John Henderson Circa 1835

Hendy,

Registration of marriages didn’t start in Ireland till 1845 (1864 for RC marriages); births & deaths weren’t registered before 1864. So if John (sea captain) or his wife Betsy died before that, there’s probably no paper record to find.  Could be a gravestone but you would need to know which graveyard to search.

Do you know what denomination the Henderson family was? (I suspect Presbyterian with it being a Scottish name). If so, there are 4 Presbyterian churches in the parish of Clondermott (where John jr was living in 1856) but none has any baptism records for the 1830s which is apparently when he was born (aged 18 on his marriage cert). So if that’s where he was baptised, and he was Presbyterian, you are not going to find any record of his birth. 

I searched the British Newspaper archives for any mention of John Henderson, sea captain, but without success. There was a John Henderson, Commander RN (so technically a ship’s captain) in the area who died in 1866, but he appears to have been single. He lived in Clooney.

The Will (with one Codicil) of John Henderson late of Clooney House County Londonderry Commander in the Navy deceased who died 13 February 1866 at same place was proved at Londonderry by the oath of Bathurst Henderson of 96 Ledbury-road Bayswater London County Middlesex Esquire the surviving Executor. (Double Probate. Former Grant 20 April 1866.)

Griffiths Valuation (1858) for Lismacarol lists 1 Henderson household. That was a Catherine Henderson who lived in a labourer’s cottage (plot 1g). This might possibly be her death in 1899 in Lisdillin which is pretty close to Lismacarol. Hard to know:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1899/05805/4642915.pdf

1831 census has a widow Henderson in Altnagelvin but since John wasn’t born then I doubt that can be his immediate family. Also a John Henderson who appears to have been living alone, but with a servant:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Glendermot/Clooney/17/

There was a Doctor Henderson:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Glendermot/Clooney/41/

And a James Henderson in Lisdillin:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Glendermet/Lissdillin/16/

Like you, I can’t see any marriages for siblings to John Henderson. I searched 1845 – 1865.

The basic problem you face is that few churches in the area have records for the period you need.  Cumber Lower Church of Ireland has records from 1804 so you might find Sarah Gallagher’s baptism there. (Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church). Their records may not be on-line but there’s a copy in PRONI in Belfast. This looks to be Sarah Gallagher’s family in Ervey in the 1831 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeiran/…

William Gallagher is listed in Ervey in Griffiths (1858). His name remains as tenant till 1894, so he presumably died around that time. Can’t see a death that fits though.

Thank you Elwyn, 

you have found all the information I have, as you say I managed to locate the Gallaghers in Lower Cumber, and have been quite successful with that line. It seems my Henderson’s will be my dead end ☹️ As I’m not familiar with the area, my hopes was that there may be locations I hadn’t looked before for parish records, alas I fear not, but thank you for looking into this for me