Magee Family

[Tony Magee]

I am trying to find out details about my paternal Irish family history.

We were told that the family moved from County Mayo to Scotland during the potato famine, but alas that appears incorrect.

All living relatives known to me confirm this same story was told to them as well.

My Great Great Grandparents were:-

James Magee 1841 - Magherafelt - 5 Nov 1920 - Magherafelt
Sarah McShane died 7 September 1873 in Magherafelt, Londonderry, Ireland


They married at Lavey Roman Catholic Church, Termoneeny, Magherafelt on 27 Dec 1862

Children:-

Anthony was born according to the Parish Register for Derry, 14 Feb 1863 - Termoneeny – 7 Jun 1943 - Midlothian, Scotland

James Magee - Maghera, on 23 May 1864 – c1901 - Magherafelt

Mary Magee - Maghera, on 19 Dec 1865 – Unknown

Ellen Magee - Moyagall on 8 Aug 1869 and died 1869

Biddy Magee - Magherafelt on 9 Apr 1871 and died 1871 Londonderry.

Teresa Magee - Maghera, on 6 Sept 1873 – Unknown

Anthony Magee, born 14 February 1863, migrated to Scotland where he married Janet Liddle on 25 November 1885 in Linlithgow, Midlothian, Scotland.
I don't know when he left Ireland or his departure point.

I have been in contact with Patrick Boyle (Parish Secretary) at Parish of Lavey, 63 Mayogall Road, Magherafelt, Co. Derry BT45 8PG - Phone: 02879642458
Who replied:-
I have looked over our registers and the only information I can find is the following:-
James Magee married Sarah McShane on 27/12/1862
Anthony Magee – Date of Birth – 14/02/1863
Ellen Magee – Date of Birth – 09/08/1869
Teresa Magee – Date of Birth – 06/09/1873
I can find no records for Biddie, Ellen, Mary or James Magee on our registers.
1901 census records shows House 13 in Moyagall and census 1911 shows House 20 in Moyagall.

Sarah McShane's brother was Francis McShane, No other details known.

Teresa Magee's husband was William Averall (No dates) and they married 17 November 1901 in St Mary's Lavy, Galladuff, Magherafelt.

There was some confusion as another James Magee, also from Magherafelt and a year older than my Great Great grandfather married on 4 Feb 1883 in Magherafelt, a Bridget (Biddy) Grant, born 16 Apr 1849 in Ballinascreen, Londonderry.

I have had no success in finding any further information going back and have equally had no success in finding anything else about my great grandfdather's siblings, going forward other than what I have noted above.

I have my DNA on FamilyTreeDNA, My Heritage, Ancestry, 23andMe, LivingDNA and Gedmatch

I also have family tree's on the the above, apart from LivingDNA, as well as GenesReunited and Findmypast.

Alas to date, although I have DNA matches, I have either not received a response to messages or  can find no link to them from their knowledge or family trees.

Hoping someone can help me

Regards

Anthony Magee

[Kiltaglassan]

Welcome to RootsChat 

James Magee 1841 - Magherafelt - 5 Nov 1920 - Magherafelt

Links-

Died at Moyagall townland. His son-in-law William Averill the informant.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1920/05113/4406143.pdf
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Londonderry/Gulladuff/Moyagall/610975/
https://www.townlands.ie/londonderry/loughinsholin/maghera/gulladuff/moyagall/
https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/4836428#map=12/54.8529/-6.5959

[Kiltaglassan]

Biddy Magee - Magherafelt on 9 Apr 1871 and died 1871 Londonderry.

Birth at Moyagall
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1871/03301/2209954.pdf

Teresa Magee - Maghera, on 6 Sept 1873 – Unknown

Birth at Moyagall
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1873/03189/2169456.pdf

[Kiltaglassan]

...another James Magee, also from Magherafelt and a year older than my Great Great grandfather married on 4 Feb 1883 in Magherafelt, a Bridget (Biddy) Grant...

Married in Lavey RC Church (Maghera R.D.), James Magee a farmer, and both living in Moyagall townland. Fathers Henry Magee (deceased) a farmer, and Denis Grant also a farmer.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1883/10923/5991053.pdf

[LH]

Hello Tony

You'll get great enjoyment from searching the Government's free website irishgenealogy.ie to locate records for your family.

You can check Civil Records and also Church Records.


Happy hunting

[Tony Magee]

That's the site I got most of my information from to date.

Unfortunately, I live in Devon, England, have no knowledge what parishes etc to try and look for information and the fire in Dublin in 1922 means there is no central search.

I spent many hours going down the James Magee and Bridget Grant trail only to later find that was a different James Magee, a year older, but living in the same village.

It's hard to know if you are going wrong when so many people had the same names. They are probably related, but I have no idea how.

[Elwyn Soutter]

Anthony Magee, born 14 February 1863, migrated to Scotland where he married Janet Liddle on 25 November 1885 in Linlithgow, Midlothian, Scotland.
I don't know when he left Ireland or his departure point.

I would expect that your ancestor travelled by train from Magherafelt to Belfast (1 hour 45 mins) and then took the overnight boat to Glasgow. There were many sailings from Belfast to Glasgow in those days. The main business was cargo, passengers were top up revenue and fares quite low.

There are no passenger records for what was, and still is, a short domestic journey.

One of the advantages of going to work in Scotland was the ease with which you could go home for the harvest or a wedding etc. At the Glasgow Fair fortnight the ferries were bunged with Irish workers going home for a holiday.  So your ancestor may well have travelled to and fro from time to time if he still had relatives in the Magherafelt area.

[Tony Magee]

Thank you. That explains why I can't find a date for him moving to Scotland.

[Elwyn Soutter]

Thank you. That explains why I can't find a date for him moving to Scotland.

He probably went to Scotland when he was of working age, so perhaps around 17 or 18. Can you find him in the 1881 Scottish census (probably as a lodger)? If not, then he probably arrived between then and the marriage in 1885.