RootsChat.Com
Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Antrim => Topic started by: cmcderment on Tuesday 03 March 15 16:07 GMT (UK)
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If anyone can help me get further back on my father's side, I would be really grateful.
The furthest back I can go is a marriage on 17th January, 1852, of Samuel McKillop (of "full age" but possibly only about 18) and Mary Jane McRoberts (under-age) in Kilbride Parish Church in the parish of Newtonabbey, County Antrim. Both of them are given as resident in Grange of Doagh. Samuel is called a flax dresser and would probably have been born between 1830, and 1834. His father is given as Samuel McKillop, labourer. Mary-Jane's father was John MacRoberts. Witnesses were James Phillips and Joseph Coulter. No mothers' names are given, but Samuel's mother was Elizabeth Dunsmore (later known as Strain, from a second marriage). Elizabeth's parents names were Hugh Dunsmore and Elizabeth Blane. Mary-Jane's mother was Agnes Davidson.
Samuel's sister Isabella Mckillop, then aged 17, also married there, to a James Phillips, also a flax dresser. This marriage was in the same church, on 24th May, 1851.
Isabella's daughter Elizabeth Phillips was also christened there, on 18 February, 1852.
The church was only founded in 1848, so none of them could have been christened there.
Of all four of them, only James could write, the other three making their mark only.
Samuel and Mary-Jane had two children, George and Margaret, (born about 1853 and 1854 respectively) before turning up in Greenock, Scotland in March, 1858 for the birth of their third child, Hugh.
Unfortunately Samuel, Margaret and Hugh all died of scarlet fever within a few days of each other, in September 1859, leaving George as the only surviving child. (A posthumous baby boy, Samuel, born in 1860, died before he was two years old.) The registration of Samuel (senior)'s death gives his age as 25, and his father as dead.
If anyone has any records of these names in their family, I would love to hear from them. I can find no further trace of Isabella and her family and I have no idea where Samuel and Isabella came from before their marriages in Doagh.
I know people travelled frequently between Ireland and Scotland in those days and there is a family story that the original McKillops came from Argyllshire.
I also know how difficult it is to find records in Ireland dating this far back.
If anyone can shed any light at all, I thank you in advance.
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Just seeking a point of clarification - you refer to the "Parish Church". This would indicate that the family were Church of Ireland members. Is that correct?
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Kilbride was a Presbyterian Church and that's certainly where they got married, but I know nothing of them before that. They were married by a Rev. W Orr "by licence".
Don't know if that helps or not, but thanks for your interest.
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William Orr was the Presbyterian minster of Kilbride Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian ones organised into presbyteries) but 'parish churches' are either Church of Ireland or Roman Catholic.
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Ah, I didn't know that, but the transcript clearly says Presbyterian against both Samuel and Mary-Jane.
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If you look at PRONI's Guide to Church Records:
http://www.proni.gov.uk/guide_to_church_records.pdf
you can see that Kilbride Presbyterian records start in 1848. There are two Presbyterian churches close by in Donegore. The records for 2nd Donegore Presbyterian also start in 1848 but 1st Donegore Presbyterian records begin in 1806. These might be worth a look. They are on microfilm in PRONI and a personal visit is required to access them.
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Thanks, that's very useful to know.
I did make one visit over there and spent a day at PRONI and went to Doagh and to Kilbride church, where the very helpful people there told me that it had only started in 1848, but no one seemed sure which other church they might have attended/been christened in before Kilbride. We only had a long weekend so didn't have much time to investigate further.
Not sure when I'll make another visit but at least I now know where to start looking further.
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1st Donegore's records have been published on CD. Presumably if you contact the church they may either be able to sell you a copy or direct you to where you can get one.
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That's good news, Elwyn, thank you. I shall try to contact them
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Well the very nice people at Donegore sent me a cd, free of charge, with a list of their baptism and marriage records from 1806.
Unfortunately, although it is obviously the right place, because all the place-names are familiar, there are no McKillops recorded, either being born, being married, or even just as witnesses.
This reinforces my belief that my Samuel and his sister Isabella, came into the area, probably for work, from elsewhere.
Although the name McKillop is fairly common in Antrim and other areas, the name SAMUEL McKillop is practically non-existent. If anyone has any records at all of the two names together, I would dearly like to hear from them.
Many thanks,
Christine
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Hi,
In 1870 a Samuel McKillop married Matilda McGrotty in Coleraine Civil Registrars Office and in 1900 a Samuel McKILLIP married Annie Bradley in Killowen Church of Ireland, Coleraine.
Regards
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Thank you.
Obviously it's later than the records I'm looking for, but anyone using Samuel as a first name, is worth investigating. Looks like I'm going to have to have a look in Coleraine.......
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Just to add to your list, a Samuel McKillop appears in Griffith's Valuation in the townland of Ballybrannan, parish of Grange, County Armagh:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01exv/
This dates from 1864.
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GV also has a Samuel McKillip in the townland of Cloghan, parish of Kilmore, County Armagh:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01exw/
Also from 1864.
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MacKillop's in Glen Roy & Glen Spean, R.C's one of them Mary MacKillop became Australia's saint.
Skoosh.
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.... and Armagh.
Thank you, Glensman for all the various "sightings". That puts even more possible places on the map. I really am going to have to make another trip some time.