Letitia JOHNSTON & Siblings - Birth Lookup Request - COMPLETE

[Aus_Mike]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help me find the birth record for Letitia JOHNSTON, born ~1829 in Belfast.  From there I hope to trace her parents and siblings.

Letitia migrated to Victoria in 1852, aged 22, aboard the Cambodia with her brother James(29), his wife Jane (28) and their 3 children, John (6), Mary (4) and Isabella (infant).  She married John Parkinson in Geelong, VIC in 1853 (brother James was witness) and died in Wallsend NSW in 1909, having spent 23 years in VIC & 35 years in NSW.

Unrelated, there was another Letitia Johnston aboard the Cambodia, aged 25, who I believe came from Armagh.  She married Jeremiah Caddell in Geelong, VIC 1852 and lived all her life in VIC until her death in 1912.

Also, there was an Eliza Jane JOHNSTON on the Cambodia, aged 19, possibly a sister to "my" Letitia but I have been unable to confirm as yet.

I've not researched into Northern Ireland before and am at a bit of a loss about where to look.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Mike

[aghadowey]

The dates you are looking at are well before the start of civil registration. Even if you knew the family's religion in Ireland it wouldn't be easy finding the correct church (Belfast has lots of churches and often 'Belfast' can mean a place quite far out of the city) and even if you did somehow find the correct church their records might not go back before mid-1800s (many here don't).

Have a look at Introduction to Irish Records and My Ancestor came from Ireland - where do I start?.

[trish1120]

Someone has a Submitted Record on the IGI;
Letitia JOHNSON, Christened 01 February 1829, Drumcree, Armagh, Ireland
Parents THOMAS/JANE


Letitias Death Cert you obviously have but do you have James's to see if it has Parents names?

There is this also;
Eliza Jane JOHNSON Christened 04 March 1832, Presbyterian, Killinchy, Down, Ireland.
Father WILLIAM
(Extracted Record IGI)

Unfortunatley Irish research back that far is very hard. I was lucky that I had Cousins who went to Ireland and went through available Parish Records.

Trish

[Aus_Mike]

Moderator & Trish,

Thanks for your prompt responses.  I had thought this research was going to be tough but, ever hopeful, ...   

I follow-up on your suggestions and also flesh-out the family details by investigating James and Eliza in AUS.

FYI, on Letita's NSW death cert, both parents' given names are listed as "Unknown".  Maybe her siblings' certs will have more details.

If it's OK, I'll leave this post open until I have further info.  It could take some time.

Regards,
Mike

[Aus_Mike]

Hi aghadowey & Trish,

Well, I have some extra information but am not sure it will be enough.

The microfiche of the original "Cambodia" Assisted Passengers list records that James, "my" Letitia and Eliza Jane are all Presbyterian and "native to" Antrim.  The "other" Letitia is from Armagh and is Episcopalian.  James' wife and children, while Presbyterian, are "native to" Derry.

A point to note is that the ages of the Letitia's are the the opposite I what I advised previously: the Armargh Letitia was 22 while "my" Antrim Letitia was 25, making her birth 1827 rather than 1830. 

From James' 1861 VIC death cert:
- he was aged 38 and, so, born in 1823 and had been in AUS 8 years, both of which align with the records from "Cambodia",
- he married his wife, Jane Lawson, in Co. Antrim aged 22 which would have been 1845,
- his parents were William & Martha Johnston (no maiden name) and
- he died in Cowies Creek, Geelong. 

I mention the location because it's not certain he was Letitia's brother, just that it's probable as Letitia was married at Cowies Creek in 1853 and James was witness to the marriage.  John & Letitia raised their family a few kilometers away at Duck Ponds, Geelong.  Love the location names :-)

Eliza Jane had 3 children (1 deceased) by Richard Seldon Reed in the 1860s and her 1892 VIC death cert states that she was married to him in at age 18 (1850) in Belfast (no marriage cert found).  It also states that he father was named Thomas and was a harbour master, so it's unlikely that she was James sister.

I've also done some research on Irish sites and found an 1845 marriage cert for James Johnston (father William) and Jane Lawson (father Andrew).  The groom's townland is listed as the same as the bride's - Artykenagh parish of Dunboe County.  Another problem is that the cert is for Coleraine, Co. Derry but, from checking the maps, Coleraine seems close to the Antrim border.  So, maybe it's the right one. 

The rest of my Irish checking (RootsIreland, Ancestry & FamilySearch sites) for Letitia, James, Eliza Jane plus William & Martha has drawn blanks.

Trish,

Thanks for the lead on the FamilySearch IGI site.  I tried to use it but had messages that it was off-line, did some checking and found it's being phased-out  and am now trying to understand how to use NFS. 

aghadowey,

Thanks for the "primers" on research for Ireland.  I've found the religion but not the precise parish / church.  I saw your links to RC and CofI sites and am now looking for Presbyterian sites.

In the meantime, any advice regarding sites or my chances of success would be greatly appreciated

Regards,
Mike

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   I do not recognise the townland in the Parish of Dunboe. The closest that I can find is ARTICLAVE which is about four miles west of the town of Coleraine. The parish of Dunboe is in the County of Londonderry.  There is a marriage, which I think that you have found. 5 May 1845 James JOHNSON married Jane Lawson in Coleraine Civil Registrars Office, Co. Londonderry.

Regards

[aghadowey]

I suspect the townland might be Altikeeragh in Dunboe parish rather than Articlave. Dunboe parish is just a bit west of the town of Coleraine but it's in the Poor Law Union (and Registration District) of Coleraine.

[Aus_Mike]

Hi All,

Thanks for your suggestions about the townland name - I just copied the name off the RootsIreland certificate.

I'll do some more research on your history, parishes, poor law unions etc and follow through on the leads you've given me.  With a longer-term approach, maybe some extra info from "the colonies" and a little luck, I could be successful.  If not, it's another good reason for finally coming to visit your Emerald Isle. ;-)

Thanks again.  I'll mark this post as complete.  When I have more info, I'll open another.

Regards,
Mike Bell

[Darleith]

Mike Bell, Eliza Jane Johnston is my GRT GRT GMother. Have you solved your problem.