DROPE family of County Cavan and elsewhere

The earliest Drope I have found in Ireland is Giles Drope, son of Thomas and Matilda Drope of Aynhoe Northampstonshire.  Giles is listed as studying for the law at the Kings Inn, Dublin in 1628.  On June 1, 1631 Giles marrys Anna Drewe of Dublin and is named as a Church Warden at St. Audoen's, Dublin in 1636.  However by 1638 Giles dies and is buried in Dublin (MS-64-79 Funeral Entries Vol 7, 17).  The marriage of Anne Drope you found may well be Giles widow remarrying.

Giles is the brother of Bartholomew Drope, a merchant from London/Dublin, and whose only daughter married Peter Wybrants(Lord Mayor of Dublin)  Bartholomew is listed in the "Council Book of the Corporation of Drogheda Vol 1, from the years 1649 to 1734" from the years 1649 to 1662 the later year he is identified as being an Alderman of the city.  Listed with him for 1649 are the names of James and Shackerly Drope. James b. 1628 and Shackerly b. 1622 were both born in Banbury Oxfordshire, the sons of another brother, Ralph, a merchant in Banbury.  Only James is named in his fathers will of 1658, with this I have presumed that Shackerly has died between 1649 and 1658.

Further Bartholomew Drope 1689, Carrowrasky - Gentleman is identified in King James11, Dublin charged with High Treason under sentance of death.  Given that two of Bartholomews other brothers Thomas and Edward are known to have been born in the late 1590's by 1689 Bartholomew would have reached quite an age.  Is it possible that while Sarah is identified as his only daughter is it possible that Bartholomew has son of the same name.

In Edward Dropes will of 1688 James Drope, Ralph's son is identified in the will as living in Drogheda.

I have the transcripted wills of the following Dropes of Cavan

William Drope of Ballyhaise d. 1754, while his brothers James and John  of Ballyhaise (d. in 1758) were joint a trustees. and died without issue.

James Drope of Ballyhaise d. 1758 had a natural son named John and a nephew named William

 John Drope (d. 1774) of Cootehill, Gentleman.  Johns wife was Margaret and they had two daughters, Elizabeth Moore and Mary Drope

I too would appreciate any information that can fill any of my very obvious blanks in my Irish Drope history and geneology.

Thanks so much for the above information on the Dropes. I suspect they were an English family members of which went to ireland to study, as merchants and/or as English planters sometime in the 1600s. The Drope family name comes up on internet searches in London, elsewhere in England, Europe and America. Below is a bit more information I have gathered on the Dropes. 

For example, in 1474 the ‘Maior’ of London was Sir Robert Drope, Draper, son of John Drope of St Edes in Huntingdonshire.[i] In 1567 a John Drope is mentioned in records of the Corporation of Lincoln: 1567, June 12.—John Drope, B.A., to be usher of the free school. f. 18b.[ii]A John Drope, who died in 1629, is commemorated on an altar tomb in the Norbury Parish church, Derbyshire.[iii] Dropes appear in Irish records around the 1630s and in County Cavan, Ireland records from the early 1700s.

A John Drope of Cootehill, County Cavan made a will on 11 November 1774. (See Index to the Prerogative Willis of Ireland (Vicars), referred to on the Fermanagh Gold website at http://www.fermanagh-gold.com/search1?term=Cootehill accessed on 13 April 2012. See also entries for Drope in the Irish Wills Index 1484–1858 on Irish Origins at Origins.net accessed from http://www.origins.net/IrishOrigins/Search/Wills/IrishWills/IOShowRecordsWills.aspx on 8 August 2012.

The surname Drope occurs as a second name in a quite a few of the members of the Australian McIllree family. Our progenitor, Henry McIllree (1824-1882) who arrived in Australia c. 1849, was the son of John Drope McIllree (c. 1782-11.8.1855) of Belturbet, County Cavan who inherited lands around Belturbet from his grandfather, John Drope. John Drope McIllree's wife was Margaret Quigley (c. 1783-7.1.1846). They had c. 14 children, of whom Henry was the youngest son. The McIllrees have connections also to Ballyhaise through Frances Drope, only daughter of John Drope and Anne Wiggins, who married Robert McIllree c. 1767. As mentioned in the earlier email, he died in Ireland on 23.8.1785. His will, unfortunately, is lost. Later John Henry McIllree (28.2.1849-17.5.1925), a son of one of John and Margaret McIllree's children, another John Drope McIllree (1812-26.4.1894), married Caroline Elizabeth Humphreys (22.11.1854-12.12.1930) of Ballyhaise House, Ballyhaise, County Cavan. The Drope family name crops up as a second name in quite a few of the Australian McIllrees.

[i] [Maiors and Sheriffs.] The Temporal Government from John Strype’s Survey of the Citie of London and Westminster, http://www.hrionline.ac.uk/strype/TransformServlet?page=book5_123&display=normal, accessed on 23 September 2011.

[ii] 'The corporation of Lincoln: Registers, vol. IV (1564-99)', The Manuscripts of Lincoln, Bury St. Edmunds etc.: Fourteenth report, Appendix; part VIII (1895), pp. 58-75. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=67055 Date accessed: 23 September 2011.

