Author Topic: McElhone / McIlhone name issue  (Read 1983 times)

Offline Antaares

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McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« on: Monday 16 April 18 08:10 BST (UK) »
Hello all,

I have a very confusing Northern Irish line concerning my father's McElhone relations. We have Non-Catholic/Catholic marriage issues and name spelling changes. I suppose we could even be McIlwaines, McIlhons, and any other variation! Anyway, here is a timeline:

  • Abt 1842 (Tyrone) - My gt gt grandfather John McIlhone was born.
  • Abt 1844 (Down) - My gt gt grandmother Jane Rea was born.
    • 1865 (Down) John McIlhone (Catholic) married a Jane Rea (Presbyterian). He was then estranged from his Tyrone people, and I can't find out who he was. His father was also a John.
  • 1901 (Belfast) Now spelling it McElhone, John (engine driver) and Jane are on the Shore Road.
  • 1901 (Belfast) Their son (Wm) James McElhone (marine engineer) married Margaret Wallace from Ballymena, and now his family are at Marvue Street. My grandmother Ellen is born to them in 1900.
    • 1911 (Down) John and Jane are retired and live in Church Street, Down.
    • 1911 (Belfast) (Wm) James is at Orchard Street, Belfast.
  • They are now the ONLY Non-Catholic McElhone/McIlhone family in the entire 1911 Census. (I find this bizarre!)

John and Jane had seven children, four lived. Their son Samuel Rea McIlhone became just Samuel Rea, and it seemed that for awhile all the family dropped McIlhone. Samuel's daughter Eliza married a Catholic chap and her family finished with her. Samuel Rea (McIlhone) had five sons all called Rea, but who were really McIlhones (John/George/Samuel/James/David).

I'm totally stuck. We don't know where in Tyrone John McIlhone originally came from, his father was John, his mother is unknown to us.

My grandmother Ellen (daughter of (Wm) James) had two sisters (Jane, Mary), and then five brothers; John, James, Alexander, Samuel, Thomas. We know Samuel died in Algeria, but have no info on the other four McElhone men.

Does anyone have any Catholic McElhone/McIlhone branches which have gaps which may be my family? We have been looking from Australia for 15 years, and even after my father (Ellen McElhone's son) had an Ancestry DNA test, we have no new leads.

I hope someone can help!

Thank you,
Laura.

Looking for Young, McElhone/McIlhone, Wallace, Wilson, Cowan, and Rea in County Antrim.
Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/pt/pedigree.aspx?tid=26926659
WikiTree: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Mcelhone-2

Offline hallmark

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Re: McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« Reply #1 on: Monday 16 April 18 21:11 BST (UK) »
C Reg Birth, Marriage and Death results for Mc*lhone

Displaying results 1 - 100 of 890.   http://www.rootschat.com/links/01lwu/
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Offline hallmark

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Re: McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« Reply #2 on: Monday 16 April 18 21:16 BST (UK) »
Reg Districts
.
.
.
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Offline hallmark

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Offline Antaares

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Re: McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« Reply #4 on: Monday 16 April 18 22:26 BST (UK) »
Thank you, hallmark! Much appreciated. :)

Offline hallmark

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Re: McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« Reply #5 on: Monday 16 April 18 22:45 BST (UK) »
1865 (Down) John McIlhone (Catholic) married a Jane Rea (Presbyterian).... what address did he give??
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Offline Antaares

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Re: McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 17 April 18 03:32 BST (UK) »
No specific addresses for either of them in 1865, just 'Ballymacarrett' for them both.

Offline Willim

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Re: McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 30 May 18 03:35 BST (UK) »
Hello Antaares,

Several years ago I came across this entry from The Census of the Parish of Kildress 1766, in County Tyrone. I saved it because of one of the other families in the list. It has a John McIlhone, Catholic, potentially the father of your John, and two other Catholic McIlhones. Also in the same townland there is a Miles  McElhone, Catholic, and potentially of the same family.

Census of the Parish of Kildress 1766 in Co. Tyrone

Transcribed by Teena
LDS FILM 1279330

1766 RELIGIOUS CENSUS OF IRELAND

P = Protestant; C= Catholic; D = Dissenter

Townland - Beaghmore

George CAMPBELL C
Mick CAMPBELL C
Edward LYNCH C
Miles McELHONE C
John McILHONE C
Neal McILHONE C

Hugh McGERAGHTY C
PatrickMcILHONE C
Owen O'DONELLY C
Gilly O'LOCHRAN C
James O'LOCHRAN C
Lawrence O'LOCHRAN C
Cork O'MACKILL C
Arthur O'QUEEN C
Mathew O'QUEEN C
Mick O'QUEEN C

More recently I did a search for a friend for McElwains in Kildress Parish and found only one, a William McElwain, in the Tithe Applotment Book in Kildress Parish for 1826. He was Protestant and lived in Drumnaglough Townland about only 4 miles to the south-east of Beaghmore Townland.

My sense is that the variable spellings of apparently the same surname hasn't much to do with the family's English spelling preferences, but with the census takers choices. He interviews the people in Irish, their spoken tongue, and then reports the information in English, rendering the Irish name he was given phonetically into English. So manifold spellings of the same name.

Hope this is helpful,

Willim

Offline aghadowey

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Re: McElhone / McIlhone name issue
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 30 May 18 19:16 BST (UK) »
Spelling, until fairly recent times, was fairly fluid amongst all people. Variations in the same family or on the same document are not unusual so it's really nothing to do with Irish vs. English.
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!