INQUIRY FROM USA

I searched the Irish statutory marriage records for a marriage between Margaret Carson and Thomas Mortimer but did not find one. Assuming the marriage was not RC, then the records start in 1845 and so I think the couple married outside Ireland.

Carson is not a native Irish name. John Grenham's surname site suggests that Carson probably comes from Galloway (south West Scotland), and if so they’d have arrived in Ireland in the early 1600s as part of the Plantation. A huge proportion of the population of Co. Fermanagh have similar origins.

https://www.johngrenham.com/surnames/

Most of the Scots settlers in Fermanagh became Church of Ireland. Looking at the 1901 census of Fermanagh there were 223 people named Carson. The vast majority were Church of Ireland or Methodists (who were originally nearly all Church of Ireland too). Trory Church of Ireland records start in 1779 (with some gaps). There’s a copy in PRONI in Belfast. They are not on-line so far as I am aware and so a personal visit is required to view them. If you can’t get there yourself you might want to employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

No Carsons in Trory in the tithe applotment records for 1825. That doesn’t mean there weren’t any living there, just none who had land.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/fermanagh/tithe-applotment-books/parish-of-trory.php

There were none in Griffiths Valuation of Trory in 1862 suggesting they had all left by that time.

The surname Graham is also a very common surname in Co. Fermanagh. They too arrived in the 1600s from the Scottish Borders, and are renowned for being "Border Reivers" sent to Ireland by King James I because of trouble they caused on the Scottish-English borders. (If you are interested, "The Border Reivers" by Godfrey Watson, pub 1974, is good background reading. Plenty of murders and treachery.)

Many thanks for your extensive response.    I very much appreciate the information you shared.  Will report any progress in the search. 

Also found reference in USA history a relation from Belfast in 1600's.  Double Irish bonus for me!!!

"(3) 1.1.1 Thomas LEWIS (Lodowycksen)5,6,2,7

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Birth:                              abt 1628, Belfast, Ireland5,6,8,7

Immigration:        1656, to New Amsterdam, aboard the 'Blauve Duiff' (Blue Dove), as Thomas Lodewicksen,"

"the said thomas Lewis was borne in belfast in and came over from there to new york in march in cromwels wars and his two two [sic] siester into holland before said thomas Lewis came and his two siesters died in holland and then said thomas Lewis came to said new york and the said thomas maryed heare in albany and did Go and trade to virginigh and to boston and Rood illand in the year Anno 1666 to 1669 by his book and pepers and by his other book before and after and the said thomas Lewis did diye hear in new york Suptr 28, 1684"

Sue,

You did well to trace someone back that far. Belfast was only founded in 1611, and in 1628 when your ancestor was born, the population was probably around 500. (The capital of Ulster at that time was Carrickfergus which was a seaport, with a castle, a military garrison and a bigger population. So much more important than Belfast then). Belfast timeline here:

http://www.localhistories.org/belfasttime.html

Sue,

My family is also from Trory but unfortunately they are not related to yours.  Many years ago I checked the Cof I records  at the Proni but fortunately many of the Fermanagh records are now online.  There are a few gaps in the years in the Trory records but I suspect this is due to limited record keeping in the past.

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/fermanagh/church.htm

I had a look for Carson (in Trory) but there does not seem to be any, though there are a few Grahams.  There are however a lot of Carsons living in Enniskillen if you do a wide research on the Statutory Records.

Re Scottish research; it might be worthwhile to remember that in the early 1600s the Scottish King, James VI inherited the English thrione and was known as James VI of Scots/James I of England.  If you did a search on James I of Scotland you would get a completely different person, as he was born in 1394.

Ireland Reaching Out and the availability of the Irish Statutory records have really helped my research and I thank all the people involved.  My family crosses all religions and the only branch I cannot pin down is from Co. Antrim but who knows what the future may bring.  I may not have got as far back as I would have liked but it is just as worthwhile to work out how people lived within a given period.

Good luck.

Kate

Hi Kate, thanks for your response, and the additional hints for me to follow.  In 2000 a genealogist found record of George Carson being born in Trory, however, there is no reference or documentation from that person where the information is recorded.

Are you reserching from UK?  USA?  CA?  how long have you been at this?  I only started late last year, and thanks to newfound relations, who had been doing this for years, I can fill in some of the tree.  However, having trouble with  family lore about persons born in Yorkshire, Ireland, Scotland, ...Can't seem to find the actual records of these  events, just stories...The US census gives conflicting information about great grandmother's family, her dad was born in England, Itreland, or NY.  So I really appreciate your suggestions and as time allows, will look around and report back to this page.

best, Sue Harris