Morrison/Kelly - Aghaloo, Tyrone

William Kelly’s probate abstract:

Letters of Administration (with the Will annexed) of the personal estate of William Kelly late of Mullycarnon County Tyrone Farmer who died 15 June 1890 at same place were granted at Armagh to Mary Kelly of Mullycarnon the Widow and a Legatee.

The will itself is on-line on the PRONI wills site and mentions his wife Mary, sons William & Hugh, daughters Eliza Morrison, Maria Ellison & his grand=daughter Margaret M Mitchell. One of the executors was the Minister of Minterburn Presbyterian church, so a hint as to the family church.

William & Elizabeth Kelly’s deaths were reported by their son William. This looks to be him in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Minterburn/Mullycarnan/1734470/

And again in 1911, where it’s noted they had 11 children:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Minterburn/Mullycarnon/863949/

The family was Presbyterian. There are 3 Presbyterian churches in the area. Ballymagrane has records from 1851, Caledon baptisms 1870, marriages 1848 & Minterburn baptisms 1829, marriages 1819. Copies of all those records are in PRONI.

Probate abstract:  Kelly William of Mullycarnon Minterburn county Tyrone farmer died 1 May 1934 Probate Belfast 27 August to Henry Edwards and William Liggett farmers. Effects £54 14s.

The above will is not on-line but the will should be in PRONI in paper format.

There are no Kelly farms listed in Mullycarnan in the tithe applotment records for 1825 and for 1837, suggesting the family moved to the townland after that date. They are in Griffiths Valuation of the townland for 1860.

Belfast Newsletter of 25.2.1893 reported that William Kelly of Mullycarnon had been gazetted as bankrupt.

The tithes list 2 Morrison farms in Bohard in 1825 and in 1837 headed by Robert & William respectively. One of those is presumably John Morrison’s father:

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/tyrone/tithe-applotment-books/parish-of-aghaloo.php

The are 3 farms are in Griffiths 1860, one held by William senior, another by William junior (usually father & son) and the other by Thomas Morrison. The farms are all beside each other suggesting a close family connection. There’s a possible death on the GRONI site for Thomas Morrisson (note spelling) in 1866, 

aged 66.

There were 2 Morrison farms in Bohard in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Ballymagran/Boh…

Probate abstracts:

Probate of the Will of James Morrison late of Bohard County Tyrone Farmer who died 22 March 1905 granted at Armagh to John Brown Farmer and The Reverend John Martin Presbyterian Minister.

The above will is on-line and mentions his sons Alexander, Samuel & Henry and daughters Teresa, Martha, Maggie & Mary Jane.

Administration with Will Annexed of the Estate of the late William Morrison, Bohard, Co. Tyrone, Farmer, who died 6 April 1919, granted at Armagh 30 August 1919 to Elizabeth Morrison, Widow, the mother. Effects: £450 10s.

Above will is also on-line. Directs that the farm be sold and the proceeds be divided between his siblings John, George & Sarah McClery.

Morrison Eliza of Bohard county Tyrone widow died 6 March 1921 Administration Belfast 6 November to Thomas James Morrison farmer. Effects £4.

Morrison John of Bohard Carnteel Aughnacloy county Tyrone farmer died 9 October 1932 at The Infirmary Hospital Dungannon Probate Londonderry 17 January to William Watters farmer. Effects £4.

The above 2 probate files are not on-line but should be in PRONI.

Belfast Weekly News of Sat 2nd March 1867 mentions the marriage of Robert Morrison of Bohard to Eliza Campbell of Legane. 

Hi Elwyn,

Thank you for your help. My grandfather, Wilfred Harold Morrison Bohard Co. Tyrone (1912-1999) was an only son, as were his father,Thomas, and gfather, John. He never mentioned any other Morrisons living in Bohard but, as you say, it seems likely they were related. I'm struggling to connect the dots, being quite new to this.

He did mention, and I did meet when I was there in 1990, the nearby Wilsons -which he said were cousins. So far I haven't found any Wilsons in the tree, but that may be a clue to these other Morrison families.

Thomas's wife, Isabella Trotter Blackwatertown (1876-1945) gives no hint of Wilsons in that part of the family.

