Lawson/McFarland

Sandra,

Loughgall Presbyterian church only has baptism records from 1842. Marriages start in 1819 but with some gaps. No burial records (Presbyterians rarely kept burial records).

Researching in Ireland in the 1700s is very hard going due to the general lack of records.

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).

In general terms your ancestors are likely to be Scots who moved to Ireland in the 1600s, possibly as part of the Plantation or perhaps in the 1690s when there was a huge influx due to famine there. I don’t see any Lawsons or McFarlands in Armagh in the Muster Rolls c 1630 so assume they arrived after that year.

Hi, are you sure of the dates? Joseph would have been nearly 100 at the time off emigration...