Sayers family

I found a death that ties in with the years of death and age you give for Jane Sayers (nee Brown). She was a farmers widow, and died in Bearny (Bearney Glebe) in the parish of Camus. The informant was an Elizabeth Sayers of the same townland. My guess is she was Jane’s daughter.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

Samuel’s death was long before the start of death registration in Ireland (1864) so you won’t get a death certificate for him. 

Griffiths Valuation for 1858 lists Jane Sayers on plot 24 in Bearney Glebe. That was an 30 acre farm. Next door on plot 23 was Robert Sayers with another 30 acres. Plot 24 today is just off the Bearney Rd, outside Sion Mills. Looking at the property on Google Earth, there’s still a farm there today.

The Valuation Revision records show that in 1874 the tenancy of both plot 23 & 24 passed to Sarah Sayers. She obtained the freehold in 1892 and she died in 1901. 

Probate of the Will of Sarah Sayers late of Bearney County Tyrone Widow who died 12 February 1901 granted at Londonderry to Robert Sayers Farmer and Samuel Sayers Draper.

The death certificate shows she was 69, a farmers widow, and that her son Samuel was the informant:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

The farms passed to what I assume was Sarah’s son Robert in 1902. (The will itself should be in PRONI in Belfast).

In the 1901 census there was just 1 Sayers farm in the townland headed by Samuel:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Camus/Bearney_Glebe/1753727/

Family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Camus/Bearney_G…

John appears to have died in 1936:

Sayers John of Bearney Strabane county Tyrone farmer died 6 February 1936 Administration INT. (d.b.n.) Londonderry 11 December to Sarah Sydney Elizabeth Cooke married woman. Unadministered effects Nil. Former Grant Administration Londonderry D.R. 26 April 1939.

I noted Samuel who died in Bearney in 1910 who is presumably Sarah’s son:

Administration of the Estate of Samuel Sayers late of Bearney County Tyrone Farmer (Retired) who died 22 March 1910 granted at Londonderry to George Sayers Draper.

This looks to be him in the 1901 census, then living in the Main St, Strabane. (Brother George was the informant at his death).

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Strabane/Main_Street/1754477/

The 1901 census for Bearney Glebe lists a Sarah Jane Sayers born c 1864 (start of statutory birth registration). Her birth has just scraped into the earliest records in January 1864 and shows that her parents were Robert Sayers & Sarah Mitchell:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

Robert Sayers looks to have died on 25th June 1870 aged 44. So born c 1826 and of an age to be a brother to William who went to Australia. He married Sarah Mitchell in 1854 and the marriage certificate shows his father to have been Samuel, so it looks as though he was definitely a brother to your William.

Your ancestors were born long before the start of statutory birth registration in Ireland (1864). To trace somebody’s birth before that you generally need to rely on church records, where they exist. The Bearney Glebe families were Presbyterian (so likely of Scottish origins). The problem you face is that none of the Presbyterian churches around Strabane has any records for the late 1700s. So there probably are no baptism records to search. No easy way round that. Strabane 1st Presbyterian church, which is perhaps where they attended church, has no records before 1828.

The family aren't listed in Bearney Glebe in the 1828 tithes so had possibly moved there from somewhere else.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/tyrone/tithe-applotment-books/parish-of-camus.php

Strabane Journal apparently reported Samuel Sayers death on 25.12.1835 at Bearney, aged 52. According to the Sayers/Hopgood tree on Ancestry he’s buried in Patrick St graveyard in Strabane. The same tree says that Samuel & Jane had 8 children (including William & Robert). Some of them are also buried in Patrick St graveyard eg Eliza Sayers who died 1884 (I’d guess she was the informant for Jane’s death).