Hewitt/Robinson Family of Kilmore, Armagh

[keeley80]

Hi everyone,

I am seeking help with family genealogy tree. My family immigrated from Armagh to Canada in 1842. I know that my gg grandfather Robert Hewitt (b. 1806)  married Jane Robinson (b. 1811) in Armagh. Jane had a brother John Robinson who came to Canada approximately two years after with their son Isaac Hewitt (b. 1841). Robert has a sister Isabella who married Robert Orr in Kent England in 1839.

I have all the family tree from Robert onwards but I am desperately trying to confirm his parents information and parish/barony/union details. I was able to find Isabella and Roberts marriage certificate which list Robert's father as James Orr and her father as Thomas. Wondering if anyone here is following the same family line, or where (other than PRONI) I might seek out more detailed information. I know about the records disaster previous to 1821. They were of Methodist religion when they came to Canada. Any guidance would be appreciated, including if anyone can recommend a certified, genealogist service in Armagh. Many thanks!

[Alan of Kaslo]

Hello & Welcome.

Robert Hewitt's grave implies he was born 1809... did you see info that says it was 1806?

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229899374/robert-hewitt

[Elwyn Soutter]

They were of Methodist religion when they came to Canada. Any guidance would be appreciated, including if anyone can recommend a certified, genealogist service in Armagh. Many thanks!

Methodism took a lot longer to become established in Ireland as a separate denomination than in England. In Ireland there was considerable resistance to separating from the Church of Ireland. In 1816 the main body of Irish Methodists (the Wesleyans) took the decision to allow baptisms in their preaching houses or chapels, but it was a practice which was only gradually introduced so that it wasn’t until the 1830s and 1840s that it became fairly standard. Because of continuing loyalty and other factors, many – including Primitive Wesleyans - continued to use the Church of Ireland for baptisms for years after this and it was 1871 before all Methodists routinely performed their own.

For Methodist marriages, the earliest that I am aware of, date from 1835 (Belfast Donegall Square, the first Methodist church in Ireland). However in the mid 1800s there were only a few Methodist Ministers (Methodism relied heavily on lay preachers). So that shortage led to the continuing practice of marrying in the Church of Ireland. In addition, in the early years, many Methodist Meeting Houses were not licensed for marriages so that too contributed to couples marrying in the Church of Ireland.

So to summarise, you are unlikely to find many Methodist baptisms before 1820. Few marriages before the 1840s and only a handful for many years after that. If there are no Methodist records in the location you are researching, I would search Church of Ireland records instead, as that’s the most likely place to find the relevant event.

Not many Methodist Meeting Houses have graveyards and so they may be buried in public or Church of Ireland graveyards (which are open to all denominations).

Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

[eileenwilson]

Many only became Methodists once they reached Canada so records will likely be in the Church of Ireland (as Elwyn as indicated).

In the 1851 Census (actually taken in early 1852, ages given are as of next birthday), the family is in Hamilton, Ontario, with her brother John Robinson some 16 years younger (he's 29 and Jane is 45).  They are all noted as being of the English Church.   They are also noted as Church of England in the 1861 Census (in Binbrook, Wentworth County).

Have you found John Robinson's marriage which may name his parents?  There is also a John Hewitt, who would seem to have been the eldest child of Robert & Jane (aged 29 in 1861 and born in Ireland).

Interestingly, Robert is buried in Sinclairville, where relatives of my husband's Wilsons also settled having arrived from Co. Armagh in the 1850s.

[eileenwilson]

There is a Robert Hewitt in Clanroot (Clandruit), ONeilland West, Co. Armagh, in the PRONI Freeholder records in 1832 til 1839. Also in this townland were a Joshua, William, and Mark, all tenants of Lord Dungannon.

A Mark Hewitt died in Clonroot aged 75 in 1897 who may be a younger generation:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1897/05877/4666333.pdf

Joshua died in 1872, aged 76, in Clonroot so of an age to be your Robert's older brother:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1872/020720/7269777.pdf

There are also a bunch more Hewitts (various spellings) in Clonroot in the earlier Freeholder records.

[eileenwilson]

In the 1861 census, John Robinson and his wife and two young children are living in Seneca, Haldimand County, Ontario a few doors away from an Edward Hewitt, aged 40, also from Ireland.

[keeley80]

thank you so much everyone! all of this information has been extremely helpful. My apologies about the birthdate for Robert, it was 1809. I've been looking at so many sources and dates eventually they seem to merge together LOL. Ive been able to confirm Roberts fathers name as Thomas from his sister Isabella's marriage certificate. There are two predominant areas that come up for Hewitt - Clonroot and Drumard Primate.

The methodist information was extremely helpful as I imagined I wasn't going to find many records through this branch. I will check the church of England. Are there sites that I can access from the Canadian side?

From the Canadian side I can confirm that Robert and Jane were Hamilton from 1843 and are registered in the city street directories until they moved to Sinclairville in 1868. John Robinson is not listed in the directories and fellow Hewitts such as an Edward, Carson, John C, and Thomas came afterwards once Robert had established ties in Sinclairville.

Any advice on how I would try to decipher whether they were from Clonroot or Drumard Primate? The records in Drumard Primate seem to follow names that show up in the canadian sources.

Much appreciation for everyone's help and guidance!

Keeley

[eileenwilson]

Sorry for the delay in responding. I didn't get a notification of your response.

People of Clonroot likely churched in Kilmore or perhaps further afield in Richhill.  You can check RootsIreland (a paid site) for some of the surviving records.  Records exist from 1789 and would be available for research in person at PRONI.