Thomas Hunter

Dear Elizabeth:

Many thanks for your post to the Reaching Out message board.  

It can be very difficult to research before 1800 due to the lack of records available.  However, if you know that there were headstones in the specific graveyard that you mentioned, you might write directly to the church about them and the family.  They may be able to assist you.  Is this graveyard in Killead parish?  It is not clear from your post.  if you let me know, I will see what I can do.  

Kind regards,

Jane

Dear Jane

Dear Jane,

Thank you for your reply.

My gt grandfather,Thomas Hunter 1793 - 1872 and his wife Mary were members of Old Presbyterian Church or Meeting House as it might have been known, situated in Antrim Town Centre. They were buried in the adjoining graveyard. The Church building today is used for a Recreation Club ,but the graveyard exists although some headstones have disappeared. The Earlier generation was buried in Killead Presbyterian Church graveyard, but have no records for them. 

 Following a Schism in The Pres. Church in 1830s the family left to join Non Subscribing  Church in Antrim.  A fire  broke out in the Antrim Church destroying  all Records consequently leaving no trace of any siblings of Thomas Hunter.  

Would be grateful for any help.  

Elizabeth 

Elizabeth,

I know the graveyard Antrim where the Hunters are buried. The church hasn’t been used for many years but is still owned by the Unitarian church (or Non Subscribing Presbyterian church as it is also known). The Minister for the Non Subscribing church in Larne has notional responsibility for Antrim too, but I know he has no records relating to the church. Presbyterians never kept burial records anyway so tracing early burials is always difficult.

The graveyard is fenced off and locked but if visiting, go to the Council Offices in Antrim and they will give you the key.

As you say the church was a secession church following one of the several disruptions in the Presbyterian Church.

Part of the 1851 census for Killead has survived, and that includes Ardmore. Here’s Thomas (b 1793) and his family. His mother Cecilia was still alive (born c 1772).

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1851/Antrim/Lower_Massereene/Killead/Ardmore/10/

I don’t see any McConnell households in Dungonnell in that 1851 census.

Probate abstracts for a couple of Hunters from Ardmore, taken from the PRONI wills site:

Administration of the estate of Mary Hunter late of Ardmore Diamond Crumlin County Antrim Widow who died 11 March 1898 granted at Belfast to William Martin Hunter Farmer the Son

Hunter William Martin of Ardmore Crumlin county Antrim farmer died 28 December 1940 Probate Belfast 24 September to John Gray and Thomas Hunter farmers. Effects £3627 18s. 11d.

The 1898 probate file was destroyed in the 1922 fire in Dublin and only the above abstract survives. However the will for the 1940 death should be in PRONI in paper format.

Going backwards, if the family attended Killead Presbyterian then you probably already know that their records only start in 1826 so you are unlikely to find any records of the family before that from church sources.

PRONI has a lease between Thomas Hunter of Ardmore and James Boyd, dated 6th August 1730 (ref T998/1). So you know there were Hunters living there in the 1730s.

James Boyd, Antrim, to Thomas Hunter, Ardmore, Co. Antrim.

Lease for lives renewable forever for lands in Killylaugh, Co. Antrim at £7 4s. 4d. per annum.

You could also search the Registry of Deeds records for any leases or marriage settlements etc. relating to Hunters of Ardmore. The originals are in the Registry of Deeds in Dublin, there's a copy in PRONI and they are also on-line on Familysearch. Search under the townland rather than Hunter as it's too common a name. Those records start in 1708.

I also found this letter in PRONI from Mary Hunter of Ardmore, dated 24th Sept 1852. (T3478/1/26).

Ardmore, September 24, 1852.

Dear Aunt Nettleton:

I now take up my pen to let you know that the Almighty has spared us to see the end of another harvest and we are all in good health and hope you are in the same, thank God for his mercies to us. Grandfather and family is all in good health, Uncles and Aunts and their families are all in good health. There has a great many changes taken place in this country within these few months. Uncle Robert McConnel is dead. He died in March on account of gravel after a very short sickness. He was in with Doctor Hall on Friday and he came home and continued on worse until Monday morning when he left this earthly abode. We were all down and Grandfather went to the funeral. the boys are all at home and there is no settlement made yet. Alexander Johnson's wife and his mother is dead, also Uncle Nettleton's mother is dead. She died in Belfast with some friend. Old Robert Harper is dead, Uncle Langford has got a young son and they call him Benjamin Crawford. He is flitted into your old house and is buying corn and Aunt Betty has went in to keep shop. Uncle William has got McClurestown farm and is going to live there again May he has at present about 160 acres of land. Miss Thompson has got married in June to a young man of the name of Creavy (his father was married to Mrs. Thompson's sister) he is first mate of a vessel and they sailed to New York one fortnight after. There is a letter from them since and they had seven weeks of a passage. Also Henery Thompson has got married to a Miss Johnson of Gleneavy the bride and groom went to the giants causeway immediately after marriage. John Mackfarlin and family is expected home in the fall. Mr. Orr's house of worship is building now it is beside William Reeds. Jane Gibson is a very fine child she was taken from the Nurse at May and is with her Grandida Miss Gibson was living there then and Jane seemed to be very fond of her. After a short time Miss Gibson went a week to her father's and during that time she was taken to the Asylum but there is no cause known how that came. She is there yet and a little better. Well then Jane came out and was greatly taken up here when at the end of five weeks they came out and took her in and she is now at the infant school. Dear Aunt the crops look middling and well this year flax is becoming to be greatly sown. Dida had above one acre and it paid very well but Uncle William had thirteen acres the price is from 10s per st. down Meal is 10s per hundred down Oats from 5s 6d down Potatoes is keeping better so far this year they are from 4s down Pork is from 4s 4d down, Beef is 3 1/2d to 4d per lb. Eggs 6d to 7d per doz. Now I suppose that Alexander and Mary is going to school and little Sarah Eleanor is walking Jane and James wishes to be remembered to you their Uncles their Aunts and all their cousins. Now I hope that you are contented and happy and my prayer is that you are so Remember me to my Uncles and Aunts and all my cousins and I hope that they are all doing well is my sincere wish.

Now I shall conclude with these few lines Should we on earth no more unite Nor join in converse as before To heaven may we take our flight Where friends shall meet to part no more.

No more at present but remain your affectionate sister

Mary Hunter.

Your ancestors are probably the same as most other Presbyterians in Antrim and will have arrived from Scotland in the 1600s. However you may struggle to find anything about the earlier years due to the almost complete lack of records here in Ireland.

 Elwyn, 

Thank you for all the research. Lots of information to follow up. Most appreciative of time spent. 

The Census has given another generation between my gt grandfather Thomas 1793 - 1872 and what now was his grandfather Thomas Hunter d 1816 c. Was unaware of  existence of James and Cecilea ( unusual spelling) would have been my 2x gt-grandparents.  It is frustrating not to have Church Records. I was told  earlier generations were members of Killead Pres Church.  Graveyard visits are on the cards.

Elizabeth 

Elizabeth,

Most Irish research comes to a standstill around 1800 due to a lack of records. In your case you have some information back to the 1700s so you are really quite lucky.

Elwyn, 

Realise few records exist pre 1800, but you have given plenty of additional background info for me to follow up. Very grateful for your expertise and detailed research. Incidentally gt grandmother Mary Mconnell Hunter was dau of Arthur McConnell, Dungonnell. McConnells were mentioned in your Message Board , under Parish: Grange of a Muckamore (Crawford McConnel) 

This conversation caught my attention, hence query .  

Thank you again for the help.  

Elizabeth