McCullough/Moody

What is Margaret’s townland on the 1864 marriage certificate, and what was her father’s occupation?

I see Margaret’s  baptism in June 1843, in Crankill, in the Craigs Church of Ireland records, but I don’t see any other baptisms to that couple, so perhaps there weren’t any more children.

The marriage record says Tullygrawley, Ballymena. Occupation for father is listed as labourer, I would guess that means on a farm?  I thinking maybe they lived somewhere else before her baptism.  Margaret had 9 children and all her daughter had a lot of children, I find it hard to believ that she is an only child.

Thanks for responding

Labourers are notoriously difficult to trace because they moved around a lot to follow the work. Most would rent a small cottage on a farm, and pay for their rent by an agreed number of days work on the farm, after which they were free to take any other work available eg road building, or work on another farm. And in the winter months, when there wasn’t much work about, they would weave (in the Ulster counties anyway) using home weaving machines, similar to those still used in the Outer Hebrides today, to make Harris Tweed. But in Ulster they mostly wove linen.

So the reason you haven’t found any more children may be that the family moved. Tullygrawley is often spelled Tullagarley or Tullaghgarley, and is half in the parish of Connor and half in Ahoghill. So it’d be worth looking at those records. Ahoghill has baptisms from 1810 but unfortunately Connor's records pre 1880 were destroyed in the 1922 fire in Dublin, so if that’s where the family lived, then sadly there are no records to check. Possibly also worth checking Kirkinriola (Ballymena) and Ballyclug Church of Ireland records too, as they are both in the same area. There are copies of both and Ahoghill’s in PRONI in Belfast but I don’t think they are on-line anywhere. So a personal visit is required to search them.

For information Craigs parish was only created in about 1836, out of part of Ahoghill (due to an expanding population) so for records in that area prior to the mid 1830s, look at Ahoghill’s.

I looked in Griffiths Valuation for Tullaghgarley for 1862 to see if the family were listed there then. They are not. That could be because they moved or it may be that their hosue was of too low a value to be listed.

Thanks for your information.  Unfortunately I live in the United States so a visit is not possible.  I will look where you suggested.

Thanks again

Sandy