Gracey family in Castlewellan query

[Stanwix England]

Hello,

I've been wrestling with this branch of my family for years without much luck. However I've found something that might help me shed light on things but I would like some help if anyone can.

Background to save people looking for stuff as much as possible

To cut a very long story short, I'm descended from a man called John Gracey. I know nothing else about him, other that he was a carpenter which was recorded on his daughters marriage banns. I believe he may have died in 1868 but cannot be sure.

I do not know who he was married to.

I believe he had at least five children. Most of this information has come from census records and piecing stuff together, I don't appear to have baptism records for any of them.

Francis (male) Gracey (1832-1882) - never married, no known children.

Margaret Gracey (1836-1916) - never married, no known children. I have her on 1901 census Ballylough, Dundrum, Down, Ireland living with her sister and niece.

Catherine Gracey (1838-1914) - never married. I have her on the 1901 census. For some reason, left her estate to a Robert Campbell, farmer.

Harriett Gracey (1839-?) Married William John Connolly in 1862. One known child, Harriett Jane Connolly, who lived with Margaret on the 1901 census.

Charlotte Gracey (1847-1900) - never married, no known children. Estate was initially left to Margaret, but then probate record appears again with estate listed as unadministered and goes to Harriett's husband William John Connolly.

What I am actually looking for

I found an article in the newspaper from the Belfast News-Letter on Friday 8 June 1888 which concerns Margaret and Charlotte. I won't bore you with the long details, but it's basically a dispute about whether or not they have to pay a fee to put a headstone in their family plot, which they say is at St Paul's, Castlewellan, and that they had three family members buried in the same plot.

It occurred to me that it's possible that these three family members might be their parents and possibly their brother Francis who was dead by the point of this dispute. If I can somehow find who was buried in that churchyard, it might help me work out who their mother was. My problem is I don't know if records exist for that place and how to isolate them if they do.

Also, something else that confused me was that in the article, it says that one of the Miss Gracey's was living in the parish of Kilmegaw. I can't find that parish online, the closest in name is the Kilmegan, so can I safely assume that this was a misprint and it was meant to say Kilmegan?

Thank you so much for reading this and any advice you may have.

[Kiltaglassan]

Margaret Gracey (1836-1916) - never married, no known children. I have her on 1901 census Ballylough, Dundrum, Down, Ireland living with her sister and niece.

Catherine Gracey (1838-1914) - never married. I have her on the 1901 census. For some reason, left her estate to a Robert Campbell, farmer.

Harriett Gracey (1839-?) Married William John Connolly in 1862. One known child, Harriett Jane Connolly, who lived with Margaret on the 1901 census.

For others, here's the 1901 census.
Residents of a house 61 in Ballylough (Dundrum, Down).
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Dundrum/Ballylough/1226925/

From PRONI Will Calendars-

Full Abstract :
Probate of the Will of Catherine Gracey late of Ballylough County Down Spinster who died 10 November 1914 granted at Belfast to Robert Campbell Farmer Effects £98 10s. 0d.

Robert Campbell was the executor of the will......he was not left her estate (very unlikely).


KG

[Kiltaglassan]

Harriet Connolly died in 1899 aged 51 at Ballylough. Her sister Margaret Gracey was the informant.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1899/05783/4635591.pdf


KG

[sam.b]

Surname(s)   Graveyard   Civil Parish   Graveyard Location   County
GRACEY   Castlewellan CI   Kilmegan   Castlewellan   Down
Gravestone Inscription   Erected to John Gracey of Ballylough, died 12/04/1868, his wife Jane died 04/01/1881, his son Francis died 02/03/1882, Christina Gracey, died 28/05/1956, James Lawther, died 27/02/1984

[Kiltaglassan]

.........................

Also, something else that confused me was that in the article, it says that one of the Miss Gracey's was living in the parish of Kilmegaw. I can't find that parish online, the closest in name is the Kilmegan, so can I safely assume that this was a misprint and it was meant to say Kilmegan?

The townland of Ballylough is in Kilmegan Civil Parish.
https://www.townlands.ie/down/lecale-upper/kilmegan/dundrum/ballylough/


KG

[Stanwix England]

Thank you both so much. sam.b and Kiltaglassan. That's really helpful and does help me with a brick wall I've had for many years.

[dathai]

William Miller a Scot and Joiner married Eliza Gracey 1854
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1854/09468/5431168.pdf

Appears to have married a few weeks before in Scotland
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTTP-W5G

thanks to Ros Davies    further info to be found here as well
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/SURNAMES/G/Gracey.htm

[Kiltaglassan]

Charlotte Gracey (1847-1900) - never married, no known children. Estate was initially left to Margaret, but then probate record appears again with estate listed as unadministered and goes to Harriett's husband William John Connolly.

Full Abstract :
Administration of the estate of Charlotte Gracey late of Ballylough County Down Spinster who died 4 January 1900 granted at Belfast to Margaret Gracey Spinster. Effects £65

What does Letters of Administration mean? It is essentially a grant of administration by the court allowing a named individual to administer the estate. Margaret Gracey was the named individual, but it was unadministered.

Full Abstract :
Administration of the Unadministered Estate of Charlotte Gracey late of Ballylough County Down Spinster who died 4 January 1900 granted at Belfast to William J. Connolly Workman. Effects £50

The new named individual who administered the estate was William J Connolly.


KG

[Stanwix England]

Thank you again Kiltaglassan and also dathai.

This has all been very useful and enabled me to look at the family in a new light.

I cannot find a marriage that seems to work for John Gracey and a Jane with any certainty. However knowing their death dates enabled me to find their death records, and they were both older than I imagined, born around 1795.

I have to wonder if they married elsewhere or the record simply doesn't survive.

The other thing it's made me raise an eyebrow at is the birth of Charlotte, who was born Jane was 52 years old. Not impossible but somewhat unusual, particularly after a gap of nearly 8 years between Charlotte and her previous child. Although other children could have been born that I don't have records for.

It's all very interesting, thank you very much.