BIGGS C o I , Ballymachugh

Hi,

I just managed to find out that some of my Biggs great great great etc uncles and aunts were baptised at Ballymachugh and that my great great great grandfather William BIGGS was buried there in 1834.

The children baptised there were

Elizabeth Biggs 1827

Thomas Biggs 1830

Abigail Biggs 1832

Cassiah (Kesia) Biggs 1834

I have been unable to find online references to baptisms for older siblings Mary Ann (probably c1818-21) William jnr probably c1818-21) Margaret (my great great grandmother) 1823, John 1825. I have not been able to find a marriage for their parents William Biggs (of Welford, Northamptonshire) to Elizabeth Mc Cawley (probably of Drumbullion, Killeshandra).

John's army attestation states he was born in Derrylane (Killeshandra Parish) so I'm guessing the family moved c1826 to Ballymachugh (they are not in the 1821 census there)

After the death of William, Margaret and the younger girls moved to Drumbullion in Killeshandra parish to live with their grandparents William and Margaret Mc Cawley and uncle William Mc Cawley. they are listed there on the 1841 census. Uncle William appears there in the Griffiths valuation. Aunt Ann McCawley married George Reilly and later emigrated to Canada. Another possible aunt Mary is with the Currin family at Condry in 1841.

Whereabouts of the rest of the family are unknown- however

William- is shown as a "coachdriver" on Margaret's death certificate. He was a veteren of the battle of Waterloo, wounded there and invalided out in 1816. I have traced his Northamptonshire ancestors back to the late 1600's.

Elizabeth (McCawley) Biggs later went to live with son John in England and died in Northumberland in 1874. She is known to have worked for "Mr Crawford" who married several times (and owed her money!) 

Mary Ann appears to have married George Woods in 1835 and is believed to have gone to Australia (date and place unknown).

William jnr is supposed to have emigrated to New Orleans in 1849. Nothing more is known of him.

Margaret married George Lovett a man twice her age, an army pensioner, they went first to Scotland and then to New Zealand in 1847. They had eight children and many of their descendants still live in NZ today.

John joined the Army and served during the Crimean war and the Indian Mutiny before retiring to Alnick Northumberland. He had four sons but I am still working on his descendants.

Elizabeth jnr is supposed to have married a soldier and gone to India- date and place unknown. 

Thomas emigrated with sister Abigail to America in 1850, he narried and had one daughter. A descendant lives in the US and providied me with many of the above details.

Abigail married .. Macmahon in America. Still working on her descendants.

Kesia stayed in Drumbullion, had a couple of court cases for unpaid wages and had a child George with one John Aikins or Ekins- there is no marriage or death record that I can find for her or George.

Ref Ballymachugh- 

Details above are to save anyone chasing up resources unnecessarily-

What I am wondering is if there is anyone local who would be willing to have a poke around the Ballymachugh churchyard (Church of Ireland) to see if William got a gravestone? I suspect his widow would not have been able to afford it but ... 

Any other information regarding Ballymachugh C o I records, photos of the church or just generally would be much appreciated.

I would like to try and fill in some more details regarding the family's life.

Thank you 

Jane