I have been searching for a birth for my G Grandmother Agnes Martin for some time with no result so far. Her family travelled back and fourth from Belfast to Port Glasgow regularly with some siblings born in Port Glasgow and some Belfast and one even born South Shields, Durham, England. I can find no sign of a birth for Agnes in any of these locations and my last hope is that their may be a Baptism record for her not yet online in St Anne's Shankill where her sister was baptised and where Agnes also married.
What I have so far
Mother Charlotte Hawkes birth about 1847
Father Robert Martin born Derry 1845.Both married Belfast 1871
children
Maria Martin Born 1871 Belfast Castlrreagh (believe she may have died as a child)
Thomasina Martin born 1872 Baptism record St Anne's Shankill. Died 1873 Port Glasgow Scotland
Agnes Martin born around 1874/75 not yet found
Charlotte Martin born 1878 South Shields, England. Died Port Glasgow 1886
Daniel Delary Martin born 1881 Port Glasgow Scotland. Baptised 1883 Port Glasgow. Died Port Glasgow 1886.
Robert Martin born 1884 Port Glasgow, Scotland.
I am also looking for a second Thomasina Martin born around 1874/75 who appears on the 1911 census in Port Glasgow living with Agnes and family as being 36 years old, one year older than Agnes.
Would so appreciate any advice on where to look next to find a birth for Agnes or Thomasina.
Ruth2020
Monday 12th Oct 2020, 01:40PMMessage Board Replies
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Ruth,
I have searched the statutory birth records for the 1870s but don’t see either Thomasina or Agnes’s births in Northern Ireland. If you think they were baptised in St Ann’s you could e-mail them and ask for a look up. (There might be a fee to pay).
According to the 1911 census Agnes was born in Port Glasgow and Thomasina in Ireland. What about earlier censuses, are they consistent with those same places of birth? If so, you might want to check churches in Port Glasgow for Agnes' baptism there.
Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Monday 12th Oct 2020, 05:08PM -
Hi Elwyn
Thank you so much for your help. I have already searched everything possible in Port Glasgow or Scotland for Agnes and found nothing. Even paid to look at birth records of all other Agnes's born around that time frame and ruled them all out. There is also no other sign of Thomasina in Scotland or anywhere apart from the 1911 census. Does make me wonder if there could have been a mistake or error made with that census. Robert Martin's wife has been named as Elizabeth rather than Charlotte meaning that they could possibly have confused her with the wife of young Robert Martin who was married to an Elizabeth and living eslewhere by that time.
Robert and Charlotte (Elizabeth) have been noted as having six children with only two still living in the 1911 census. If Thomasina still living then that would mean three children still living if we include Agnes and her brother Robert.The 1901 census states that all the family were born in Derry which was clearly not accurate as Robert Martin jr was born in Port Glasgow. Thomasina does not appear on this census.
I did think about checking Port Glasgow churches for Baptism records especially as I know that Daniel Martin was baptised in one. I plan to investigate that idea. Asking for a look up for St Anne's, Shankill is also something I would be very interested in doing. Would you possibly know how I would find a contact email address for them?
Thank you
Ruth
Ruth2020
Tuesday 13th Oct 2020, 01:09PM -
Ruth,
Here’s the link to St Anne’s:
https://www.belfastcathedral.org/contact
St Anne’s is Church of Ireland (ie Anglican) so if that was the family denomination you should probably check Episcopalian churches around Port Glasgow as well as Church of Scotland.
Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Wednesday 14th Oct 2020, 12:37PM -
Thank you so much for your help Elwyn. Very much appreciated.
Ruth
Ruth2020
Wednesday 14th Oct 2020, 08:25PM