Brick wall researching Crawford Ancestors from Antrim Ireland.

[Dye]

Hello everone, I am new also & have reached that frustrated stage as to where to go from here.  

I have five Crawford's who came out from Antrim Ireland by ship to Western Australia from 1860 onwards.  They were all recorded as son/daughter of Samuel. See below.  There are a multitude of  descendants from these five people.

It is believed most of them were siblings but I have not been able to prove this.

I tried looking for them as a family in the 1851 Antrim Census via the Internet but could not find them. I believe the census on line may not be complete.

Records in our central Library in Perth of course do not go back far enough.

We do have a couple of excellent Genealogical Centres & I  believe one can order records from parishes in Antrim, Ireland. I really need guidance as to where to go from here.

I have had limited success via IGI & no success going back at our Genealogy centre in our  central Library. I believe from research & reading that it is not easy to access parish records without paying huge amounts to researchers.

I actually sent all the information I had to a researcher in Northern Ireland to do a preliminary search. In his report I really got nothing extra back than I had already sent him or sufficient reassurance that if I went ahead he would be any more successful.

I would be most appreciative if anyone can help.  It is very frustrating trying to research from across the other side of the world.

You are welcome to check out my genealogy web page at http://www.webace.com.au/~tblack Follow the Crawford link.

I have added facts I have re these five Crawford's below. All had Father Samuel & Mother Elizabeth. 
There is a discrepancy as to whether the Mother was Elizabeth Crothers or Elizabeth Curry.


1. JOHN CRAWFORD: (1832-1904)
Father - Samuel also from Antrim.
Arrived in Western Australia 26.12.1860 via the Escort with wife MARTHA formerly BRADSHAW (nee HUME) ( 1836- 1904) Was he David's brother?
A Son SAMUEL was born at sea (1860-1928)

2. DAVID CRAWFORD: (1838-39 - 1918)
Born about 1838-39 in Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland.
David Crawford: Son of Samuel: arrived per "Escort" 20 Dec 1860 with his wife Mary & baby daughter Mary. His wife Mary died on board ship in Gages Roads, Fremantle, Western Australia in Dec 1860.
Son of David Crawford: SAMUEL CRAWFORD: (1862-1934):

3. HUGH SMITH CRAWFORD: (1841-1918)
b. 31 Jan 1841 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland. Father: Samuel Crawford. Mother: Elizabeth - ? Crothers.
Single - arrived in Western Australia via "Crothers" 12.6.1864. With sister Mary Jane b (1844) Wheelwright - York. (He nominated brother Francis Crawford to come per "Robert Morrison 7.3.1866.)

4. FRANCIS FERGUSON CRAWFORD: (1845-1915)
b. 14 Jan 1845 Belfast, Antrim. Father: SAMUEL Crawford: Mother: Elizabeth Crothers.
* Single - arrived in Western Australia 7.3.1866 via "Robert Morrison."- from Brown Dodd.

5. MARY JANE CRAWFORD: (1844)
Daughter of Samuel, Farmer - single - arrived in Western Australia via the Strathmore 12.6.1864 with brother Hugh Smith Crawford.

I have a marriage certificate.

DAVID CRAWFORD: married 23rd Feb, 1860 at Parkgate, Donegore, Antrim, to MARY FINLAY: (~1836-1860) of Donegore, Antrim, Ireland.

Marriage solemnized at Parkgate in the Parish of Donegore, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
David - Bachelor, residence at time of marriage - Browndod: Profession - Carpenter: Father - Samuel Crawford: Farmer.
Mary Spinster, residence not clear. Father - William Finlay: Farmer.

Please forgive me for being long winded. I am so frustrated at not being able to go any further.   

Thanking you.
Dye. 

[Darcy]

Hi Dye,
 
and welcome to RootsChat.

Research in Ireland can be frustrating and made even more difficult by distance. Believe me, I know.

Your post will most likely be moved to the Antrim board where the people with expertise in that area will have some advice for you.

I actually know someone, here in Australia, who is researching Crawford in Belfast and around Antrim Town, which is not far from Parkgate.

Regards
Darcy

[Jena]

Hi Dye,
           Darcy contacted me to let me know about your post

Many of the names that you mention are similar to names in my husbands tree.Although I haven't got back as far as you have.  My husband is David Crawford, son of Samuel Crawford of Ligoniel Belfast. The family also has ties to the Townlands around the town of Antrim.

Samuel was married in 1889 and his father William was a farmer.Strangely my mother-in -law's name was Mary Finlay .

Like you, I find researching Ireland from Australia very difficult and have come to a complete standstill.
I will be keeping an eye on your posts in the hope that someone will come up with some information for you.
                                                                  Cheers Jena

[Dye]

Hi Darcy,

I appreciate your time & effort. I would be interested in hearing from anyone with Crawfords from this era & area.  Perhaps between us all the pieces of the jigsaw will fall into place.  Sometimes the process of elimination can help in sorting out families.

