ARMSTRONG, of Drumco

[alf]

Hi

I am in need of some assistance.

I am trying to help a friend who lives in Belfast, I live in Staffordshire, UK. He knows very little about his encestors.   All he can tell me is that an ARMSTRONG married Ms WILKIN, he thinks her names was Emily.  Their children (not in birth order) were David born about 1904, Ambrose, Wilkin, Elizabeth, Jean, John, and Mary. plus four that died in infancy.  They all lived at Rooskey, Drumco Post Office.  Any information would be appreciated

Regards
Alf

[Sinann]

Could this be the family in 1911 in Fermanagh.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Ely/Carrickreagh/514459/
Father is a Postman, they could have moved for his job later.
Ancestry has appointment books for Postal workers which would be worth checking.

[gaffy]

The 1911 Carrickreagh Armstrong census record on the NAI website has been wrongly (but understandably) transcribed as William Armstrong, the actual census return shows Wilkin Armstrong, which turns a relatively common name into something much less common and begs a potential relevance to the mention of Wilkin in the OP (maybe the family anecdote got mixed up over the years?): 

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002319659/

Wilkin Armstrong married Emily Spratt in Trory Church of Ireland (just outside Enniskillen) on 14 December 1904, his father was James Armstrong and hers was Jack (John) Spratt. GRONI online has the civil record for the marriage if required.

Civil birth records are also available via GRONI online for children David Armstrong b. 1 October 1905 (the RootsIreland website transcribed record is for David James Armstrong), Elizabeth Armstrong b. 19 July 1907 (the RootsIreland website transcribed record is for Elizabeth Emily Armstrong), John Armstrong b. 11 October 1909 (the RootsIreland website transcribed record is for John Dickson Armstrong), and Wilkin Armstrong b. 9 January 1912 (the RootsIreland website transcribed record is for Wilkin Hicks Armstrong), all registered at Enniskillen.

The RootsIreland website index also indicates there are transcribed birth records for Mary Armstrong in 1914 (to parents William Armstrong and Emily Spratt), and William Robert Armstrong in 1916 and Francis Armstrong in 1920 (to parents Wilkin Armstrong and Emily Spratt). All registered in Fermanagh (Ely Registrar's District).

GRONI online and RootsIreland record content is pay to view, but you can get a lot of information from just searching the indexes.

[gaffy]

Wilkin Armstrong and Emily Spratt in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Ely/Carrickreagh/1362210/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Fermanagh/Ballycassidy/White_Island/1363611/

[gaffy]

Emily Spratt's parents in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Fermanagh/Ballycassidy/Ballycassidy/515206/

GRONI online has a birth for an Emely Spratt on 9 July 1886, registered at Enniskillen.  Mother's maiden name is Fosset. 

Familysearch has this potential other sibling John Francis Spratt showing the mother as Emily Fawcett Spratt (GRONI online has this as well and shows the mother's maiden name as Fawcett):

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FGLM-62N

Emily Fosset/Fawcett previously married William Eames in Killesher Church of Ireland Fermanagh on 20 March 1872. GRONI online has the civil record under William Eamer (btw, FamilySearch has many references for much of the stuff in these posts as well).

GRONI online also has a death record for a William Eames on 9 May 1872 registered Londonderry which might be him, either way, Emily (Fawcett) Eames subsequently married John Spratt on 22 March 1878 in the same church (Killesher CoI) before going on to have children John Francis and Emily. John Spratt's father was William Spratt, Emily (Fawcett) Eame's father was Francis Fawcett.

[gaffy]

GRONI online has the birth record for Wilkin Armstong registered at Enniskillen, he was born 14 June 1876,  the mother's maiden name is given as Hire but this is a mistranscription, it is Hicks (hence the son Wilkin Hicks Armstrong born in 1912).

Wilkin Armstrong's parents were James Armstrong and Eliza Hicks who got married on 6 June 1873 at Enniskillen Registrar's Office. James' father was William Armstrong, Eliza's was Francis Hicks.


 

[gaffy]

GRONI online has a death registered in Enniskillen for a Wilkin Armstrong, he died on 30 July 1943, his reported age at death was 31 (the son?).

[gaffy]

Just wondering, what is the County Monaghan link?  Where does "Rooskey, Drumco Post Office." come from?

I can't find "Drumco" in County Monaghan. I'm wondering if it is based on Drum, Co. Monaghan (I haven't seen what source you base this on, but if it is handwriting, I wonder if the "Drum" and the "Co" of Co. Monaghan look like "DrumCo"?).

Or is it the townland of Drumcaw (Civil Parishes of Kileevan and Donagh, County Monaghan)?

Several other Monaghan townlands are potential candidates.

Roosky (and variants eg. Rooskey) are common in Ireland, eg. the townland name exists for the County Monaghan Civil Parishes of Killeevan, Drumsnat, and Monaghan.

And there is also the townland of Roosky in the County Fermanagh Civil Parishes of Devenish and Inishmacsaint.

Can you add anything on the "Rooskey, Drumco Post Office" reference?

[alf]

Hi Gaffy

A BIG thank you for all the information you have supplied, it's all bee a great help.  Rooskey, I will get back to you on that one. It may have been a name they gave the building they were living in.

Once again many thnks for the help

Alf