Morrow, McWhirter and McCartney

Ruth,

You haven’t said what denomination the family was or which church they attended. Do you know? I’d guess they were Presbyterian, because all the McWhirters in Craigs in the 1901 census were Presbyterian, but there are quite a few Presbyterian churches in the area and so that makes it tricky finding the right one. 

I had a look for gravestones. As a general rule, linen weavers wouldn’t normally be able to afford a gravestone but that’s not always correct and sometimes a wealthier relative overseas pays for one. I looked for possible graves. This is the only one with a definite link to Craigs (there are many others in the area).

1st Ahoghill Presbyterian graveyard

Erected by Robert McWhirter, Craigs, in memory of his beloved wife Jane McWhirter, who departed this life 20th Jan 1872 aged 56 years Robert McWhirter departed this life 5th Decr 1890 aged 73 years

None of the Presbyterian churches in Ahoghill has any baptism records earlier than about 1835. (Ahoghill 1sts start in 1841). The only church with records for the late 1700s/early 1800s in the Craigs area is Cullybackey (Cunningham Memorial) and they have gaps. There’s a copy in the Presbyterian Historical Society in Belfast but the records are not on-line and you have to go in person to look them up.

I think you’ll struggle to find William & Nancy’s parents from documentary records in Ireland. I doubt they exist. What about Nancy’s death certificate? Does it name her parents? William & Nancy appear to have married around 1820 (judging by the ages of all their children). Marriage records in Ireland at that time didn’t record parents names. But in any event I rather doubt that there is surviving record for their marriage (unless it was at Cullybackey Presbyterian).

I looked in Griffiths Valuation for 1862. There were a couple of small McWhirter farms beside each other in Craigs. They were the only McWhirter properties listed in the townland at that time. John McWhirter junior had plot 92a (4 acres), which included a cottage with Ann McWhirther in it. Next door on plot 93a 6 and a half acres) was John senior, and there was a small house on the farm with another John in it. John senior appears to have died 24.2.1880 aged 83, so he could be the John who is in the 1851 census married to Martha Porter. John junior died 23.9.1893 aged 69.  The farms were all given up around 1899, according to the revision records. Those farms today are set back off the Craigs Rd, near Knockbane. I can’t say whether anything is still standing but you could have a look on Google Earth and find out that way.

A couple of probate abstracts from the PRONI wills site: Letters of Administration (with the Will annexed) of the personal estate of John M'Whirter late of Craigs County Antrim Farmer who died 23 September 1893 at same place were granted at Belfast to Sarah M'Whirter of Craigs Widow the Universal Legatee.

McWhirter, Matthew of Kilrea Road Craigs Cullybackey county Antrim retired breadserver died 24 May 1962 Probate Belfast 3 September to Percy Matthews hardware merchant and David Jack auctioneer. Effects £3345.

There were 4 McWhirter households in Craigs in 1901. I have no quick way of telling whether they were related to each other or to your families. However you might want to trace them back using marriage and birth records.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Dunminning/Crai…

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 and can offer FTDNA testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

Hi Elwyn

  Thanks for responding. My McWhirter's were definitely Presbyterian and continue today in the US. I have no idea what church they might have attended. Nancy is buried in upstate NY and I have visited the cemetery. Will check out death certificate next time I travel to NY. I have found a Thomas Morrow (1789-1881) in 1851 census records. Think he could be Nancy's brother as many of their children's names are the same as my ancestors.

  Have also found a Joseph Morrow McWhirter (B.1837) in records and although I never heard any mention of that name the birth year lines up with Nancy's children plus having the Morrow middle name. There was a son William (1822-1849). listed in the 1851 census. There are gaps in the birth years of the children that I know about which could suggest there were other children born and either did not survive or stayed in Ireland. Nancy and William's children that I know about all came to the US 1.) John (1816-1893) with his wife Esther McNally and children came to US late 1850's and lived in Washington County NY before relocating to Nebraska, 2.) Jane (1827-1908) married John Aiken also from Craigs. They also lived in NY before moving to Bucks County Pennsylvania. 3.) James (1833-1913) married Mary Ann Graham whose parents were from Antrim and lived in Washington County NY. and 4.) my great grandfather Robert (1838-1915) married September 28,1860 in Ballymena to Mary Elizabeth (Eliza) McCartney. Eliza had a brother Thomas married to Agnes/Nancy Sloan and sister Margaret married to Robert Millar. I have a letter from their son Robert Millar living in Craigs dated 1935 confirming this. Also believe Eliza had a brother (Hugh?) who may have come to the US. Remember my father mentioning it. 

I have several letters dated from the1930's written by George Gibson Murray whose mother Eliza (married James Murray) was living in Glarryford?? in 1935. She was the daughter of John and Sarah Hanna McWhirter. She also had a sister Sarah married to Andrew Scott, widowed and living in Ballywatermoy in 1935.These letters confirm that John McWhirter (1793-1862) who was married to Martha Porter is indeed the brother of my 2x great grandfather William. Once again think there are more siblings of John and William but have nothing to point me in right direction. Can only speculate by looking at birth dates and similarities in children's names.

