Caroline / Carolyn Hobbs (or Hobson) and Robert D. Ferris of Stewartstown, Tyrone

Eufemia,

Births in the 1830s and 1840s are before the start of statutory birth registration (vital records) in Ireland (1864). So to trace Robert and Caroline’s births you need to rely on church baptism records. Not all churches have records for that period, and of those that do, not all are on-line.

You haven’t said what denomination the family was, but Stewartstown is in the parish of Donaghenry. The churches in that parish are as follows:

Brackaville Church of Ireland records start 1836; Donaghenry Church of Ireland (1733 but with some gaps); Newtownkelly Methodist 1830; Stewartstown Methodist 1868; 1st Stewartstown Presbyterian 1814; 2nd Stewartstown Presbyterian 1827 & RC 1822.

The Church of Ireland and Presbyterian records have been copied and are in PRONI in Belfast. The Methodist records are still held by the individual churches. Only the RC records are on-line (on the nli site). Quaker records are also in PRONI.

I looked at the 1901 census for Tyrone. There were 33 Ferris. All were Roman Catholic. 4 Hobbs, 3 were Church of Ireland & 1 Methodist. 43 Hobson. All Church of Ireland save for 1 family of Quakers.

If you can’t get there yourself, you probably need a researcher to go through the church records in PRONI. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

There’s a common belief that most genealogical records are on-line these days. As far as Ireland is concerned, they most certainly are not, and it’s often necessary to get someone to look up paper or microfilm records in repositories such as PRONI, and sometimes to contact churches to ask for a look up.

Hi Elwyn - 

Thank you for the info. I don't know what religion either of them belonged to, only that Caroline was attending church before she came to the US. It is possible that she was Presbyterian. I found a marriage record from a Prebyterian church in Pennsylvania (dated 11/25/1868), which works with the timeline of when their first child was born, but the name she used, if that is in fact her, was Catherine Hobson. So, I can't be sure if that's them or just a coincidence. Maybe Catherine was her middle name? Or maybe Caroline was? I don't know. 

I will try PRONI and see what happens.

Thank you. 

E

Side note: I didn't receive an email that there was a reply posted. I just happened to come and look at my post and saw it. 

Hi Miriam - Thank you for your reply. I was thinking about the best way to answer your question about whther these people could be related, and I don't know. It's possible? 
Here's what I do know. There is a very strong DNA connection to the Dilworth surname, and it can only be on this branch. Would it be possible to get more information on the folliwng people and see who they're families might be?

Dilworth could be either on the Hobbs/Hobson side, or the Ferris side, or both for all I know. I found some records on Ancestry, but I can't see the original documents, so I was thinking if you are able to see them maybe we could rule some people in or out. Because I have to apparently upload them one at a time, I will add them to Caroline's Ancestor Profile instead of here, so you don't get 10 messages about my replies to this thread, so check there for new images. 

Possible common ancestor:
Joseph Dilworth b. 1807 ? (possibly 1818) Killyman, Tyrone; d. 1877 NSW, Australia
Married Elizabeth (Ditty ?) same age as Joseph; born in Tullaniskan, Tyrone
Parents of Joseph:
John Dilworth b 1780, d. 1866, Dungannon, Tyrone
Married Ruth King, b 1780

I also found a James Hobbs and a John Hobbs who had John Dilworth as a landlord in Dungannon. Are there any other records that might show a relationship? (image attached to Caroline's profile).

Also found a Ferris/Dilworth wedding, and a Dilworth/Hobson wedding (text records only; can't see originals) images attached to Caroline's profile. 

In short, based on DNA what I would expect to find here is a DIlworth either with a Hobbs/Hobson, and/or a Ferris/Farris of some sort. Might there be a way to confirm or deny that?

Thank you!

PS: I have uploaded all the images to Caroline's profile just now, so they should be available after content moderation. 

My uncle was able to find a copy of the recommendation letter that Caroline brought to America with her. It looks like the Reverend/Priest/Minister of her church was names James Gerethy? It has the name of the rectory on it, but I can't quite make it out. Are you able to tell me what church this is? It was in Stewartstown. The handwriting is somewhat difficult to read. Thank you!

The parish is Donaghendry (sometimes spelled Donaghenry), which is what I suggested in my earlier reply. The denomination is Church of Ireland (ie Anglican).  There’s several Church of Ireland churches in that parish. Yours appears to be St Patrick’s in Stewartstown. That church’s baptism, marriage and burial records start in 1733 (with some gaps). There’s a copy in PRONI. As I mentioned previously the records aren’t on-line anywhere so far as I am aware. You’ll either need to go to PRONI or get someone else to do so for you. You can view the church here:

https://www.ireland.anglican.org/find-a-church/parish/10100/brackaville…

Thank you, Elwyn!