Steen in the Vow county Antrim

Perhaps you can give us a bit more information? Can you give us the names of ancestors known to be born in Ireland, and approximately when that was? What denomination were they? Do you know your ancestors occupations in Ireland? When you say they came from The Vow, was that the townland of that name, or the general area that also bears the same name?

I had a look at the 1901 census of Co Antrim. There was just one family named Steen in the general area around The Vow then. They lived and farmed in the townland of Inshinagh, which is in the parish of Ballymoney. They were Presbyterian (so probably the family originated in Scotland in the 1600s):

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Enagh/Inshinagh/942756/

Inshinagh is quite close to The Vow. A mile or so from it. The family were not in Inshinagh in Griffiths Valuation though, in 1861. According to the Valuation records James Steen held 2 farms in the townland, plot 1 which was 67 acres and plot 3, a quarter of a mile south, which was 25 acres. He acquired both in 1868/69. Can’t say which one he lived on from the Valuation records. Nor do I know where the family lived before 1868.

In 1861 there were a couple of Steen households in Millquarter and Ballybrakes, both of which are on the outskirts of Ballymoney, and not far from the Vow. Both had gone by 1901. They weren’t farmers though. They had small labourers or weavers cottages.

The tithe applotment records for 1834 show 1 Steen family in Rosnashane and another in the Vow Upper. The tithes only list farmers, and so there may have been other Steen families living in the area, not listed. Both the 1834 families had moved on by 1861.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/antrim/tithe-applotments/finvoy-parish.php#.Wiod0RR2ug0

Rev Parks census of 1817 for the parish of Ballymoney shows 1 Steen family in Inshinagh and another in Ballyagan. However the census doesn’t cover the Vow. So there might have been other families in the area.

My 3rd great-grandfather is George Steen. He was born 16 Dec 1758 in County Antrim, Ireland, immigrated with his 2 brothers, James and John, to America in 1775 from "The Vow" in Ireland.   George naturalized in America in 1803. I don't know anything about him before he left Ireland, except his mother's maiden name may have been Hamilton.

 

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Linda,

The Vow is a term used to describe an area from Ballymoney up to the north coast at Portstewart, and along to Bushmills and the Giant’s Causeway. Perhaps 30 square miles. There is also a townland named Vow within that area. It consists of 337 acres of agricultural land which, in 1901, had 337 residents in a total of 29 houses. See:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/The_Vow/Vow/

The majority of migrants from Ireland to North America in the 1700s were Presbyterians.  These were descendants of Scots who had settled in Ireland in the 1600s but who became dissatisfied with their lives and decided to move on again.   The climate throughout the 1700s led to poor harvests, so that was one factor; another was that landlords kept putting rents up at a time when incomes were declining; another was that there was a shortage of land; another was landlords refusal to sell land to farmers (preferring to take rental income instead) whereas in North America land was available freehold (provided you bumped the Native Americans off it of course); another was British customs restrictions preventing Ireland exporting woollen products (to protect the British wool market) ; another was the difficulty of getting raw cotton from North America especially around the years of the War of Independence, so this affected weavers income; finally there were some restrictions, fairly minor in reality, which prevented Presbyterians from holding public offices such as law officers etc. The combination of all these factors meant that many Presbyterians decided to migrate.  Something like 200,000 people of Scottish descent emigrated from Ireland in the 1700s. They tended to be slightly wealthier than the “native Irish” and so had the funds to pay for their passage to North America and elsewhere. In general, native Irish didn’t start emigrating in significant numbers till the 1800s.

The Presbyterian migrants are generally known in Ireland as Ulster-Scots. In the USA and Canada they are usually called Scotch-Irish.  If your ancestors left the Vow for the USA in 1775, then that’s likely to be their background.

The area around the Vow is famous for being the source of the first significant batch of emigrants to North America in 1718, led by the Rev. MacGregor of Aghadowey. Sort of the Irish equivalent of the Mayflower. Thereafter numerous further ships crossed the pond. Notably in 1772 the Reverend William Martin, a Covenanter Minister, organized 5 boatloads of migrants to go to the Carolinas.  There’s a memorial to him in the Vow Graveyard. (Photo attached).

