Woods family; Banbridge, County Down

There are several Samuel Woods from Banbridge on this site:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies/SURNAMES/W/Woods.htm

The surname Gracie appears to be more commonly spelled Gracey or Gracy in Co Down. Plenty of those on the site too.

Statutory registration of non RC marriages started in Ireland in April 1845. I searched for the parents marriage but did not find it, suggesting it was pre Apr 1845. In that case you will probably need to search church records, not all of which are on-line. Copies are held in PRONI (the Public Record Office) in Belfast.

Do you know what denomination the family were, especially Armanella, as tradition was to marry in the bride?s church?

Armanella is a fairly rare name. I searched for her death 1864 (when death registration started) to 1901 but did not find it. There?s just one adult Samuel Woods death registered in Banbridge in that period. He was a woollen draper b 1817 who died intestate and whose wife was Martha.

Full Abstract :

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of Samuel Woods late of Banbridge County Down Woollen Draper deceased who died 8 August 1870 at same place were granted at Belfast to Martha Woods of Banbridge aforesaid the Widow of said deceased.

http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/willsSearchResultsDetails.aspx

Scottish marriage certificates are fairly meticulous about recording whether the parents were alive or deceased. If deceased it will usually say (dcd) after their name. So were Samuel and Armanella alive or dead in 1871?

Samuel Woods the elder, was deceased when Samuel and Elizabeth married in Glasgow in 1871.  On the marriage certificate, he is listed as a Tailor (Master) deceased.  His wife is listed as Armanella Woods, ms Gracie.  She is not shown as deceased.  We believe this is her correct name because my great grandfather named two of his daughters Armanella (one died infancy and one lived to adulthood).Thanks for your help - we have found locating Irish records difficult, so any information is gratefully received.  K.

Samuel and Elizabeth married in the Episcopal Church.  He was apparently a highly regarded member of the Orange and Black Lodges in Glasgow and a Protestant.  Samuel Woods the elder, was deceased when Samuel and Elizabeth married in Glasgow in 1871.  On the marriage certificate, the elder Samuel Woods is listed as a Tailor (Master) deceased.  His wife is listed as Armanella Woods, ms Gracie.  She is not shown as deceased.  We believe this is her correct name because my great grandfather named two of his daughters Armanella (one died infancy and one lived to adulthood).Thanks for your help - we have found locating Irish records difficult, so any information is gratefully received.  K.

Samuel and Elizabeth were married in the Episcopal church in Glasgow in 1871.  He was a highly-regarded member of the Orange and Black lodges in Glasgow and a protestant.

Karen,

Irish research can be tricky. The records tend to start later than Scottish or English ones and there are gaps, notably in respect of pre 1901 censuses.

If the 1871 marriage in Scotland was Episcopalian, then that generally tells you that the bride was of that denomination (ie Church of England). Samuel, being an Orangeman or Blackman would almost certainly have been either Church of Ireland or Presbyterian. What denomination were the children baptised into? Do you know? If Church of Scotland (ie Presbyterian) then that would point to him being that denomination. If Episcopalian, then that would point to him being Church of Ireland (which is the same as the Church of England). This all matters in respect of narrowing the search into which set of church records you may need to investigate in Ireland since his birth and parents marriage are all before the start of statutory records.

I have searched for the death of Samuel Woods 1864 to 1871. Death registration only started in Ireland in 1864 (as opposed to 1855 in Scotland and 1837 in England) but the only death in that period in Banbridge is of the woollen draper whose wife was Martha. So, assuming he is not your Samuel, then yours must have died before 1864. In which case you are reliant on gravestones or, if he was Church of Ireland burial records. (Other denominations generally didn?t keep burial records).

I also searched for the death of Armanella Woods, anywhere in Ireland, 1864 to 1921 and there isn?t a single one listed. So not sure what to make of that. Either it wasn?t her given name or she didn?t die in Ireland. I wondered if she died in Scotland but, as you probably already know, the only death in Scottish records is that of the 3 year old in Glasgow in 1882. I searched for a remarriage for Armanella post 1871, but none is listed.

I looked at the 1852 street directory, and the only Samuel Woods listed in Banbridge then was the woollen draper (in Newry St). See:

http://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/1852PD1.htm#Banbridge

Martha Woods (wife of the draper) died in 1871 and you can see her will on-line on the PRONI (the Public Record Office) website. Mostly it focuses around her unmarried daughter Minnie, though there are references to various married brothers and sisters. No mention of any Samuel Woods, or other children. She was fairly comfortably off:

Full Abstract :

The Will (with two Codicils) of Martha Woods late of Banbridge County Down Widow deceased who died 10 April 1881 at same place was proved at Belfast by Robert Brown M'Clelland of Banbridge M.D. one of the Executors.             Effects ?2,376 6s. 11d.

http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/will_calendars.htm

There seems to be have been some oversight in the winding up of Samuel Woods estate because 20 years later, in 1890, his daughter Minnie is still sorting some of it out:

Full Abstract :

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of Samuel Woods late of Banbridge County Down Woollen Draper who died 8 August 1870 at same place (left unadministered by Martha Woods the Widow) were granted at Belfast to Minnie Ekin (Wife of the Reverend Edward Ekin) of Dromara said County Presbyterian Minister the Daughter. (Former Grant 7 September 1870).             Effects unadministered ?800

There's obviosuly doubt that Samuel Woods the woollen draper is your Samuel Woods the tailor. However I have listed the references to him in case I am wrong.

I think what I would probably do now is go through the local church records, looking for Samuel Woods jr?s baptism (and that of any siblings). You might also find his parents marriage, assuming the bride was from the same congregation. If Samuel was Episcopalian (ie Church of Ireland) then the following records exist (Banbridge is in the parish of Seapatrick):

C.I. Seapatrick (Holy Trinity) (Dromore diocese) Baptisms, 1802-1995; marriages, 1804-45,1922-58 and 1963-94; burials,1810-79 and 1963-2000; vestry minutes, 1806-46,1870-88 and 1901-1934; register of vestrymen, 1870-1938 and c.1966-1991; preachers? books, 1872- 1956; marriage licence books, 1919-33 and 1945-2003.

If he was Church of Scotland (ie Presbyterian) then I?d search the records for Banbridge NSP church:

N.S.P. 1st Banbridge Baptisms, 1756-94 and 1814-1971; marriages, 1756-94 and 1814-45; session and committee minutes, 1848- 1933.

NSP means Non-Subscribing Presbyterian (a secession kirk). They have the oldest Presbyterian records in Banbridge, and are effectively the only Presbyterian church with records back to the time of Samuel?s birth. The records are not on-line and you?ll need to go to PRONI in Belfast to look them up (or get someone else to do that for you). Unfortunately, in spite of what some people claim, you can't so all genealogicla research on the internet.

Finally, I searched for gravestones for Woods & Gracey in Banbridge. I found that there are stones for both surnames in Banbridge 1^st Presbyterian church. The site is pay to view, but you might want to see what the gravestones say. And the fact that families of these names apparently both attended that same church would encourage me to search that particular church?s records, if you can:

http://www.historyfromheadstones.com/index.php?inscriptiondb

Elwyn

Thanks, Elwyn.  We have no baptismal records for the children.  However 2 were married in the Church of Scotland. so I guess the NSP is the next step to try.  Onward and upward!  Karen

Thanks, Elwyn.  We have no baptismal records for the children.  However 2 were married in the Church of Scotland. so I guess the NSP is the next step to try.  Onward and upward!  Karen