Wanting to discover my Irish roots

[kivo]

Hi all.

For a while now I've known that some of my ancestors hailed from Ireland before moving to Scotland, but the records I have on them from Ireland amount to diddly squat!

It would be great to get some help on unearthing some more detail - I don't know anything more specific than 'Ireland' so far!

Margaret Watson
I know Margaret was born in Ireland around 1839, but that's it! Each one of her Scottish census records state she was born in Ireland, without giving further detail. Her marriage certificate gives her parents as Andrew Watson and Mary Kennedy - I'll give what details I have on them later.

Incidentally, I don't have a death record for Margaret either, though I assume she died in Scotland.

Born
c.1839, Ireland

Married
27 February 1874 to William Fraser (F9), Knocknew – Kirkcolm, Wigtownshire

Marriage certificate
Rank or profession – Andrew Ross ?? Farm servant
Usual residence – Knocknew, Kirkcolm
Father's occupation – quarry man

Census records
1841 – South Crescent Street – Portpatrick, Wigtownshire
1851 – Main Street – Portpatrick, Wigtownshire
1861 – Big laundry? House – Leswalt, Wigtownshire
1881 – Knocknew Cottage – Kirkcolm, Wigtownshire
1891 – Ardwell Cot House – Kirkcolm, Wigtownshire
1901 – Low Clendrie Farm Cottage – Inch, Wigtownshire
1911 – Stewarton – Kirkcolm, Wigtownshire

[kivo]

William John Wilson
Again, all the records I have for William John Wilson simply state 'Ireland', with no more detail. His parents were John Wilson and Jane McDowall.

Born
c.1843, Ireland

Married
26 June 1862 to Susan McMurtery (F12), Craigencrosh – Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire

Marriage certificate
Rank or profession – ploughman
Usual residence – Galdenoch – Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire
Father's occupation – agricultural labourer

Died
8 November 1921, Barbeth – Kirkcolm, Wigtownshire

Death certificate
Occupation – farm grieve
Cause of death – endocarditic (5 years), ?? (2 days)

Census records
1851 – J Wibore – Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire
1861 – Culmore cot house – Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire
1871 – East Galdenoch – Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire (ploughman)
1881 – Drumflower cottage no.2 – Old Luce, Wigtownshire (ploughman)
1891 – Drumflower, off Stranraer Road – Old Luce, Wigtownshire (agricultural labourer)
1901 – Drumflower cottage no.2 – Old Luce, Wigtownshire (farm grieve)
1911 – Bine – Kirkcolm, Wigtownshire (farm labourer)

[kivo]

Mary Kean
Daughter of John Kean and Elizabeth Wilson. All records state she was born in Ireland, but no further details given.

Born
c.1821, Ireland

Married
30 May 1848 to John McGarvie (F15), Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire

Died
24 June 1907, 13 South Main Street – Wigtown, Wigtownshire (buried at Kirkmaiden Parish Church, Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire, plot 107)

Death certificate
Occupation – domestic servant
Cause of death – fracture of femur, pneumonia, heart failure (6 days)

Headstone inscription
Erected by Mary Kean in memory of John McGARVIE her husband who died 26th Feby. 1883, aged 57 years; Also Elizabeth their daughter, who died 17th Augt. 1848 aged 3 months; Also Mary McGARVIE her daughter, wife of Andrew SHAW, who died at Ballantrae 16th Augt. 1889 aged 37 years; Also Mary KEAN beloved wife of the above John McGARVIE, who died at Wigtown, 24th June 1907, aged 86 years; Also James McGARVIE, husband of Elizabeth Heron, who died 5th May 1930, aged 79 years; Also the above Elizabeth HERON who died at Logan, 15th Oct. 1934, aged 82 years; Their grand–daughter Sheena Callander McGARVIE, aged 1 year.

Census records
1851 – West Myrock – Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire
1861 – Auchabrick – Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire
1871 – West Myrock Cot House – Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire
1881 – Auchabrick – Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire
1891 – Main Street – Old Luce, Wigtownshire (retired dressmaker)
1901 – Church Row – Sorbie, Wigtownshire (retired seamstress)

[Elwyn Soutter]

The surnames you are dealing with  (Watson & Wilson) are not native Irish names and point strongly to Scottish origins. So these are likely to be descendants of Scots who moved to Ireland in the 1600s either as part of the main Plantation or one of the other surges. (A huge number went in the 1690s because of famine in Scotland).  They mostly settled the counties of Ulster.

What denomination were your ancestors? If Church of Scotland, then that points to Presbyterian church records in Ireland and in turn further confirms their likely origins in Scotland.

Until around 1850, the main ferry route between Ulster and Scotland was Donaghadee in Co. Down to Portpatrick in Wigtownshire. (Later switched to Stranraer because it has a more sheltered harbour). But Wigtownshire and adjacent counties got large numbers of agricultural workers from Counties Down and Antrim (and further afield) all through the 1800s.

Not all churches in Ireland have records for the period you need, and of those that do, not all are on-line. It may be hard to narrow the search with such common names, without some clue as to where they came from in Ireland from Scottish records eg a census that gives more then "Ireland" as the place of birth.

Try this excellent Co Down site and see if you can find any likely matches.

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/SURNAMES/Afrontpage.htm

[eileenwilson]

John Wilson and Jane McDowell baptized children in Wigtownshire in 1845 and 1848 which means they were alos in Scotland.  Have you tracked them down?

Event Type:   Christening
Event Date:   18 Jul 1848
Event Place:   Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):   Stoneykirk, Wigtown, Scotland
Name:   Margaret Wilson
Gender:   Female
Father's Name:   John Wilson
Father's Gender:   Male
Mother's Name:   Jane McDowall
Mother's Gender:   Female

Event Type:   Christening
Event Date:   4 May 1845
Event Place:   Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):   Stoneykirk, Wigtown, Scotland
Name:   Joseph Wilson
Gender:   Male
Father's Name:   John Wilson
Father's Gender:   Male
Mother's Name:   Jean McDowall
Mother's Gender:   Female

[AnotherDay]

27 Jan 1915 - Low Glencloy, Brodick, Bute
Death of Margaret Watson/Margaret Fraser - 77 yrs -  disease of heart
Widow of William Fraser
Daughter of Andrew Watson, labourer (deceased) & Mary Kennedy (deceased)
Informant: John Shelton, grandson

[AnotherDay]

Andrew Watson and his wife Mary Kennedy were in Scotland by 1841.

They seem to have had a son James Watson in 1841, a son Andrew Watson around 1844 and a daughter Elizabeth Watson about 1847.

Mary Kennedy/Mary Watson, aged 57 yrs, died on 12 March 1868 at 63 Brown St, Glasgow (Clyde district) - paralysis 5 days. Her husband Andrew Watson was an engineer's labourer. The informant was Mary's son James Watson. According to her death record (which might not be correct), Mary Kennedy's parents were David Kennedy (hand loom weaver, deceased) and Grace McConnell (or similar) (deceased).

Andrew Watson (widower, ship builder's labourer, 54 yrs) appears in the 1871 Scotland census at 63 Brown St, Glasgow - with daughter Margaret Watson (30), a daughter or granddaughter Mary Watson (4) and a visitor from the same place that Mary was born.

Andrew Watson (widower of Mary Kennedy, engineer's labourer, 57 years) died on 7 May 1871 at 63 Brown St, Glasgow - pneumonia. His parents are not named in his death record. The informant was his son James Watson.