McClures

Hi Cathy

I couldn't see a marriage record for John and Jane. There is a baptism record on rootsireland.ie though for a John McClure. The comments on the record states that his 'mother denoted as wife'. The name Jane appears in the mother's name section, so perhaps this is your John. His date of baptism is 28th Aug 1822 in the parish of Carrickfergus. You can see on the map that is is not ar from Glenwhirry:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/townlands/index.cfm?fuseaction…

John's father was named Robert and the family were Church of Ireland, does this ring any bells for you? 

Best wishes

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support 

His father was James McClure (1782-1865)  and his mother Margaret Scott (1780-1843 of Racavan, Antrim. His maternal grandparents were James McClure and Mary Dickie. I'll attach a letter from James senior.

Hi again

Looks like the above baptism details for John from me are not relevant to your search. I hope someone researching the family will get in touch. It seems that the marriage record is not available, either lost of not registered.

Clare

Genealogy Support 

I haven't personally done much research into the McClure's but Uncle John White from the potato blight letter is my line. John was married to John Scott McClure's sister Margaret McClure and their daughter Jane White was my GG Grandmother. John McClure sponsored a lot of the family to come to Australia in 1849 on the ship 'courier'.

I haven't personally done much research into the McClure's but Uncle John White from the potato blight letter is my line. John was married to John Scott McClure's sister Margaret McClure and their daughter Jane White was my GG Grandmother. John McClure sponsored a lot of the family to come to Australia in 1849 on the ship 'courier'.

My understanding is the Margaret McClure who married John White was John Scott McClure's aunt, his father James' sister. James lived at Rathcavan as then spelt, and his daughter Mary, Mrs John Thomson, continued there after his death said to be in 1865. James' daughter Margaret (Peggy) emigrated to Victoria where she married Thomas Usher. They later moved to Warrnambool where he was a bootmaker. 

James' other sister Jane married John Glasgow and lived in the townland of Clough.  Two of her sons were missionaries to India - James McClure Glasgow and Adam Dickie Glasgow.  Both retired to Antrim and James stayed there. Adam emigrated to New Zealand, where there are descendants, at least one of whom moved to Australia and was in Sydney by the 1980s. A third Glasgow son Robert emigrated to Victoria in the mid 1850s and also settled in the area around Warrnambool, where John Scott McClure and his brother James had moved from the Melbourne area early in 1853. Other central Antrim families settling in that area included Whites, Adams and Esler.

Johhn Scott McClure's brother James, the receipient of the potato blight letter (there were later letters), came to Victoria with his sister Margaret in 1844.  James married Eliza Empy/Impey on 1st July 1844, noted in Georgiana McCrae's Journal (despite being listed as "her young man William"). Eliza was maid to Georgiana and had given short notice as "William" was obliged to take up a contract for timber-cutting in the Dandenongs (ranges to the east of Melbourne).  The 'Courier' 1849 journey brought further McClure siblings William (with second wife and the two children from his first marriage) and Barbara, who later married her cousin John White, and died quite young after their first child. John White returned to Antrim about 1861 with son James, married Maria Esler, bought land on the 'Carnloagh Shore', and was buried at Broughshane, Upper Roughan on 26th April 1886.

A footnote to James' 1844 arrival was that Eliza Empey was one of the folk meeting the ship at Port Melbourne and she was the first person he spoke to. He is said to have asked about going to John McClure's.  She said she was going there!  However the John McLure who was tutor to Georgiana MacRae's chidren in Richmond had come from the Isle of Skye! Two of the same name in Melbourne established less than eight years - the other in Heidelberg/Bulleen area.

We are indebted for most of this information to two grandchildren of James McClure 1818-1910: the late Miss Rachael Jeffers (1900-1970, a schoolteacher who visited Antrim about 1958, and her older sister Miss Kathleen Empy Jeffers who lovingly retained her sister's collection of family history after Rachael's death.

Yes, my mistake, you are right - my GGG Grandmother Margaret White (nee McClure) was John Scott McClure's Aunt.
Her two youngest children Jane b. 1819 & John b. 1822 emigrated to Australia together in 1849 on the ship Courier which was the same ship as Jane's future husband Hugh Adams.  
John's first wife Barabara is buried at Warrnambool with my great grandparents Hugh Adams & Jane White. 
John & Barbara's son James died 1861 and is buried with his grandmother Margaret White at Racavan cemetery.  John then married Jane & Hugh's niece Maria Esler.
I grew up as an Adams in Wangoom (just outside Warrnambool) which is where the McClure, Glasgow, Adams & White's all first settled. If anyone is interested, I have access to the Wangoom Presbyterian baptism register which start in 1860 and include children of James & Eliza McClure, John & Jane McClure, Hugh & Jane Adams and Robert & Ann Glasgow.  There are probably more connected families but these are the ones that immediately stand out.

I live fairly close to Broughshane.  The reference to “Carnloagh shore” is likely to be the village of Carnlough. That’s about 10 miles east of Broughshane and is on the sea (hence the shore).

There’s a death on the GRONI website for a James McClure on 13.11.1865 aged 82, registered in Ballymena. That could well be the James mentioned on this board. You can view the original certificate 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. 

Griffiths Valuation of 1862 lists James McClure in Racavan townland. He had plot 28a which was a farm which he worked with several other people, including William McCullough (who is mentioned in the 1848 letter). In total there was about 113 acres. James McClure’s farmhouse today is probably on the Racavan Rd about 3 miles from Broughshane on the way to Slemish mountain. There’s a detailed map in Ballymena library local studies section that should show exactly where it was/is.

Here’s James probate:

The Will of James M'Clure late of Rathcavan County Antrim Farmer deceased who died 12 November 1865 at same place was proved at Belfast by the oath of Mary Thompson (Wife of John Thompson of Rathcavan (Broughshane) aforesaid (Farmer) the sole Executrix.

The will itself is on-line on the PRONI website. James left his farm to daughter Mary Thomson and a yearly allowance of £2 to daughter Elizabeth Clarke. 

The Will of Mary Thompson late of Rocavan County Antrim Widow who died 13 January 1892 at same place was proved at Belfast by Mathew Kyle of Ballyeloughan said County and William Cowan of Rocavan Farmers the Executors.

Mary’s will is also on-line and mentions her son in law Robert McCurdy who got her land, plus her daughter Ann Coleman. Also Robert McCurdy’s sons John & William Logan.

Here’s Robert McCurdy in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Slemish/Racawan/939637/

 and 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Slemish/Racavan…

William Logan McCurdy in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Slemish/Racavan…