Leetch / Ferguson, Antrim

[PeterFerguson]

I’m trying to trace the Leetch/Ferguson from the Ballymena area (more specifically, Cullybackey).

I’ve started to map this on ancestry.com:
http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/76184891/family?cfpid=32343267142

The known tree starts with John Leetch, born 20 Sep 1771 probably in Cullybackey.  He died around 1840). His wife was Elizabeth, born 1776 in Ballycraigy, died 17 July 1831 in Ballymena  (probably lived in Sagard, Dublin towards end of life, and was buried in Clondalkin, Dublin)

(John was possibly the son of Wiliam Leetch (1743-1800) and Mary (1749-81), of Cullybackey (buried in Old Chirchyard, Ahoghill))

John and Elizabeth had 9 children (probably in Ballymena).

One daughter, Mary Ann Leetch (born 10 Oct 1809, died 1883 in Liverpool) married a John Ferguson (born 1810, presumably from somewhere near Ballymena).  They spent some time in Dublin before emigrating to Hudson City, New York in 1848. At least one of their three children (Samuel Leetch Ferguson) later returned to live in Liverpool.

My interest is in the possibility of going further back in time for the Antrim families.  Any ideas now to start? Would the story mostly be guesswork before 1760?

[I’ve also tried mapping on Ancestry the various Leetch/Leech/Leitch/etc lines in the Ballymena area, which presumably interconnect at some point, but it’s seems to be a confusing story!]

[wb54]

hi peter,
            where to start, look what full dates and churchyards you have.
            check if any death notices in the papers, there might not been
             any but when you have the full date its half the battle over.

             have you asked a look up on your family who moved to hudson
             city, new york?  give it a go and see.

            try to do small bits at a time, when i get stuck on one its time too
            move on to someone else.

             best of luck in your search,

                                                 william.