Shankill Graveyard - records "all burned"???

[liscoole]

Today I called the Shankill Graveyard to enquire whether a deceased ancestor was buried there.

I got the reply from a very nice young lady that " Oh all the burial records for there were burned. We have a book you have to come in and check, because all we have left is the gravestone inscriptions".

Anyone else had great difficulty in trying to ascertain if a relation was buried there?

Lis

[scotmum]

Don't have an answer to your question, but do have a copy of the Gravestone Inscriptions for Shankill Graveyard. Let me know name, etc and I'll take a peep.



Update:

Thanks for giving me the name in chat.......sorry there was nothing in the book for him.

[aghadowey]

If you want to post the details you know there are some other sources I could check for you.

[liscoole]

and thank you for checking Scotmum. Much appreciated.

Aghadowey, the name is William John Dempster date of death 22nd March 1935.

Also if you wouldnt mind checking to see if you can find an Arthur Magee in your records, date of death unknown.

Many thanks

[aghadowey]

Didn't realise date was so recent. Gravestone Incriptions (Belfast, volume 1) has Shankill Graveyard. Looking through Introduction I didn't notice anything about records destroyed but it did say burials in private plots until 1934. In 1959 there was a survey done to copy all pre-1870 stones.
There is a Dempster headstone for a Henry (age 76), wife Mary (d.1873) and daughter Mary (d.1877).

It might be the newspaper obituary (if any) would mention place of burial for William John Dempster. Finding Arthur Magee will be more difficult without a date- If early 1900s or earlier PRONI might have something in Will Extracts.

[liscoole]

Hi Aghadowey

Sorry- only just saw your post- for some reason i didnt get an email notification!

Anyway, that is interesting what you say about "private burials until 1934". Did they close the cemetery to new burials in 1934? If so, then my William John must be buried elsewhere- though the options are narrowing greatly as he lived in the Shankill area of Belfast and apparently he isnt in the City Cemetery either!

Re Arthur Magee, I think he died round about 1890-1897, but that is a guess, there is nothing on PRONI wills, nor a death registration on familysearch pilot site... it must have been before 1911 as he does not appear to be on the 1911 census. I am starting to think he disappeared into thin air...

many thanks for your help
Lis

[DixieDee]

Hi Liscoole.
My grandmother's uncle was buried in the family plot December 1936.

Dixie

[Clannbreasail]

Hi Scotmum. I was interested to see that you have graveyard inscriptions for Shankill cemetery. Could you possibly look for an ancestor of mine, Robert McCollum, buried around 1870. I would also be interested to know of other McCollums around that time if that is not too cheeky. Sometimes this family spelt their name McCallum. Any help greatly appreciated.

[aghadowey]

Hi Scotmum. I was interested to see that you have graveyard inscriptions for Shankill cemetery. Could you possibly look for an ancestor of mine, Robert McCollum, buried around 1870. I would also be interested to know of other McCollums around that time if that is not too cheeky. Sometimes this family spelt their name McCallum. Any help greatly appreciated.

None listed in Gravestone Inscriptions (Belfast, vol.1) which covers Shankill- perhaps there was no headstone.