If you are interested in reading more about the general background that led to your ancestors decision to move to Ireland then move on to the USA, then read David Hume’s book: “Eagle’s Wings – The journey of the Ulster Scots and the Scotch-Irish” which tells the story in greater detail.

Researching in Ireland in the 1700s is notoriously difficult due to the lack of records. There are probably about 20 Presbyterian churches in the area around the Vow. Hardly any have records for the 1700s, and I’d be very surprised if there was any documentation relating to your family, especially if you don’t know where they lived.  You would probably need to rely on DNA testing to try and match with any descendants still in the area today or other families who originated there. (Expect matches with families in Scotland too, for obvious reasons).

Elwyn,

There are two of us talking here.  Linda W (who joined this site) is my cousin; my name is Robert Steen.  I'm the one who will be traveling in Ireland this spring.  Everything we know about our 3rd great grandfather George was laid out by Linda; he was born in 1758, came to America around 1775 with his brothers James and John and died in Tippecanoe county Indiana.  George was a farmer in America so I would guess his parents were farmers as well.  We are Presbyterian and I agree that we came over from Scotland or perhaps directly from Holland as Steen is a popular name there.  He and his brothers landed in Pennsylvania and stayed in that state until 1833 when they moved to Indiana.  

My interest is about my coming trip.  I'd like to understand where "The Vow" is (and I think you've answered that question) and where I might stop in to do some local research.  It might be that we just "hang out" in the area but it would be wonderful if I could find a birth record for George and his brothers and get more information on his parents.  

Thanks for everything you've sent so far.  

Bob

Bob,

You ask where you might stop in to do some local research. By and large all the relevant surviving records for the Counties of what is now Northern Ireland are kept in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast, or they are on-line.

There’s a museum in Ballymoney which has some books and background material that might interest you. Coleraine library also has a local history section. At the time of writing the building is closed for renovation and the genealogy records are temporarily in Portrush library. (Most of the church records are duplicates of records in PRONI but they have lots of other background material). But Coleraine may have re-opened by the time of your visit. You would need to check.

The Rev Mullen’s book “Coleraine in Georgian Times” gives quite a good flavour of life in the area in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

The only Presbyterian church in the area with any records for the 1700s that I know of is Ballymoney 1st which has some baptisms for 1751 – 77. These are fire damaged because the town was burned in the 1798 uprising.  And the matching marriages for the same period are lost.

Since your family were probably farmers, you might want to try and trace the family in Inshinagh in the 1911 census.  Possibly they still live in the area.  I’d be surprised if they knew their ancestry in the 1700s (most families here don’t) but they might do. And they might be willing to do a DNA comparison.

I do know a genealogical researcher in Ballymoney (she and I are both members of the Causeway Coast & Glens branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society).  I can put you in touch with her if you want. She may be able to meet you during your visit. Her local knowledge is excellent.

Regarding the origins of the family name, it could be an abbreviated version of Steenson. That’s quite common in the area, and is itself a shortened or alternative version of Stevenson. Again very common in this part of Ireland.

Contemporary descriptions of the local accent in the area around the Vow in the 1700s and 1800s are that it was identical to the Ayrshire accent, which is where many of the families originated.  Others, notably on the MacDonnell estate, came from MacDonald lands on islands such as Colonsay, Islay, Jura and the Kintyre peninsula, all of which are just a few miles to the north of the Antrim coast.

I stumbled across this conversation and have found it very interesting and useful.  I am a Steen also. My 5th great grandfather is James Steen, born in Antrim, around 1734 and immigrated to the U.S., South Carolina.  His father may have been John Steen, born in Antrim around 1688 or so.  He may have come to America as an indentured servant.  I am planning a trip in 2019 to area of Antrim.  The Steen side of my family all look very similar, dark hair and dark eyes.  I was always told we were of Welsh decent, but have not come across that in my geneology research.  My DNA groups Ireland/Scotland/Wales together.  Any additional information is appreciated! 

Is Coleraine (sp?) Londonderry part of the Vow? My 5x GG was Margaret Steen (b. Circa 1763) married Joseph Armour of Droghedra (sp). She ended up in Fredericton, Canada. I'm looking for the best way to discover her parents & people remotely (cancer treatment - no travel). My dad is in his 80's and I want to do this for him. Does this connect with anyone?

