Mcilmurray, Upper Rathmullan, County Down

[Bellaanne]

Yes, those are the graves, 10 minutes from my home.  You have made me think and search and, no, I have no documentation of Rathmullan.  Think I got that idea from early work and now doubt it's validity.  I will try to find death records.  Thanks so much!

[Bellaanne]

Just found some documentation on Mcilmurray and Rathmullan, William, 1833, Ireland tithe appointment book! Upper Rathmullan!

[scotmum]

OK - thinking is good  .

If you have no source documents in US that indicate Rathmullan, you should be careful about assuming it is the correct location. That said,  often,  checking appearance of surnames in the Tithe applotment records, Griffiths Valuation records and suchlike, can be a helpful indicator and at the very least, aid in narrowing down areas of research, especially with less common surnames.

Using a site such as  http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/ and inputting the surname 'McIlmurray', is helpful too, as it can throw up name variants.

With the 'McIlmurray' surname, it suggest, in timescale, it was to be found in County Down along with variation 'McElmorrow'. However, for variation 'McIllmurry', there were some occurrences in County Antrim and County Tyrone. Also, the 'McElmurry' spelling variation was found in County Fermanagh.

So, whilst it could well be that your line were the ones linked to Rathmullan Upper, if you have no US source that concurs with this, you may have to also consider the other spellings and areas too, even if only to rule them out.

[Bellaanne]

Thank you.

[Bellaanne]

It is getting closer to my trip to Co. Down and am still researching my great grandparents.  As suggested by Scotman I have done further research and the more I look the more confused I become.  Mcelmurray is the name they used in the US.  I am confident they were from Co. Down yet the name I find on Down is Mcilmurray.  Would these names have been interchangeable? 

[aghadowey]

There was no such thing as standarised spelling so it's very common to get variations of a name- have even see the same name spelt 3 different ways in one document.

[glensman]

The excellent Ros Davies site has lots of McIlmurray references including one to William McIlmurray of Rathmullan who died 1835, was a brother of James, Bernard and Richard and is buried in Ballykinler Catholic Graveyard.


http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies/SURNAMES/Mc/McHMcIlv.htm

EDIT:  Just noticed that this grave reference comes up on one of Gaffy's links.  Still worth a look at the site.

[Bellaanne]

Thank you both.  Would it be feasible for this family to be called Mcilmurray in Down and change it to Mcelmurray when the arrive in the US?

[glensman]

Thank you both.  Would it be feasible for this family to be called Mcilmurray in Down and change it to Mcelmurray when the arrive in the US?

Absolutely yes.  The spelling of a name was very  much down to the whim of the person recording it.  The idea of a correct spelling did not exist in the 19th century.  Aghadowey has given an example.  I have many similar name changes.  One couple in my family had four children baptised in the 1850s by the same clergyman and the records show four different spellings. 

My strong advice is to be open to many variant spellings.