MARK, CRAIG, ECCLES, McLERNON, FEE, McMEEKIN, SIMPSON

Gwyneth,

In the 1700s these locations were all in the parish of Ahoghill. Due to population movement, the parish was split in the 1830s and a new parish created called Craigs. Cullybackey & Markstown are now in Craigs parish. Ahoghill remains in Ahoghill.

The surnames are common in that area. I think you are more likely to get links to other trees if you put some specific names, dates and townlands for those you are interested in. (For example, searching on the Braid site, I can see about 40 Craig graves in the general area around Ahoghill.  They won’t all be related. So you probably need to focus your search on your known family). It’d be helpful to say what denomination they were too, if you know.

Elwyn, thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it and I will follow through a bit more on the weekend if I can get time to do it. As far as I know, they were Presbyterians.

The ones I have found some information about died very young but I am finding it hard to find spouses and marriage records. I am finding family connections but can't  actually connect them all! 

Gwyneth,

The vast majority of the population around Ahoghill was (and still is) Presbyterian.

There aren’t many records for the 1700s in that area with the exception of Cullybackey Presbyterian church which has records from c 1726. However they aren’t on-line. You need to contact the Presbyterian Historical Society (PBS) in Belfast for access to them.

But if you post what information you have, I’ll try and point you in the right direction.

Researching Presbyterians in the early 1800s will involve searching records at the PBS and PRONI in Belfast. Most of those records are not on-line.

1766 census for the parish of Ahoghill here. Records are divided into Presbyterians, RC & Church of Ireland:

http://www.ulsterancestry.com/free/ShowFreePage-48.html#gsc.tab=0

Thank you so much for your help Elwyn. I will list the names and dates etc. that I have to see if I can get any information. 

1. Elizabeth McLernon - my 4th great grandmother probably born about 1802 Cullybackey. I have only found her name from a record posted on the Cullybackey family history site of the christening of my 3rd great grandmother - her daughter Margaret Ann R08/03/1824 20/02/1824 Mark Margaret David Elizabeth McLernon Cullybackey Record in Cunningham memorial Presbyterian Church Baptismal roll 1818-1935

Her husband was Dr. David Mark born 1802 once again I think cullybackey  here are some of his details: Name:Dr David Mark Gender:Male Birth Date:1802 Death Date:23 Mar 1828 Death Place:County Antrim, Northern IrelandCemetery:Old Churchyard Burial or Cremation Place:Ahoghill, County Antrim, Northern Ireland https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206011918/david-mark

Erected in memory of David Mark, surgeon, late of Cullybackey who depd this life 23rd March 1828 aged 26 years Also his nephew Samuel son of William Fee, surgeon, Bmena who died in infancy Likewise Samuel son of the said William Fee who died 4th Nov 1837 in the 3rd year of his age. And here also lies the above-named William Fee who depd this life 4th March 1847 aged 37 years

I can't find any record of Dr. David's  marriage to Elizabeth or any other information about Elizabeth. She may have remarried. I don't know if they had any other children. 

I have tried to find a connection for Dr. William Fee (buried in Dr. Marks gravesite)  who also died very young. If the two Samuels were David's nephews then it seems that William must have been married to a sister of David but I cannot find any information at all.

Then I have found some information about a William Mark (Laird) Markstown and his grave site says the following Birth 1741 DEATH26 Apr 1830 (aged 88–89)County Antrim, Northern Ireland BURIALard

Ahoghill, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Add to MapMEMORIAL ID206012180 ·i

 Erected in memory of William Mark of Markstown who depd this life 26th April 1830 aged 89 years Also of Elizabeth the beloved wife of Robert Simpson, surgeon of Cullybackey who departed this life 28th August 1846 aged 35 years Likewise Margaret Fee her mother who departed this life 18th Feby 1848 aged 81 years William Simpson, surgeon, who departed this life 29th March 1866 aged 32 years Also his sister Elizabeth McMeekin who departed this life 26th July 1873 aged 26 years Also the above named Robert Simpson surgeon who depd this life 7th July 1887 aged 77 years

There is a book written about Cullybackey which gives quite a bit of information about William and his descendants. I feel he must be related to Dr. David especially with the surgeon connections and as the name of Margaret Fee is also in the inscription but I cannot make the connection. According to the information in the book William only had daughters.

Then I have Samuel Mark father to William born  1703 D:01 May 1808 Markstown, Cullybackey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland married to Ann Shaw  William's siblings are Mark Mark 1733, Mary Mark 1743, John Mark 1745. There have obviously been some children who have died as they are not mentioned in the land deeds where this information comes from. Perhaps Dr. David is a son of Mark Mark.???  so many unknowns!

I don't know whether I have confused you with this information - I have an Ancestry.com.au public site. My name on the site is Princess323.

Thank you for your help and I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards, Gwyneth Amphlett

ew Source

Gwyneth,

It sounds as though you have been through many of the likely sources quite thoroughly already.

