Magherafelt Castledawson Questions

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   Any movement to Bovevagh (over 20 miles north) or Londonderry (40 miles north west) would depend on their job but most people in the Castledawson area would have remained in the Castledawson/Magherafelt areas. To get to Bovevagh or Londonderry means passing over the Sperrin Mountains through the Glenshane Pass.

Regards

[caramarie]

Thank you for helping me understand the geography of the area. This is very helpful in understanding how likely or unlikely it would have been for various parishes to have interacted with each other.

[aghadowey]

People moved about freely and whilst many might have stayed in the same area (although not necessarily the same parish) others would have moved about for employment. By the vary natuare of their work, occupations such as farmers and millers tended to stay in same place but others (labourers, domestic help, schoolteachers) were more mobile.
My grandfather's uncle writing about his parents (married 1849) said they lived at the then great distance of 9 miles. However, other relations moved back and forth between Aghadowey parish (near Coleraine), County Londonderry and the city of Londonderry- a distance of about 30 miles.

[caramarie]

Thank you for more insight on the mobility of parish residents in the early 19th century. Would religion also have influenced where they settled or lived. Would Castledawson have been known then as a Presbyterian Parish or were there just areas like Magherafelt within a parish that might have been predominantly of one religion. My research indicates that at least one branch of my early ancestors in Northern Ireland were Scotch Irish and my understanding is that they would then have been Presbyterian. Would knowing their religion be helpful in choosing where to look for them? I'm trying to confine my ancestors to certain areas but they don't seem to be cooperating. It appears that I may be "traveling" through areas other than Magherafelt or Castledawson Parish. Again, many thanks for the excellent responses! 

[aghadowey]

There would have been a mix of religions in the area you are looking at.

In 1901 census there are 876 people listed under Castledawson itself- 600 R.C., 121 Church of Ireland/England, 125 Presbyterian, 27 Methodist and 3 Moravian. However, searching for Castledawson D.E.D. there are 3167 inhabitants of which there are 1806 Catholics and 97 Moravians which means proportionally more Presbyterians lived outside the village.

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   If you give us some names and dates we may be able to help.

Regards

[caramarie]

Thank you again for your kind offer to help. The surnames are Speer, the apparent preferred spelling for my ancestors, and just found a US record describing my family, although born in Ireland, being of Scottish heritage. However at least for now my interest is Ireland rather than Scotland. My research indicates they were Presbyterian. An important couple recently discovered in my US research are a John Speer born about 1822 and his wife Sarah Black born about 1824, both born in Ireland but do not know if married in Ireland. Their oldest son born in the US was James, their oldest daughter Elizabeth, also born in US, posssibly the husbands parents? I know that research begins at home but you all have been so informative and kind in your responses that I thought I would also research in Ireland. Many thanks!   

[DebGlaze]

I have found a baptism record for a John Spier, presbyterian, in the parish of Castledawson
Date of Baptism: 12 Nov 1823
Address: Ballynocker
Father: Robert Spier

Might not be your John Speer but spellings change a lot throughout records.

[Elwyn Soutter]

The 1831 census for Ballyknocker has households headed by John, Robert, Sally and William SPIER. Griffiths Valuation (1859) has households headed by William SPIERS  and Robert SPIERS (plots 11a & 11b) and also by Andrew SPIERS (plot 14).

There’s 4 SPEER or SPEERS housesholds there in the 1901 census, who seem likely to be descendants.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Magherafelt/Ballynocker/

1 will abstract (summary). The full probate file should be in PRONI:

 Full Abstract :
Administration of the estate of Andrew Speer late of Ballynocker Castledawson County Londonderry Farmer who died 20 June 1900 granted at Londonderry to Andrew Speer Farmer the Son