Searching in Redford, Grange, Tyrone

Tradition in Ireland was to marry in the bride?s church. However if she was a Quaker and her husband was Presbyterian that wouldn?t apply as Quakers don?t allow mixed marriages, or ?marrying out? as it is sometimes known.

In the 1700s a couple in that mixed marriage situation would probably marry in the Church of Ireland which, being the state church, would marry people of all denominations. Grange is in Desertcreat parish. The Church of Ireland there only has records from 1812 onwards. There is also a Presbyterian church in Sandholes with records starting in1863 and a Reformed Presbyterian church with records from 1844. There may not have been earlier records for these churches, but if there were, then sadly they are lost.

Your best bet may be Quaker records. If Thomas?s bride was a Quaker, and she married out, she will have been expelled from the Society of Friends and there should be a formal record of that in the Quaker records. (Quaker records in Ireland are pretty comprehensive and go back to the 1600s). The Grange Meeting House records have been copied and are held in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast, on microfilm (Series MIC/16). Practice at local Quaker meeting houses was to copy most significant records to provincial headquarters in Lisburn. So if there are any gaps in the Grange records, try the provincial HQ set instead. (There?s about 16 rolls of microfilm in all, covering all the Quaker records for Ulster).

If Thomas?s bride was from a Quaker family, then you may also be able to trace her baptism, parents and any siblings in those same records. Likewise burials of any of her family. However  you won?t find any gravestones because at that period Quakers did not use gravestones, believing them to be an ostentatious vanity. These Quaker records I have mentioned are not on-line anywhere and so a personal visit to PRONI is required to view them.

National Quaker HQ in Dublin has an index compiled last century of all Quakers in Ireland (taken from all the various records they held). This index is known as the Jones index and you could write to them and ask for a search of the Jones index for details of any Greer/Grier families in the Grange area.

Elwyn

Elwyn,

This is very useful information.  I have hired a genealogy service in Belfast to search the PRONI files for me.  I will pass your comments to them.

Thanks!

Thanks Elwyn - a great background and potential solution. Hope it's helpful geronimo, let us know how you get on.

All the best

Clare Doyle

Gneealogy Support 

I'll do that.

Thanks!