Author Topic: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death  (Read 3120 times)

Offline Cell

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,704
  • Two words that can change the world "Thank You"
    • View Profile
Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« on: Wednesday 01 February 17 00:37 GMT (UK) »
Hi,
I've been trying to locate the death of my GG grandfather for quite a few years now and I still can't locate one. Short of going through every single person (thousand upon thousands of them)with the same surname over decades ( which I've tried to do!) , I still haven't located a death for him. It's so frustrating, as I would dearly like to find his death, to have his given age and where he died at last.
 If anyone can have a look , or suggest something, as perhaps I'm missing something really obvious, cant see the wood for the trees - it would be very much appreciated.

The person that I'm looking for is Nixon Graham born abt 1836 (this is a very loose about!)
He married in Ballymoney in 1857 ( of full age) wife Ellen Townsley , father was George Graham.
He had the last known children into the early 1870's  most born around Derry Ballymoney and Coleraine areas , so he should have died  well within civil reg (my g grandfather, his son was born in civil reg time too, in 1866)

In an interview with his son Nixon jnr ( the article is in the Belfast Newsletter dated 4 April 1939, title; Veteran Ulster Tinsmith, changed days in the trade, two periods in the army - if anyone wants to read it (The youngest son that he mentions that was injured in Palestine is my  dear granddad - I wasn't sure what part of the world that he was injured until now as he spent his whole  life in the army , so the article threw light on that one .I do know grandad suffered all his life from hearing damage, which he said was from shrapnel - I used to have to shout at him all the time lol ) .

Anyway,  in the newspaper interview ,my G grandfather  mentions that when he was young his family had trade throughout the whole of Antrim, so this also backs up what I know, that they moved all over the place ,certainly his son did (the one in the interview), he had least 5 addresses that I know of. He also mentions that his family have been tinsmiths for generations ( which I do know as per family stories and as per the certs)
So bearing that in mind , being the nature of  some tinsmiths (being travellers) , my gg grandfather's  death could be anywhere in Antrim!

The death in 1898 is not him, that one was a bachelor and a farmer (according to both his death cert and his will) He leaves his possessions to his brother.
The death in 1948 isn't him either ( that's the death of  my G Grandfather)
I've looked in Scotland too ( on Scotspeople) , just in case he died over there. My grandfather  apparently once told my mum that his grandfather Nixon was born in Scotland ( I don't know if he did , or didn't ) - so it is a possibility that he moved over there (or maybe back) in his later years.

There aren't too many people in Ireland that have the  Christian name,so unless it is really badly mistranscribed somewhere  ( I've tried with numerous spellings over the years, but still nothing .
His surname is also spelt Grahams - with an s in some records, also tried other various spelling with our Graham name too. ( there was also a Nixon  in Belfast, he's a policeman- that's not him)

I doubt very much that he would have emigrated as we  would have heard about it from my grandfather and my g grandfather) - although ,I have looked at the possibility many times , just in case (I never automatically rule anything out)
I've tried looking for his wife's, Ellen's  death, but that has proved fruitless over the years too- she's  a lot harder to find than him( I don't know what surname she would have died under , if Nixon had died she could have remarried)
Thank you for reading, and , or any suggestions.
 What I do know for 100% sure about his death though - he's definitely dead somewhere out there ;D.... but where? is the question.

Kind Regards
 


Census information in my posts are crown copyright www.nationalarchives.gov.u

Offline Rosinish

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 14,239
  • PASSED & PAST
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 01 February 17 00:54 GMT (UK) »
Hi Cell,

Not much help but something to consider.

I have seen the name Ellen as Helen or Nellie & probably others?

Annie
South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline Cell

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,704
  • Two words that can change the world "Thank You"
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 01 February 17 01:00 GMT (UK) »
Hi thanks Annie, yes lots of names for her, could be Eleanor too. She is the harder one to find, as she may have died under a different surname too.It's Nixon's death I'm after the most, if I could find his , her death may be easier to locate
Kind regards
Census information in my posts are crown copyright www.nationalarchives.gov.u

Offline majm

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 25,385
  • NSW 1806 Bowman Flag Ecce signum.
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 01 February 17 01:06 GMT (UK) »
NIXON

Nicholson
Nicolson
Nicolas
Dixon
Dickson
Dickens
Richard

Graham NIXON instead of Nixon GRAHAM

 May I empathise with you, Cell.

JM
The information in my posts is provided for academic and non-commercial research purposes. 
Random Acts of Kindness Given Freely are never Worthless for they are Priceless.
Qui scit et non docet.    Qui docet et non vivit.    Qui nescit et non interrogat.   
All Census Look Ups Are Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
I do not have a face book or a twitter account.


