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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Tyrone => Topic started by: cogs291 on Friday 27 October 17 15:59 BST (UK)
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I'm trying to find roots on my Mothers side and desperate to find any connection to the name Reynolds in or around Castlederg.
I have very little information on her life in Ireland and can only refer to her marriage certificate from 1933 when she lived in Cross Street, Larne with witnesses Daniel McAuley and Agnes Fleck at St Cedmas.
Sadie Reynolds, born 1912. Father William Reynolds (Farmer) believed to have been born and raised on a farm in Castlederg. Possibly eldest of six children including twin girls who were all split up maybe around 1928.
I'd be grateful for any leads or suggestions.
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Birth results for Reynolds from 1912 to 1912 http://www.rootschat.com/links/01kyj/
I don't see her there but some are unknown as they just used Index for these but if you check many have full details on image
These are districts for Antrim http://www.swilson.info/regdistmap.php?gregdistid=97
so you can check these from list on left
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Maybe Sadie was not her baptised name? Could be Mercedes...Sarah....
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Maybe Sadie was not her baptised name? Could be Mercedes...Sarah....
Didn't see any Mercedes parked on list!! ;D
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No indeed :).
She may have lied about her age....and can't find a William Reynolds in 1911 Ireland census in Tyrone
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Twin girls might be easier to spot.
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There is a Florence and Catherine in 1912 Belfast, father William but he's a boilermaker
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1912/01504/1611206.pdf
Mother Cissie White
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Thanks for the replies.
The reason I call this a mystery is that I can't find any reference to the surname Reynolds in Castlederg area at any point in history - even today.
Births, Deaths, Marriage, Census, Graves, Land records etc; - nothing on the name Reynolds in or around Castlederg. Closest is Cookstown area where it is a fairly common name.
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1911 parents born Scotland so doesn't sound like the correct family
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Victoria__part_of_/Dee_Street/224898/
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There is a Florence and Catherine in 1912 Belfast, father William but he's a boilermaker
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1912/01504/1611206.pdf
Mother Cissie White
Thanks.
That's an interesting link to twin girls with a William as Father but the twin sisters were supposed to have been born a few years later - 1912 was my Mothers birth year.
That William as a boilermaker in Belfast in 1912 could well have worked at H&W on the Titanic.
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A very long shot - Name: Sarah Marion Reynolds Date of Birth: 01-Mar-1914
Registration Date: 23-Mar-1914
Address: 27 Maryville Ave Parish/District: URBAN 4, BELFAST
Gender: Female County Co. Antrim
Denomination: Civil Parish / District
Father: William James Reynolds Mother: Sarah Jane Brown
Occupation: Labourer
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1: Sarah Jane Reynolds
27 Maryville Ave Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:
Notes:
ASSISTANT REGISTRAR A MORRISON.
But I can't find anything else on the family.
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Not been able to search for births after 1915 on Irish Genealogy makes this a more difficult search.
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This may be nothing ... but stick with me on this explanation.
One of the witnesses to your mother's marriage was an Agnes Fleck, who I would assume was a friend and likely of roughly the same age.
There is a birth of an Agnes Fleck in 1906, the daughter of George Fleck and Agnes Turtle in Ballymena. Agnes Sr. and George were married on February 6, 1901 in Ballymena. On the same page, but married on March 13, 1901, was the marriage of James Reynolds and Agnes Fleck. Both were married in the Presbyterian Church in Buckna, parish of Racavan, Co. Antrim. James' father is noted as William James Reynolds, farmer, of Roughan.
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James and Agnes in my previous message have a daughter named Sarah, born April 30, 1903 in Roughan. This couple also had a daughter, Jane, born April 2, 1902.
By 1911, James is deceased and Agnes a widow:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Slemish/Rooghan/123074/
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James and Agnes in my previous message have a daughter named Sarah, born April 30, 1903 in Roughan. This couple also had a daughter, Jane, born April 2, 1902.
By 1911, James is deceased and Agnes a widow:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Slemish/Rooghan/123074/
Thank you so much Eileen.
All this detective work is driving me nuts. :)
This is the first connection I've seen between Reynolds and Fleck and with the 'Farmer' named William this is worth following up.
I have been working on the assumption that Daniel Macaulay and Agnes (Macaulay) Fleck were brother and sister from Larne as I found the following household in 1911 census..
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Larne/St__John_s_Place__West/196544/
At the time of my Mothers marriage she was working in a shop in Larne. The name Fleck is still today associated with business in Larne and I thought the shop owners may have been Flecks.
