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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Derry (Londonderry) => Topic started by: cyclamen on Friday 08 October 10 20:33 BST (UK)
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I am looking for information re this family.
Robert Douglas married Mary Rodgers 24th June 1855. The marriage was reported in the Coleraine Chronicle. Robert was described as a merchant living in Catherine Street, Newtownlimavady. Robert Douglas, widower, then married Martha Hunter on 14th February 1861. Robert’s father was Matthew Douglas.
At GRONI I found two children with the surname Douglas and the mother’s name Hunter. One (name was not captured) was born 26th December 1864 and the other James was born 6th October 1866.
In 1901 Census the family of Robert Douglas is living in Catherine Street, Limavady. He is a merchant aged 67. Children are listed as Lizzie aged 41, Minnie aged 39, Jennie aged 36 (possibly the child born in 1864), Robert aged 34 and Matthew aged 32. The family were Methodist. The 1911 Census shows two families. One appears to be Robert Douglas, the son, aged 39, merchant living in Catherine Street with his wife Martha Elizabeth Douglas. The other family was Lizzie Douglas aged 46 and her sister Jennie Douglas aged 43. Both of these families were Methodist.
I have done a search at GRONI keeping an open mind about the discrepancies in ages between 1901 and 1911 but have been unable to find the birth of Robert and Matthew.
Any help would be much appreciated.
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The mother of the ? Douglas 26 Dec 1864 and James Douglas 6 Oct 1866 was indeed MARTHA Hunter according to the IGI
Regards
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I should also have said that Robert's father was Matthew Douglas and his profession was a farmer. Martha Hunter's father was William and he was also a farmer.
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Not sure if of any use, but in a roll of Officers i have for the 10th Inniskillings in 1914-18 there is a James Douglas of Broighter Cottage, Myroe, Limavady.
I also have photos of him, he survived the war. He was only in his early 20's in 1916.
His army record at the PRO London should give details of next of kin.
There was by coincidence another Officer called James Douglas but i have no information about him.
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There were some Limavady families that settled in Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada and this thread makes me wonder if there were more that I am aware of.
There was a Mary Douglas (born c1803) who married George Rankin (born c1806) , a shoemaker, in Ireland and they came (with children George and Eliza) to New Brunswick in 1833. George Rankin had a brother Robert Rankin come here as well. Also in the area here was Thomas Rodgers who married a Mary Jane Hunter a year later (1834). I am not sure who her parents were but it appears they were Andrew & Mary Hunter (both born c1791) who came in 1830 with at least a son Andrew (born c1821).
Does anyone have either a George Rankine (m. Mary Douglas) or a Andrew Hunter (m. Mary __) in the Limavady area in the early 1800s?
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Thankyou Rob. I will follow this up.
Robert Douglas was named as executor in the will of John Hemphill, Culmore. Broighter is a stone's throw from where John Hemphill lived. James Douglas of Broighter Cottage may well be linked.
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I am also researching my Douglas family of Limavady.
Among them are a Jean and Robert, whose father was Matthew Douglas, Farmer.
I don't know who Robert's mother was, but have Matthew born about 1806, the son of Samuel Douglas and Jane Gay / Guy.
Matthew later married Nancy Ferguson Hunter (1846) and had about 7 children, 3 of them coming to NZ. The youngest John Alexander Douglas, took over the farm from his father (or possibly half the farm - the other half may have gone to his sister Maria Murphy). John Alexander Douglas passed the farm to his son Robert (who married another Hunter - Mary Rachel), then to his son Robert John, then to his son David Douglas who is still on the farm.
I don't know who Robert married, but have 2 sons - Matthew and Robert.
Does any of this ring a bell?
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Hi,
Matthew Douglas of Ardinariff died on 30 Mar 1887 and letters of Administration were granted to his son John Alexander \douglas. See http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx
Regards
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Hi Kingskerswell
Thanks for that.
I was hoping that there might be a connection with Cyclamen's family.
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Vichou,
I have been comparing your Douglas family with my notes and your 1846 marriage of Matthew seems to be a problem. I have notes of a marriage of Mathew Douglas to a Nancy Ferguson (Austen), a widow, in Bovevagh Church of Ireland on 2 Nov 1846. This church is less than a mile from Ardinariff.
Regards
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Hi Kingskerswell
Matthew Douglas married Nancy Ferguson Austen / Hunter in 1846 in Bovevagh Church.
It says her surname is Ferguson in IGI, and (Austen) in Irish Civil Marriage, and the family says Hunter?!
