Looking for Carey/Keary and McKnight relatives

Here’s a link to the 1886 death of Barbara Carey. I note that she was a farmer’s widow, rather than a schoolmaster’s widow. It would be fairly challenging to be simultaneously a teacher and a farmer, so there’s a question mark in my mind about whether this is the right family. The informant was a John Carey, son, of the same townland. 

4789554.pdf (irishgenealogy.ie) 

The family lived in Drummal townland (parish of Derryvullan). Griffiths Valuation of 1862 shows a James Carey farming there. He had plot 6 which was 6 and a half acres. The land today is up a minor road just across from St Patrick’s church Castle Archdale. Looking at it today on a satellite the farm buildings are gone and the land amalgamated into a bigger plot. There is a farmhouse at the end of the lane so I suspect that farmer now farms the land. 

This was the only Carey in the townland in the 1901 census: 

National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911 

By 1911 she had evidently retired and stayed with the O’Brien family: 

National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911 

Hi Elwyn 

Thank you so much for your prompt reply to my post. With your knowledge of the area do you think there could be 2 couples , James and Barbara, in the area around the same time .

Thomas Joseph Carey came to Australia as did a couple of his siblings . On his death certificate it stated his father was James , a teacher. The other info I have found is attached - census fragment and record of a James Carey , teacher . The family story was that he was a teacher somehow attached to the Archdale Estate .

i am planning a visit next year but it would seem there are no relatives left 😢

Thank you again 

Marie-Louise

Marie-Louise,

I would say that you have the correct family. Drummal is small (202 acres) and in Griffiths Valuation in 1862 there were about 15 houses in the townland. (Low value properties were excluded so you can’t be 100% certain). In 1901 there were 11. Only 1 Carey household in both cases. And in Griffiths, there was only 1 Carey in the parish, let alone in Drummal. There were only 31 Carey households in the county in Griffiths and apart from the 1 in Derryvullan, they were all around Aghalurcher, Galloon and Clones parishes about 30 miles away at the other end of the county. So I wonder if work brought them to Derryvullan? 

I would suspect that James must have had a career change at some point and acquired the farm. He must have died around 1863 as the farm is in Barbara’s name by 1864, in the Valuation Revision records on the PRONI website. After her death the name changes to Mary, so she is likely a relation to James & Barbara, a daughter perhaps? In 1993 the records say the house was “almost in ruins” which is rather sad, but not unusual for the time. 

You are very lucky to have that 1821 census. Only a few fragments have survived. That’s a real bonus. 

You could contact the local parish priest at Sacred Heart in Irvinestown, to see whether there are any Careys in the parish today. 

Thank you Elwyn once again 

That census fragment only popped up in the last 12 months or so and I certainly overyoyed to see it . I will try contacting the parish as you suggested - it’s worth a try but I’m not optimistic.

kind regards

Marie-Louise 

Hi again Elwyn

i meant to add that there is no shortage of Carey descendants here in Australia . Thomas Joseph had 16 children !

ML