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Hi JJ,

Nice to hear from you . My gt. gt. grandmother was Margaret McCobb, a sister of Isabella. I been hoping to get in touch with the Aussie McCobb family for a long time. I thought that information concerning the family may have been passed down from Isabella and her sisters who went to Australia.
Their parents were James McCobb and Ann Fullerton (from marriage records 1828 of CofI ) .
They lived in Raymoghy, outside Maoncunningham.
From the immigation records we know that Jane, Isabella, Martha and Margaret were sisters.


There may have been other siblings :
Catherine McCobb who married John Dowds.
Denis McCobb who married Mary Leferty.

Maragaret married William Semple in 1864 in Manorcunningham Co.Donegal.

The information passed down through my family is that James McCobb was a son of the McCobb family of Errity, Manorcunningham.   Probably a younger brother of Thomas McCobb , who married Catherine Patterson, but not verified by records.

I understood that Margaret McCobb was raised as a Presbyterian, so I was surprised to see that her sisters Martha and Isabella were listed as RC on the Aussie immigration records. Do you have any information on that? Perhaps. Isabella's marriage record.

It is diffuicult to trace back the McCobb family in Donegal before the 1820's. But they are all related. The first McCobb in Donegal was a Patrick McCobb , who came from Scotland in the 1600s.

Sorry , that I have no information for you on Isabella's early life in Donegal. She was very young when she left. You could try the Presbyterian church records , and PRONI in Belfast,

Regards

Siobhan

Hi Allen,
      I think your research on the emmigration records pretty much settles it. Thank you so much for that information and I will send it on to Mark and Susan. I hope to follow on from that using the church records.
I let Mark know that you were in touch and relayed your information on the DNA. I don't claim to understand how DNA information  is used, but I understand from Mark that there is utility in maternal DNA.  He has asked me to let you know that he would take care of supplying the kit etc if there was a volunteer from the U.S. McCobb line, perhaps a descendent of William McCobb and Margaret Glenn. If you wish to discuss the DNA stuff with him I can provide you with his e-mail.

I will be very interested to read your book when it comes out next year. If I come on any new information I will let you know. 
Now that I think of it , rootchat does not allow you to send e-mail addresses in messages. However, I am in ancestry as SiobhanMulligan.

Take care

Siobhan

Hi Allan,

 So nice to hear from you at last! I have read many of your posts on the Internet with great interest and I have tried to e-mail you, but my e-mails were returned.

Yes , I am a descendant of William Semple and Margaret McCobb, who are my gt. gt grandparents. Their daughter Mary Semple is my gt. grandmother. Her 2nd husband was Edward McCoy. William & Margaret  had 14 or 15 children, so their descendants are dispersed all over the world. Among them is Mark Weber of Chicago. He is a grandson of William George Semple, a brother of my gt. grandmother Mary Semple. He has made great progress recently connecting up with the Semple descendants. Mark is very interested in verifying connections with the McCobbs using DNA. He, my uncle Edward McCoy and my cousin Susan McCoy-West have donated samples to the 123andme database. It would be interesting if a DNA connection could be made with the McCobbs stateside. If you know of anyone who would be willing to give a sample, I will let Mark know.

Regarding the townland of 'Errity'. It is just outside the village of Manorcunningham.  It is in the civil parish of Raymoghy, which is next to the civil parish of Taughboyne, where some of the Lattas hailed from. I have seen 'Errity' referred to as 'Irrity' but never 'Airsty'.  I have checked the Internet, Google Maps and the Irish Ordinance Survey and I cannot find 'Airsty'. I am assuming that it is transscribed wrongly or misheard. The Tithe applottment Books of 1826 list a Widow McCobb at Jirity /Irrity ?

The McCobb farm at Errity is now owned by David McClean. His father bought it from Patterson of Tullybogley around 1948.  The last McCobb willed the farm to Patterson who were distant relations of the McCobbs. My knowlege of the MCobbs in Donegal is very patchy. The census records only go back to 1901. Much of the census records before 1901 were destroyed by fire in the War of Independence around 1922. Also. the government pulped a lot of records to make paper during WWII. What a shame! When I get the time, I hope to look at the Presbyterian church records to figure out the relationships between the McCobbs in Donegal.  I know that the Dowds of Manorcunningham , and the Crawfords of Burt are also descendents. THere was also an Edward McCobb in Raphoe. And another Edward McCobb in Cloghglass, Killmacreanan and later in Golan, Milford. The Golan McCobb family appears to have changed their name to McCabe. THere also was a McCobb family living at Anne St, Dundalk Co. Louth in 1901. The parents, John McCobb and Ellen McAuley, were originally from Donegal. They married in 1881 in Raphoe civil parish. John's father was Edward McCobb and Ellen's father was John McAuley.

The other civil records are the Griffiths Valuations which list McCobb at Errity and Raymoghy. Also. The Civil Bill Ejectments lists a Catharine McCobb .

THere are very few McCobbs left in Donegal now. Keith McCobb at Ballyholey and a Joanne McCobb in Buncrana ( Phonebook ). Perhaps they might have some information.

I was wondering whether you know who the original McCobb planter was? and where did they come from in Scotland?

Regards

Siobhan

Hi ,

  I am researching my great great grandmother's family , McCobb of Errity Manorcunningham, Co. Donegal. THe McCobbs settled at Errity during the Plantation of Ulster. They came over from Scotland.  Recently I have read a lot about the McCobb and Latta families that went over from Donegal to the U.S. I am paticularly intersted in the family of William McCobb and Margaret Glenn who emigrated from 'Airsty' Donegal to the U.S. in 1837.  This is interesting as I cannot find anywhere called 'Airsty' , but it sounds a lot like 'Errity', and McCobb is a rare name around Donegal.  It appears that William McCobb and Margaret Glenn had a son Thomas J. McCobb who was born in Ireland in 1825 and died in Oneida Ohio in 1916.  I would like to get more information on the McCobbs, in the U.S. and in Scotland. Can Anyone help?

Siobhan