Ancestors of Samuel Kerr, Carrickfergus

[KiwiRose]

Hello Wisnom 1813

I have many family members in my tree that come from the same districts outside Carrickfergus as the Kerrs and Wisnoms.
 
One of the branches of my tree in the area had a daughter, Sarah Jane Moore McConkey, who left her home and travelled to San Mateo to marry Hugh Ridges in 1905. Their first daughter was named Jane Wisnom Ridges. I have no knowledge of where the name Wisnom came from but it could possibly be a maiden name connected to Hugh’s family. There was at least one Ridges family living outside Carrickfergus.

I have had a look through the information I have collected and found the following that you possibly already have.

In 1856 there was a Will and Grant listed for an Alexander Wisnom of Duff’s Hill, Carrickfergus. It may have been destroyed in the 1922 fire in Dublin.

In the Kilroot graveyard there are two Wisnom headstones. One for a James Wisnom who died 23 Aug. 1831 aged 53 years and the other headstone was erected by a Capt. Samuel Wisnom in memory of his children who died in childhood from 1867 – 1887.

There is a set of books of gravestone inscription for the parishes around Carrickfergus and Larne that I found very helpful in my research.

I hope these Wisnom clues will be of some use to you and eventually lead you to information that enable you to find the names of John Wisnom’s (b. 1807) parents.

Regards
KiwiRose

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   On 3 Apr 1879 Hugh Ridges married Jane Wisnom in Glenarm Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church.

Regards

[aghadowey]

Hi,
   On 3 Apr 1879 Hugh Ridges married Jane Wisnom in Glenarm Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church.

Jane Wisnom's father was William and Hugh Ridge's father was John.

[Wisnom1813]

I have record of Jane Wisnom and Hugh Ridges having three children: William Wisnom (Oct. 15, 1879 - Templecorran); John (FEb 20, 1881 - Chicago, IL); and Hugh (Aug 11, 1883). Jane passed in 1885 in Chicago, IL. It seems as though Hugh had many other wives, but had an affection for the Wisnom family as he spends the end of his life in San Mateo. I believe that someone in the family holds a photo of Hugh and Jane in the front of their Ireland home. Jane Wisnom would be a first cousin to Robert who moved to San Mateo in 1868.

Thank you aghadowey and Kingskerswell for the marriage information.

I know that James' 1813 and William's 1818 (Jane's father) father's name is James. The headstone you have identified for James d. 1831 is possibly that man. I have been unable to confirm this. This James was born in 1778. I believe he also had a son John b. abt. 1815.

Capt. Samuel (b. abt 1835, d. 1888 in Swansea, England) may be a descendant of John Wisnom a mariner identified in a Belfast News article in 1760. I believe Samuel is the son of Capt William b. 1791 - d. 1879. Nothing to definitively confirm that yet.

Do you have the name of the book that holds the gravestone inscriptions. I may be able to retrieve it in an interlibrary exchange her in the states?

Thanks KiwiRose!

Wisnom1813

[aghadowey]

Do you have the name of the book that holds the gravestone inscriptions. I may be able to retrieve it in an interlibrary exchange her in the states?

Possibly this book- Old Families of Carrickfergus & Ballynure

[Trevbet]

Hello Wisnom 1813
Thank you for getting in touch..
The John Wisnom you mentioned born in 1807 is my Great great Great Grandfather.
His daughter Jane married William Hay (Hays or Hayes)
Their youngest daughter Margaret McNinch Hay married John Kerr
Their son Charles Kerr married Mary McArthur
Their son John Wisnom Kerr was my father
My brother was also John Wisnom Kerr.

Betty

[KiwiRose]

Hello Wisnom1813,

The Kilroot graveyard Wisnom headstone inscriptions just happened to be among notes I had made for my own family research from the book, “Gravestones Inscriptions: Parishes of Glynn,Kilroot, Raloo & Templecorran.” It was published by the Ulster Historical Foundation.

The book mentioned by aghadowey is one of the books in the gravestone inscription series.

In case you can’t locate copies of the books, there is an alternative. I have just had a look at the Ulster Historical Foundation website. It seems that UHF has the inscriptions on their website and I found ten Wisnom results.
There were the two Wisnom’s from Kilroot, four from Old Templecorran in Forthill, three from Carrickfergus CI and one from Glynn Old. Try the link below - I hope it works. The search is free but you need to pay to view.

www.ancestryireland.com/family-records/gravestone-inscriptions/

Kind regards,

KiwiRose.

[zozo]

My G G Grandfather Samuel Kerr married Margaret Ann Millar in Joymount Pres Church Carrickfergus on the 24 June 1858.
His father William Kerr, Labourer
Her father John Millar
Witnessed by William Laughans and Margaret Nevin
Children of Samuel and Margaret:
Elizabeth Kerr 1.11.1858
James Kerr 24.9.1860
Margaret Kerr 3.10.1862
John Kerr 4.1.1865  married Margaret McNinch Hays 23.12.1892, she died between 1905 - 1911,
William Kerr 4.3.1867
Ellen Kerr 14.3.1873
Samuel Kerr 23.9.1875
I would be grateful if anyone had any information on the above and in particular Samuel Kerrs father William and when Margaret McNinch Kerr (Hays) died.
Many thanks...

This is a bit of a long shot, but I have John Millar who married Sarah Devlin in Joymount Presbyterian church on 01 Nov 1845. They had two children Isabella b 6 Dec 1863 and Patrick b 1861. Could your Margaret Ann and my John be related?

[aghadowey]

This is a bit of a long shot, but I have John Millar who married Sarah Devlin in Joymount Presbyterian church on 01 Nov 1845. They had two children Isabella b 6 Dec 1863 and Patrick b 1861. Could your Margaret Ann and my John be related?

John Millar's father was Thomas according to extract of marriage-
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGYQ-PXJX