Author Topic: Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, Co.Tyrone  (Read 494 times)

Offline JMcMillan2020

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Great site, hoping it can help me :-) Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, House Joiner, Co.Tyrone.  Links to Ardboe BiggERs/BiggARs.  Born Tyrone, married to Elizabeth Connor in 1872 Port Glasgow, children born in Port Glasgow prior to returning to live in Belfast.  Died 1907 aged 66 years.  Address links..Canning Street, Upper Meadow Street, York Street, Cupar Street and other via children.....John's Parents according to his wedding certificate in 1872 were Thomas and Susan Bigger/McConnell...looking for more information on the parents Thomas and Susan to verify links /lineage to relatives in ardboe

Offline gaffy

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Re: Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, Co.Tyrone
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 21 October 20 16:51 BST (UK) »
OK... Just trying to open this up a bit ... was Thomas Bigger a carpenter or similar in the wood construction trade?  Reason I ask is that the father of Richard Bigger in the following 1871 record of marriage in Belfast to bride Ann Thompson was just that, in the relevant 1901 census return (also below), Richard's birth place was shown as County Tyrone:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1871/11359/8169919.pdf

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Clifton/Eia_Street/961503/

The 'Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881' collection on the 'familysearch' website shows a Richard Biggers born 3 March 1841 to parents Thomas and Susanna Biggers, location 'Arboe, County Tyrone'.

Then I wondered about the following death in 1876 of a Susan Biggar in Belfast, a 67 year old widow of a carpenter, the informant was a Richard Biggar:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1876/020598/7227423.pdf

And I also happened upon the death of baby Susan Bigger (daughter of John Bigger Carpenter) on 13 February 1884 at 60 Hartley Street Belfast, which also happens to be the address where John Bigger and Elizabeth Connor had a couple of children Anne and John in the early 1880s:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1884/06339/4817890.pdf 

And in addition I wondered about the relevance of Benjamin Bigger who married Sarah Ann Rollins in 1864 (again father given as Thomas Bigger Carpenter):

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1864/11616/8276124.pdf

I was curious about the groom's residence in that 1864 marriage record, as were the folk in this link: 

https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/message-board/where-kiltagh-county-tyrone

But anyhow, before venturing any further into names like 'Richard Bigger & Ann Thompson' and 'Benjamin Bigger & Sarah Ann Rollins' - is anything ringing a bell for you?


Offline JMcMillan2020

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Re: Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, Co.Tyrone
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 21 October 20 19:15 BST (UK) »
Thank you Gaffy !  sounds very positive....After some research it is believed that Benjamin Bigger, think Blacksmith who married Sarah Ann Rollins / sometimes spelt Reynolds in 1864 from Ardboe, Country Tyrone was possibly the brother of John Bigger, carpenter from Tyrone.  He died 1924.  While the marriage certificate for John Bigger who married Elizabeth Connor 1872, Scotland confirms his father was Thomas Bigger, Master Joiner and his mother was Susan Biggers, McConnell - we just dont have any documentation to confirm they share the same parents other than both fathers where called Thomas.   However what we do have is a couple of photos took in Ardboe, which confirms these Biggers were related.  In particular Benjamin Bigger had a nephew called Benjamin Bigger born 1918 to a William Bigger (brother)..Benjamin born 1918 appears in photos along with some of the Bigger family members from Belfast.  Photos taken around 1950's.  By then John Bigger, Carpenter had passed in 1907.  Contact between both families seem to stop not long after this due to the passing of key family members.   Benjamin passed 1924, then young Benjamin few years back.  During research we became aware of John Bigger's son John Bigger, Plater and his children including Cyril who passed in 1992.....I do have information saved on the Ardboe Biggers, but still trying to get my head around it as the family just gets bigger and bigger ! 

Offline gaffy

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Re: Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, Co.Tyrone
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 22 October 20 05:20 BST (UK) »
Was the Thomas Bigger who married an Elizabeth Hawthorne in Belfast in 1897 a son of John Bigger and Elizabeth Connor?  If so, interesting that they named a son Richard in 1905 at Canning Street Place.  Also interesting that Benjamin Bigger and Sarah 'Rolands' named a son Richard in 1871 at Kiltagh. 


...  By then John Bigger, Carpenter had passed in 1907 ...


