LEITH & O’NEILL - Inisrush, Glenone, Co Derry, Northern Ireland

Evermore,

Do you know what the Leith’s occupation was in Ireland? If they were farmers then they ought to be listed in the tithe applotment records. The tithe applotment records for Tamlaght O’Crilly (the parish including Inishrush) were compiled in 1833.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/derry/tithe-applotments/tamlaght-o-crilly-parish.php

You will see that there were 2 Leith farms in Moneystaghan townland. James & Robert Luth. They were the only Leiths in the parish.

1831 census shows Robert was Church of Ireland. (Total of 5 in his family at that time).

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughenshollin/Tamlaght_O_Crilly/Moneystaughan/117/

James with 6 people, 1 was RC - probably a servant.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughinshollin/Tamlaght_O_Crilly/Moneystaughan/2/

Again these were the only Leith households in the parish. So I would suspect one of them was your Leith family. Clearly the Robert who married Catherine O’Neill was only 11 in 1831 and so he wouldn’t be listed but his father might have been either Robert or James.

You ask what is likely to have happened to the 3 girls after their parents’ death. I can’t answer that specifically because I have no knowledge of the families but the usual thing would be for relatives to take them in. Since there was another Leith household nearby I’d guess they went there.

There are 2 townlands named Moneystaghan. One is Moneystaghan Ellis and the other Moneystaghan MacPeake. I think the townland where the Leiths lived was Moneystaghan Ellis. Griffiths Valuation for 1859 lists 1 likely family farming there. Joseph Liaf (ie Leith)  had plot 2 which was a 3 acre holding. (That property today is just off the A 42 to the west of Clady.).

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

The Valuation Revision records on the PRONI website show that it remained in Joseph’s name till sometime between 1864 and 1880 (the relevant records for the intervening years are missing). However by 1880 a James Ballentine was the occupant.

Nancy Leith, widow of Joseph Leith of Moneystaghan died 23.7.1881 aged 70.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1881/06433/4848442.pdf

Joseph died in 1875 aged 65. There was also a John Leith who died in 1876 aged 63. A Mary Leith died in 1864 aged 48. Margaret Leith, spinster, aged 46 died at Moneystaghan on 9.4.1893. The informant was her brother in law Edward McGuckian.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1893/06005/4709018.pdf

For the deaths between 1864 and 1877 the records are not on-line free yet. If you want to see them you have to look them up on the GRONI site. You can view the original certificates on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2.50 (sterling) to a view a certificate.

Edward McGuckin in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Claudy/Money_Staghan_Ellis/1542592/

He married Elizabeth Leith, daughter of Robert Leith, on 14.9.1890.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1890/10706/5903034.pdf

There were no Leiths in Moneystaghan by the 1901 census. In fact there were none in the whole county. They had evidently died out.

Birth & death registration only started in Ireland in 1864. Protestant marriages were recorded from 1845. For earlier events eg Robert & Catherine’s marriage or the baptisms of their children you have to rely on church records. Unfortunately the Church of Ireland records for Tamlaght O’Crilly were lost in the 1922 fire in Dublin, so there is probably no record of them.  However the rarity of the name, and the fact you know they came from around Inishrush makes me fairly confident that Maoneystaghan Ellis is where they lived.  You might find gravestones in the local graveyard.

 Thank you so much. I have some further details which may assist

 Robert Leith was a farmer.

1870/000509

McNally, Peter (Batchelor, Labourer from Portadown, Co Armagh, age 29) and Leith, Susan ( spinster, domestic servant from Innishrush, Co Derry, age 25) Parents: Mcnally, John (farmer) & Hollom, Catherine Keith, Robert (farmer) & O'Neil, Catherine Witnes  

First name(s) Elizabeth Last name Leith Birth year - Baptism year 1846 Baptism date 30 Nov 1846 Residence Inisruth Parish Greenlough Alternative parish names Portglenone, Tamlaght O'Crilly Diocese Derry County Londonderry (Derry) Country Ireland Father's first name(s) Robert Father's last name Leith Mother's first name(s) Cathe Mother's last name O'Neill 

Detail

Baptism/Birth: Leith, Elizabeth Innisrush, Greenlough, Co Derry Roman Catholic Father: Leith, Robert Mother: O'Neill, Catherine Informant: Cassidy, Elizabeth

Believed both born Londonderry 1820 vicinity and possibly married 1840 

The 2 families I have identified for you in Moneystaghan Ellis lived about 200 yards from Inishrush. They are the only Leith families in the parish in the 1830s, so it seems to me they must be yours. Both were Church of Ireland in 1831 though that’s not to say they couldn’t have changed after that. I note that the McGuckian – Leith family were RC.

