Maggie Lagan 1889 : Short Biography

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This looks to be Maggie’s birth certificate on 2.10.1887 at Millquarter, in the name Margaret Josephine Lagan:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Thursday 4th June 2020 05:21PM

Thanks Elwyn, I don't think I'd looked into her too much but that definitely sounds like her. I thought she was a friend of my granda's but perhaps she was his teacher. He was born in 1894 and although he was Protestant he went to a Roman Catholic school at least for a while. I have another photograph of Father Lagan who I think might be her brother or uncle. It's been a while since I've looked although we did pay a visit to Millquarter and I think someone knew of him. I remember trying to find him online and might have found the parish he belonged to. You've piqued my interest again! I'll have to investigate some more. Thanks again :) 

Thursday 4th June 2020 08:56PM

I live near Millquarter, so if you need any photos or information on the area, let me know. This looks to be the Lagan family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Ballyscullion/M…

Sarah died 16.12.1921. Minnie Veronica on 29.12.1913.

Maggie Lagan in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Ballyscullion/M…

Neesons still have a pub in Millquarter. (Maggie Lagan married John Neeson on 1.2.1911).

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Thursday 4th June 2020 10:20PM

I live in NI too Elwyn and we've been to Grange, Millquarter a few times. My granda actually lived in number 12 Millquarter.  We made friends with a lady and her husband who live next door to my granda's parents house (I'm just wondering now if it could have been Maggie's house originally!). The man's father only died a couple of years ago at nearly 100 and his family had known my granda's so it was lovely to talk to them. For such a tiny little place they were telling me it used to be a thriving community which really surprised me. I definitely have something about the Neeson's too because I remember seeing the pub and wondering about it. I really have to look them out today! Thank you for your kind offer, I've got modern photos of the area but if you know anything about what the area was like in the past or where I could look to find out, I'd be very grateful. I don't think I've ever seen an old photo of the area either if you ever come across one. Thanks Elwyn :) 

Friday 5th June 2020 10:40AM

The Valuation revision records on the PRONI site show James Neeson acquiring plot 29 in Millquarter in 1879. In the volume covering 1894 - 1904 it’s listed as a licensed house and 5 acres of land. I would expect that to be the building that is still Neesons pub today. (There is a way of verifying that from Griffiths maps but it involves going into PRONI or Ballymena Library to look up the maps with the plot numbers on them.).

Hugh Lagan is shown as acquiring plot 26a in Mill quarter in 1889 which was a house, outbuildings, a flax mill and 13 acres. You would need the Griffiths map to locate it precisely today. Millquarter National School, where he taught, is still there though it has been completely rebuilt. I assume all the original buildings were demolished but it’s on the original site.

If you want a description of Grange of Ballyscullion in the mid 1830s, try the Ordnance Survey memoirs. They have been published by the Ulster Historical Foundation. Ballyscullion is in Volume 19. It has about 10 pages of information, eg "Peggy Frizzell, a public character, is an idiot, 35 years of age, resides chiefly at the millquarter in Grange, where she was born. She is a pauper.”

“The Grange Park corn mill is double geared and worked by 1 water wheel 14 feet in diameter….” Details of Millquarter Temperance Society, and also illicit distilling in the parish (much reduced, in recent years, the author was told). Fascinating stuff.

You’ll get the OS memoirs in PRONI or Ballymena Library.

I don’t have any old photos but you could try Randalstown Historical Society or Ballymena Library Local Studies section (upstairs).

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Friday 5th June 2020 11:44AM

You're a star, thank you Elwyn. Now I just have to wait! I go to PRONI now and again but it's years since I've been to Ballymena Library and I do remember it being great. I'll add it to my list. I know about Ordnance Survey but again haven't looked for years, I think sometimes I'm too reliant on online sources and am missing a lot of information. Thanks again :) 

Friday 5th June 2020 04:09PM

The OS memoirs in PRONI are on the bookshelves in the far left hand corner of the reading room, beside the microfiche readers.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Friday 5th June 2020 04:23PM

Oh my goodness, I know exactly where you're talking about...I've probably ignored them a hundred times lol. I saw one online for £8.75 and I'm really wondering if I should wait or just buy it. This genealogy is an expensive business ...especially now but thank goodness for it! 

Friday 5th June 2020 05:17PM

The volume with Ballyscullion Grange also contains Connor, Cranfield, Drummaul, Duneane & Shilvodan parishes. Ballyscullion is the first 16 pages, the remainder are those other parishes. I refer to them all the time so find having my own copy handy but you might feel that £8.75 is a bit steep for 16 pages of information. (I don’t have a copier or scanner at present otherwise I’d copy them and send them to you).

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Friday 5th June 2020 05:36PM

My granda lived in Connor too but obviously in later years. I'll have a think about it. We're in the same position about printers, ours died and we never replaced it....just every now and again we have a panic because we need to print something, we usually ask our neighbour :) 

Saturday 6th June 2020 05:44PM