COBURN FAMILY

There is a record of Thomas Kennedy Wheeler marrying Jane Coburn in Newry on 17^th April 1847.

Likewise of Henry Sherlock marrying Mary Coburn in Belfast 6^th April 1854.

Likewise Margaret Coburn and William Johnston in Belfast 4^th June 1856

Likewise Walter James Wheeler to Elizabeth Coburn in Belfast 3^rd September 1856

You can view the certificates on-line on the GRONI website, using the ?search registrations? option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

(You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs ?2 to a view a certificate).

I can?t see a marriage between Katherine Coburn and anyone named Wheeler.

Birth registration started on 1.1.1864. You can use the same site to search for children to these couples born after that date by entering the two surnames and leaving the child?s forename blank. You have to search 5 years at a time.

You say that Elizabeth may have died in Ireland c 1921. I looked in the 1910 census.

Here?s what looks to be her:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Cromac/Lennoxvale_Street/970058/

and again in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cromac/Lennoxvale/165404/

The length of the marriage was 55 years which ties in perfectly with a marriage in 1856. She had 15 children so a fair bit of research required there to trace them all.

Walter appears to have died in 1890:

The Will (with one Codicil) of Walter J. Wheeler late of Lennoxvale Belfast Merchant who died 29 April 1890 at same place was proved at Belfast by Edward Wakefield Pim of Elmwood Terrace Belfast David A. Maxwell of College Gardens Belfast and Frederick Wheeler of Eglantine-avenue Belfast Merchants the Executors.

You can read his 8 page will on the PRONI wills site:

http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/willsSearchResultsDetails.aspx

Here?s Elizabeth?s abstract. That file is not on-line yet. It?s in PRONI in paper format.

Probate of the Will of Elizabeth Wheeler late of Lennoxvale, University Road, Belfast, Widow, who died 02 February 1921 granted at Belfast 22 April 1921 to Thomas Alfred Wheeler, Bank Official and Olive Spiller Wheeler, Spinster. Effects: ?2230 11 6

There is a death for a Jane Wheeler in Belfast Jan ? Mar 1887 born c 1830 but I can?t find it on the GRONI site. Possibly misfiled. You could get a copy from GRO Roscommon for ?4 instead.

I noted a Thomas Kennedy Wheelers death. Presumably yours:

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of Thomas Kennedy Wheeler late of Clarendon place Belfast M.D. who died 13 January 1888 at 37 High-street Belfast were granted at Belfast to Thomas Kennedy Wheeler of Great Victoria-street Belfast M.D. a Child.

Wheeler Thomas Kennedy of "Abbotsford" Malone Road and of 19 College Gardens both in Belfast medical doctor retired died 29 December 1937 at latter place Probate Belfast 10 February to Edith Alice Wheeler the widow. Effects ?270 15s. 3d.

I think you may struggle to find out much about Thomas Coburn and his very early life in Belfast. Very few records survive from that period. You don?t say what denomination the family were. Some of the surviving church records are on the rootsireland site (subscription) but others are not. (Some churches records have been lost over the years due to a fire in 1922 in Dublin where they were stored and also due to German bombing of Belfast in WW2). Such records as do survive are in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. A personal visit is generally required to view them.

I had a look in the 1835 Belfast street directory and Thomas Coburn is listed as owning a tailoring establishment at 23 Pottinger?s Entry. You can search through and see if he is there in later years:

http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/street_directories.htm

Pottinger?s Entry still exists today. There?s a very fine pub called the Morning Star there which was built in 1810, and so would have been contemporaneous with Thomas. See:

http://themorningstarbar.com