McDonalds, McAvoy and Connors of Magheralin Co Down

McDonalds, McAvoy and Connors of Magheralin Co Down

I hope to visit Co Down in September to try to trace my McDonalds (and Conners & McAvoys). The following is taken from old family letters:

 Arthur Mcdonald  was the son of rodger mcdonald [Catholic] and isabel conner [Protestant at birth]. Isabel converted to Catholicism after some years of marriage.

Arthur was born a Roman Catholic in Magheralin, Down in 1798.

--Magheralin was listed on his sister-in-law’s tombstone. I assume it refers to Co. Down

Arthur married Mary McAvoy about 1837 [a guess] in Ireland.

He was a weaver. His Irish-born children were Isabelle, Sarah, Margaret and Alice.

The family of six arrived in New York, USA in Dec 184(5 or 6) on the Queen of the Mist

His brothers and sisters were

        “Christie” who married and older woman  in Ireland. He reportedly had no children.

        John who married in Ireland and had a number of kids

        Sally, who visited shrines with their mother

        and a number of unnamed sisters who got dowries (of 500 pounds each, I think)

 Per family letters, Arthur died on a family farm in Steele Co. Minnesota in the U.S.A. in Dec 1865. [He and daughters were in New York, Massachusetts & Wisconsin before arriving in Minnesota]. Wife Mary died in NY not long after they arrived

Rodger McDonald was well off (in linen?) and Arthur was listed as a weaver when he entered the U.S.

Can anyone advise me on Arthur, etc.?