Relatives are the only reason I can think as to why her marriage was in Larne as I understand my siblings visited Larne when they were young.
Thanks again
Colin
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A very long shot - Name: Sarah Marion Reynolds Date of Birth: 01-Mar-1914
Registration Date: 23-Mar-1914
Address: 27 Maryville Ave Parish/District: URBAN 4, BELFAST
Gender: Female County Co. Antrim
Denomination: Civil Parish / District
Father: William James Reynolds Mother: Sarah Jane Brown
Occupation: Labourer
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1: Sarah Jane Reynolds
27 Maryville Ave Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:
Notes:
ASSISTANT REGISTRAR A MORRISON.
But I can't find anything else on the family.
Thank you Ann
Colin
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The family in the 1911 census you identified would be considerably older than your mother. What was your mother's actual birthdate?
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The family in the 1911 census you identified would be considerably older than your mother. What was your mother's actual birthdate?
Birth date not certain - given as 6th Sept 1912 but even she was never sure.
I can't actually be sure of any info other than what is on the marriage certificate. Hopefully this is accurate otherwise I am lost.
This is all part of the mystery that surrounds her early life.
I'm pretty certain that she came from a farm in Castlederg and thats why I've looked for a Reynolds connection there.
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Is it possible that Reynolds was not her birth name? There is one Sarah with a possible match born 6 September 1912 in Castlederg, surname Mulligan, father's name William, and mother's name Margaret Ann Sproule from Altamullin.
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Is it possible that Reynolds was not her birth name? There is one Sarah with a possible match born 6 September 1912 in Castlederg, surname Mulligan, father's name William, and mother's name Margaret Ann Sproule from Altamullin.
Sarah Mulligan mentioned above was born in Altamullin (which is in Castlederg registration district) not in Castlederg.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1912/01473/1599894.pdf
some children older than Sarah-
Samuel (1900) https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1900/01985/1764186.pdf
Richard (1903)
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1903/01879/1730973.pdf
Letitia (1905)
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1905/01784/1700611.pdf
James Sproule (1907)
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1907/01677/1666870.pdf
and two younger...
Thomas (1914)
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1914/01395/1573565.pdf
Martha (20 June 1915)- no image online
Family in 1911- older children's births will be on Irish Genealogy site (as should parents' marriage) but will not be indexed with mother's maiden name.
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Corgary/Altamullan/853039
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All this detective work is driving me nuts. :)
Actually it's the joy of family history.....
Birth date not certain - given as 6th Sept 1912 but even she was never sure.
I can't actually be sure of any info other than what is on the marriage certificate. Hopefully this is accurate otherwise I am lost.
You're never lost with rootschat. And you can never be absolutely sure of what was on a certificate. The registrar wrote what he was told & only wrote answers to his/her questions.
Seriously though, there have been quite a few interesting leads thrown up by rootschatters. I would only be convinced that your mother's day of birth was 6 Sep with the year to be yet determined. If she was brought up by others and if she had reason to on marriage, the year is easily fudged.
And my bet [see reply #2] is that her name was Sarah.
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Don't forget Sadie is also Sarah....
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That's what I was trying to say, hallmark - her given name was Sarah but know as Sadie
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Me too.
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Didn't see any Mercedes parked on list!! ;D
That's what makes this hobby so enjoyable, being able to have a wee laugh along the way when all our concentration is buried in names/dates/places/banging our heads off desks/walls...it's great to have some amusing quips to lighten things ;D
To Cogs (Be prepared)!...
Did you ever know any of your mother's siblings?
Do you know if she kept in touch with any of her siblings?
Do you recall her mentioning anything which may not seem significant but could be (anything regarding her family at all)?
Do you recall any other surnames mentioned or places?
Did your mother never mention her family or parents?
I actually gleaned a lot of 'vague' info, from my aunt (my mother's sis) on their parents when I started asking questions (my mother died 1982) as things came to her mind which she didn't think to be of any use but I used every thread she gave me & from knowing nothing (they were orphaned) those little 'threads' were the making of my maternal line now back to 1700s!
If you recall anything at all it is worth mentioning no matter how vague!
Annie
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Cogs- do you know when Sadie's husband was born?
if he was born around 1912 perhaps she was born earlier but didn't want to appear older?
or perhaps she was younger but said she was 21 in order to get married?
Due to family circumstances she may not have know much about her family (so father's details could be incorrect) or perhaps difficult circumstances meant she didn't want to talk about her earlier life.
