Harper family - Antrim

[huntermh]

Hi,
I'm new here so I hope I have the protocol correct and please correct me if/as I get it wrong.

I was adopted with no genetic info, but I connected with a very nice "2nd to 4th" cousin on one of those DNA testing sites and we're trying to figure out how we're related. We believe it's from her Irish side of the family (we're both in the US), so we're trying to do research on the Harper family from Co. Antrim, specifically the children of James Harper b.5/12/1806 and Jane MacCullough b.3/5/1814. We've been able to rule out one line, that of their son, James E. Harper born 2/14/1836 in Derry who immigrated to the US...so we're trying to track the other children's families. Any leads or help or advice would be much appreciated (have tried some other well known sites, dead ends so far). We have the other children's birth dates from an old family bible:

David Harper b.9/28/1834
Eliza Harper b.April 1838
Andrew Harper b.6/11/1840
Margaret Harper b.5/25/1841
Mary Harper b.10/22/1844
William & Annie Harper (twins) b. 7/31/1846
Jane Harper b.10/19/1851
Sarah Harper b.5/1/1855
Martha Harper b.7/17/1858

thanks very much everyone!

Cheers,
Hunter

[aghadowey]

In order to start searching for the family in Ireland you really need a more exact place than 'Co. Antrim.' Any idea where they lived?

[huntermh]

No we don't, one old note was written on letterhead that said "Shane's Castle, Antrim" at the top, but I think that could just have been from a visit there(?), I'm not sure...was hoping that with birhtdates for so many of the family that we might have a chance.

Birth dates for the kids in the surviving pages of the old bible simply note "Co. Antrim"

[aghadowey]

Shane's Castle is Randalstown but unfortunately all those birthdates are before the start of civil registration of births in Ireland. Do you know the names of their parents?

[huntermh]

we just know that all are children of James Harper b.5/12/1806 and Jane MacCullough b.3/5/1814

[aghadowey]

Sorry, forgot you did mention the parents in the original post.

[BallyaltikilliganG]

Trying to be helpful Harper and Harpur are both common surnames. Is it clearly one spelling only used throughout in the family bible.

Where was the family bible located when first used by yourselves in a Harper household? Are you sure it would not be easy to trace backwards from the USA etc ? I notice there is a gap between the family children after the twins were born and the next child Jane, which is natural, but the timing is also when the major irish famine occurs, and I think family search.org has a special emigration list of those who left between about 1846-1851.

Child 2.James E. Harper born 2/14/1836 in Derry You have ruled him out, but his birthplace remains, was Derry named in the family bible ?  Are you aware Derry or Co Londonderry as it was known, is the adjoining county to Co Antrim?  Randalstown is close to the border of the the two counties.  There is no Derry townland or civil parish in CO Antrim so that means the family must have moved counties after his birth or Jane went back to her mothers to have the child. There is no trace of McCulloughs in Griffiths Co Londonderry.But there are other spelling

In 1859 in Griffiths valuation see askaboutireland.com under Co Londonderry are three Harper households [and a lot more Harpurs].
Errigal   Harper   James   Tamnymore
Banagher   Harper   Jane   Templemoyle
Lissan   Harper   William   Ballybriest
One can do the same for Co Antrim

I don’t have the time to search exhaustively for named Harpers using www.familysearch.org  I noticed an Andrew Harper having children with his wife Elizabeth Palmer with a christening and births registered as Crumlin Co Antrim Crumlin is in Camlin civil parish. In 1826 there were no Harpurs in Camlin civil parish, but there were nearly 20 Palmers So where did he come from?

Going back to earlier surviving bits of census http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie living in 1831 at
5 in Ballymughan More (Magherafelt, Loughinsholin, Londonderry) census    Forename   Number of house   Number of families in each   Number of males in family   Number of females in family   Number of male servants   Number of female servants   Number in Established Church   Number of Roman Catholics   Number of Presbyterians   Number of other Protestants
McCullagh    Jane   5   1   1   3   -   -

If one was Jane McCullough ,then one of the local churches was
1st Magherafelt Presbyterian church with the marriage date missing!
Baptisms, 1771-81(with index), and 1813-1964;
marriages, 1769-82 (with index), 1819-28 and 1845-
1963; marriage notice books for Magherafelt
Presbytery, 1845-1946; session minutes, 1703-82 and
1818-56; committee minutes, 1848, 1852-3 and1911-
45; list of elders in 1828; ministers’ visitation books,
1823-32 and 1841; ministers’ diaries, 1833-54;
ministers’ account book, 1889-1904; history of the
congregation prepared in 1853.
[Baptisms 1703-06 for Dawson's Bridge may include
baptisms for 1st Magherafelt – see under
P. Castledawson above.]
CR3/13; D2725/6; D1926/1-
2; MIC1P/450; MIC1P/460

So thats as far as I can go, good luck onwards JimG

[aghadowey]

...
In 1859 in Griffiths valuation see askaboutireland.com under Co Londonderry are three Harper households [and a lot more Harpurs].
Errigal   Harper   James   Tamnymore
Banagher   Harper   Jane   Templemoyle
Lissan   Harper   William   Ballybriest
...

I can rule out the James Harper in Tamneymore.

[akanex2]

Regarding Derrys in Co Antrim, the townland of Dirraw in Finvoy parish is often spelt "Derry" in old documents. Dirraw was also the name of a dispensary district within Ballymoney Union so applied to a wider area than a single townland. There is a Robert Harper in Ballymoney town in Griffith's but none in Finvoy. Likewise no Harpers are listed in the tithe applotment for the parish in 1834 close to James's birth. This does not mean there were no Harpers in the parish, just that they did not occupy agricultural land there.

There may well be other Derrys whose name/spelling has changed so be aware of this possibility in searching townland lists.