COSSART/WALKER family from Antrim or Derry?

[theycametheystayed]

I am trying to track down exactly where my COSSART ancestors came from in Northern Ireland.  Henry COSSART and Mary WALKER had seven children between 1841 and 1863 before they emigrated to Australia.  The places of birth of the children are listed by other researchers as Balliminster, Antrim; Ballyscullion, Derry; Balliminstra, Antrim.  I suspect they were all born in Antrim - and but see there is a Ballyscullion in both Antrim and Derry.  Is Balliminster the incorrect spelling for Ballymena and where is that in Antrim?   Is Ballyscullion sp ? near Ballimena ?
I am also looking for the Marriage of Henry COSSART and Mary WALKER c 1839.  Henry was the son of Joseph COSSART and Susan DAVIDSON.  Mary's parents are unknown.   Susan DAVIDSON's death is registered in Ballimena Registration District in 1866, as are those of her sons Alexander (1887) and Joseph(1882).   Joseph COSSART senior 's parents were part of the Moravian community of Gracehill, but according to family hearsay, Joseph snr was expelled from the family because he married Susan DAVIDSON around 1804. 

The only other information I have about Henry COSSART and Mary WALKER is that they were executors of the will of Nancy McKee ------ The Will of Nancy McKee late of Bellaghy in the County of Londonderry Widow deceased who died 26 February 1861 at same place was proved at Londonderry by the oaths of Henry Cossart and Mary Cossart his Wife both of Ballymacourt in said County the Executors ---

I would be grateful for any information.  Thank you in anticipation

[Elwyn Soutter]

There’s no place in Co Antrim or Derry named Ballyminster or Ballyminstra. I suspect this must be a mistake. Perhaps for Ballymena.  The parish of Ballyscullion straddles the river Bann, which is the county boundary, and as you say part is in Co Derry and part in Co Antrim. Bellaghy would be close to the Co Derry bit (and might even be in that parish). Ballymena is about 10 miles to the east of the Co Antrim bit.

The 1839 marriage is before the start of statutory registration of nonconformist and protestant marriages (1845) and so it won’t appear in statutory registers. It may appear in the church records, if you know where the couple married, and the records have survived. Details of what records survive are on the PRONI website:

www.proni.gov.uk/

I can’t see a townland called Ballymacourt in Co Derry. Can’t see what it might be. You can view all the townland names on this site:

www.thecore.com/seanruad/


There’s only 1 Cossart in Ireland in the 1901 census, living in Ballymena:

www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Ballymena_and_Town_and_Urban_District_of_Ballymena/Boyd_s_Entry/925593/

I see she’s Moravian and from your other post about the Moravian graveyard I suspect she must be related to your family.

[OTTO]

I think it's Ballyminstra townland ( see: http://www.thecore.com/seanruad) in Antrim near Ahoghill, which is just west of Ballymena. If you "google" a map of Northern Ireland, you should be able to locate Ballymena, which is pretty central in County Antrim. Sorry I cant help you further, but to advise seaching the website for the other names mentioned.

Ballyminstra townland is just south of Ahoghill. If you search for it, i'm sure you'll be able to find it on the internet maps.

If you look at the actual image of the will, which is available now, you can see that it's not Ballymacourt, but Ballymacombs. There are two townlands beside each other by that name , just north of Bellaghy, Ballymacombs Beg, and Ballymacombs More.

OTTO

[aghadowey]

The only other information I have about Henry COSSART and Mary WALKER is that they were executors of the will of Nancy McKee ------ The Will of Nancy McKee late of Bellaghy in the County of Londonderry Widow deceased who died 26 February 1861 at same place was proved at Londonderry by the oaths of Henry Cossart and Mary Cossart his Wife both of Ballymacourt in said County the Executors ---

I have a feeling you haven't viewed the Will (copy in Will Book which survives)- Nancy's Will mentions her daughter Mary, wife of Henry Cossart of Ballymacombs. Looks as though Ballymacombs has been mis-transcribed as Ballymacourt.

See- http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx

[theycametheystayed]

Thank you ever so much for the information about the place names.  I will go through all the old documents I have a again to try to establish exactly where they lived.


And thank you for the information about the will.   I didn't realize that copies of the wills were available.   Mary Cossart's death certificate only gave the information that her father's surname was Walker, so now I have her mother's name.  Nancy may have remarried or her maiden name may have been Walker.   Have noted that they lived in Ballyacombes in 1861.

Having received 45 pound from Nancy may have been one of the factors that influenced Henry and Mary's decision to emigrate to Australia in 1864

Thank you again

[maggieblue]

Hi
Ballyminstra is one of the six full townlands of the parish of Ahoghill which lie in the barony of Toome Upper.  The name of the townland has been correctly interpreted as 'Baile Mainistreach' 'townland of the monastery'

Kind regards

Maggie

[Stella5]

Hi

I have a notification from Gracehill Moravian Church and on it is written Henry Cossart, son of Henry Cossart and Mary waller (not walker).  Just in case the name has been mis-transcribed.

[kingskerswell]

Stella5,
           This may be a coincidence but on 6 Jun 1865 Henry Waller CROSSLE married Anne Mary Eleanor Porter in Ardstraw Church of Ireland. Ardstraw is in the Strabane District of Co. Tyrone.

Regards

[BallyaltikilliganG]

Joseph COSSART senior 's parents were part of the Moravian community of Gracehill, but according to family hearsay, Joseph snr was expelled from the family because he married Susan DAVIDSON around 1804. d 1866 Ballymena  This might be verifiable  see a book
Rosalie White, A history of Gracehill Moravian settlement Imprint    [S.I. : s.n.], 1997. See an article The 1798 Rebellion as recorded in the diaries of Gracehill Moravian Church. Gracehill Moravian Church (Antrim, Northern Ireland: county)
Newtownabbey : Moravian History Magazine, 1998. Both items in the LineHall Library, Belfast. Notes on Davidson there is an Andrew Davison, living in Moylarg, Ahoghill 1825 see tithe records below

Children as known to you in unsorted order
1.   Henry COSSART and Mary WALKER c 1839.  Mary's parents are unknown.  In 1825 tithes for the parish are two Walkers , [no Waller]  ie Alexander Walker in Limnahary and Thomas Walker in Lisnafillon
2.   Alexander ( d Ballymena1887) and
3.   Joseph Jnr( d Ballymena1882).

The tithes applotment records 1826 are confusing to me for the first time see http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/antrim/tithe-applotments/ahoghill-parish.php  There are no Ballykennedy entries ie none of the Moravian settlement are listed. There are no Cossart in the list as far as I can trace.

Moving to 1862 and using www.askabout ireland.com and then its Griffith valuation section reveals the following three entries, I have combined Alexanders

Cossart-Joseph-Gloonan-Ahoghill-Antrim property owned by Rev Rowan . Joseph has 4 acres and a reasonable house. I think  could be the family son  Joseph jnr who dies 1882
Cossart-Alexander-Grace Hill, Ballykennedy-Ahoghill-Antrim property owned by Moravian settlement he has 2 acres outside the village and a house and small garden inside the village
If this is the family son Alexander who dies 1887 then he must have been readmitted by the Moravians , or perhaps it was just the father expelled.

So that brings me back to Henry did he move off to Bellaghy which is in the civil parish of Ballyscullion L’Derry after marrying a girl from there, There is an Anne Walker presumably a widow or daughter in Ballyscullion L’Derry see Griffiths valuation in the 1860s.
I shall stop now , hoping something here helps you onwards, bringing me back to Elywn Otto and aghadowey
JimG