Nathaniel Alexander Smyth 1845 : Short Biography

Nathaniel Alexander Smyth 1845

Antrim (Antrim) County Antrim

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Place of migration

Migrated to/Born in Australia

Nathaniel Smyth b about 1821.married Matilda MacCaughan, (parents John McCaughan and Eliza Smith), they had a son, my Great Grandfather Nathaniel Alexander born 1845 in Teeshan, county Antrim. The attached photo is of him. I can find nothing on either of them, or on my great grandfather in Ireland. The strange part of the story is that Matilda seems to have left a husband and little son behind, come to Australia and re married only 3 years later.
Her son followed her 15 years later and arrived in 1863. They went on to live long lives, she had 2 more children. Nathaniel Alexander Smyth married Mary Millicent Robinson on 4 March 1876 in Camperdown, Victoria. They had eight children in 15 years. He died on 6 November 1928 in Camperdown, Victoria, at the age of 83, and was buried in Victoria.

Additional Information
Date of Birth	1st Jan 1845 (circa)
Date of Death	6th Nov 1928
Spouse (First Name/s and Maiden/Surname)	Matilda MacCaughan
Father (First Name/s and Surname)	Nathaniel Smyth
Mother (First Name/s and Maiden)
Number of Children	8
Place of Death	Camperdown, Victoria

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Birth and death registration didn’t start in Ireland till 1864. Non RC marriages weren’t recorded before 1845 and RC only started in 1864. So you won’t find birth certificates for someone born c 1821, nor a marriage cert for a marriage before April 1845. You might find baptism and church marriage records but not every church has records for that period, and of those that do, not all are on-line.

I don’t see a marriage for Nathaniel Smyth & Matilda McCaughan 1845 onwards. So may have married pre 1845, in which case you’d need to search local church records. But were they actually married? I found a marriage for Nathaniel Smyth of Teeshan in 1847 who was a bachelor (aged 35) to Peggy McIlroy. Perhaps he never married Matilda and his marriage to Peggy might be the reason she left for Australia, still a single woman?

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1850/09382/5398037.pdf

Griffiths Valuation has a Nathaniel Smyth farming plot 14 in Teeshan in 1862.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Thursday 7th October 2021 05:53PM

G'day.

The man pictured is my great-great grandfather on my mother's side.

I have information that Matilda's maiden name may have been Mecaughen, and when she has moved to Australia, may have been illiterate therefore when asked her name, in her accent, probably sounded like McCaughen? Or that story could be off the track too. I haven't looked to deeply into it for a number of years, and finding any info regarding Irish ancestry of this vintage is tough going.

Cheers, Aaron.

Aaron

Wednesday 2nd February 2022 09:14AM

Aaron,

Spelling in Ireland changed all the time. In many cases it was because people were illiterate and so the spelling was at the whim of the person recording the information, but even when they were literate, it still varied a lot too. There’s no such thing as a “correct” version. You just need to be flexible when searching.

A Nathaniel Smyth died on 10.3.1870 aged 81. Death was registered in Ballymena which is the right registration area for Teeshan. It’s not on-line free. You need to pay to view £2.50.

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

If he was 81 in 1870, then born c 1790. About the age to be Nathaniel (1821)’s father. The tithe applotment records for 1825 list a Nathaniel Smyth and a Nathaniel Smyth jr both farming in Teeshan. So there was more than one adult Nathaniel Smyth there in 1825. There were several other Smyth farms there then too.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/antrim/tithe-applotments/ahoghill-parish.php

1766 census for Ahoghill parish lists just a Widow Smyth in the parish. She was Presbyterian.

http://www.ulsterancestry.com/free/ShowFreePage-48.html#gsc.tab=0

There was a John McCaugheon there then, farming in Leymore. Possibly Matilda’s father? Leymore adjoins Teeshan so the 2 households were probably just a few hundred yards apart. The family had left or died out by the time of Griffiths Valuation in 1860.

Still one Smyth family farming in Teeshan in 1901. Presbyterian.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Galgorm/Teeshan/930483/

Plus a Nathaniel Smyth lodging with his married sister:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Galgorm/Teeshan/930470/

Nathaniel & Elizabeth’s father was a Thomas Smyth who had died in 1898:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…

Administration of the estate of Thomas Smyth late of Teeshan County Antrim Farmer who died 31 October 1898 granted at Belfast to Elizabeth Smyth the Widow.

Also a family of Reformed Presbyterians:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Galgorm/Teeshan/930477/

In 1901 there were 46 houses in Teeshan with a total population of 187.

These gravestones in Kirkinriola cemetery related to Teeshan Smyths:

ERECTED BY Nathaniel Smyth of Tyshan IN MEMORY OF JANE his beloved wife who departed this life 6th October 1852 aged 64 years.

Erected by John Smyth of Teeshan in memory of his beloved wife MARGARET SMYTH who died 12th February 1888, aged 60 years. Also their daughter Isabella Smyth; who died 29th Nov. 1885; aged 20 years And their daughter Martha Smyth; who died 29th Sep.1887 aged 36yrs.

Erected by John Smyth of Teeshan, In memory of his son JOHN SMYTH, who departed this life 10th october, 1863; aged 3 years. Also THOMAS SMYTH who departed this life 9th March 1872 Aged 10 years. And the above named John Smyth died 8th April 1896 aged 76 years. and their daughter Mary Ann, died 24th Dec 1900 aged 50 years. and their daughter Jane Smyth died 2nd Feb 1905 aged 56 years. [Mar]garet Jane daughter of above Jane Smyth died 6th March 1920 aged 44 years.

Most of the Presbyterian population of Ahoghill parish and the surrounding area are descedants of Scots who settled there in the 1600s. That's likely to be both the Smyth & McCaughan family origins, I would expect. 90% of Ahoghill has the same origins.