Francis McKinlay/Anna Hill

Sheri,

There are a couple of documents in PRONI that detail the United Irishmen’s uprising in the Ballymoney area, written by John Caldwell, a local businessman who had to go to America after the uprising.

T3541/5/2

Short biography of John Caldwell, Junr. written in his daughter's Bible. He tells of his apprenticeship with Samuel Brown, a merchant of Belfast, how he later went into business on his own account, and how he was arrested while on business in Dublin on suspicion of being involved with the United Irishmen. He then describes how his father's property was destroyed and how they were forced to go to America. He also gives details about the marriages, deaths, etc. of his family and relatives.

'On August 6th 1798 he was remanded under a strong guard to Belfast where on some occasions he was treated with indignity, particularly when he refused to give information against certain prominent Individuals suspected to be favourable to the cause.'

Mention is also made of the burning of his fathers' business:- 'He should have related in due course that on the 9th day of June, 1798, whilst a prisoner in Dublin Castle, a party of half yeomen, half militia, had surrounded his fathers' house and after a notice of precisely five minutes the buildings, effects, linen cloths, farming utensils, grain in stocks etc were consumed to ashes, on a charge of Treason prefer'd against the aforesaid Richard, who had headed a party of many thousand Insurgents'.

There are also some genealogical and other notes.

T3541/5/3

Typescript copy of the reminiscences of John Caldwell, Junr. entitled 'Particulars of history of a North County Irish Family'. They describe in immense detail his education, local matters of manners and customs, the life and times of his Aunt Catherine Ball, his involvement with the United Irishmen, his banishment and journey to America, his setting up a mercantile business, and his new life in America.

See also:

http://www.ballymoneyancestry.com/caldwell-harmony-hill.aspx

MIC575/1 at PRONI is the “Black Book of the Rebellion” which contains a lot of prisoners names and other documents relating to the uprising

There’s painting of Francis McKinlay’s execution in Ballycastle Museum. See:

https://www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/see-do/cultural-services/museums-services/ballymoney-museum/conflict-and-ballymoney/1798-united-irish-rebellion/the-uprising-in-north-antrim

Also:

http://www.irishnews.com/opinion/2014/11/20/news/1798-rising-in-north-antrim-108508/

Keith Beattie, a local historian, is in the process of completing a book on the 1718 uprising in the Ballymoney area. It was due for publication in September 2017 but has been delayed.

I am not sure what happened to the bodies of those executed in Coleraine. Many of those executed in Ballymena had their heads stuck on spikes and placed on the Market House, “pour decourager les autres.” (That’s mentioned in: “As the crow flies over rough terrain” 1988, by James Kenny, which includes a recollection of the ‘98 rebellion, written by someone present at the time.) So possibly Frank McKinlay’s body was dealt with in a similar way.

I don’t think much is known about Frank McKinlay’s family. None of the churches in the area has any baptism or marriage records for the 1700s, save for Ballymoney 1st Presbyterian. It was burned in the aftermath of the uprising, along with most of the town, and most of its early records were destroyed. There are a few charred baptisms for the years 1751 – 1771 (with plenty of gaps). That’s it.

You could contact Ballymoney Museum and see if they have any genealogical information about the McKinlay family:

https://www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/see-do/cultural-services/museu…

SherThank you for all that info. I have done a lot of research and read a lot of books. Currently we have 2 books of cemeteries that have been indexed and are scouring them. We know that the family attended the Roseyard church. We have tracked down all of their children we think, but have special interest in Mary that married a John Mcelderry. Is there a marriage record? Baptisms iof there children? Starting in 1818 with a Jane? 1819 a Sarah, hannah/Anna in1821, Mary in 1823, John jr in 1824, Elizabeth in 1828, and Samuel in 1830. 

Sheri

Sheri,

There are no baptism records for Roseyards for the years you are interested in. (I don’t think their baptisms start till the 1900s).

There are a few marriages -  Marriages, 1780-98 and then 1845 onwards, but those don;lt cover the period in which Mary likely married John McElderr.; There are also session minutes, 1780-1808; list of communicants, 1781-1803; accounts, 1777-82; cess applotments, 1801-08.

Those records are in PRONI. They are not on-line anywhere so far as I am aware.

I’d guess the graveyard books you are looking at are Dorothy Arthur’s. She’s a native of the area and you could always e-mail her to see if she knows anything of the family.

Elwyn, My siblings and I are headed to Ireland the first week in June for 9 days.  We will be staying in Larne and have plans to visit the PRONI, Ballymoney, Loughguile and surrounding areas of our ancestors.  What do we need to do/take to search at the PRONI?  Second is there a historian that would help us find what we need in the PRONI that we could hire?  Third are there historians that could help us in the various areas that we need to research?  Fourth where do we find the hours of the Roseyard churches and RC church of Loughguile?

Thanks for your help

Sheri

Sheri,

For PRONI, you just need a pencil and paper, plus need to take your passport in order to get a reader’s ticket. (Just takes 60 seconds to issue). A memory stick can be useful for copying documents on to. Thursday evenings are late opening till 9.00pm.

I will be away in the Faeroe Islands during your visit so unfortunately can’t meet you but there is a list of professional researchers in the area on this link: http://sgni.net

I don’t think Roseyards Presbyterian is open except when there is a service on. If you would like to see inside the church, you would need to contact the Minister in advance and arrange that. Contact details on this link:

https://roseyards.org

Here’s a link to Loughguile RC parish. Again I would check in advance to see when the church and parish office is open.

There is a lady in the Ballymoney area who is a family historian. She is a colleague of mine in the North Of Ireland Family History Society and is able to meet you. Her name is Kate Connolly. You can e-mail her on kate.ballymoney@yahoo.co.uk