I am endeavouring to find out more information about my great-grandmother's family.
My G/G grandfather was Joseph Kinnear and his daughters Elizabeth Jane [born 1827] and Mary came to New Zealand in the 1850's.
My G/G grandmother was a McArthur. One of her family also came to New Zealand in the 1850's and set up a warehouse in Queen Street [Auckland's main thoroughfare.
Elizabeth's doctor, here in Auckland, was Dr Gore Gillow who was also a relation.
I have a large, framed photograph of Margaret Kinnear, Elizabeth's sister, who I know married Robert Boyd on 16 July 1845.
I also have a copy of a letter my uncle sent to The Right Honourable Lord Brookeborough [Prime Minister of Northern Ireland] on the 9 October 1957 prior to his and his wife's second visit to the Lord's home/farm. In that letter reference is made tothe fact that the family had a New Testament inscribed, "Presented to Margaret Kinnear, Lisamentry, as a reward for diligence and good atendance at the Bluestone Sabbath School, Nov, 14th, 1858".
I am most interested in finding out more about of each of these families.
Sunday 21st Apr 2013, 08:09AM
Message Board Replies
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Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Have you tried looking in church records for information on the families?
Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. It also shows you where copies of the records are available. For Catholic parishes in Armagh, follow this link:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/armaghrc.htm
Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
You could also check for record of the families in Griffith?s Valuation. This is a property valuation survey that was carried out in Ireland 1848-1864:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Civil registration began in Ireland in 1864 so any births, deaths or marriages in the family after this date would be recorded in these records. Civil records are available from the General Register?s Office in Dublin. Here is their website:
http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm
You can search the indexes to these records online at:
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347
Have you tried looking at the 1901/1911 census records to see if there is any information there:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
Some other websites that you may find useful 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
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/armagh/index.html
Family search: www.familysearch.org
It may also be an idea to contact Armagh Ancestry for assistance, however a fee may apply. Here is their email address: researcher@armagh.gov.uk
Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Wednesday 29th May 2013, 09:26AM