Disappearing Devlins

[Winterbloom21]

(I apologise if this appears twice, but I was just previewing it before posting and the whole thing disappeared).

My great aunts Margaret Devlin (11), Elizabeth Devlin (7) and Bridget Devlin (5) all appear on the 1901 census for Toomebridge County Antrim with their parents Patrick and Mary Devlin.   

In 1911, their widowed mother is there with some of the younger children, but none of the three sisters named above are there.    They are now only 21, 17, and 15, all of them alive and none yet married.

I have searched the Irish census for all counties and none of them appear as boarders or staying with relatives.   I have done the same with Scotlands People in case they were on holiday in Glasgow and also with the English census.    I can't find them anywhere.   Does anyone have any ideas on this?

[aghadowey]

What about Bridey Devlin, age 15, who's a servant in 1911?
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Randalstown/Artreshahan/110825

The civil registration index is online (free) and you can check there for possible deaths- think the registration district would be Ballymena-
http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=collectionDetails&c=fs%3A1408347

[Winterbloom21]

Thank you.  That Bridey is certainly the right age and is in the right neighbourhood.   It might be her all right.    But as for the others....         They are certainly not dead - I knew them as a child.  They all married and moved to England some time in the early twenties.

[aghadowey]

You hadn't mentioned that they were definately alive after 1911 just that they were 'missing' 

Think it's a matter of doing very broad searches in 1911 census to find them. I found Bridey very easily by putting in Bri* Devlin age 15 born Antrim and you could search for the other 2 girls in a similar manner- although since there are many possible variations of Elizabeth that don't start with Eli probably best not to put in a first name.

[Winterbloom21]

Sorry, Aghadowey, that is what I meant in the original message when I said that they were all alive.   I meant all alive long after that date.   I explained it a lot more clearly in the original message that got lost!     Anyway, you have given me a good idea, which is that I am going to search again with more variations of the name.      If they are staying with other families, it is more likely that they would be registered under their more familiar names (ie Bridey instead of Bridget) and I know that Elizabeth was always called Lily.   

[Winterbloom21]

Well, Ireland searched under every possible combination.    No trace of Lillie or Margaret.      Is every county featured on these 1911 census archives?      Some counties seem to come up all the time, but others don't seem to appear at all.

[obbie]

have you tried
Devlin Margaret
Devlin Elizabeth
as in swap surname with firstname , some census returns filled in this way .
also some M D and E D or D M and D E
some of my kin found this way
goodluck

[Winterbloom21]

Thank you Obbie, I'll give that a go.    I'll try anything! 

[definatelymaybe]

Hi Winterbloom,

I know you are obviously bogged down enough with this however I too am researching the Devlins and wondered if you knew anything about Charles and Annie. I have posted a link on here http://www.belfastforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,37292.0.html but so far had nothing. These Devlins are a real mystery!