TOPPINGS of Magheraban, Glenwherry

I found a Thos Topping with a Crowe nephew in Skerrywherry. I assume this is one for the families you are interested in:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Glenwherry/Skerrywherry/939365/

And in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Glenwhirry/Skerrywhirry/122771/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Glenwhirry/Skerrywhirry/122770/

 Beside them was this other family who are probably related:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Glenwherry/Skerrywherry/939361/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Glenwhirry/Skerrywhirry/122777/

George Topping died in 1906. Here?s his probate extract:

Probate of the Will of George Topping late of Skerrywherry County Antrim Farmer who died 19 October 1906 granted at Belfast to Samuel S. Owens J.P. and William S. Rea Farmer. Effects ?120 10s

The will itself is on the PRONI wills site:

http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearchIm…

George left the farm to his nephew.

Here?s another probate. This will is not on-line. The document should be held in PRONI in Belfast (in paper format):

Topping Margaret Gardner of Skerrywherry Glenwherry county Antrim spinster died 10 January 1923 Probate Belfast 20 March to Andrew Gardner Topping farmer. Effects ?64 5s. Again the full file is in PRONI.

Eliza Topping appears to have married John Davi(d)son on 14.9.1887. The marriage was registered in Ballymena. The marriage cert should give you Eliza?s father?s name.

Not sure if this is your Crowe family but it might be:

Crowe, Thomas George of Ballyboley Glenwherry county Antrim publican died 25 March 1965 Probate Belfast 11 November to Elizabeth Crowe and Agnes Crowe spinsters. Effects ?5984 13s.

The revaluation records show Andrew Topping arriving on plot 63 in 1886. (A farmhouse, outbuildings and 35 acres). He was replaced by Margaret in 1891. She left in 1927.

James Topping arrived on plot 60 in 1886 but left in 1889.

http://applications.proni.gov.uk/dcal_proni_val12b/RelatedVolume.aspx?6767

Thomas George Crowe seems to have married Mary Haveron on 26.1.1912, registered in Antrim town.

thank you so much for all that information, it took me months to find some of that and you in a moment, wow!  I do have the info on Thomas George Crowe, his mother elizabeth and the property info map reference 4,5 and 6 on the Griffith's valuation.  I am very curious about this Andrew and Margaret Topping though?  I have all the Baptism records for the children of Thomas Topping and Sarah Todd who is the family(s) I think lived and worked the property 4-6 on the Griffith's. James Topping you found on plot 60 is new for me as well!  My great grandfather is James Topping, I thought he was the James at the property I listed here.  But today realized he married in 1889, he was a constable.  So my long winded question is 1- is "Map Reference No.) and "Plot" that you quoted the same thing?  And second.  The Andrew and Margaret Topping, where they part of the other Topping family in the area?  There is another women in Canada who is researching Toppings in that area.  We know there is a connection some how, but just can't find it.

You say that James Topping was a Constable. We can probably assume he served in the RIC. If so, a few of their rules may help you. 1. You had to be between 19  & 27 to join; you had to have served 7 years before you could marry and you would not be posted to serve in the county that either you or your wife came from. If you want, you should be able to get a copy of James?s service record from the PSNI museum in Belfast (for a fee):

http://www.psni.police.uk/index/about-us/police_museum/museum_genealogy.htm

This might be him in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Bellaghy/Bellaghy/1541560/

With his wife being from Cavan, I?d suspect that?s where he was serving when he met her.

Family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/St__Anne_s_Ward/Roden_Street/161012/

Re the revaluation records, did you note a Bella Topping in a wee house in Skerrywherry in 1908 (plot 6b?)? Not sure who she was.  The previous occupant appears to have been Bella Toibin.

Map reference and plot number are the same thing. The properties were referred to as plots. If you haven?t already worked it out, you can see where each one is today by using the slider bar in the top right hand side of the map screen to overlay a modern map on the contemporaneous Griffiths map.

Not sure who Andrew & Margaret Topping are. Andrew?s age as per both censuses would have him born c 1870 but I can?t see a birth in the civil indexes that fits that. His sister was born 20 or 27 years earlier depending on which census you use. That?s too early for a birth cert, so you would need to rely on church baptism records. Have you searched those?

A couple of gravestones in Connor New Cemetery (that?s in Kells village):

1910 in loving memory of Margaret Topping died 9th April 1908, aged 91 years. Robert Topping, died 8th January 1914, aged 98 years. Also their son David Topping, died 11th July 1909, aged 56 years. Also their son Samuel Topping, died 7th January 1934, aged 76 years. Topping

No dates. Topping in memory of Mary Jane and William The remains rest until the great shout thess I. chp.4.ver.16.

