Beckett, Aghadavy, Ballinderry 1800-1855

[tsidey]

Hi Aaron,
What I really would like to know is more on Thomas Beckett who was born in 1805 and married Matilda Whyte. As the story goes, they had to leave in a bit of a hurry after the family went bust in the Panic of 1847 when they lost all their money.  I know nothing of Thomas's parents or siblings or what kind of a life they lived before they left.  It sounded like they might have had a bit of dosh but then stories become embellished over the years. I do know that he died in Troy, N.Y. in 1858 leaving his wife Matilda, to raise a bunch of kids.  Four out of the 15 that I know of, died before crossing the pond. Any info would be most welcome or if you can point me in the right direction where I might look, that would help to.
Cheers,
Tia

[maggieblue]

There are a couple of Beckett links with my Gilbert family of Aghagallon (not far from Ballinderry).

In Aghalee on the 3rd Feb 1847, my 1st cousin 4x removed, William Gilbert married Mary Beckett, daughter of Matthew Beckett.

A couple of years earlier, in 1845, William Gilbert's sister Jane married Samuel Turtle, son of John Turtle.

This is from my notes on John Gilbert, father of the above William and Jane:

One of John Gilbert's children married a Turtle and another a Beckett.  CEB Brett's book, "Buildings of County Antrim" features Laurel Hill in Aghalee.  This house was owned by the Turtle family while the farm next door was owned by the Becketts.  On the 14th December 1890, Isaac Cousins Turtle of Laurel Hill, only son of the late William John Turtle died, aged 38.  In his will Isaac directed that all his land that he be "possessed of or entitled to whether leasehold [or] freehold and chattles to be sold and the proceeds to be divided equally between [his] two unmarried sisters Mary Letitia and Harriet Turtle."  In 1891 Laurel Hill was bought by James Quinn who moved in with his wife (Jane Graham) and children.  On the 23rd September 1931 James Quinn's son William married his neighbour Annie Elizabeth Beckett.  As a result of this union the two farms were combined.  These Turtles and Becketts were presumably related to the spouses of John Gilbert's children.

Other marriages:

On the 18th March 1880, Samuel Beckett of Aghalee married Mary Elizabeth Turtle, eldest daughter of William Turtle of Ballinderry.

There was also a Beckett-Gilbert marriage in 1978, but that's a bit recent to talk about here.

Hi
Are you by any chance Matt? Member of NIFHS?
I have Matthew in my tree born approx 1815.
Maggie

[Gilby]

Hi Maggie - yes, that's me.  What do you know about Matthew Beckett?

@ Aaron - do you happen to have a Beckett family bible (or similar) with family information recorded inside?

[Anne Martin]

Hello
 I have recently started researching my mother's family - Becketts of Ballinderry.
I have discovered that there seem to be several lines in fact (but pretty certainly from a common ancestor who no-one knows as we do not have records far enough back).
 The 1815 Mathew Becket lived at Portmore according to both the 1851 census and the Griffiths listing of 1862. I think he has at least a great-great-grand-daughter still in the area.
I reckon that Aaron's 1805 ancestor was a younger brother of my great-great-great-grandfather - the houses were beside each other on the Griffiths map.