I know my grandfather went to school and church in Minterburn. A letter, written by my grandfather's sister, lists the maiden names Bell and Campbell as belonging to the wives of her g-grandmother and gg-grandmother, but no christian names or dates. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards, KL (Kara)

KL,

I can’t immediately help you with the Wilson connection but perhaps one of Thomas’s sisters married a Wilson? I can see Anna Maria b 11.4.1872, Mary 5.10.1874 & Margaret b 28.5.1879. Perhaps there were others? Do you know what happened to them? Likewise Wilfred’s sister Eva b 19.11.1910. Who did she marry?

Perhaps the connection is in an earlier generation, in which case you may need to search Minterburn Presbyterian’s early records in PRONI. Their earliest records start in 1819, so you may struggle to get back any earlier than that.

Have you checked the local graveyard for gravestones? Minterburn Presbyterian appears to have a graveyard, according to the Ulster Historical Foundation website, so I would start there.

Thomas & Isabella had a daughter Edith b 22.7.1909 and died 20.11.1909.

Hi Elwyn, Wilfred's father, Thomas, had 3 sisters who died young and unmarried. They were Anna Maria, Margaret and Minnie (1874) who you have as Mary. Perhaps Minnie is derived from Mary. Eva (Hilda) came to Australia with my grandfather and their parents (Thomas James Morrison and Isabella Trotter) and another sister.

Thomas's father, John 1852-1887, had 2 sisters (names unknown) and no brothers. Their father was another Thomas 1800-1866. Therefore, the other male Morrisons in the Bohard area must be from a previous generation. One of these 2 unknown Morrison sisters may be a link to the Wilson family.

Yes, there were 2 children that died in my grandfathers family. Edith and another boy who was either still born or died shortly after birth. It seems there was great difficulty keeping children alive at that time. My grandfather's father lost 3 sisters and his own father when he was only 10. He and his mother ran the farm together after that. She never remarried. Thomas then lost 2 children of his own.

I will try what you've suggested, though I don't remember seeing any Morrison graves at Minterburn church when I was there in 1990. Thanks again for your much appreciated help. Kara (Sydney, Australia)

Kara,

Minnie is a common alternative for Mary.

I had a quick look at the other Morrison family in Bohard. See:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Ballymagran/Boh…

Robert Morrison c 1841 married Elizabeth Campbell in 1867 in Minterburn Presbyterian. Robert died 1893. Their son George Morrison married Eliza Reid in 1898 in Minterburn. Their daughter Sarah married William McCleery in 1906 in Ballymagrane Presbyterian, so that’s another possible family burial place if it has a graveyard. Robert Morrison’s father was William Morrison (dates I think were 1800 -1869). Don’t know who his mother was though the 1869 death certificate may say. I don’t see any Wilsons in that line so far. I looked for a Wilson = Morrison marriage but did not find one in Bohard.

Here’s what looks to be one of Thomas’s sisters. She married James Kelly in 1876 at Ballymagrane:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1876/11166/8090931.pdf

The other was Eliza Jane Morrison who married James Hamilton in 1869 at Ballymagrane:

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

Hi Elwyn, Thanks so much for your help. I'm struggling a bit with the proximity and names of places. Would it be reasonable to assume that Morrisons from different places within Aghaloo would be related? For example, the Morrisons in Bohard with Glendaroch/Gleendroch Thomas James Morrison (1826-1901) or Brantry James William Morrison(1846-) and Eliza Jane Morrison (1848-)? I've seen a few connection with the Reid family, Eliza Jane Reid (1852-1919) and possible son, Thomas John Morrison (1891-1968).
I'm not quite sure of distances travelled and how connections were made back then. I would think mainly through church. Any input would be appreciated. Regards, Kara

There’s not many Morrisons in Aghaloo. Judging by Griffiths Valuation c 1860 there were only about 4 households in the parish then. The tithes in 1825 list just 3 farms:

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/tyrone/tithe-applotment-books/parish-of-aghaloo.php

So yes they might all well be related. If they are in the same townland then the chances increase considerably.

