Robert Strutt family Aghaloo

Mary,

Aghaloo Church of Ireland records start in 1791 (with some gaps). They are not on-line anywhere so far as I am aware but there is a copy in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. A personal visit is required to view them. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

Hi Mary,

I am in Australia and I have Strutt ancestors from Caledon too, which may be connected with your family somehow:

My Robert Strutt (born c1778?) married Margaret Gillespie (born c1815?) 1834 in Armagh ( Ireland Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage Licence Bonds Indexes 1623-1866) found on Findmypast.

As Robert was much older than Margaret, if their ages are death are approximately correct,  this may have been a second marriage for him?

If that is the case, then there is also likely a first family for Robert, before he married Margaret Gillespie.

I found another marriage for a Robert Strut (one "t")  in 1820 to a Jane Donaldson, also in Armagh.

These two marriages are listed on the same page of the Index book of PRONI.

There is a Robert Strutt listed in the Townland of Ramakit (Caledon) in Aghaloo parish in the 1837 Tithe Applotment Book

In Griffiths Valuation (1847-1864), for the year 1860 - Robert Strutt has leased (from the Earl of Caledon) a house, office, yards and garden at 6 Castle Lane, Caledon, Parish of Aghaloo, Lower Dungannon.

My Robert Strutt is variously listed as a gardener or labourer in the records.

Robert Strutt died 1st November 1868 aged 90 years at Caledon. Informant was Margaret Strutt, his widow.

Margaret Strutt died 9th November 1885, aged 70 years at  Bridge Street, Portadown (Lurgan) - the residence of her daughter and son-in-law, Sophia and Robert McKeown. Robert McKeown was the informant.

The children I have found belonging to Robert and Margaret Strutt are:

Margaret Strutt born 1841 Caledon, married William Colbert 1864 Kileeshill, died Kileeshil 1879. These are my 2x Great Grandparents.

Dupree/Dupre Alexander Strutt born 1843, married twice - 1st to Margaret Elliot in Caledon c1863, and 2nd to Mary Jane Thompson 18/02/1870 in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland. 

Dupree and/or his family can be traced through the Scottish census from 1871-1901. 

George Strutt (a carpenter/joiner) born c1850, married Annie Maria Forde 1875 Caledon, died from Tuberculosis, as a widower, in the workhouse at Armagh 12/11/1886, (formerly of Portadown), aged 37 years. In the 1871 and 1881 Scottish Census, George was residing with his brother Dupree in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Lanarkshire.

Mary Anne Strutt born ?, married 5/5/1859 Caledon to Benjamin Gordon.

Jane Strutt born ?, married 15/6/1866 to Joseph Kennedy

Sophia Strutt born ?, married 5/4/1868 Aughaloo to Robert Mckeown (a widower)

In my research I have also come across a Langford Strutt, also William Strutt and Samuel Strutt, both farmers of Caledon, Aghaloo, and wonder if they may be a relation to my Robert Strutt?

Anyway, see if you can make any sense of this, or find a connection, it's all part of a greater jigsaw puzzle, and I love a good puzzle.

Cheers,

Jillian

Hi, Jillian.

The marriage of Robert Strutt and Jane Donaldson in 1820 is a match for my line.  My Robert was born in 1823 and he named one of his sons William Donaldson Strutt (born 1868). It would even be possible that Jane Donaldson was the daughter of a William Donaldson and that she named her son after her father.

There are still some puzzles. Is the Robert Strutt who married Margaret Gillespie the same man who earlier married Jane Donaldson?  If Jane died, I could see him remarrying, but maybe there were other Robert Strutts.  For example, who was the Robert Strutt who died in 1838? Is the Robert who died in 1868 the same one who married Margaret Gillespie or were they younger and there was another older Robert and Margaret Strutt couple?  It seems the one born around 1778 was getting a bit old to be having children born in the 1850s and 1860s.  With so many Irish records lost, I feel we are only seeing a small fraction of the Strutt families in that area.

If you have any more ideas, I'd love to hear them. For now I am stopping at Robert and Jane Donaldson, and not adding Robert 1778-1868 as his father unless more records become available in the future (maybe PRONI will digitized the Protestant church records some day).

Hi Mary,

More  pieces of the puzzle ...

 Do you know when/where your Jane Strutt (nee Donaldson) died ? Did she have a daughter Jane Strutt?

Re the Robert Strutt who died in 1838 ... will see if my research comes up with anything on that.

There were obviously several Robert Strutt people in the same area ... and with naming patterns being fairly consistent I would assume  if from same area that they are related somehow, whether parent/child, cousin, uncle/nephew etc. It makes it difficult when children of same and different generations are given the same forenames.

As far as I can find from  my research, of the children born to my ancestors Robert Strutt and Margaret Gillespie (married 1834 Armagh), George Strutt born c1850 is the youngest in his family. I haven't found any others born in the 1850s or 1860s. The dates of death etc in the records I have found are only as good as those who were the informants, and spelling can vary widely, so it's all part of the puzzle. 

The marriage years of the children of the above named couple that I have found, span from Mary Anne 1859, Dupre Alexander 1863, Margaret 1864, Jane1866, Sophia 1868, George 1875, which of course doesn't tell us when they were born, but at this stage I'm assuming Mary Anne was the oldest surviving child. .  Also keeping an open mind whether Jane strutt who married 1866 was named after an older sibling who died, or mother, grandmother ?? I had expected to see a Robert Strutt born to this couple, as first male child usually named after the father, but haven't found one yet. Maybe one was born in the 1830s and died early, no records left? 

I seem to have more questions than answers, however am keeping a tab on everything I find re the Strutt family in Caledon. Maybe it will all link up one day. It's a shame many records were destroyed years ago. Am considering employing a researcher to search PRONI records, and have a few "matches" with Strutt ancestry, via DNA testing that I plan to follow up as time allows.

Will be in touch again if and when I find anything else that may be of interest.

Cheers,

Jillian (in Australia)

Sorry for delay, I thought I was supposed to  get notifications when a reply was posted, but I guess not.  Still having some problems navigating this site.  Could we correspond by e-mail? I want to share some info, but would prefer email. Not sure how we can exchange emails without it being shown on this board.  Any ideas? Mary

Hi Mary

My email is
jillianmw@westnet.com.au

Cheers
Jillian

Hello. I believe your Robert Strutt is the brother of my 2nd Great Gandfather. My research is on Ancestry.ca under user CecilyStrutt.