Offline Cell

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,704
  • Two words that can change the world "Thank You"
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 01 February 17 03:43 GMT (UK) »
NIXON

Nicholson
Nicolson
Nicolas
Dixon
Dickson
Dickens
Richard

Graham NIXON instead of Nixon GRAHAM

 May I empathise with you, Cell.

JM
Hi,
You may  ;D

Add Alford to the above list too, which looks nothing like  the word Nixon. There  must be  a million other possibilities the name could be transcribed as , it's very frustrating  . How on earth the name was transcribed as Alford ,I do not know.

When the 1911 census first came out, it took me a while to locate  my  g grandfather Nixon.  I knew he should be  still there and where about, but couldn't immediately find him . The way I found him in the end was by my grandfather ( who isn't named Nixon thank goodness lol). He was  transcribed as Alford (the  image clearly said Nixon). I sent the  correction in  and they changed it  to Nixon, BUT I completely  forgot to send a correction in for his young son  who is on the same census return page ,who was also transcribed as Alford  ..-His  son  is still there today transcribed as Alford lol ( which a few name gathers have just  copied and pasted him onto their trees lol).
I can't be bothered sending in a correction for him now, as  the genuine researchers will know it is Nixon.

Kind Regards :)
Census information in my posts are crown copyright www.nationalarchives.gov.u

Offline Heather Cardwell

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 44
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 07 February 17 17:41 GMT (UK) »
This may help. Did you know that a lot of Grahams who came from Scotland changed their name when they got to  Ireland to MAHARG. This is 'Graham' spelt backwards! Try looking for Maharg or Meharg. 

Offline Cell

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,704
  • Two words that can change the world "Thank You"
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 07 February 17 23:54 GMT (UK) »
Hi Heather,
Thank you ,I did not know that.
I've just been reading up on it after I saw your post,  there doesn't seem to be any real proof out there to me, but folk tales.

I've also done a search with the names and  still can't find him
I  will keep it in mind , but I doubt that the informant on the death of my gg grandfather would suddenly spell his name backwards in modern 19/20th century Ireland- when my GG grandfather used his Graham surname on all  of his known Irish records including his civil marriage and births of his children.

I will  keep it in mind when searching for family in the records. It's very interesting reading - I certainly learn something new everyday.
Thanks Heather :)
Census information in my posts are crown copyright www.nationalarchives.gov.u

Offline TheWhuttle

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 496
  • How many boys?
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 08 February 17 04:30 GMT (UK) »
Heather,

That was a very interesting piece of information that you posted.
[I'd always wondered about the origins of the MEHARG name.]

Many "Scots" changed their names (usually over time) after arriving in Ulster.
e.g. MACKENZIE --> MCKINNEY

The most infamous was the MACGREGOR clan.
They adopted "colour" names - WHITE, BLACK, GREEN, ...
[PURPLE (only joking!).
 King James proscribed their name - anyone could kill a MACGREGOR with impunity!]


The GRAHAMs were one of the "riding" clans of the Scottish Borders.
Such were notorious for raiding cross-border trade over the centuries.
King James set "breaking their power" as a priority during the first few years of his reign.
[He wanted to establish his vision of an island-wide "Great Britain" as a viable concern.]

Many members of these border clans scarpered to Ulster at the time (~1603-1610).

Capt. Jock
WHITTLEY - Donegore, Ballycraigy, Newtownards, Guernsey, PALI
WHITTLE - Dublin, Glenavy, Muckamore, Belfast; Jamaica; Norfolk (Virginia), Baltimore (Maryland), New York
CHAINE - Ballymena, Muckamore, Larne
EWART, DEWART - Portglenone, Ballyclare
McAFEE, WALKER - Ballyrashane

"You can't give kindness away enough, it keeps coming back to you."
Mark Twain (aka Samuel CLEMENTS) [Family origins from Ballynure, Co. Antrim.]

Offline Heather Cardwell

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 44
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Fresh pair of eyes please. Looking for a death
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 08 February 17 06:06 GMT (UK) »
'Most present day Graham's in Ireland stem from an extended family of that name who settled in White Park County Antrim in the early 1600's having been banished as Reivers (Outlaws) from Scotland where they suffered from persecution  and certain death  as a law had been passed that anyone by the name of Graham were to be hanged summarily. Along with the Graham's came their many "Sept's", that is families of which the mother was a Graham female. It is said that some reversed their name to Maharg to escape scrutiny.The original Graham's Fort  at Glenwherry is still in existence to this day and is marked on ordance maps. It is sited on the farm ground of a present day Graham, John. These Grahams are descendants of the Graeme who commanded the armies of Fergus II in 404 AD. and until their departure from Scotland they were known as The Graham's of the Borders.'

I got this from Joe Graham's website. It may help CELL if not maybe someone else looking for Grahams. Also see  Graeme and Gramus.

All the best. Heather