Dobfarm - I like Dungannon. Seems to be in the vicinity that info collated seems to point to - co. Tyrone somewhere near Cookstown. Have commenced looking into this possibility.
Wivenhoe. Yep you have found the death notice of James Smith Shaw which states that his father was (allegedly) Dr John Shaw of Cookstown.
The informant for the DC was James Smith Shaw's son-in-law, Mr Robert Holden. Some info is correct (ie names of children) but other items are weirdly wrong (such as ages of the children).
All children (and dad) immigrated (in dribs and drabs) to Victoria, Australia. I have tracked them all once they hit Oz. All children's DCs state their mother was a Mary Hunter and father was James Smith Shaw.
I have tracked the family back from Oz to when they were living at Donegall Pass area (Charlotte street or place to be precise) in Belfast around 1850 +/-.
Mother/wife Mary (nee Hunter) died in Belfast (have found her death notice) and a few years later (1862) James Smith Shaw and one of his daughters followed some of his other kids over to OZ. The DC informant, Robert Holden, married one of James & Mary's daughters AFTER mother Mary died - which could be why he did not know her name? Tis odd that he didn't just ask his wife though.
It seems the Shaw's could have been in Belfast from about 1826 as all the children consistently state they are born in Belfast and there are 2 church records from St Anne's Shankill (COI) that support this.
So I can track this family back to Belfast but cannot find the following:
1. Many of the children's baptisms between 1826-1838
2. No sign of any marriage of James Smith Shaw and Mary Hunter. COI marriage, most probably in Northern Ireland but where? Dungannon? Dongerrie? Dougerrie? Am looking through town lands, parishes, place names phonetically trying to imagine what the registrar heard when listening to Northern Irish accent of informant Robert Holden (Belfast boy).
3. No sign of any John Shaw in Cookstown, Co Tyrone that "fits". No Shaw's baptised in Derryloran COI records (Cookstown) to a father John in the time frame and certainly no James Shaw's.
Am grasping at any straws and thought fresh eyes on the marriage place clue would be a good idea. I didn't "see" Dungannon when I looked at it so dobfarm and bookbox's comments and suggestions are worth me looking into.
Apologies for long winded post, could be my frustrations are getting the best of me.
Cocksie
