Adairs of Derry 1901 census?

[cbrad]

Yes, sorry for the mis spelling. 
So it was a question of getting as many signatures as possible then? Assuming the boys were in the army, I still cannot work out where Jeannie was unless she married? I could not find her signature on the Declaration.
CB

[rob elliott]

Aghadowey,

As stated in a previous post, John is listed on Ebrington [Londonderry] Presbyterian Memorial Roll, along with his brother William.

John died on the Somme [France] and is listed on the Thiepval Memorial there. Not Ypres which is in Belgium.

He is not on Londonderry City memorial as he wasn't born in the City and they were very strict in their requirements.
There are other instances of two brothers killed and only one listed because of place of birth.

CB - When the Covenant was Signed the boys were not in the army, you need to look in Londonderry..
But not everyone signed the Covenant

Rob

[aghadowey]

As I said earlier, there seems to be conflicting information on this thread-

Aghadowey,
John died on the Somme [France] and is listed on the Thiepval Memorial there. Not Ypres which is in Belgium.

I have the British Army Pension record for son William Adair which estimates his birth as 1891 and he joined the army age 17 with a birth parish of Donedheady, Tyrone. I believe you confirmed this one. His brother John died 01.07 1916 in Ypres pvt 14849 RIF. Details correct as we have original details and plaque from WW1. Ireland Memorial records 'Casualties of War'  list him as born in Omagh. I do not know his exact birth year but assumed he was older than William who was born abt 1891 so I am working on 1888/89.

The reason I checked the Presbyterian Rolls of Honour in Strabane and Omagh Presbyteries was because of a possible connection to a church in those areas.

It's not unusual to find men listed on war memorials that were not born in the district.

[cbrad]

Please can I clarify. Firstly apologies for my lack of geographical understanding. Private John Adair (14849 d 1.7.1916) was remembered on the Thiepval Memorial. My grandfather died at Ypres about the same time and I had mistakenly thought that John was in the same area when he died. However, William, John's brother, survived the war and so could not be the one mentioned on the memorial in Londonderry. William firstly joined the RIF as an army reservist at age 17 for six years then managed to join the Royal Field Artillery in 1905 at age 18 (declaring his sign up to reserves); I have the copies of the join up papers. The RFA was for a short service which I took to be 10 years - meaning that he would have been in the army during 1912 when the covernant was signed. I have assumed that brother John also would have joined the army at an early age. Both came from a very poor household and  I have surmised that the army would have been preferable to being a general labourer.
I think we established before, that there were two very similar families in Londonderry during the WW1 period, both with a William and John, and it would seem that there might be some confusion between the two. Sorry if I am giving you headaches here!
I think that my family,  headed by John Adair snr who was a general labourer and born in Londonderry, moved around a lot. I am guessing that he moved out into Tyrone somewhere and met his wife. I doubt they were literate despite the census stating they were, as my grandmother was sent to work at seven and never learned to read or write. Certainly around the 1885 time they were working on a farm (my grandmother's early years) and as both sons gave different birth places that would seem to bear out the theory.
I am still hopeful that more will be found - eventually! So thank you again everyone for your help.
CB

[kingskerswell]

CB,
    A minor point. The presbyterian Church in Ireland published a Roll of Honour, Presbytery by Presbytery and church by church within each presbytery giving the names of members of the congregations who served and listing those Killed or wounded. For Ebrington Presbyterian Church both the Adairs are mentioned, William being a Bombadier in the RFA and surviving and John being KIA                                                                                                                                               Regards

[rob elliott]

CB,

Kingskerswell is correct, the Presbyterian registers list those that served, including dead and survived.
So William on the Ebrington Church memorial is the correct one.
The main differance with the Presbyterian church rolls as opposed to the City War Memorial list is that the church took the names of its members at the time of the war [as well as could be remembered as some families had moved on by the time the lists were compiled], hence the Adairs being on Ebrington's list, whereas the main Londonderry war memorial committee only allowed people who were born or had lived in the City for a large number of years.

Aghadowey, i do not believe there is conflicting information, just a mistaken detail being repeated.
John was a member of the 11th Btn [Donegal & Fermanagh Volunteers] Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 109th Brigade, 36th division and was killed in the attack on the 1st July 1916 when the Division gained its famous reputation.
This was from Thiepval Wood, the Somme, France.

John was not a regular soldier, he was a 1914 volunteer. you can tell this from his service number and the date he landed in France with the Ulster Division.
He enlisted in Belfast and appears to have been born in Omagh.

Rob