Are there any relatives that might have clues? don't discount members of her husband's family knowing something they were told or overheard.
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don't discount members of her husband's family knowing something they were told or overheard.
Good point Aghadowey, it's amazing what info. was kept from children but older generations were 'in the know' & hopefully passed on to their children?
Annie
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The nearest I came, although fathers name is Oliver.
Sara Jane Mcreynolds b. 05-08-1912 cookstown,tyrone. parents Oliver mcreynolds & mary Johnston.
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Thanks one and all to those that have taken the time to respond to my 'mystery' post.
I have been on this quest for a few years now and to answer earlier replies I have nothing to go on other than the marriage cert.
I have over recent times become sceptical that her name was actually Reynolds or a variation of that as it seems there were very little background identity checks made in 1933 and she was a beautiful young Irish woman that marrying a British soldier.
Even my siblings were given different accounts of her family and early life so I can only surmise that it was troubled or there was something that she felt she couldn't reveal.
As I was the youngest of four and very close to my Mother I believe that the innocent stories she used to tell me of an early but hard life on a farm in Castlederg are close to the truth.
If the name, DOB etc; can't be relied upon I'm thinking that adoption records may be a way forward but I don't know where to start on that route. If a family of 6 brothers and sisters including twin girls was split up around 1930 surely there would once have been be records of this ?
My only knowledge of this unhappy event is that my Mother went to live with relatives in Paisley Scotland, worked in service before returning to Larne to marry.
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The nearest I came, although fathers name is Oliver.
Sara Jane Mcreynolds b. 05-08-1912 cookstown,tyrone. parents Oliver mcreynolds & mary Johnston.
Cookstown is the opposite end of Tyrone but if the above Oliver McReynolds & Mary Johnston are the same parents of this child born 1878 then unlikely to be a match-
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FPT6-SZQ
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One never knows.
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One never knows.
At this point anything that can be found and eliminated is probably useful.
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There you go then.😀
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The nearest I came, although fathers name is Oliver.
Sara Jane Mcreynolds b. 05-08-1912 cookstown,tyrone. parents Oliver mcreynolds & mary Johnston.
Cookstown is the opposite end of Tyrone but if the above Oliver McReynolds & Mary Johnston are the same parents of this child born 1878 then unlikely to be a match-
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FPT6-SZQ
Yes - lots of Reynolds in and around Cookstown but as you say other side of Tyrone. My philosophy has been if the name Reynolds is correct and Castlederg was birthplace there must be some Reynolds in that area at some point in time, as I don't believe people moved around internally that much.
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Don't forget Sadie is also Sarah....
Yes - My Mother did use the name Sarah. The problem is no links to the surname Reynolds and the area Castlederg.
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Is it possible that Reynolds was not her birth name? There is one Sarah with a possible match born 6 September 1912 in Castlederg, surname Mulligan, father's name William, and mother's name Margaret Ann Sproule from Altamullin.
Many thanks to you, didn't realise at the time how valuable your reply was.
Two years after I originally posted this 'mystery' as user cogs291 I have found through DNA that you hit the nail on the head with your theory of Reynolds not being my Mothers birth name, and that she was the Sarah Mulligan you suggested.
I've since been able to research her Milligan/Mulligan family from Altamullan and connect with some cousins around the world - though many of her siblings descendants remain elusive after the family split, as does the reason she used the Reynolds name for her wedding.
So the full mystery for me remains to be solved, but I've learned not to dismiss suggestions like yours so quickly and not to trust paper records.
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So glad to hear you've found your mother's true identity & your roots, good luck in building your family tree ;)
Annie
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Congratulations on identifying her birth name did you also identify all her siblings ?
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Yes - got them all.
Once I had her name matching her birthday I found nearly all the records at the parish church.
Hasn't quite matched my Mothers story as I remembered it - Eleven siblings - two youngest (that I thought were twins) adopted by a family in Scotland.
Tragic stories including Tuberculosis death of the oldest boy at age 23 after seven months of illness.
Still uncovering details of my GM's death which seemed to be the start of the family split.
House burnt down whilst GF was dying in workhouse hospital.
Looks like other siblings moved away to relatives or were adopted as there are no marriage or confirmed death records in the area.
DNA shows I have fairly close ancestors in Scotland, Canada, Iowa, Illinois, Aus & NZ and I think time will reveal where those Aunts and Uncles of mine went.
Still a mystery as to why my Mother used the name Reynolds, so that's what I'm working on now.