Knox family

Robin,

The Agnes Muir/Moore who witnessed the 1860s baptisms seems unlikely to me to be John Knox’s widow. She’d have been signing as Agnes Knox. She wouldn’t have used her maiden name.

Ballynure falls within the Larne civil registration district. Statutory death registration started in 1864. I searched all the Agnes Knox deaths 1864 to 1901 in the Larne area. There was only 1 (in 1896) and she was a spinster. So I don’t know where Agnes was if she was still alive in 1864, and in the Ballynure area. So that tends to fit with your Agnes having moved to Scotland. (I see an Agnes Knox nee Moore who died in Ardrossan 1891 aged 88, and another nee Muir who died in Ochiltree 1916, aged 82. Don’t know if either of those fit with your knowledge of the family).

Tracing someone who died before 1864 can be tricky. Only the Church of Ireland routinely kept burial records. You might find a gravestone if the family were farmers, but probably not if just labourers and weavers.

John Knox is a pretty common name in Co. Antrim. Can you tell us your John’s occupation (as per Andrew’s marriage certificate) and do you have a townland where he may have lived? That may help.

I searched for people with a father named John Knox who married in Co. Antrim 1855 – 1875 and there were about 30.  So anything to narrow this, the easier it becomes.

I searched Griffiths Valuation for 1861, for Knox in Ballynure parish. No John and no Agnes. There were Robert, William, Henry & Joseph. All 4 farmed near each other in Ballygowan. I note Moore families nearby too though it’s such a common name, it would be unwise to draw a conclusion from that.

You think a Robert might have stayed in the Ballynure area. Robert Knox in Ballygowan is shown as having plot 19 which was about 9 acres of land. No house, so he was living somewhere nearby, presumably with one of the 3 other Knox households there. His name disappears as tenant between 1882 and 1899 (the relevant record Valuation revision book with the precise year is missing). I looked for a likely death but did not see one.

The PRONI wills site has 10 probate files for Knox families from Ballygowan. (Enter Ballygowan in the abstract box and it’ll narrow the search to that townland).

https://apps.proni.gov.uk/WillsCalendar_IE/WillsSearchResults.aspx

Looking at the 1901 census for Ballygowan I see all the 30 odd Knox living there  then were Methodists. They’d likely have been Church of Ireland in earlier times.  Ballynure Methodist church has baptisms from 1843, and marriages from 1868. (Baptism records are still held by the Minister). I know that some Methodists from Ballynure attended Larne Wesleyan church. Their baptisms only start in 1878 and marriages 1863. Methodism was slow to become established as a separate denomination in Ireland and many Methodists continued to use the Church of Ireland for baptisms and marriages for many years It was the 1870s before most Methodists routinely undertook their own baptisms and marriages. Ballynure Church of Ireland’s records start in 1812 (copy held in PRONI). So, if you haven’t already done so, I’d be inclined to search those for your family, as well as Ballynure Methodist.

Elwyn- many thanks for all your effort  it's greatly appreciated   It may be the case that Agnes Muir/Moore didn't actually marry John Knox until much later in life (Oldest son John is noted as being illegitimate on his birth certificate) so it is possible that she xontinued to use her maiden name - or the Agnes Moore who witnessed the birth of Robert Knox (who was also illegitimate) may have been a relative  I think the Knoxs I'm looking for we're CoI, but that might change   I think you've found my Agnes as her death would have been in Ardrossan around 1891, as I know her younger son Andrew and his family were resident in Ardrossan at that time.  Thanks again for all your tips and hints.  I will definitely follow them up as this has been the sticking point in our family history for 30 years so anything I can do to reach just a little further back, would be fantastic.   
 

regards

Robin
 

Robin,

A John Knox married an Agnes Muir in Galston in 1858. Don't know if that's your couple.