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One of my mother's elder sisters was a Bridget, often called "Biddy" she took a dislike to the name and declared henceforth she was "Bee". A few days after, walking down the street of Ardee she heard a boy calling out "BIDDY BIDDY BIDDY!!!"

Aunty Bee grabbed the miscreant by the shoulders and threw him against a wall, screaming into his face; "WHAT IS MY NAME?", The poor boy wailing in fear, could hardly reply and the question was repeated till he finally whimpered out; "your name is, ... BIDDY NO MORE!!!"

Hello Tom,

I recently had documents copied and sent to me by the NRS (1797 Militia List, Lochbroom), the charges as noted in this thread 15 pounds minimum. The postage to me here in Canada was 4.63, and at 50 pence a page the document I wanted with postage was well under the 15 pounds.

My advice, would be send them the 15 pounds, if the quote says the copies will take you far over the 15, then, if you choose not to invest more, request they send you the last three pages, and as many of the first pages as takes you up to the 15. A large amount of the middle stuff would likely be inventories, and you may either collect them later or give them a pass.

I have only seen a few sequestrations, neither would have tipped the 15 pound limit, though I can imagine if your ancestor had a very large and complicated estate the page count good climb.

Good luck!

Donald.

[ PART 2 ]

Descendants of John's daughter Margaret thought there was a family connection to the slate quarries at Whitespots, but so far but note has only been found of him having the quarries at Dundonald and Scrabo.

John married firstly in 1862 to Sarah Magill, daughter of John Magill. His father in the registration noted as "Builder", hers as "Carpenter". John himself is then "Grocer" at Mill Street. From then to 1866 they have a son and three daughters born. Tragedy strikes the family in 1867; Sarah pregnant is struck with phthisis, tuberculoses of the lungs. She gives birth 1 October to Robert, and dies two weeks later, 15 October. Young Robert himself follows soon after, 22 November.

A Widower with four young children to care for, John looks to have taken aid and comfort from Sarah's sister, Anna. Their first child was born March 1869, John then noted as a Publican at Mill Street. The birth registration implies parents were married, however the marriage looks to have been registered January 1870 at Belfast, John a Widower, Grocer, resident Newtownards, son of James MaWhinney, to Anna MaGill, daughter of John Magill (occupation "Farmer", but most likely the same John Magill who was father of his first wife, then noted as "Carpenter"). There is a possibility that the second marriage was registered late as there was ambiguity in the laws considering marrying a dead wife's sister. John and Anna had eight children together to 1883, making thirteen children he had with the two Magill sisters.

The home owned by James on Mill Street in 1863 and rented to John was in 1879 noted as rented out by John to James Holland, late that year James applied for a spirits licence for the site, approval was held up until January the next year as the Chief Constable objected to the building being connected to unlicenced houses on other streets and renovations had to be made (presumably doors and gates were walled up), John from that date on appears again in records as "Publican". In the 1880 Street Directory he is "John, spirit dealer, Mill Street and Frederick Street". At 1881 marriage of John's daughter Margaret John is confirmed as Publican, however Margaret's residence was "Frederick Street", presumably the family home was around the corner from the pub. In 1884 he had occupation "Spirit Dealer". In 1893 he was noted as a property owner at Mill Street (the pub he had owned and occupied there till 1889 was then rented by William McGimpsey, husband of his daughter Margaret), and in the 1901 census his second wife Anna was at Belfast listed as "married" (John may by then have been in Australia, where he died 1903).

By 1893 the Pub on Mill Street had William McGimpsey as Publican. William had married in 1881 to Margaret MaWhinney, a daughter of John. Margaret and William McGimpsey had fourteen children, and are buried together, descendants of the couple continue at Bangor and Australia.

The eldest child of John and his first wife, Sarah, was James MaWhinney, born 1862, died 1911 at Belfast, a bricklayer then working on a church on York Street, cause of death was noted as "probably sudden heart failure". James married in 1886 to Charlotte Smiley from Whitespots, daughter of Alexander Smiley and Catherine Goudey, likely born 1863, Charlotte survived James and lived to 1951 at Belfast.

James descent almost ended in 1887, when working at his father's quarry at Scrabo he tumbled forty feet down the rockface, his head terribly smashed with brain exposed, arm broken in two places, and other injuries.

Birth registrations show the family moved to Belfast about 1890, though James and Charlotte were witnesses 9 October, 1891, at Ballyblack Presbyterian Church to the marriage of James' cousin Elizabeth "Lizzie" Mawhinney to William Boyd. James and Charlotte had nine children, the first three born at Newtownards. One of those children was my grandmother.

Youngest child of John Mawhinney was Kenneth, a "Joiner" (carpenter) born 1883, married Eleanor Cox and had three children, two born at Belfast, the third at Newtownards. Likely Kenneth and Eleanor died young, as their children were in care of the Barnardo Homes when the boys emigrated to Sydney, N.S.W., in 1926, and the daughter followed two years later.

My gt-gt-grandfather, John MaWhinney ("McWhinney", etc.), was born about 1834 at Newtownards, County Down, Ireland, a grocer and later Publican. He married twice, Magill sisters, with whom he had thirteen children, living his last years at Belfast.

He is commemorated on a stone at Comber New Cemetery, photographed and transcribed at;
http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/Robert-McWhinney/4322679

The stone notes he died 23 September, 1902 at Melbourne, Australia, the Australian Death Registration index has a John MaWhinney died 1903, father James which fits, mother Margaret Bailie which I did not previously have, but which is a Newtownards name suggesting this is the correct registration.

Presumably John was in Melbourne visiting a child, but I could not find any article in TROVE noting the death or identifying McWhinneys from Newtownards there then, of course the child might have been a daughter with then a different surname making the search more fun. I do not have a lot of experience with Australian records, and would appreciate if anyone has suggestions for further searching.

Here are John's children, even if noted as died in Ireland it is possible they spent time in Australia and returned;

1) James MaWhinney, born 1862 at N'ards, died 1911 at Belfast (my gt-grandfather)
2) Margaret "Maggie" MaWhinney, born 1863 at N'ards, died there 1916, married 1881 there to William McGimpsey
3) Sarah MaWhinney, born 1865 at N'ards, died there 1869
4) Jane MaWhinney, born 1866 at N'ards, death or marriage not identified
5) Robert MaWhinney, born and died 1867 at N'ards
6) Martha MaWhinney, born 1869, at N'ards, death or marriage not identified
7) Sarah MaWhinney, born 1870 unmarried in 1901 and 1911 census, Informant of a nephew's death 1904, looks to be an unmarried 43 year old 1914 enterring USA in Ellis Island database, probably married William Gaskin of West New Brighton, Staten Island
8 ) Anna MaWhinney, born 1872, unmarried 1901 and 1911 census, emigrated to USA 1915
9) Lucinda MaWhinney, born 1873 at N'ards, died unmarried 1905 at Belfast
10) John Alexander MaWhinney, born 1876, died 1927 unmarried at Belfast
11) Elizabeth MaWhinney, born 1877 at N'ards, unmarried in the 1901 census, not seen in 1911
12) Robert MaWhinney, born 1880, died 1948, no wife noted on stone
13) Kenneth MaWhinney, born 1883, married 1904 at Belfast

Donald.

minor edit, found scan with center of pic;