[iii] From British History Online 'Parishes: Newton-Solney - Mickleover', Magna Britannia: volume 5: Derbyshire (1817), pp. 217-228. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50733 Date accessed: 23 September 2011.

Dear Patricia Balasiuk, Thank you for all the above information. I knew some of it but other information is most useful. I found quite a bit of new information on FindMyPast.ie. If you haven't yet done so and can access this database for free at a major library or local family history society that has a subscription, just search under "Drope" and various information will come up. For example, under the Deputy Keeper of Ireland, Index to the Act or Grant Books, and to the Original Wills, of the Diocese of Dublin 1272-1858, you will find an Ann Drope of Dublin who married a Robert Stafford in 1639. (Perhaps the first or second husband?). A Frances Drope married a William Ogilvy in 1784 but I don't think this is our Frances Drope as her husband, Robert, did not die until August 1785. (We're descended from Frances Drope and Robert McIllree). 
The Index of Irish Wills 1484-1858 includes: James Drope, Cavan 1758; John Drope, Cavan, 1774; William Drope, Cavan, 1754; John Drope, Cavan 1723; and John Drope, Cavan, 1800. (He, or the preceding gentleman, is likely to be a forebear, perhaps grandfather of John Drope McIllree (c. 1782-11.8.1855) one of our ancestors. 
There's an interesting entry for a "Guillaume Drope" in the Registers of French Non-Conformist Churches, Dublin 1701-1831. He died in Dublin in 1776, aged 36. This bit of info extends the reach of the Dropes beyond England to Europe (France? "Guillaume" means "William" of course in English.). Was he perhaps a Hugenot? In the Landed Estate Court Rentals 1850-1885,  Margaret Drope of Cavan and Monaghan is included for 1851. There is also an advertisement for the sale of property in which she had an interest. Lots more of interest if you can access this database. Kind Regards, Jane Morrison

Surgeon General John Drope McIllree was my great great grandfather.

He has a very distinctive grave in Mount Jerome Cemetary, Dublin.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/snappydessy/3347793834

More information on the Dropes of Cavan and Ireland now on FindMyPast, e.g. Geyes DROPE m. Anna DREW in 1631 Ireland Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage Licence Bonds indexes 1623–1866; Egidius DROPE of Dublin, Gent. Will recorded in 1638, Ireland Diocesan and Prerogative Wills and Administrations indexes 1595–1858; John DROPE, Cavan, Will 1723, Index of Irish Wills 1484–1858; William DROPE, 1754, Will, Ballyhaise, co. Cavan; John DROPE, 1755, Ireland Roman Catholic Baptisms, St James, Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland, baptism 19 June 1755, parents "Piari" and Eliz Drope; John DROPE 1774 Wiil: Ireland Diocesan and Prerogative Wills and Administration indexes 1595–1858, John DROPE 1774, Cavan, Index of Irish Wills 1484–1858, Cavan, Ireland; John DROPE 1774, of Cootehill, co. Cavan, gent., Sir Arthur Vicars, Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland, 1536–1810, and Supplement (1914); Guillaume DROPE (1740–1776), Hugenot, died Dublin 24 September 1776, aged 36, buried 26 September 1776, Dublin, Registers of the French Non-Conformist Chuches, Dublin 1701–1831.

DROPE/McILLREE FAMILY, Cavan

To Everyone interested in the Dropes from Cavan, a few days ago I discovered some new information. Probate on Robert McIllree's will was granted on 23 August 1785, which means he died in 1784 or earlier (Ireland Diocesan and Prerogative Willis and Administration Indexes 1595–1858 on FindMyPast). He was still alive on 13 March 1781 when he joined Lodge No. 560, Belturbet (Ireland, Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Ireland Membership Registers, 1733–1923, Ancestry.com) but had died by 26 July 1793 when the lodge certified members.

Ancestry.com has also added an "Irish Records Extraction Database". On this database, I confirmed the marriage of a Frances DROPE to a William OGLEBY at St Mary's, Dublin on 23 November 1784. This record notes that Frances was a widow at the time of the marriage (information previously unknown to me). In other early Irish records I have found that female family members who were widows were married under their maiden names as was apparently the custom. I now strongly suspect that this Frances DROPE is actually our Frances who was married to Robert McILLREE c. 1776, not 1767 as mentioned above. (Possible error in family papers). I have also discovered a number of OGLEBYs or OGILVYs from Clones, County Monaghan which is not far from Ballyhaise, County Cavan where the Dropes lived in the mid to late 1700s to some time in the mid-1800s. (A number of the Dropes appear to have emigrated to America and Canada). Some of the McIllrees also leased land in or around Clones in 1719, so it is quite possible that the families knew each other. A Frances OGELBY, who may be the same person, can be traced on Ancestry.com, living in Dublin in the 1800s.

In some family papers in my possession there is reference to the Dropes, who are related to the McIllrees, having come from Wales. This is possible too, as there is a Drope Farm and a hamlet called "Drope" near Glamorgan in Wales. See Wikipedia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drope

Jane Morrison

2 January 2017

Drope Surname by Jane Morrison - Ireland Reaching Out - 2012 - 2017

Regards,