McCleary Family of Annsborough

Judy,

You haven’t said what your ancestor’s first name was but I’ll guess it was Mary. If so, the marriage took place on 4th July 1883 (not 1886) in Kilmegan Church of Ireland. William lived in Clarkhill and Mary McLeary in Annsborough. Both were full age, ie 21 or over. William's father was Thomas, a farmer. Mary's was - as you suspected - John, also a farmer.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1883/10939/5997680.pdf

The Valuation Revision records on the PRONI website show that in 1883 there were 2 Shaw farms in Clarkill/Clarkhill. Samuel had plot 15 and Thomas plot 31 (7 acres) plus some additional land on plot 43 (3 acres). Thomas died in 1891 aged 79.  The 2 Shaw families were probably related.

Thomas’s probate abstract on the PRONI website:

The Will of Thomas Shaw late of Clarkhill County Down Farmer who died 29 January 1891 at same place was proved at Belfast by Robert Shaw and Alexander Nesbitt both of Clarkhill Farmers the Executors.

The will itself is on-line and mentions wife Mary as well as children Charles, Jane, Thomas, Mary, Elizabeth & William. Charles inherited the farm.

Mary Shaw died 14.3.1898 aged 79. Her daughter Elizabeth was the informant.

This is the other Shaw family, headed by Samuel, farming in Clarkhill in the 1901 census. It looks as though son Robert and his family had lived in New Zealand for a few years before returning to Ireland.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Upper_Iveagh__Low…

This is Charles Shaw in the 1911 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Castlewellan/Clarkill/235459/

(The illegible daughter in the census was Mary Jane born 20.7.1886. Mother’s maiden name Kirk.)

Probate abstract:

Shaw Charles of Clarkhill county Down farmer died 4 October 1927 Probate Belfast 23 November to Albert Priestley farmer and Nicholas McCavery workman. Effects £216 10s.

Thomas Shaw’s farm today is on the modern Drumbuck Rd, outside Castlewellan. You can see where it is using the maps on the Griffiths site:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameS…

One of the witnesses to the 1883 marriage was Robert Truesdale. This may be him in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Upper_Iveagh__Lower_Half_/Clarkhill/1226172/

I assume William and Mary were born before 1864, in which case you won’t find birth certificates for them as they hadn’t been introduced.  Kilmegan Church of Ireland’s records start in 1823 so if that’s where they were both baptised you should hopefully find a record of that there. The records don’t appear to be on-line but there is a copy in PRONI in Belfast.

I drew a blank with the McLeary/McCleary family. I can’t find any McLeary family farming in that area. Possibly Mary came from somewhere else and was just living in Annsborough? If so, she may be hard to trace, if she's not in the church baptism records.

Oh my goodness Elwyn you are positively amazing!  Yes my g-grannie was Mary and she was born 1860 so I’ll not waste time looking for a BC. But the information you provided for the Shaw’s is amazing. And yes William was from Clarkhill. I’m going to start looking at all this wonderful information that you’ve provided me. I can’t thank you enough for your time and effort. I’m new to Irish research so I certainly appreciate you sharing your expertise with me!!  Judy