  That's it in a nutshell!! Thinking DNA may be my only way of making connection. Hope to hear from you again if you discover anything new. Thanks Ruth

Ruth,

Glarryford is the right name for that village. It’s still there today and is close to Craigs. It’s about half way between Ballymena and Ballymoney.

I found George Murrays’ birth in Brocklamount, near Ahoghill on 27.2.1892:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1892/02361/1881801.pdf

His parents James Murray & Eliza McWhirter married in Cullybackey Presbyterian on 27.12.1875. 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1875/11216/8111417.pdf

Some likely children to James & Eliza (plus George) were John 13.10.1876; Joseph 16.2.1878; James 5.8.1880; Eliza 8.3.1883; Ruth 4.1.1889 & Sarah 5.3.1896, born Henry St, Ballymena.  There look to have been others. Here’s the family in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Ballymena_and_T…

Can’t see them in the 1911 census. Perhaps they were out of Ireland?

I can see the marriage between Andrew Scott & Sarah McWhirter on 31.8.1880 at Ahoghill 2nd Presbyterian church.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1880/11039/8037328.pdf

This looks like them in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Dunminning/Craigs/939980/

And in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Dunminning/Dunminning/123239/

Probate abstract:

Probate of the Will of Andrew Scott late of Ballywatermoy, Co. Antrim, Farmer, who died 8 January 1920 granted at Belfast 14 June 1920 to Sarah Scott, the widow and Hugh Wright Reid, Farmer. Effects: £96 10s 0d.

Possible death for Sarah Scott, regd Ballymena 30.4.1948, aged 91. You can view the original certificate on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2.50 (sterling) to a view a certificate.

Sarah doesn’t seem to have left a will (or at least not one that required probate). However Andrew’s will in 1920 should still be around and might tell you more about the family. It’s not on-line but PRONI should have it and will provide a copy for a fee.

Ballywatermoy is about a mile south of Glarryford. One McWhirter girl married in Cullybackey Presbyterian and another in Ahoghill 2nd, just a few years apart. So hard to say what the family church was. Perhaps it chnaged because they moved. You may need to search both sets of records. Ahoghill 2nd's records start in 1835. Cullybackey in 1728. Neither is on-line and so you would need to get a researcher to look them up for you in Belfast.

Elwyn

Regarding James and Eliza Murray's children - John Hanna(Jack) lived and is buried in Massachusetts, another son was also in the US but according to Mrs. Murray's letter in 1935 she did not have his address and had not heard from him in some time. George Gibson was living in Lanarkshire Scotland in the 1930's. He corresponded with my aunt for several years. Do not have any death info on him but know he was still alive as of 1947 as he writes of the difficulties post WW2.  One letter mentions he lost a leg while serving in the military. I can think it might have been during WW1. Have found very little info regarding George G. on various websites. Eliza also mentions that all her daughters and one son are all deceased by 1935.

Am also interested in any info about Robert Millar living in Craigs in 1935. His parents were Robert and Margaret McCartney Millar -married in 1860. Margaret would be my great grandmother Eliza McCartney McWhorter's sister. He also corresponded with my aunt - not sure for how long. Only have one letter dated February 2,1935. My aunt was the family researcher and I have now taken the job :)

In case you haven't noticed the McWhirter name was changed after arrival in the US (McWhorter). There is a surviving trunk that made the journey with the family with the "ir" spelling.

Thanks again Ruth

Ruth,

Regarding George G who went to Scotland, do you know his wife’s maiden name? If so, it should be easy to find her death and from that we might find his. Scottish death certificates usually contain a married woman’s previous name(s) and so the cross referencing usually makes it easy enough to trace her.  Her death cert should normally tell us whether her husband was still alive and so that then gives a time scale and an area to search for his death.

I had a look through the statutory birth records. I found 7 likely children to Robert Millar & Margaret McCartney. Hugh 13.5.1865; Mary 12.4.1867; Mary 26.9.1869; Robert 13.8.1872; Annie 12.1.1875; Thomas 22.7.1877 & Johnston 18.2.1882. All registered in Ballymena. You can look them up on this site:

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/

I haven’t checked any of the other records but Robert was born in Craigs to Robert & Margaret. Robert senior was a weaver.  Given that there were 2 Marys, I would expect the first one died and they re-used the name, as was common practice at that time. There may have been other children between 1860 and 1863 but they were born before statutory registration. To find their details you would need to check church baptism records, and to do that, you need to know which church they attended. (I think it was probably Craigs Church of Ireland).

Link to Robert’s birth here:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1872/03238/2186686.pdf

This looks to be Robert senior and Margaret in the 1901 census. The family were Church of Ireland:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Dunminning/Craigs/939948/

1911: Johnston and family:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Dunminning/Dunminning/123331/

Robert senior & Robert junior in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Dunminning/Dunminning/123332/

Note that Robt senior had 9 children of whom 8 were still alive at that time. Robert junior was still single then. Do you think he married? You can search for any marriage and his death post 1935 on the GRONI site. You can view the original certificates on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2.50 (sterling) to a view a certificate. Millar is a common surname so you would need to be careful when searching. Craigs is in the Ballymena registration district. The on-line death records go up to 1968.

The change of spelling when the family got to the USA is not unusual. The idea of a single or correct spelling for a surname or a place name is very much a recent phenomenon designed to meet the needs of modern officialdom. 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 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.