Really need help with birth look-up-COMPLETED- THANK YOU!

[Granma Anne]

I have now exhausted most of the resources I can find to locate the birth information  on Samuel LAIRD.  The GRO in Belfast has just informed me they can find no record of his birth.  The facts I have are:

Samuel Laird b. abt Sep 1864 in County Londonderry.

His parents, David Laird and Rebecca Verner McGill were married in Kilcronaghan Parish on 20 Sep 1860. Marriage information obtained from Scotland birth cert of son David.

His brother Alexander Verner Laid was born 6 Jan 1866 in Draperstown. Have his marriage/death information

Samuel died in 1935 and his age is listed as 74 on his death certificate. I have his marriage information.

Samuel has a brother William and sister, Elizabeth who were both born somewhere in County Londonderry. His brother David was born in Scotland in 1878. The family is on the 1881 in Scotland- They are not on the 1871 in Scotland. They most likely would have been Presbyterian.

Family insists he was born in Magherafelt-I am open to anywhere in Ireland. There is some IGI data on this family that is patron submission and is incorrect based upon my own investigation of the information provided.

Is anyone able to to some sort of local look-up or direct me to someone who can do a reasonable priced search for Samuel's records.

[maryderry]

hello anne, i had a look on the index of irish genealogy, found this.marriage  david laird to rebecca mc gill 1860. you can email them to do a search, don't know the cost. info@irishgenealogy.ie.

                                      good luck.mary.

[Granma Anne]

Thanks for responding Mary.

 Firstly, the irish genealogy site is very slow to load a page after a search. Secondly, it took me several tries to duplicate your search before it would reveal the record. This marriage date fits much better with the births of the children that I know about. I'm off to try and see what they can provide as far as births of children to this couple.  Thank you again.
Anne

Much later!
As an addendum: I have ordered the marrige information and sent them a request for a price quote on finding birth records for all children born to this couple. We shall see how much they require to conduct a search and if my pocketbook will allow such an expense!

[aghadowey]

Found the following entries in index to Coleraine Chronicle (births, marriages, deaths 1844-1869):

Death- 8 Oct.1859: At his house, Murmeal, near Draperstown, on the 1st inst., after many years illness, Mr. David Laird, aged 47 years.
[usual wording is 'at his residence', so this might need to be checked in paper]

Marriage- 22 Aug.1846: On the 10th inst., in the Presbyterian Church, Draperstown, by the Rev. S. Smith, Miss Martha Magill, to Mr. Thomas Laird, both of Draperstown.

There might be more family records at Draperstown Presbyterian Church.

[Granma Anne]

Thank you Agahadowey!

The death of this David Laird is a strong contender as an Uncle of my proven David Laird. My David's father was Samuel Laird who was married to Matilda Campbell. This generation would have been born 1810-1820.

The Laird - Magill marriage is most interesting.  I now have three Laird- McGill/Magill marriages to look at. David Laird & Rebecca Verner McGill, William Laird & Eliza Ann McGill and now Thomas Laird & Martha Magill.

Curiously, Rebecca Verner McGill is noted as having parents named William Verner & Betsy Verner. I have always presumed a cousin marriage in that case. The strange thing is how Rebecca obtained the McGill name. Nothing yet suggests a previous marriage. I am hoping the marriage record I just ordered will give me a clue.

Next step is finding out how I can get information from the Draperstown Presbyterian Church? Anyone help with that?

[aghadowey]

PRONI- have some records from Draperstown Presbyterian Church but on-line catalog doesn't give details.
Can't find Draperstown records listed on LDS site but maybe I'm not looking in the right place.
"Draperstown Presbyterian Church", however, have their own website- just use Google to find it.

After reading your message, I went back to the Chronicle index and found:
Magill- births (6, mostly Cookstown), deaths (8- 2 Cookstown) & marriages (21).
If you send me a pm with your e-mail address, I'll type them out in an attachment for you.

[maryderry]

hello again anne, don't know if these are yours, griffiths valuation of ireland 1858-59. kilcronaghan      william,alexander,david, and samuel laird. william laird main st tobermore.

                                           mary.

[Granma Anne]

Thank you agahadowey- pm sent.  I couldn't find much on the IGI related to Kilcronaghan or Draperstown either. I did google the Draperstown Presbyterian Church and will be trying to see if they will be helpful. Email going off next.  I feel sorry for most of these small churches. They must get tons of requests like mine and I do wonder who has the time to devote to fulfilling requests like mine. But then, if you don't ask- you never get an answer and the worst answer is "no". So you pick up your breeks and move on to another source!

And thank you Mary. Yes, I have trawled the Griffiths Valuations and have saved every record I could find  on any family names I am researching. Like most families, these names repeat themselves generation after generation.  So I am certain they are all related. I appreciate your effort to help. Funny thing is a generation later William, Samuel, Alexander and David are all brothers!

[aghadowey]

Was in Coleraine Library on Monday and checked first the Church records PRONI catalogue for Draperstown Presbyterian Church (under Ballinascreen).
Baptisms 1837-1947; marriages 1837-1844, 1878-1928; communicants lists 1871, 1875-1879, 1883; session minutes 1845-1886.
Unfortunately I couldn't find the microfilm in Coleraine Library's collection but will have another look the next time I am there.