But whatever denomination they were you may struggle to find early records. The Church of Ireland  parish records were destroyed in 1922 and the RC records (Tamlaght O’Crilly RC parish is Greenlough) don’t start till 1846. RC records are mostly on-line on the nli site:  

https://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

I had another look at the statutory records. (Births, deaths & RC marriages start 1864. Non RC marriages start 1845).  I noted a John Leeth death in 1870 aged 70, regd Magherafelt. I also noticed a John Leith living in Moneystaghan  between at least 1866 and 1871. He married Nancy Anderson. He was a butcher and I think he was RC. I say that because I don’t see his marriage in the statutory records. They had children John 18.2.1866, Robert 11.1.1869 and Nancy 14.6.1871, all born in Moneystaghan. I don’t know what happened to them after that. (They are gone by the 1901 census).

My reading of Elizabeth Leith’s baptism is that she was baptised on 31st December 1846. (I think some transcribers may have got the month wrong). As you say her address is given as Inishrush.

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633046#page/7/mode/1up

Perhaps Robert Keith converted to Catholicism when he married Catherine? You may also notice that on 3rd Jan 1847, Rose Jane Toner was baptised, daughter of John Toner and Rose Leith. They lived in Moneystaghan. John Leith was one of the sponsors.

You find other members of the Leith family in the RC records.

What looks to be the death of Rose Toner, nee Leith, in Moneystaghan occurred on 26.11.1895. She was 82 and a widow.

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

This is very interesting. Let me add a few things ...

1. Australian death & marriage records for Susan show Robert Leith (her father) was a farmer/forester. 

2. DNA evidence of descendants has linked Susan to sister Catherine

3. Another sister has been identified - Rosy Leith (verified by DNA match with descendants). Rosy was born about 1841 and married James Devlin in 1863 in Ballyscullion. 

4. There is a strong possibility that Catherine jr was sponsor to her sister Susan son's baptism (Peter McMullan) in 1856 at Moneystaghan particulaly given Elwyn's information.

5. There is no record of sister Susan entering Australia which she did circa 1864.

6. There are records for a number of o'Neils entering Australia in 1864 including Elisabeth (b1847), James (b1845), Margaret (b1842), Richard (b1843 and Susan (b1841). These MAY have been Catherine's syblngs having reverted to mother Catherine's family name. The year's of birth indicate possible matches. If this is correct, the O'Neils may have brough the children up if parents had passed away.

I do hope that this is helpful.

David

Just for information, there are no Leith gravestones in Greenlough RC churchyard nor, as far as I can tell, in Tamlaght O’Crilly graveyard.  It looks as though the family were either buried without headstones, or any headstones have crumbled or become illegible.

Picture of Greenlough Old church attached, with a notice about its history. Also a picture of Tamlaght O'Crilly church.

Thank you Elwyn,

I ahve done a lot of searching in the Inisrush region for Leiths. Records are very limited. I did find both 1833 Tithe records and 1831 Census records for Robert and James Leith. Just to make it fun they have spellings of Luth and Leeth! It also suggests that they had broad accents. As an aside, I have also seen spellings of Leath and Leigh which provides an added dimension to the research.  

I found a Robert Leith was fined in Ballymena for an Orange procession. This was recorded in the Derry Journal dated 15 March 1842. I cannot be sure that this is a related Robert but being only 10 miles away from Inisrush it must be a possibility.

It is my guess that the Leith youngsters progressively migrated seeking a better way of life and that their parents were left behind or died while their offspring were young. We will probably never know. We do know that Susan Leith had dispensation to marry at age 13. 

Thanks to the links you provided in an earler post I have identified a number of Leiths in the locality including Henry, Sally, Robert, John, James, Nancy (formerly Anderson), Mary Jane (formerly Henry). These Leiths being located in Inisrush or Moneystaughan. I will now conduct a more detailed analysis to determine relationships and further investigate international migration records.

David