James McConnell & Anne Murray , Comber

[aghadowey]

No, marriage usually took place in ONE church or a registry office. Say bride's family attended church A and the marriage took place there. After the wedding the couple would attended church B where the groom belonged. There are exceptions to this and of course sometimes the couple belonged to the same church before their marriage.

A townland is the smallest administrative unit of land in Ireland. In rural areas it served as the address until fairly recent times (we got road names in the 1970s).
See reply #9 on this topic in IRELAND RESOURCES-
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=513860.9

[loobylooayr]

Thanks for that Aghadowey,

I'll have a read at the link you have provided.

Looby

[Forestfan]

Re :  Ros Davies' Co. Down, Northern Ireland Family History Research Site
© Rosalind Davies 2001
Surnames of Co. Down: McConnell

John    McCONNELL
Holywood & Newtownards of Holywood then Drumhirk & Ballyhinney;
Married Mary Ann Kennedy 14 Sep 1833 at 1st Newtownards Presbyterian Church, witnesses were John McCune & Thomas Chambers ;
Father of Agnes b. 5 Jan & bpt. 13 Jan 1835
James b. 27 Dec 1836 & bpt. 15 Jan 1837
Hugh b. 7 Feb & bpt. 20 Feb 1843
Elizabeth b. 29 Jul & bpt. 2 Nov 1849
Alexander b. 16 Aug & bpt. 3 Feb 1856 (sic!)
Thomas b. 18 Nov & bpt. 6 Dec 1857 at 1st Newtownards Presbyterian Church

John McConnell is my 3xgreat grandfather.
James, his son (above) is James Kennedy McConnell, my 2xgreat grandfather, and father of my ancestor Hugh (b.c.1862 ireland) and his brother Alexander (b. 16th July 1870 Ireland).

James, wife Anne(ie) Murray, and their 6 children (Hugh; Ellen; Elizabeth; Mary Anne; Alexander, Isabella) emigrated to Scotland between 1872-4, where 2 further children (Margaret; Annie) were born.

Many of the above names are repeated over 3 generations to my knowledge.

Below is a possible death entry of John McConnell. Mary Anne Kennedy's death date is not known, but it was in Scotland, before 1893
FindMyPast Ireland 28/06/1013  (free search day)
1 likely 'Newtownards' entry only

Name      John  M'Connell 
Year Of Death          1876 
Aged                   62 
Birth       1814 
Registration District    Newtownards  Ireland
Volume          11  Page         548 
Category Life Events (Birth, Marriage, Death)   
Record set: Irish Deaths 1864 - 1958   

[loobylooayr]

Hi Forestfan and welcome to Rootschat,

So, we must be distantly related  -
your great-grandfather being Hugh McConnell b. 1862 in Ireland
my great-grandfather being Hugh's brother Alexander born 1870 in Ireland. 
Some of the family names have been repeated down the branches of my family tree too!
I have a feeling John McConnell and Mary Ann Kennedy will be as far back as we can trace in Ireland. My grandfather always insisted that his father said the family had originally been Scottish and had gone to Ireland (possibly Ulster Plantation  )  for work then returned a few generations later. Doubt I'll ever be able to prove that.

Thank you for the note of what you believe to be John McConnell's death.

Looby

[Forestfan]

Hi Looby,

Indeed we are related, we both derive from James K & John before him - traces of Irish blood within us both!  And maybe more Scottish blood before that too - IF your 'story' could be prooved!  But to find Irish records in the early C17th - not a chance!!

My Scottish McConnells either departed for England / America / Australia - or simply died without issue.  The Scottish line thus ended.

I am intending to look into what might be found re. McConnell and Murray lines pre-1872 Ireland, and may well throw some serious dosh at it.  We'll see - cross fingers!!

Forestfan

[loobylooayr]

Hi again Forestfan,

My McConnell line down through Alexander has dwindled too ( to my knowledge). There may be some McConnells in Canada descended from him but the Scottish McConnells have either had no issue or been female, therefore marrying and their children having their spouses surnames.
My  own name was McConnell and although I've been married several years , I'm still known by that name among local folk.
Best wishes with research in Ireland . I would be interested if you turn anything up.
I've always wanted to find the headstone for James McConnell or 2×great grandfather in Patna. I've spent hours trailling the Cemetery but found nothing     so wonder if perhaps the family couldn't afford one.


Looby

[Forestfan]

Hi Looby,

It's my understanding that Scottish females generally retain their birth/maiden names thoughout life.  The importance of this is reflected in the information that Scottish BMD certificates have always required.  And how sensible a system this is - oh that it were forever so in England!

I had forgotten that my Hugh registered the death of his father James K - you'll have the certificate no doubt - I've just dug it out again.

His death was the subject of a precognition (from research I had done years ago). This is the reference, though there was nothing further to add.
"Register of corrected entries, vol. 1 p. 6  23 Mar 1893
Result of a precognition touching the death of James McConnell: contains no fresh information."

Death of      James McCONNEL
Aged   55 born   c 1838
Died   13 Feb 1893 at    Dalmellington, Ayr, Scotland
Occupation   Brusher at Jelliston Colliery
Owner      Dalmellington Iron Co
Note       Fall of roof on road while brushing it.

"Source Citation:
Collection: Coalmining Accidents and Deaths; Archive: The Coalmining History Resource Centre

Ancestry.com. Web: UK, Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths Index, 1878-1935 [database on-line].

Original data: Coalmining Accidents and Deaths. The Coalmining History Resource Centre. http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/index.html: accessed 20 February 2014.
Description

All data in this third-party database was obtained from the source’s website. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original database. To learn more about these records, please refer to the source’s website."

So . . . now I/you know how he died (if you didn't already!)

Happy searching,
Forestfan

[Forestfan]

Hi Looby,

You may be correct that the family might have been too poor to afford a headstone, but do you know for certain that JKM was buried in Patna Cemetary rather than a church graveyard?
The local authority who are responsible for cemetaries usually have records of plot numbers even if there was no headstone.
Records of Monumental Inscriptions can sometimes be found in local libraries or record offices or may be held by local history societies.
It also begs the question of where Annie Murray/McConnell was buried - or maybe cremated - but most were buried at that time?

On the subject of Annie - do you have any idea of where Annie was in 1901?? I have searched the whole of Scotland and cannot find her on the census of that year.  Although she's clearly alone at Torr Cottage, Kirkmichael in 1911 - 2yrs before her death at the same place.  A mystery!!

Btw - the McConnell line continues here, both myself and my son have the middle name James!

All the best,
Forestfan

[loobylooayr]

Hi again Forestfan,

I did know James McConnell had died as the result of a mining accident - think that's why I was keen to find his grave . Patna has two cemeteries - Old & New - I couldn't find James in either. Not to say he's not buried there - I might have missed him or the headstone could be unreadable. I don't think there are any burials at the local church.

Haven't found Annie's burial either, and yes, she would be buried, there was no crematorium in Ayrshire at that time. Also got no clue where she was in 1901.
Her youngest daughter Annie married in Kilmarnock in 1907 to a David Kirkland.  Other family members were in Kilmarnock at the time of Annie Murray/McConnell's death too. Perhaps she was buried in Kilmarnock. More likely she is in Kirkmichael in an unmarked grave 

Looby