Searching for Porter ancestors

Hi Chris,

Thank you very much for your message and for your offer to share information. I hope that someone with information on the family makes a connection with you.

In the meantime here are some resources:

Church Records:

Civil registration did not begin in Ireland until 1864 so prior to this records of births, deaths and marriages were kept by the local parish church. Do you know the family?s religion?

Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. It also shows you where copies of the records are available. For Glenavy&Killead parish, follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Antrim&parish=Glenavy&churchid=417

Unfortunately as you can see from the link above records for the parish do not begin until 1849.

Church of Ireland generally tend to have an earlier start date as it was the official church of the country.Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42

Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.

Civil Records:

Civil registration began in Ireland in 1864 so any births, deaths or marriages in the family after this date would be recorded in these records. Civil records are available from the General Register?s Office in Dublin. Here is their website:

http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm

You can search the indexes to these records up to 1958 online at:

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347

Griffith?s Valuation:

This is a property valuation survey that was carried out in Ireland 1848-64. You can search this online here:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

Census Records:

If there were any family members still in the area at the turn of the 19th century you should be able to find record of the in the 1901/1911 census records. These can give lots of useful information. Here is the link:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/

Some other websites that you may find useful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm

Family Search: www.familysearch.org

Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/antrim/index.html

I hope some of this is helpful. Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,    

Genealogy Support

Hi Chris,

John Porter was also my gt grandfather. His son Gibson was my grandfather.

I live in NZ and I don't know much about our Irish ancestors, except that Alexander lived in Straidharven and was a farmer.

He married Janet Robb.

Would love to share information about our NZ family.

Cheers

Christine McLean

Hi Chris,

My grandfather's first cousin married a John Porter in Belfast in the early 1900s. His father was also a John Porter. I am not sure where that Porter family were from, but my grandfather's family were from Crosshill, which is just a few kilometers from Straidhavern. 

I notice that an Alexander Porter (aged 50) with a wife Jane (aged 36) and children James, John, Jane Anna, Alexander, Samuel and Margaret was recorded living in Boltnaconnel townland, which is the townland next to Straidhavern, in the 1851 census. Given the similarity in names and ages, I wonder if by any chance this is your ancestor?

Regards,

Derek Elliott

Hello Chris,

My great great grandmother (born Helena Sherlock) a daughter of James Sherlock a farmer of Crosshill, Killead, county Antrim. Helena's grandmother (mother of James Sherlock) was a Jane Porter. Jane (nee Porter) Sherlock died in 1842 at the age of 81 years. She is on the 1851 Census, entry number 2821; Lower Masserene barony, Killead parish, Aughnawillin townland fragments that survived. Jane would have been born around 1761. Jane married a Samuel Sherlock, her father was a John Porter and her mother was Mary? Not sure if related to you but thought it may be of interest. My great great grandmother (Helena Sherlock)'s children John, Isabella, James, William Alexander and Samuel Joseph McConnell all migrated to Australia after the deaths of their father James McConnell (d. 1869) and mother Helena (d. 1872). The boys about 1880 and Isabella around 1911.

kind regards

Chris Stewart

Our Tree Gets me back to John Porter Sr.

Born about 1616 - Part of the Plymouth Bay Colony - 1635. 

This Branch or the Porter Tree - moves back and forth from Belfast to Virginia Several times.

BUT - I can draw a line from John Porter Senior to myself. 

Happy to share names dates marriages we have tracked to help you all or meet some long lost cousins! 

Ben

Tennysongirl - 

I can get back to John and Mary as well (further if interested) - I don't have Jane  - just her brother William 1746 - 1828 .

Ben