I have downloaded & edited out all the Crawfords I could find in the 1851 Antrim Census if anyone is interested. There were a number of Samuel Crawford's but none of them fitted my family.  I know they would have been there, most of them as young children.withFather Samuel, Mother Elizabeth.

I also think  presuming my Crawford's are a family group with Father Samuel that there would have been a brother Samuel. 

 As I mentioned previously I believe the Census on line is not complete.  It is a matter of hopefully checking all the towns when I have access to the full Census.  If I could find them I would then have an idea as to which parish they may have come from.  Donegore & Parkgate are mentioned as well as Browndodd but that was probably where Mary Finlay lived,.  I would imagine our Crawford's were not far away.

I also have checked maps of Towns, Parishes, Baronies etc to try & narrow it down. There are some excellent sites from Northern Ireland on the Internet.

In England many of the parishes & web sites are coming on line & making information available to those searching.  It is a pity Northern Ireland Parishes could not do the same.  It would mean so much to so many people & actually in the long run brings families together.

I am most impressed with this web site.  It is so good to chat to others interested in the same area. 


Thank you again for your help & interest.
Best wishes, Dye.

[Dye]

Hello also to you Jena,

It is great to hear from another researcher in Australia searching for her Crawford Ancestors.  The name Samuel appears to have been fairly common & there were a number of David's

 Our particular family tree line descended from David Crawford actually migrated across to South Australia, then to Melbourne & finally settled in Bairnsdale, Victoria.

 It took a lot of time & researching by my Mother before we found the shipping records of them arriving in Western Australia then settling in York, which is about an hours drive away from Perth.

  It is most interesting that your Mother in law's name is Mary Finlay.

I have another couple of names from the same area who also came to Western Australia.

Our David Crawford married a second time after his wife Mary sadly died on board ship giving birth to their daughter Mary.

Eliza Kidd & her sister Ellen from Antrim, Northern Ireland were both on the same ship - the Escort, as David & Mary Crawford,  arriving in Western Australia in Dec 1860. Their ages were recorded as Eliza 21 years & Ellen 19 years..

DAVID CRAWFORD: m2. was married 28.10.1861 to ELIZA KIDD: (1837-1903)
They were married in the Church of St Peter, Beverley, Western Australia. (Gilgaring.)
Copy of certificate.
David's Father recorded as Samuel Crawford - Laborer
John Kidd - Blacksmith recorded as Eliza's father.

Do keep in touch.  Between us we may find the answers together.

Cheers, Dye.

[Jena]

Hello Dye,

You are certainly right about the many Crawford men named Samuel. There are so many in my husbands tree that I have made it look as if his father was married in 1889! I get confused with all the Samuel,son of Samuel etc.
Even my brother-in law is Samuel.

Also I should have said that although my mother -in- law
was married in Co Antrim she was actually Scottish by birth.

Thanks for letting me have the information on your Crawfords. hopefully you are right and we will get somewhere at last.
                                Regards Jena 

[Dye]

Hello Jena,

My Mother prior to her original researching in the mid 1970's always thought our Crawford's came from Scotland. This is something we need to keep in mind.

There is often some truth in what is handed down. I would think our Crawford's & the Finlay's quite probably did originate from Scotland.  Our shipping records & certificates say Antrim, Ireland but as my Mother  had this in her mind (probably from her Father) they may have migrated a generation or so previously.  Of course this is all supposition but as "detectives" in the relentless research of our Ancestor's we must follow up every lead. . 

I would be interested to know more about your Crawford's especially as they came to Australia.  If you wish you can find my email address on my Genelogy web page mentioned in my first email & we could follow this up more privately.  

When & where  did your Crawford's  arrive in Australia.  You never know we may eventually find a link. . .  I still think my David Crawford would have had a brother named Samuel. If so I wonder what happened to him?

Are you in touch with other Crawford's who have ancestors who came to Australia?

Have you obtained & checked out any marriage & death certificates with your Crawford's.  These can offer all sorts of clues.

If we can draw up a list perhaps it will all come together. 
 
There is an Australian List for Crawford's.  Perhaps it is time for us to subscribe & pay it a visit.

Best wishes, Dye.   

[Ligonielpat]

The Family name Crawford still exists in ligoniel today, The family owned a small shop up to the late 70s Joe has since passed but his daughter still lives in ligoniel

[iluleah]

So you don't waste your time looking the only census available is 1901 and 1911, all the rest of the census is not available here or anywhere else as it was destroyed, so what you have found is all that is available

http://templepatrick.connor.anglican.org/home/index.php
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/townlands/index.cfm?fuseaction=TownlandsInCivil&civilparishid=305&civilparish=Donegore&citycounty=Antrim