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Here's what I know about my relatives from the area. 10 of them departed in the spring of 1822 and landed in Quebec, Canada just before July 27,1822. We have record of them on a Molson Coors Steamship sailing down the St. Lawrence Seaway and arriving July 28, 1822. The family names were:

Elisabeth Miller - matriarch - born circa 1765, died 1840 - buried Bell's Cemetery Guernsey Co, Ohio

Adam Miller - her son (my 3x great grandfather) - born Aug 1795, died 10 Oct 1876 - buried same as above

Margaret Rea Miller - his wife - born circa 1788, died 12 Feb 1872 - married circa 1821 - buried same - tombstone reads "Born in Co Antrim and in Biallig Limeworks Ireland." (Their son Robert Rea Miller was born 3 days after landing in Montreal and was baptised there.)

Jospeh Miller - Adam's brother - born circa 1793, died 16 Sep 1874 - unknown burial - will recorded Guernsey Co, Ohio

Ellenor Miller Baggs - Adam and Joseph's sister - born circa 1782, died 25 Aug 1867 - buried Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Cemetery, Guernsey Co, Ohio. Married James A Baggs (later changed spelling to Beggs) circa Jan 1814. Traveled with 2 children under 12 - Elizabeth Baggs and James A Baggs Jr.

Mary ____ Miller - nothing more is known of her other than she traveled with son John, so it is presumed she was a widow of another brother. Burial unknown and presumed to be at Bell's Cemetery in an unmarked grave near son John and matriarch Elisabeth.

John Miller - Mary's son - born circa 1819, died 18 Jan 1843 - buried Bell's Cemetery next to grandmother Elisabeth.

Ballylig Limeworks was developed by John Irving Esq MP when he was proprietor of the Magheramorne estate and overseen by Thomas Maxwell. He built a row of cottages which had two acres attached to each and encouraged his tenants to self-sufficiency.  Those cottages can be seen in the 1832 historical first edition Ireland map. The quarry still exists and was used as the Wall in Game of Thrones. 

Records are almost non-existent from that era from what I can tell, but I am looking for any Millers/Millars, Reas or Baggs who were buried there prior to 1822 and any records pertaining to the Limeworks. 

Lisa Busch

Saturday 7th May 2022, 10:29PM
Ireland XO Community
Antrim
Larne (Antrim)

Message Board Replies

  • Lisa Busch

    Saturday 7th May 2022, 11:38PM

  • Lisa,

    If you go to the PRONI website and search their e-catalogue for Ballylig, you will find 73 mentions of Ballylig. There are various leases relating to the mineral rights etc. There are maps, wills etc too.  If you are hoping for employee records from over 200 years, I’d be very surprised if anything like that has survived. But it’s worth checking.

    https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-pronis-ecatalogue

    In the main, the records themselves are not on-line. The e-catalogue gives a brief description of each one, but accessing the records themselves involves a visit to PRONI (in Belfast). If you are unable to go yourself, you could employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

    If the family was Presbyterian then generally Presbyterians don't keep burial records, so unless there is a gravestone, you will struggle to find details of where folk are buried. Only the wealthier folk could afford a gravestone. Tha majority of the population was buried without one. If the family was Church of Ireland then they do keep burial records but in the case of Glynn, they only start in 1838. (Copy held in PRONI).

    Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Sunday 8th May 2022, 05:44AM
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