Wherry family

Few Irish townlands are named after people, nor the people after them. They are usually descriptive of some local feature. For example, the place name Wherry appears to come from the gaelic word “choire” meaning cauldron. So Glen of the Cauldron is Glenwherry.  There were no Wherry families living there in Griffiths Valuation of 1862. In fact there were only 3 in Co. Antrim.  William in Lisnalinchy outside Belfast and 2 living in Belfast. Not a common name in that county.

In the 1901 there were just 37 people named Wherry in Ireland, of whom 7 lived in Co Antrim. All in Belfast. 3 Presbyterian, 3 Methodist and 1 RC. Only 3 were born in Co Antrim, all Presbyterian. (So likely Scottish ancestry).

For the period you are interested in, there are very few paper records in Ireland and it is notoriously difficult to trace their origins. 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 are 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).

Very helpful. Thank you, Elwin.  Once in the US, the family was quite accomplished making it easy to find them and a large body of their written work. Finding them in Ireland has proven to be more difficult.  I’m not sure if they were Scottish (MacQuarry) or From Wales (many Wherry’s there).

I have done ancestry dna and 23 and me.  There seems to be a story of 3 brothers that all emigrated from Ireland (Derry, Tyrone, Antrim) but pre-famine, a time for which I’m learning there aren’t many records.

I appreciate your time!

N Horner

N Horner,

You say James Wherry was Presbyterian. That tends to point to Scottish ancestry rather than Welsh. Presbyterianism was established in Scotland (by John Knox in the 1500s) and brought to Ireland by Scottish settlers in the 1600s. Welsh settlers in Ireland tend to show up in Irish records as Church of Ireland. 

My Wherry family connection is through Wherrys whom lived in the village of Tempo in County Fermanagh. Richard Wherry came to the US sometime in the early 1850s and served in the US Civil War. He lived in New York City.