Alexander family of Mount Pleasant, Belfast

[Gilby]

Hi. 

Yes.  We probably know a bit more about this family than we did when I first posted, but I would love to hear more! 

James McClean Alexander was a first cousin of my gg grandmother Mary Wylie Ferguson.  My great grandfather was actually born at 7 Mount Pleasant (presumably at his aunt’s house).

Gilby

[lmgnz]

Hi

Yes Gilby and I are still active on the Wiley front. I have just had my DNA tested through Ancestry and  am very interested to find any other Wiley descendants who have done the same. So far I don't know any apart from Gilby, who did not have his DNA tested on Ancestry.

But just to go over old ground this is our shared  family

Family of Hugh and Mary Wiley of Ballycushan Templepatrick.
Agnes (Nancy) born c 1798      married John McBride of Craigarogan
   Mary (Wylie)   bapt 13 Mar 1799   married James Graham of Ballycushan   d 1881
   Ellen      born c 1800      married John Barron of Ballynalough   d 1878
   Isabella   bapt 28 Jan 1803   married Samuel Alexander of Umgall   d 1848
   Ezekiel D   bapt 13 Oct 1805   married Jane Barron or Roghfort      d 1854
   Fanny   Scott   bapt 6 Jan 1808      died 1811

Mary Wiley who married Samuel Miller Alexander (=parents of James McLean Alexander) was the daughter of Ezekiel D Wiley.

Samuel Miller Alexander was the son of Arthur Alexander and Mary McCune.
Samuel's uncle was the Samuel Alexander of Umgall who married Isabella Wiley.

I only know one son for James McLean Alexander and that is John Osmond MacDonald Alexander born Sydney 1916 and died Northumberland 1984.

We cannot post details of living people or email addresses but when you have enough posts (?3) then we can private message. Or maybe we can already but you can't.

Cheers

Linda

[lealex]

I’ll concentrate on Samuel Miller Alexander b 1841 and his older brother Robert Alexander b 1837(?).  Both sons finished their education in Germany.  Their father Arthur (or possibly his father) built Mount Pleasant House in the 1830s; by the 1960s its name had been changed to Summerhill, and it was demolished I think in the 1970s.

Robert married Anne Gregg at Derryvolgie House which was built by Anne’s father.  They moved to Liverpool where Robert founded the Sun Shipping Co in 1874, which became part of the Hall Line in 1899.  Robert was also a director of the Suez Canal company.  Their son Ernest Wright Alexander 1870-1934 was a much-decorated Major-General in WW1.

Samuel Miller Alexander met Mary Wiley b 1841 when they were best man and bridesmaid at Robert and Anne’s wedding at Derryvolgie.  Sam inherited his father’s timber business but neglected and lost it.  Their children were
Arthur b 1863 moved to Australia and had family there
Sydney Robert b 1865 died in Sydney, Australia 1887
Henry Aylward b 1866 in Natal, moved to Canada and had family in British Columbia
James McLean b 1870
Mary b 1874 didn’t marry
Samuel Maxwell b 1878 married a Gault and had family in England.

James McLean (Jim) Alexander was a civil engineer and worked all over the world: surveying (on muleback) and building the highest railway in the world in Bolivia, and the Broken Hill railway in Australia; surveys in Greece and Haifa; managing the construction of the hydro scheme and paper mill at Corner Brook, Newfoundland.  His only child was John Osmond MacDonald Alexander, my father, who was born during Jim’s time in Australia.

Mary Wiley’s mother, Jane Barron b 1808 who married Ezekiel Davis Wiley, was very tall with red hair.  She was one of seven sisters who were each left a farm by their father.

Lucie

[Gilby]

Hi Lucie,

Thanks very much for all this information.  I’m going to be away for a day or two but I will want to ask lots more questions when I’m back!

Your branch of the family seems to have been all over!  Where have you ended up yourself?  I live in Northern Ireland – I grew up not far from where the Wileys and Barrons farmed.  (I am your 3rd cousin 2x removed by the way.)

