Hello
I've traced my Knox lineage from Scotland back to Antrim. Samuel Knox married Agnes Park in Ballynure, 1839. I have a Scottish Census that points to his place of birth as Ballyclare, 1814. I would very much like to make contact with living Knox cousins in N. Ireland... and of course to trace Samuel's heritage further back.
Samuel and Agnes had several children born in Antrim, including James, John. David, Mary, William, Robert, Eliza Jane, Samuel and Agnes. I believe the entire family emmigrated to Scotland in the 1860s where their family is well documented. So I guess any relatives in Ireland would have to be linked via a brother of Samuel Knox b1814.
I plan to visit N. Ireland for a short holiday in 2013 or 14... so am hoping I can at least get some leads to work on during that visit.
Thanks
Douglas Knox
Sunday 30th Dec 2012, 12:04PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Douglas,
Thank you for your message. Great to hear that you may be visiting in the future!
Perhaps you could try searching for information in the church records. This may help you to trace your family further back. However, it may also give you information on what family remained in Ireland after Samuel and Agnes emigrated. Do you know what religion the families followed?
Most Catholic records are held locally. One website which may be of help to you is the irishtimes. Here, they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For the Catholic parish of Ballyclare follow this link:
For Church of Ireland records check http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/. The Anglican Record Project is has created an index to their records: http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/library/AngRecord/bunclodyunionindex.pdf
You could also check the two land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. Although these do not offer any genealogical information they may help you tie a person to a specific place. There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith's Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
If you can find record of familiy that remained in Ireland, you can then search for them or their descendents in the 1901 and 1911 census records. Here is the link:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
Some other websites which may help are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
The National Archives Scotland- family history: http://www.nas.gov.uk/familyHistory/
Family Search: https://familysearch.org/
Perhaps it may also be an idea to place your message in a local forum in Ballynure in the hope that any relatives still in the area may see your message and make a connection. Here are some possible places where you may be able to do this:
http://www.ballyclaregazette.co.uk/
http://ballyclareandballygowan.com/
Alternatively, you could try contacting the Ulster Historical Foundation for assistence-however, a fee may apply.
Here are their contact details:
Ulster Historical Society,
49 Malone Road,
Belfast BT9 6RY
Northern Ireland.
Phone: +44(0) 28 9066 1988 Email: enquiry@uhf.org.uk
I hope that this helps. It would be really great if you could make a connection before you visit! If you do decide to visit in 2013 we would greatly appreciate it if yu could fill in a quick webform about your visit. The link is at the top of the page.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support