William Mawhinney/McWhinney/McKenzie b. 1838 - Ballymacarrett and Donaghadee

[emmchr]

Hi all - am feeling very much at a dead end with a line of research and would be very grateful for any help or hints to break through!

I am trying to find the parents (and beyond, hopefully) of my 3x great grandfather William McKenzie. I cannot find William’s birth record or anything to confirm who his parents were. Here is what I know so far (as confirmed by records):

• William was born approximately 1838 and died 17 Mar 1901 at 6 Church Street East
• Married Elizabeth "Bessie" Vint (b. 1837) 14 Jan 1868 at Sinclair Seamen's Presbyterian Church, Belfast
• He was a sailor/seaman, resided in Belfast in 1868
• His father Henry McKenzie, labourer
• Some of William's children (with wife Elizabeth 'Bessie' Vint b. 1837) were registered with surname McKenzie on birth records (Agnes b. 1869, Jane b. 1870, William b. 1872/d. 1872, Henry Vint b. 1873 and Annie b. 1876); these children all registered as living on Bow Street, Donaghadee
• Starting in 1878 (coinciding with move from Donaghadee to Belfast), children were registered under Mawhinney (Elizabeth b. 1878, William b. 1881, David Hugh b. 1883, Samuel b. 1885, James b. 1887 and Charles Hogg b. 1890), res. 32 Baltic Street, Ballymacarrett
• Registrar's notation on some of the McKenzie kids' birth records indicates that Bessie swore a statutory declaration in 1930 to formally change their surname to Mawhinney

Other information that may be relevant - but hasn't led to anything solid yet:

• Merchant navy records show a William James McWhinney b. 1838 in Newtownards/Down, second mate’s certificate from 1868 lists 71 May Street as residence
• In 1890, this same William James McWhinney lost his certificate and applied for another, giving 58 St. James Street, Liverpool as address - presumably just wherever he was staying between voyages
• Griffith's Valuation shows a Henry McWhinney leasing land in Donaghadee, where the Vint family was based; but not there in 1879 revision
• A Henry McWhinney from Donaghadee, b. 1817, labourer and widower died in the Newtownards Workhouse on 19 Jun 1887 - a likely candidate for William’s father
• DNA matches to my grandmother are connected to Browns/Forgies in the Ballywalter/Donaghadee/Dunover area - I know an Esther McKenzie/McWhinney of Dunover married Andrew Forgie/Fergie of Tullycavin 10 Nov 1849. Esther’s father John is buried in Whitechurch, Ballywalter under surname McKenzie, and tons of McWhinneys in that area - but can’t figure out the connection

I have done a lot of digging, everything short of going to PRONI in person to review records or making a research request, partly because I am not sure which parish records I should be searching (I am confident there wouldn’t be any RC records for this side of the family). I would so appreciate if anyone has any insight to share; without a birth record, marriage records, etc. I can only speculate as to the connection to other McKenzies/McWhinneys in Down and Antrim!
 
Thanks in advance

[wivenhoe]

Am I reading this correctly?....Bessie VINT is born 1837 and is mother of Charles born 1890...to a 53 year old mother?

[wivenhoe]

You have a birth record for each child. Can you indicate the name of informant for each please.

"Registrar's notation on some of the McKenzie kids' birth records indicates that Bessie swore a statutory declaration in 1930 to formally change their surname to Mawhinney"

Which birth records were amended to have change of name?

Which family name did the children use at marriage?

[Dundee]

In 1901 bessie is aged 52, so born c1849.  In 1911 she is 65, so born c1846.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000716410/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002192653/

She was more likely to be 21 when she married, not 31.

Debra 

[emmchr]

In 1901 bessie is aged 52, so born c1849

Thank you Debra - you're correct! I must have transposed some numbers.

You have a birth record for each child. Can you indicate the name of informant for each please.

"Registrar's notation on some of the McKenzie kids' birth records indicates that Bessie swore a statutory declaration in 1930 to formally change their surname to Mawhinney"

Which birth records were amended to have change of name?