Before the arrival of the bicycle in rural Ireland, around the 1860s, most travelling was done by foot. That would obviously include courtship, so it was common to marry locally. Though they were used to walking greater distances than folk are today, they were needed on the farm a lot of the time and so were perhaps limited to a 5 mile radius of where they lived.  So folk with the same name in that sort of area might well be related to each other, having married someone within reasonable walking distance of where they were raised. But not always obviously. Morrison is a fairly common Scottish surname, and a lot will have arrived together in the 1600s. There were about 200 of them in Tyrone in the 1901 census. They aren’t all going to be related though. 

Yes social activity could often be linked to the church, though there were local fairs and markets, agricultural shows and other avenues of meeting too.  But someone in Brantry might well go to Bohard. It’s about half a mile. Mullycarnan to Bohard’s about a mile.

Thank you, Elwyn That's very helpful. I've got a lot of work to do now to figure out all these relationships. Regards, Kara

Hi Elwyn, After doing a lot of work on the Morrison's from Bohard and surrounds another surname keeps coming up in my tree. Rolston/Roulston is all throughout the generations and is very connected with the Beattie/Trotter lines of my family. I know I have a family relationship with Hugh Beattie b1817 (Clonfeacle, Armagh) who came to Australia in the mid 1800s with his wife Mary Rolston/ Roulston, but I'm struggling to connect the dots with Mary (1820-1906) as fas as her also being related. Eglish Parish, sometimes listed as Tyrone or Armagh, Mullyleggan, Clonfeacle and Killymaddy come up. My gg grandfather is John Rolston Trotter (1840-90) who married Mary Beattie and that seems to prove the link to the Rolstons. His mother's name was Ann Rolston (1806-1866), who seems to have had a brother, David and father, John Rolston (no known dates). I'm thinking there must be a link between this John and Mary Roulston/ Rolston. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Kara

As far as I can determine, all of the parish of Eglish is in Co. Armagh. It forms part of the county border but I don’t see any townlands in Tyrone. (Many Irish parishes straddle county borders, with bits in more than 1 county, but this appears to be all in Armagh. However the adjacent parish of Clonfeacle straddles the county border, with bits in both Armagh & Tyrone). Maps here:

https://www.johngrenham.com/places/civil_index.php#maps/

Eglish Church of Ireland records start in 1803.

Killymaddy Methodist has baptisms from 1815. No marriages as they’d have been in the Church of Ireland, till probably the 1870s.

Knappagh Presbyterian has no baptisms before 1900 (presumably lost). Marriages from 1845 which are on the irishgenealogy site.

Eglish Presbyterian has baptisms from 1856 onwards.

Copies of all the above records are in PRONI in Belfast.

I had a look for Beattie & Rolston in Mullyleggan and Killymaddy in the tithes c 1833 & Griffiths 1864. There were none in the tithes. (That doesn’t mean that your family didn’t live there, just that they weren’t farmers). Griffiths is more comprehensive and lists most fmailies, other than those in home sof too low a value, and those lodging with others. The only one listed was a Daniel Rollestone in Killymaddy who had plot 15, an 8 acre farm. Daniel’s name is in the Valuation Revision Boooks on the PRONI website until 1887. He possibly died around then though I don’t see a death that fits, nor a will. No Rolstons there in the 1901 census.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/armagh/tithe-applotments/eglish-parish.php

There is a death of an Anne Rolston registered in Armagh, on 29.10.1866 aged 57. That’s not free to view on-line. You have to pay £2.50 to view it on the GRONI site. You might want to look at that. Here’s a death for a David Rolston in Killymaddy in 1889 (aged 79). His wife was still alive and the informant was his son in law John McKenzie of Drumderg.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1885/06272/4796640.pdf

This looks to be John McKenzie in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Moy/Drumderg/1733380/

Here’s the birth of one of their daughters showing the mother’s maiden name as Rolston.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1864/03630/2340165.pdf

Family in 1911. Note Eliza Jane had 6 children of whom 4 were alive. She married c 1864 though I can’t find the marriage. And she was born in Armagh in the 1901 and Tyrone in the 1911. (She signed the 1911 so you might think she’d know where she was born).

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Moy/Drumderg/862916/

Rolstons nearby:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Moy/Drumderg/862919/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Moy/Drumderg/862920/ 

Thank you, Elwyn. I'll look at that and see if I can put the puzzle together. Very grateful for your time. Kara

Thank you, Elwyn. I'll look at that and see if I can put the puzzle together. Very grateful for your time. Kara