 

Your spelling of Coleraine is correct. The town is not part of The Vow. It’s near it (perhaps 7 or 8 miles away) but doesn’t form part of it. The Vow is a rural agricultural area where there used to be a ferry across the River Bann. Coleraine is a large town. You wouldn’t say you came from the one if you came from the other, if you follow me.

Droghedra could be the town of Drogheda which is in Co Louth. That’s about 120 miles from Coleraine. If they both came from the same area (as was the case for most marriages) then I’d be surprised if it’s Drogheda. Or did they meet en route or in Canada, in which case it could be.  There is a townland called Droghed though, in the parish of Aghadowey, just a few miles from Coleraine. Perhaps that’s it?

Statutory birth, death and marriage registration (in some jurisdictions called Vital Records) only started in Ireland in 1864, save for non RC marriages which were recorded from 1845 onwards. So you probably won’t find statutory birth, death or marriage certificates in Ireland for this family. For earlier years you usually need to rely on church records, where they exist.  Ideally you need to know the precise denomination and have some idea of where the person was born in order to search the correct records. Not all churches have records for that period and not all are on-line. 

RC records are mostly on-line on the nli site:   

https://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

For other denominations, the churches usually hold the originals but there are also copies in PRONI, the public record office, in Belfast. A personal visit is required to access them. Access to the records there is free. This link explains what records exist, parish by parish:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/proni-guide-church-records

If you are unable to go yourself, you could employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

Researching in Ireland in the 1700s is very hard going due to the general lack of records. If you don’t know where they lived it’s a needle in a haystack. Ideally you need to know the person’s exact denomination and the townland or parish they lived in to have any chance of finding them, and even then there may not be any records for that location.

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

Stumbled across all this information while looking for information on my Steen Family from Antrim, Ireland. I have gone as far back as Alexander Steen 1716-1798 married to Jane Stewart & possibly a Martha Johnson. Alexander is my 5th Great Grandfather. His son my 4th Great Grandfather is William Steen 1762-1825 om Antrim, married to Mary Gill. I would love to see if anyone has further information. Alexander's father is listed on Rootsweb with a unknown father born before 1695. He has a brother James Steen 1714-1796. I am really trying to find out where they came from before Ireland. Germany or Finland possilbly? Tammy Richard tammylrichard@hotmail.com

My Steen ancestors, Margaret born in the 1760s and Nancy in the 1790s, were from Colerein and Drogheda, respectively. Each was born in Ireland, immigrated to New Brunswick, Canada at unknown points, and died there as adults. I have not been able to find any familial evidence of either. Is it likely that this/these families are connected to those in Antrim? Are there sources from Colerein and/or Drogheda that might prove useful?

The Steens who I mentioned in my previous post married into the Armour family. They lived in Carlton, Queens and York County, New Brunswick. I hope this rings a bell for someone. Dwuagneux@yahoo.com

MacLysaght’s surnames of Ireland states that Steen is an English & Scottish name, so your ancestors are likely descended from Scots or English who settled in the area in the 1600s. Around Coleraine they are more likely to have been Scots. That whole area was very heavily settled by tens of thousands of Scots then. Migrating on to Canada in the 1700s also fits with that profile. Most of the migrants from Ireland in the 1700s were Presbyterian Scots who – for reasons explained in an earlier post - had not found Ireland to their liking and, having already migrated once, were fairly willing to move on for pastures new. There are few records for the 1700s in the Coleraine area. The Church of Ireland (Anglican) has records from 1769 onward (Copy in PRONI in Belfast) but none of the Presbyterian churches in the town has any records for the 1700s at all. I checked the “Town Book of Coleraine” by Andrew Kane which lists many of the occupants of the town in the 1700s but no Steens are listed. The 1831 census of Coleraine lists 2 Steen households, 1 Presbyterian and the other Church of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Coleraine/… http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Coleraine/…

Hello following a surprise visitor to our home today, we believe a descendent of William Steen. Unfortunately neither myself nor my husband were available and our guest staying with us failed to get the visitors name. Subsequently we located the information above. We are seeking any information on the history of this house/address  Inshinagh House, 17 Inshinagh Lane, Ballymoney and it’s occupants of previous times. 
There is a crest/initials above the front door of the house signifying JS. Any information would be welcomed. TIA