Which family name did the children use at marriage?

Only Henry Vint McKenzie's birth record was changed on 10 Oct 1930 per a statutory declaration sworn by Bessie.

From the children's birth records (surnames as spelled on record):

• Agnes McKenzie b. 2 Feb 1869, Bow Street, Donaghadee - informant Bessie McKenzie
• Jane McKenzie b. 11 Oct 1870, Bow Street, Donaghadee - informant Bessie McKenzie
• William McKenzie b. 16 Oct 1872, Bow Street, Donaghadee - informant Bessie McKenzie; William Jr. died 29 Dec 1872 - the death record lists Bessie and William Jr.’s last name as Mawhinney, Bessie present at death 3 Caroline Court, Belfast (no street directory for Caroline Court in 1872 and Griffith’s Valuation occupants aren’t names I recognize)
• Henry Vint McKenzie b. 7 Dec 1873, Bow Street, Donaghadee - informant Bessie McKenzie
• Annie McKenzie b. 19 Feb 1876, Bow Street, Donaghadee - informant Bessie McKenzie
• Elizabeth McWhinny b. 6 Aug 1878, 32 Baltic Street, Bridge End, Ballymacarrett - informant Mary Crawford of 36 Baltic Street
• William Mawhiney b. 14 Apr 1881, 32 Baltic Street, Bridge End, Ballymacarrett - informant Elizabeth Mawhiney
• David Hugh Mawhinney b. 6 Jul 1883, 32 Baltic Street, Bridge End, Ballymacarrett - informant Elizabeth Mawhinney
• James Mawhinney b. 1 Jun 1887, 32 Baltic Street, Bridge End, Ballymacarrett - informant Bessie Mawhinney
• Charles Hogg Mawhinney b. 18 Jun 1890, 32 Baltic Street, Bridge End, Ballymacarrett - informant Agnes Mawhinney, 32 Baltic Street

I have marriage records for all surviving children except for Charles, all married as Mawhinneys.

[gaffy]

A transcript of the church record of that marriage in 1868 gives his age as 30 and hers as 21.

There are no further leads about William's parents in the inscription of his grave in Donaghadee Church of Ireland graveyard, the only other named occupants are the daughter Agnes who married Alexander Mackintosh in Belfast in 1892 and their daughter:

Erected by William MAWHINNEY in memory of his daughter Agnes Mackintosh died 27th January 1894 aged 25 years Also his grand-daughter Bessie Mackintosh died 10th Feby 1896 aged 2 years & 7 months Also the above-named William Mawhinnney died 17th March 1901 aged 63 years Gone but not forgotten.

[cwatterson]

If it’s any help with family origins or the name change, my great-great-grandfather had a brother Henry Finlay who in 1871 married a Martha McWhinney from townland of Drumfad near Donaghadee (father John McWhinney a Blacksmith) but even with all the McWhinney on the records her signature is down as Mawhinney and it’s this name used for at least one of the children’s middle names, Grace Mawhinney Finlay 1873-1889 born in Millisle died in Belfast.

Marriage record: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1871/11342/8163612.pdf

[Kiltaglassan]

...Henry Finlay who in 1871 married a Martha McWhinney from townland of Drumfad near Donaghadee...

The townland of Drumfad Bay south of Millisle and NE of Carrowdore.
https://www.townlands.ie/down/ards-lower/donaghadee/carrowdore/drumfad-bay/

https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/4600507#map=12/54.6176/-5.6092

[emmchr]

There are no further leads about William's parents in the inscription of his grave in Donaghadee Church of Ireland graveyard...

Thanks Gaffy - I have that gravestone inscription and have gone through whatever Donaghadee gravestones I could find online, but no leads so far.

If it’s any help with family origins or the name change...

Thanks, I will add this marriage record to my ever-growing pile One day I'll find the missing link!

I have a mate's certificate for a William James McWhinney b. 1838 in Newtownards but there's no indication of next of kin or anything like that. Are there any merchant navy records that would have this info?