John Robb

Anne Mac,

Sorry you have not had a reply to your message until now.

I looked for John & Catherine’s marriage in Ireland but could not find it. I would guess that theirs was a mixed marriage. Looking at all the Robbs in Tyrone in the 1901 census (113 of them) they were all either Presbyterian or Church of Ireland. Not a single Catholic. There were 677 Gallaghers in Fermanagh and nearly all were Catholic.

Non RC marriages were recorded in the statutory records from 1845 onwards. I don’t see any sign of it there which suggests John may have converted and the couple married in an RC church. I have looked through the on-line RC marriage records in Ancestry but do not see it. Possibly they married in a parish whose records for the 1850s have not survived (or were never kept).

Death registration started in Ireland in 1864. Assuming they were alive in 1864 we might try to find death certificates but it’s a needle in a haystack. Searching 1864 - 1901 for Hugh Gallagher in Fermanagh, I found over 20 possible deaths. Bridget Gallagher is even worse with about 50. If you know the fathers occupations that might help narrow it  a bit. And when any of them died.

John Robb is a little easier. I found about 8 possible deaths for him in Tyrone. Mary Robb about 15.

Robb is a Scottish name. According to MacLysaght’s “The Surnames of Ulster” it is “A branch of the Scottish clan MacFarlane, mainly found in north east Ulster.” Tyrone is in north east Ulster and thousands of Scots settled there in the 1600s. Presbyterianism is another clue. It was Scots settlers who brought that denomination to Ireland. And most of the Robbs in Tyrone were Presbyterian or Church of Ireland.

Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society is running an Ulster DNA project in conjunction with FTDNA and can offer testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

Hi Thanks for reply. I visited the Irish Emigration museum in Dublin to try to understand why my ancestors came to Australia. Will consider your thoughts on DNA test. I hope to be back... the music & dance of Ireland is addictive.

Kind regards Anne.