Hello - this is an UPDATE on my searches for my greatgrandparents who moved from Co Tyrone approximately 1879 to Barrow in Furness in northern England, then to Canada in about 1910. Thank you to the several people on this board, who have given me ideas and clues to follow!
My Grandpa GILLESPIE, Wm John - always known as Jack - was born 23 August 1876 in the village of Augher, Co Tyrone. I now have a copy of his Birth Registration - including that he wasn't named for several months! And that his younger brother, James Robert "Jim" was born 7 April 1878 in Beagh, District of Sixmilecross, in Armagh. So I know they didn't stay in the Augher region, but moved north, likely for work.
His parents are listed as father, George GILLESPIE, and mother, Catherine ARMSTRONG.
The "person present at birth" was a woman named Marjerie ARMSTRONG... The birth registration states Augher as the residence of all of these people.
Marjerie ARMSTRONG - This is a new name to me, and would likely indicate she is a very close relative - mother, aunt, or other relative. However I have yet to find any further details of her.
On the 1911 Census in England, George stated he was 60 yrs old, b. in "Newtown, County Tyrone"... and I understand this would likely be Newtownstewart. I haven't as yet found a birth record for him in about 1850-1852 - partly as the Gillespie surname is often spelled in wonderfully creative ways!
Catherine stated she was 59, b. in "Clogher, County Tyrone" making her birth year 1852-1853.
The only information I have on Catherine ARMSTRONG, from several very elderly first cousins of mine, is that she apparently had several siblings:
George [who married], Samuel "Sammy" [who married], Susan [who married], Bessie [?Elizabeth] [may not have married], and another brother [no name known] who was disabled and did not marry.
On the 1901 Census in England, John ARMSTRONG, listed as a nephew, was 19 and living/working with the George & Catherine Gillespie family. So clearly, either George or Sammy were married and had this son, John. So far I have not been able to find a listing for a marriage for either of them, nor for the birth of a John Gillespie. John may be his middle name of course, just to make things difficult.
If anyone has any more ideas on where to look next, I'd be thrilled to find any information on my greatgrandmother's family, the ARMSTRONG family, most likely in County Tyrone.
Thanks for all your help to date - every tiny clue helps!
- Celia in Vancouver, BC Canada
celia37
Sunday 24th Nov 2013, 05:55PMMessage Board Replies
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Celia,
George Gillespie?s birth c 1850 in Newtownstewart is before the start of civil registration in Ireland (1864) and so you won?t find a birth certificate for him. You might find his baptism but to do that you really need to know his denomination. Not all church records are on-line, and so you may need to search in PRONI Belfast (who have copies of many church records) or contact churches directly.
You don?t say what denomination the Gillespie family were. If he was Church of Ireland (ie Anglican) then sadly all the pre 1882 parish records for Newtownstewart (parish of Ardstraw) were destroyed in the 1922 fire in the Irish Civil War, in Dublin and so you won?t trace his birth or baptism.
There are some Methodist records for that area in the 1850s, and some of the local Presbyterian churches also have records for that era, but not all do. So what denomination was he, do you know?
Same for Catherine. What denomination was she?
I can see George & Catherine?s marriage registered in Clogher, 1875 volume 18, page 109. Presumably you have details of that? If so, what townlands are given on the certificate, and what was George and his father?s occupations?
Tradition was to marry in the bride?s church (assuming the couple attended different churches) so that may be the place to look for the bride?s baptism and that of any siblings. Unless it was a registry office marriage, the church will be on the certificate.
Re the name Marjerie, in Ireland and Scotland that is interchangeable with Margaret, so you might want to search under that alternative.
Elwyn
Ahoghill Antrim
Sunday 24th Nov 2013, 07:03PM