Co-incidentally, Richard Bigger (the one who married Ann Thompson) died just over 3 months later than John that same year:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1907/05533/4550919.pdf

In his will (available on the PRONI website), written just days before his death, he left everything to his wife, no other clues, but one of the witnesses was a Mary Kennedy with a Glasgow address.  Unlike John Bigger et al who were buried in Belfast City Cemetery, the 'DEATHS' column of the Belfast Telegraph on 7 June 1907 confirms that Richard was buried at Carnmoney:
BIGGER - June 6, 1907, at his residence, 29 Eia Street, Richard Bigger.  His remains will be removed from above address, on to-morrow (Saturday) afternoon, at two o'clock, for interment in Carnmoney Burying-ground. - No flowers, by request.  ANNIE BIGGER.

I couldn't find a grave record/inscription for Richard, but there are a number of Bigg(e/a)rs buried in the old Church of Ireland graveyard at Carnmoney, with a Scottish connection, for the inscription starts 'The burial place of the Biggers of Biggerstown, who came from Nithsdale, Scotland ...'.  I simply don't know if related or not.



Offline JMcMillan2020

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Re: Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, Co.Tyrone
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 22 October 20 12:39 BST (UK) »
Hi Gaffy, again thank you for your help.  Just wish there was a way of finding out if Richard was connected to John but I seemed to have exhausted all research / help from others to confirm this.  I am getting a strong sense that he may also have been a brother of John who links to Scotland, Belfast, Tyrone.  I have been trying to establish the parents of a Joseph Bigger also who may have originated from Tyrone.  While it is hard to pin point movement of names that duplicate throughout families, this Joseph married a Catherine had lots of children and lived in close proximity of our Bigger family in Belfast.  Upon research it seems possible through patterns of dates (children where born) that a Joseph was also born in 1838 to Thomas Bigger who we think could be the father of John Bigger around 1840 and Benjamin Bigger born 1841.....or Richard could have been Thomas Biggers brother.   We do have a Richard in our Bigger family but he was the son of grandson of John Bigger, Carpenter from Tyrone....aside from the Joseph being born in Co.Tyrone I have not seen any Joseph's turn up in records that I have came across.  Im sure the family originated from Scotland as a clan and the links must remain .   3 of John's children where born in Scotland, his wife was born there also...while Greenock / Port Glasgow was where the marriage/births took place, i wonder where was the wider family living.  We do have links to Carmoney Graveyard but research related to the name McAuley.  It is possible that some of our Bigger family members are buried there also but the ones that i am more familiar with born 1870's onwards were buried in places like belfast city, roselawn, dundonald...Ardboe direction...but still digging and remain optimistic that one day this information will come together...I started with a couple of names and with the help of people like yourself, have collated information about my family roots and more familiar with navigating these sites to learn more  :)

Offline gaffy

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Re: Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, Co.Tyrone
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 22 October 20 14:52 BST (UK) »
Just to take full stock of records in the 'Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881' collection, where the place is Arboe and parents' names are recorded as Thomas Bigger(s) and Susan:

- Margaret Biggers on 3 October 1829;
- Thomas Biggers on 2 April 1832;
- Catherine Biggers on 13 August 1834 (died 13 October the same year);
- John Biggers on 13 August 1835;
- Joseph Biggers on 20 May 1838;
- Benjamin Biggers on 24 January 1841;
- Richard Biggers on 3 March 1841 (mother's forename Susanna);
- Susan Bigger on 29 November 1846.

The timing of Benjamin and Richard is nagging me, as is the slight difference in mother's forename. Could there possibly have been a Thomas & Susan Bigger(s) and separately a Thomas and Susanna Bigger(s) in Arboe parish at that time? Very frustrating...     
   

Offline JMcMillan2020

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Re: Looking for information about John BiggAR/BiggER born approx 1841, Co.Tyrone
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 22 October 20 15:18 BST (UK) »
thank you Gaffy for the information and listing it in order !  There were two Bigger families in Ardboe I have been told, not sure if they were related not do I have information on the other Biggers.  It appears there were two lots of Biggers living in Belfast also, which I am currently exploring to see if there is a connection or if in anyway they connect to a Richard.  Im getting a sense that Richard connects in someway to a Joseph Bigger family but i could be totally wrong.  I will update the page if I come across anything but working on it :)