He is believed to have been married twice before - with William by first marriage and Jean & Robert by second marriage. These details have not been confirmed but passed down through the family.
Four of Matthew's children by Nancy Ferguson, got married in the Bovevagh Church. Maria to John Murphy in 1869, Elizabeth to Thomas Connor in 1881, Samuel to Elizabeth Jackson in 1889, and John Alexander to Isabella Stirling in 1890. Two sons, a daughter, and a grandson traveled to NZ (along with 2 of his brothers and 10 nieces and nephews).
I was hoping that Cyclamen's Robert (son of Matthew), might be the Robert of Matthew's second marriage.
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Hello vichou,
I am sorry but I have no further information about the Matthew Douglas, father of Robert who married Mary Rodgers and Martha Hunter. All I know is that he was a farmer. Robert gave his age as 67 in the 1901 census so would have been born circa 1834. I have no death date for him but it looks as though he died sometime before 1911.
It does seem possible that he is connected to your family. I can see only one Matthew Douglas in Griffith’s Valuation (1858) in the Limavady area. He leased land at Ardinarive. Interestingly I see that one of his neighbours is John Guy.
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Hi Cyclamen
Thanks for that information about the Griffiths Valuation.
In the IGI there is submitted information that says Robert DOUGLAS was born about 1833 and died Jun 1908.
There doesn't seem to be a will for him though.
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After my posting last night I found that I actually did have a date of death for Robert Douglas. He died 19th April 1908 aged 75. If wills are probated in Dublin they are not on line. I will check the will calendars when next in PRONI.
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Cyclamen and Vichou,
This may be a coincidence but I had a walk around the Cof I graveyard in Bovevagh today keeping an eye out for Douglas graves. There is a large vertical stone which just states "The Family Burying Ground of Robert Douglas Limavady". There are no other names or dates. However next and close to the vertical stone is an older flat stone stating that this is the grave of Jane Douglas died 18 Oct 184? aged 68 and Samuel Douglas died 15 Apr 1860 aged 84.
If these are of interest I can forward photographs if you send me your e-mail addresses using the Personal Message system.
Regards
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Thanks kingskerswell. I was wondering where the family might have been buried. Yes, I would like photographs of the headstones. I think you have my e-mail address already but will send it just in case.
Do you know if there any Hunters buried in this graveyard?
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Cyclamen,
Not sure about Hunters but I will have a wander around when the weather improves.
Regards
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Cyclamen,
Sorry but there are no Hunter gravestones in the C of I church in Bovevagh.
Regards
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Thanks for having a look anyway!!
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Still working on this family! Does anyone know where the information re the maiden name of Nancy Ferguson who married Matthew Douglas originated? I visited PRONI yesterday, found the record on marriage record on microfilm BUT there was no mention of her maiden name.
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Hi Cyclamen
I thought it was on familysearch, but that just has Nancy Ferguson, and her father as William (no surname)
Emerald Ancestors has a Civil Marriage Record: 2 Nov 1846 Mathew DOUGLAS & Nancy Ferguson (Austen) Bovevagh Church of Ireland.
Someone visited PRONI and said this: Nancy was a widow from Ballyquin, Parish of Balteagh. No father's name was given (possibly illegitimate). I had expected to see her maiden name. The witnesses were Robert Hunter and Joseph Hunter(perhaps her brothers).
The Marriage certificate of their son, Joseph DOUGLAS, in 1893 in NZ gives parents names Matthew DOUGLAS & Nancy HUNTER. Also his sister Jane DOUGLAS's death certificate in 1876 in NZ gives same parents names.
Hope this helps
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I came up with the same information at PRONI. They were married in Bovevagh C of I. I thought that Emerald Ancestors had transcribed the church records and if this is the case where has the name Austen/Hunter come from?
Like you I would suspect the witnesses were her brothers or possibly one could be her father. I think perhaps the name Hunter has somewhere been mistranscribed as Austen.
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Hi Kingskerswell,
I am new to this board and am interested in the photos you have/had for Samuel Douglas' gravestone. Haven't figured out how to send you a private message. Hope to hear from you. Thanks.
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Welcome to RootsChat, rbdouglas :)
Haven't figured out how to send you a private message.
If you make at least one more post (just say Hi etc), you can use the Personal Message (PM) system to contact kingskerswell (who was last online here in July 2020) and be able to exchange personal data, such as e-mail address.
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Kiltaglassan,
Thanks for taking the time to provide the explanation. Much appreciated.