Do you happen to know if this Arthur Alexander was the father of Arthur who married Mary McCune?
In Loving memory of Arthur Alexander, died 9th October 1817, also his great-grandson, Ian Malcolm, died 24th June 1994.

Mary Wiley’s mother, Jane Barron b 1808 who married Ezekiel Davis Wiley, was very tall with red hair.  She was one of seven sisters who were each left a farm by their father.

What a fantastic piece of information!!  Does this come from a letter or something from someone who knew her?

We have found out quite a bit about Joseph Barron and his seven daughters.  I knew some of his sons-in-law ended up farming land he’d owned, but I didn’t know he’d given a farm to each daughter. 

We’re pretty sure he was married to Elizabeth Fee, but we don’t know who the parents were of either.  Do you?

Thanks,
Gilby

[FRC76]

Hello- I’ve recently just had a breakthrough and discovered the family of my great x2 grandmother: she was Agnes Elizabeth Walker and as far as I can see she was the great granddaughter of Hugh Wiley 1748-1828.

I’m still trying to get my head around all of this on ancestry but sounds like some of you here might be my distant relatives! I have had a DNA test so would be interesting to connect on ancestry and see if there’s a match...

[lmgnz]

Yes we would be related. Gilby and I are 5th cousins once removed.

I have tested on Ancestry and I do have a 4th cousin DNA match in the family of Agnes Walker nee Graham, granddaughter of Hugh Wiley.  (I can't tell from your Rootschat name if that is you, but my DNA match is to the Agnes Elizabeth Walker line.). As I have only just found the family of Agnes and William Walker in Greyabbey I have been adding them to myAncestry over this last week.

My latest discovery this week is the family of their son William Walker who was a teacher at Cloughey when his father William Walker died in 1890. William Walker junior married in 1877 and his daughter Caroline was born in Portavogie in 1878 (home of William's wife Mary Jane McVeigh). This is all in Co Down but William had moved to Spamount St, Belfast by 1901 and a clerk to a wine merchant, so safely back in Antrim territory. 

Cheers

Linda

[pablo1]

You will probably already know about these people, but I will post the information in hopes that it might help another researcher:

Oct. 1865--Fisherwick Place Church, Belfast
James Blow, Esq. of Dunadry, to Anna, eldest dau of
Johy Wylie, Esq., Mount Pleasant, Belfast.

Feb. 27, 1867--At Bournemouth.
Death of Alexander D., eldest son of John Wylie, Esq.,
Mount Pleasant, Belfast

June 11, 1867--Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church
Edward Dale, Jr., Esq. of Cork, to Eliza Jane, eldest daughter
of James Ferguson, Esq., Mountpleasant, Belfast

[Gilby]

Hi FRC76,

Yes, I think that makes you something like my 6th cousin.  I’ve done DNA testing too, but so far my results are only on FTDNA and GEDmatch.

Gilby

[Gilby]

On the question of John Wylie of 1 Mount Pleasant…

Northern Whig, 8th Jan 1872:
WYLIE - January 7, at 1, Mount Pleasant, Belfast, John Wylie.  His remains will be removed for interment in the New Burying-ground, Antrim Road, on Wednesday morning, the 10th inst., at ten o'clock.

Clifton Cemetery - Registry
1872 January 7
John Wylie
(Paralysis)
Aged 77
Merchant
1 Mountpleasant
Native of Larne, Co Antrim
12, Grave Number 19

His family connection with Mount Pleasant continued through till 1909 with William Wylie’s death at 8 Mount Pleasant in 1909.  He was living with his brother-in-law James Blow who was still there in 1909.  Skip forwards 30 years and…

Belfast Newsletter, 2nd May 1940:
Wylie - May 1, 1940, at her residence, Ingleby, Mount Pleasant, Belfast, Mary, last surviving child of the late William A. Wylie, Rushvale, Ballyclare.  Funeral private.  No flowers, please.

It is possible John Wylie (c1795-1872) of Mount Pleasant (native of Larne) was related to William Andrew Wylie (1800-1881) of Rushvale, who probably grew up near Ballynure.  I’m not aware of any connection between them and my Wylie family of Ballycushan, Templepatrick.