Hugh McShane, 4x great-grandfather

Lyn,

Unfortunately the RC baptism records for Ballynascreen do not start till 1836, so that explains why you cannot find any record for Hugh or Michael. No easy way round that. (Few RC parishes in Ulster have any records before the 1820s so this is not an unusual problem).

Looking at the 1831 census for Ballynascreen, there were only 3 McShane households living in the parish at that time. 2 lived in Moneyneany:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughinshollin/Ballynascreen/Moneyneany/5/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughinshollin/Ballynascreen/Moneyneany/6/

And the third lived in Strawmore:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughinshollin/Ballynascreen/Strawmore/2/

Perhaps your ancestors were related to one of those 3 families?  All 3 appear to have been farmers as they are listed in the tithe applotment records (basically a land tax) in 1825:

https://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/derry/tithe-applotments/ballynascreen…

Moneyneany is a small village a few miles from Draperstown. Strawmore is a couple of miles south of Moneyneany on the Doon Rd.

All 3 families had died out or left by the time of Griffiths Valuation in 1859.

Thank you so much Elwyn, this gives me something to work on.  Francis (Michael) McShane was the son of Michael.  Francis migrated to Tasmania in 1835 with his wife and children, together with his brother John, his wife and family, and Elizabeth (Betsey) McShane, Hugh's daughter.  I'm not sure yet who Patrick McShane was, but I'm sure there is a relationship as his abode was next to that of Francis.  Most of the family seems to have migrated to Tasmania, so perhaps it is not surprising that there is no mention of them by 1859.  Draperstown has also been mentioned by some family historians, so I think we are on the right track.  Thank you so much for your response.  Kind regards, Lyn