Sarah Devlin McClernon

Can you confirm some of the information for me? Sarah McClernon (nee Devlin) was born c 1866, and died in 1888. So she was just 22 when she died? Is that right?  She was married with 2 children, and so must have married around 1884/5. Did she marry in Ireland or the USA?

The names McLernon and Devlin are fairly common in counties Antrim and Londonderry so that’s possibly the broad area the families originate.

Hi Kat & Elwyn

ancestry has this grave index record

Name:Henry DevlinBirth Date:5 Jun 1836Birth Place:County Antrim, Northern IrelandDeath Date:16 Nov 1876Cemetery:Saint Johns Catholic CemeteryBurial or Cremation Place:Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa, USAHas Bio?:YSpouse:Bridget Mary DevlinChildren:Agnes DevlinURL:http://www.findagrave.com/

If this is your man it looks like he's from Antrim.

The nearest match from www.rootsireland.ie/ is this one:

Name:Henry John DevlinDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:26-Aug-1838Address:
Parish/District:DUNEANEGender: MaleCountyCo. Antrim
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:Bernard DevlinMother:Mrs Occupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:John Money Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Charlotte Duffin 

Notes:

REV D MCGREEVY.

There is also this one if he was C of I & one other R C record:

Name:Henry DelvinDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:23-Dec-1838Address:BelfastParish/District:ST ANNE'S, SHANKILLGender: MaleCountyCo. Antrim
Denomination:Church of Ireland
Father:Walter DelvinMother:Margaret KeatingOccupation:
Notes:

REV R OULTEN.

Elwyn will know if either has any link to a place name like Beloit

Col

Col & Kat,

I live in Duneane myself which is why I recognised the names straight away. There are dozens of McClernon/McLernon and Devlin families in this area. (The nearest village is Toomebridge). There are graveyards at Moneyglass and Cargan. Both are full of Devlins.   The issue is to identify the right family. And the early parish registers don’t list the persons townlands which is pretty important to tracing them.

I don’t recognise Beloit though. It’s not a townland that I know, nor can I suggest what it might be, if misconstrued.

But if Kat can confirm the date and location information for Sarah, I’ll have a look at the records and see what I can find.

Hi Elwyn and Col:

I was so excited to see your reply.  I will try and do my best to give you more information.  I will send you a newspaper article with this reply and see what is possible to obtain from this as well.  I also have a marriage book showing her (Sarah and maybe a Henry)as the mother and father of Hugh as he married a Kate Rodney in the US.

I have Sarah listed as born in 1816, again sounds kind of strange if she is Henry's sister.  She was born in Ireland.  THe other Sarah I have was Henry's daughter and she was born in the US around 1864.

Sarah Devlin McClernon was the mother of Hugh (b. 1845) and John (b. abt 1845+-). 

I would be happy to invite you to my ancestry history so you can view what I do have if that makes it easier.  You guys are just awesome!  I have seen Antrim associated with my Henry and I even have a picture of him.  It was given to me my a family member, but does not say how she obtained it unless her grandma had it.  There is not much know about my Devlin family as they all appeared to have died rather young.  I do not find any records on Bridget M. Malone.

Thank you again for all of your help.  Please let me know if you wish me to invite you to my ancestry tree.  I do have a public tree and it is under Familytreekitkat.

Kat

Yes I am reasonably confident your family are from Duneane. Here’s Sarah Devlin’s marriage to Henry McLernon on 24.2.1838:

http://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633172#page/48/mode/1up

The date ties in perfectly with the newspaper article that said she was 22 when she married. Searched for baptisms for their 2 children but did not find them. (Records cover 1834 to 1861). Likewise couldn’t find her siblings Peter or Arthur but if either was born before 1834, the records don’t exist.

I found a marriage for a Peter Devlin of Creggan to Sara Ann Baker of Cranfield 29th Oct 1838 in the same Duneane RC records.  RC Marriage records generally don’t contain parents names, and you are quite lucky to get even a townland. Creggan and Cranfield are adjacent and are on the lough shore, between Toome and Randalstown. Can't be certain it's "your" Peter but it;s the only Peter marriage around that time, in that parish.

Baker is an unusual surname for that area (which may prove helpful) but there are hundreds of Devlins and Mclernons. Your problem will be finding the right ones. I’d probably start by searching Cargan and Moneyglass graveyards. Today there are 3 RC chapels in the parish. The one in Toome was only built in the 1960s and so can be disregarded. And it doesn’t have a graveyard anyway. The other two – Moneyglass and Cargan - go back to the early 1800s, if not earlier, and both have graveyards attached. There is also a very old graveyard at Cranfield (dating back to the 1300s or earlier), shared by RC and protestant denominations. I would check all 3, especially as your family may have lived close by. It’ll take a bit of time. Cranfield has picnic tables by the lough shore and an old pagan well where you go for a “cure” if you have an illness.  It’s a pretty spot.

This is just so fabulous.  I feel like I am gettng closer to touch the hands of my relatives.  I will do the research you suggest and see what I come up with.  It is nice to see something in writing and place to start more research.  You are simply the best and have made my year.  I will keep you posted as to what I come up with.  I have one question  Is there a difference between McLarnon and McClernon.  I keep seeing these names interchanged.  I saw a census with Mclarnon and it name Sarah in the will as McClernon.

Kat

Kat,

McLarnon and McClernon are the same name. The idea of a single or correct spelling for a surname or a place name is very much a recent phenomenon and before that, especially in Ireland, there was no consistency. Names were spelled phonetically and each variation was down to the whim of the particular person recording the information. You will often see the spelling change as the records go back. This rarely indicates a particular deliberate decision to alter the name nor even a mistake. Not everyone was literate, but even when they were, exact spelling simply wasn’t something they bothered about.

Thanks everyone!

Clare Ireland XO

Thank you so very much.  My hunt begins :)