hi there, have been researching the history of maghera for a few years for a new book i am writing about the town. i know the town was garrisoned by the Airshire yeomanry and a detachment of the londonderry militia but the name of the officer who captured watty eludes me could he have been the young capt lamont? :)
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The officer who arrested Watty Graham was Capt James Church of the Grove. He was born in 1756 at Myroe near Limavady and was commissioned in the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment on 15 Dec 1780. In 1796 he left the regular army and took up a commission in the Londonderry Yeomanry while living at the Grove between Kilrea and Garvagh. In this role he lead the men who arrested Watty Graham at Magilligan in 1798. He married Thomasina Simon of Lisburn and died at Bellaghy in 1831. My gt gt gt gt grandfather was his younger brother.
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Thank you, when researching the roles of officers and enlisted men at the time it proved a tad difficult to come across any records of the regular or irregular units in maghera at the time of the troubled year. i was born myself in one of the oldest houses in maghera, Victoria house in hall street and was always told that it bordered the yeomanry barracks at the time.
as a child i can remember playing around the wall that adjoined the old lookout tower but was never aloud to go into it, as it was to dangerous and was in a state of disrepair. i am starting my research from the sixth century to the start of the nineteenth century and will take me a few years, lol.
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Watty Graham eldest child was Sarah born in 1792. After the death of her father she emigrated to America with her Mother and Sister but returned to Maghera to live with her Grandfather, James Graham who died in 1812. In 1823 she married a Henry Taylor. I have no record of the name of the second daughter
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Watty Graham was my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather
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Hi Robin
Where did you find information on Watty Graham and his family? I am related but not sure how. The furthest back I can get is my great great grandfather who was called James McKay. His daughter was given the middle name Graham because of their relationship to Watty. She in turn gave her daughter that middle name and she passed it on to her daughter who was my mother. I have no older relations left now to ask questions of and have been unable to find any information on line. Any help would be gratefully received.
Regards
Mo
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my Paternal Grandmother was a Taylor and I have a family tree going back to James Graham, the father of Watty Graham. It is not by any means complete. I too have Graham as my second Christain name as does my Father and the name Graham appears in each generation. However the name James McKay does not appear on the records i have
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Hi Robin
I've just had a look at my great grandmother's obituary. She was Ruth Graham McKay (married to Robert Killough). It says on it she was the great great granddaughter of the famous Walter Graham. Among the mourners mentioned as relatives are Hugh and Henry Taylor. Do you have any knowledge of these Taylors. Other surnames mentioned as relatives are Irwin, Burnside and Graham. The death was in June 1928. I can try to scan you a copy of the obituary if this would help. It is in fairly good condition in a scrapbook that belonged to my grandmother.
Regards Mo
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my great great grandfather was Henry Taylor who was born in 1825 and married Elizabeth Jane Wallace. They emigrated to New York in the 1850's. They had 4 children (Robert Hugh Taylor, Graham Taylor, Henry Taylor and John Taylor). Henry Taylor was my Great Grandfather and returned to Ireland when he inherited Reastown House from his Grandfather, Henry Taylor who had married Watty Grahams daughter Sarah
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My second great grandmother is Maria A. McKay (1848 - 1930), who married John Cousins (1844-1900). My family has long had a photo of John Hamilton Killough, and I assume the connection is through the Grahams. Are Ruth Graham McKay and Maria McKay sisters? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jhcousins
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Hi
My great grandmother was Ruth Graham McKay. She had a sister Maria Ann also other siblings including a brother John Hamilton. She married Robert Stewart Killough and named her eldest son John Hamilton. Her father was James McKay. I have been trying to find out how she was related to the Grahams but have not been able to find any info on this.
Ruth's youngest children were twin girls one of whom was my grandmother. Her name was Margaret Graham Killough. My mother was Ruth Graham Neely. So there is a Graham connection somewhere. I just can't find it!
Mo
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Thanks for the reply! I started an account today after seeing your watty graham posts. I heard stories about a John Hamilton being an Orangeman, but I still don't get the connection. Then I saw John Hamilton Killough photos in my grandmothers house and am trying to make sense of it. Are we cousins?
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Hi John
I think we are probably 3rd or 4th cousins. My grandmother visited America in the 1930s as her sister Maria had emigrated there. I have a newspaper cutting with a picture of her with a cousin called John Cousins! If I remember correctly he was someone important. I'm not at home at the minute (on holiday in England). I live in Northern Ireland. I'll be home next weekend and can scan the photo for you.
John Hamilton Killough - my grandmother's brother - had something to do with securing pensions for older people. He died in 1939 and I have photos of his funeral which seemed to be a fairly large affair. Do you have any old photos?
I can look out any other information you might want when I get home. Also we can private message after you have made 3 posts to this site.
Maureen
Maureen
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John Hamilton Killough - my grandmother's brother - had something to do with securing pensions for older people. He died in 1939 and I have photos of his funeral which seemed to be a fairly large affair. Do you have any old photos?
Killough John Hamilton of 39 Eglantine Avenue Belfast civil servant died 28 August 1939 at Kilrea county Londonderry Probate Belfast 30 November to William James Killough school-teacher. Effects £2326 17s. 6d.
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Attached is a photo of John Hamilton Killough from 1926. I'm also attaching the back of the picture, which has handwritten notes referring to "the Plymouth." My family says he was a government employee, and I believe he worked for the ministry of labour.
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Hi There, I was wondering if you could help me? I have been tracing my grandfathers DNA through the Killough line and have come to the conclusion that his father was either William James Killough or John Hamilton Killough. There was a William John Killough who lived in Tower Street in 1924 and I initially assumed that this was his father as he then moved to Parker Street which was the address given on my grandfathers birth certificate. However, as I did more research I discovered that the 2 Williams were related(possibly cousins) through a common ancestor.
I was wondering if you or any of your family have DNA tests on Ancestry or any other site? Or if you know anything about Willian John Killoughs family from Tower/Parker St?
Thank you
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William Killough and family in 1911 at Tower St.-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Pottinger__part_of_/Tower_Street/223660/
The house was at 59 Tower St.-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002188604/
Does your father's birth certificate give a house number?
William in 1901- father James Killough-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Pottinger/Harvey_Street/1262204/
James Killough died 1905 and son William was the informant (note different address for William)-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1905/05588/4570355.pdf
Ellen Killough died 1917 and son James was the informant-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1917/05204/4438328.pdf
William Killough married Maggie Skillen just after 1901 census-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1901/10315/5754994.pdf
Haven't found William's birth yet but possible birth for brother James gives mother as Ellen Toner-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1872/03238/2186709.pdf
Marriage of James Killough and Ellen Toner was 1857 so likely some children born 1857-1863 (registration of births started 1864)-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1857/09523/5451838.pdf
William Killough of 59 Parker St. died 11 Sept.1928-
https://online.belfastcity.gov.uk/BurialSearch/BurialRecordDetails.aspx?RecordID=8187.5907
William's wife Margaret died 1920 at 59 Tower St. and is buried in same plot-
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1920/05119/4408249.pdf
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Thanks for the info, I was just wondering if you had your DNA tested. I have had mine done on Ancestry and on My Heritage under the name Shelly Erskine or Shelly Matthews. I would be interested in finding out if we are related?
Thanks
Shelly