And one in Glenwherry:

Erected By John Topping, Belfast, In Memory Of His Eldest Son David Topping, Who Departed This Life 28th Sept 1881, Aged 7 Years.

Hi Colleen and teams

Hope you receive this message as your last post was 2014. I believe James Topping did meet Marianne in Cavan. He was posted there from September 1882 to end of 86 and then to Derry/Londonderry in 87. I believe he returned to Cavan for the wedding and then as his posting was in Maghera(felt) they set up home there. I still cannot find out where James came from originally and while I'm sure there is some connection with Skerrywhirry and that he was born cira 1861/2 I cannot get confirmation of this. His father on marriage record is Thomas Topping a farmer. 

I would love to know more about the Topping family in Skerrywhirry and if Thomas Buchanan Topping who records his father as Thomas Topping a farmer is also family.

Hope Colleen or someone else can clarify. Thanks

Karen,

If James Topping was born before 1.1.1864 you won’t get a birth certificate for him. That's when birth registration started). You may find his baptism but the records probably aren’t on-line and you need to have an idea of which church to search.

If you think that the Skerrywhirry families might be the right ones, then the likely churches are probably Glenwhirry Presbyterian (their records start in 1845), failing which try Buckna, Broughshane, Ballyeaston or Ballynure.  Larne Non Subscibing  Presbyterian may also be a possibility judging by one of the families mentioned below. There are copies of all the surviving records for those churches in PRONI in Belfast.  A personal visit is required to view them.

There’s 2 probate abstracts for farmers named Thomas Topping from the area you are interested in:

Probate of the Will of Thomas Topping late of Magheraban County Antrim Farmer who died 23 December 1899 granted at Belfast to Samuel S. Owens J.P. and Samuel Gordon Farmer.

(Magheraban(e) is part of Skerrywhirry townland).  This looks to be Thomas’s son George in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Glenwherry/Sker…

Also:

Probate of the Will of Thomas Topping late of Rorysglen Kilwaughter County Antrim Farmer who died 6 September 1904 granted at Belfast to William Nelson (Junior) Farmer and John Gilbert Blacksmith.

The above will is on-line and refers to his farm in Skerrywhirry. He married Isabella Rock in 1884.He was living in Glenwhirry at that date and his father was named as Thomas Topping, farmer.  So that fits quite well.

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

Family in 1901 census. They were Non Subscribing Presbyterians (Unitarians). They are likely to have attended the NSP church in Larne. That’s the nearest to where they lived. Again the records are in PRONI.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Kilwaughter/Rorysglen/995199/

So to summarise, I can see 2 Thomas Toppings farming around Glenwhirry. If you are looking for James Topping’s birth/baptism, you will need to search the church records I have mentioned. If you are unable to go yourself, you could employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

Thanks Elwyn

The infromation regarding Thomas marriage to Isabella Rock could be really helpful,especially interesting to me is the witness Andrew Garner(Gardner). 

I hope when restrictions left to visit Glenwhirry to explore possiblities. Like Colleen, James Topping was my great grandfather who died in 1915,my grandfather died young also and I have only recently started to really look into where my great grandfather relly comes from.

Thanks again 

Karen

Hello ladies, it is great to get some movement on the Topping family.  i have images of Jame's Topping and all his siblings, of their church record baptisms.  There are two Thomas Toppings, Jame's father married Sara Todd.  I have Jame's RIC records and aphoto of him if you would like to see.  What i find interesting, in the griffith's records, when George died, and oh he must have been a handful, lots of stories about him, lol; There is an Isabella Topping who moved in.  However, I cannot figure out how that Thomas Topping is related to my Toppings.   There was already a Thomas Topping in that generation,

Hi Colleen I would love to see those. I have sent you a facebook request,but if there is a better way to see picture and baptism records please let me know.

I did follow Elwyn suggestion re Isabella Rock and Thomas,but I really wanted to be sure that James, our greatgrandfather, came from Glenwhirry first. There certainly was some funny things going on with Topping girls in Skerrywherry and I wondered if there was a "Big House" and coercion involved. You are much further on in genalogy research than I am. I concentrated on my dad's family first- Majury's Co. Down.

Thanks 

Karen

Karen I do not see a facebook request from you.  If you want to email me at bergcoleen@yahoo.com I can email what I have.  Which one of James children are you the desendent of?