Maria Stewart

[Mary Jane Craig]

I'm trying to find a birth record for my g grandfather John Gordon born in possibly Doagh, Antrim about 1869ish His parents are Maria Stewart and Alexander Gordon (Tinsmith). I found a document that shows Elizabeth (John's sister ) applied for a pension and to verify her age, the pension dept used the 1841/51 census. The family appears in this in Doagh as Maria Gordon, Alexander (Husband) Robert, David, William, Margaret, Elizabeth, John, Samuel  and James.

John Married Hannah Craig about 1894 in Belfast. Maria died in 1884 in Cambria street Belfast and Alexander died a year later. I have a birth record for most of the other children but nothing for John. Could it be that he wasn't registered or could it be that the record was destroyed or held in a church somewhere in Doagh? John died in 1907.

Many thanks
 

[Sinann]

1851, Elizabeth only child 1 year old.
http://censussearchforms.nationalarchives.ie/reels/c19/007246684/007246684_00450.pdf
Registered without a first name 1864 a female Margaret I guess
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1864/03598/2326713.pdf

Samuel 1866, same address so they haven't moved.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1867/03501/2286492.pdf

[Mary Jane Craig]

Thanks Sinnann. That's the right family. It says parents married in 1848  so Maria must have had her children later in life. It's odd because she was in her 40's when she died in 1884. I think she was born in 1848.

[Sinann]

We know the first child was 1 in 1851 and she had 2 after Civil registration started in 1864.
8 children named so that leaves 5 which she could easily have had between 1851 and 1864.

John may be older than later records imply.

[Mary Jane Craig]

Yes, that's right. He was 32 in the 1901 census and 36 when he died in 1907 according to his death cert. So,that make this birth around 1869 but f course, sometimes folk didn't know what age they were.

[Sinann]

He married Hannagh Craig on 14 Sept
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1894/10567/5849690b.pdf
Pity it only says full age.

[Mary Jane Craig]

I know, so frustrating.

[Sinann]

If he was born after 1864 it would not be unusual for a birth not to registered.

A baptism looks like your best bet, have you Baptisims for his siblings?

[Mary Jane Craig]

No but I know they were church of Ireland. I could try the Church of Ireland records for Ballynure. I've never found them very helpful in the past though.