Magherafelt Castledawson Questions

[caramarie]

Where would Magherafelt Presbyterians have been baptised in the 1820s. Is this church still there? Are 1820s records available?

Shortly after arriving in the US my Magherafelt ancestors were "carpet weavers". Would they have learned this skill in this area.

Thank you very much to anyone who can help me to better understand this area in the early 19th century.

[aghadowey]

Presbyterians don't always attend the nearest church and some families have been known to change churches over the years so you sometimes have to check more than one place. Presbyterian congregations have also been known to split and form another church or join a new presbytery which can also make things more confusing when searching for family records.

For Magherafelt-
Magherafelt 1st Presbyterian Church- baptisms 1703-1706, 1771-1780, 1813-1861, 1889-  ; marriages 1769-1782, 1845-  . Originally part of Moneymore. Records on microfilm in PRONI, Belfast, and Coleraine Library, may also be available to order from your local LDS library.
Magherafelt (Union Road) Presbyterian Church- baptisms from 1868 (start of congregation).

If you know a location for the family it will be easier to see what other possibilities there are. There is lots of information in RESOURCES at the tiop of this board, including a section for Church Records and Graveyards. This link has map of Presbyterian congregations-
http://historyfromheadstones.com/index.php?londonderry

Your ancestors may have been linen weavers in Ireland but probably turned to carpet weaving in the U.S.

[caramarie]

Thank you very much for this helpful information. I think they lived in an area recorded as Ballynocker in the Magherafelt area. I haven't been able to find Ballyknocker  but will continue to study the many resources you've recommended.   

[Elwyn Soutter]

There is a townland called Ballyknock, just outside Maghera, which is a few miles from Castledawson. I suggest you post the names of the people you are researching, as this may help narrow the search further.

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   Ballynocker is just to the north of Castledawson. Curran Road, which can be found on Google Maps, runs through the middle of the area.

Regards

[aghadowey]

If Ballynocker (just outside Castledawson) is the correct townland then churches in or near there would be more logical to check than those in Magherafelt. Ballynocker towland is in the Poor Law Union & registration district of Magherafelt- perhaps this is causing confusion?

[caramarie]

Thank you all for your responses. The surname for this area in Castledawson is Speer, but it often is spelled differently. Speer seems to have been the preferred spelling for this branch of my family in the US. I don't know how it would have been spelled in County Derry in the early 19th century. I'm hoping that records for this period and area will clarify the spelling. Thanks again for taking the time to help.

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   The name Speer/Spear seems to be associated with Castledawson Presbyterian Church from the 1830s. There are also a couple of wills available on the Public Record Office NI for about 1900. See http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx

Regards

[caramarie]

Thank you for introducing me to this site and the wills. Very interesting to read and search on this site even if not related, definitely a source to refer to. Because you seem to be familiar with this area do you know if residents of the early 19th century would have traveled outside their parish, perhaps Castledawson Parish to Bovevagh or even Londonderry? Did they pretty much stay within their own parish? Did they interact that much with others outside their home territory. Many thanks!