Regarding Dr David’s marriage to Elizabeth, tradition was to marry in the bride’s church, after which she’d normally attend her husband’s. So often a marriage and the subsequent children’s baptisms are in different churches. So she may not have married in Cullybackey Presbyterian.  Ahoghill Church of Ireland has marriages from 1811 so they might be worth looking at. Likewise Cullybackey Reformed Presbyterian.  Though the church was in existence for many years before, their marriage records only start in 1822, but she might just scrape in there. (Copies of these are in PRONI) but otherwise no other churches in that area has records for the likely date of their marriage 1820 - 1826 say.

I had a look in the British Newspaper Archives for a mention of re-marriage for Elizabeth Mark but did not see one listed. Don’t see a death 1864 onwards in the Ballymena area.

William Fee is listed as a surgeon & apothecary in William St, Ballymena in the 1846 Slaters Directory:

https://www.failteromhat.com/slater/0136.pdf

Belfast Newsletter of 12th March 1847 reports his death in Ballymena, aged 37. No additional information.

Marriage here between Elizabeth Simpson & John McMeekin in 1871. It was in the Reformed Presbyterian church, which is a clue that the Simpson family were Reformed Presbyterians (sometimes called Covenanters). 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1871/11349/8166255.pdf

Curiously the last time I was in touch with that church the Kirk Session clerk was another local doctor, Dr McKelvie.

Robert Simpson’s death is reported in the Ballymena Observer 16th July 1887 but gives no more information than his age and that he died at home in Cullybackey.

I did find a newspaper article that might interest you. It should enable you to follow the Mark family back to their Scottish origins which is not something people often achieve (due to the general lack of records). I have only ever come across 3 or 4 such cases, so you are very lucky indeed.  Belfast Weekly telegraph of 22nd April 1949, reports on an ancient legal case. It was an inheritance dispute involving William Marks of Markstown that rumbled on between 1795 & 1818 and made it to the House of Lords. The case was Mark & McKie vs Alexander and related to land in Drummochrein[1], near Girvan in Ayrshire.  This obviously tells you where part of the Marks family originated prior to their arrival in Ireland. The article lists some of William Mark’s wife’s Shaw/Alexander predecessors back to Ayrshire, in some considerable detail. There’s first hand evidence from witnesses in 1802 one of whom testified the family were Scottish. Plus Samuel Mark aged 98 gave evidence! Quite a court case.

You mention William Mark was known as Laird Mark. Laird is a Scottish term for a large landowner and would therefore almost certainly have been given him by locals in Cullybackey as a nickname, because of his claim to ancient lands in Scotland. Some would have seen that as pretentious. That’s Presbyterian dry humour for you.

If you haven’t already done so, it would be worth searching the Registry of Deeds records for references to these families. Their circumstances suggest they may have been fairly well off and so likely to have leases, marriage settlements or wills there. The records start in 1709, are on the LDS site (free). They take a little getting used to. You need to search by townland. Markstown is in Cullybackey townland. What looks (from Google Earth) to be the old Mark farm is on the modern Markstown Grove, in Cullybackey village. Modern housing has crept up to and around it. Cullybackey today would be something of a commuter town for Belfast and Ballymena.

Not sure how much of this you already know but hope some is new.

[1]Modern spelling Drummochreen. Drummochreen House is a scheduled monument (ie a building of architectural merit) in Scotland. Not sure if this building formed part of the claim but is the location of the lands in dispute.

https://ancientmonuments.uk/121776-drummochreenhouse-girvan-and-south-c…

Wow Elwyn, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR RESEARCH ON MY BEHALF. You have gone to a lot of trouble and I really appreciate it. I will do my best to follow up on your suggestions and yes I have yet to follow up on the Scotland connections. I am not very good at understanding some of the land records etc. but it was really good to read about the Scottish connection. I wish I could find the connection between William Mark and my 4th great grandfather Dr. David Mark and also the Fee family. I will keep trying. Once again thank you very much indeed for your help. KInd regards, Gwyneth Amphlett

Elwyn would you know if it was common to list women with their maiden names on gravesites or their married names. Looking at the date of Margaret Fee she could have been the grandmother OR mother of William Fee. It is interesting that she is in William Mark's gravesite and therefore obviously related in some way.

Gwyneth,

Interesting question. The Scottish custom (and therefore one mostly followed by Presbyterians in Ireland) was for a married woman to be known by both her maiden name and her married name. So you do regularly get “Jane Brown wife of John Smith” on Scottish gravestones. And I have seen it in Ireland too. Background here:

https://www.scottishindexes.com/learningscottishgenealogymaidenname.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3dykl3yPyprEpROLQPoFFPEiHZ9GN5FOfoJMyRLNfkUt4AwMlny9EniBs

That said, in Ireland, in my experience, as the years went by it was more common for a woman to just be known by her married name. So Fee was probably a married name but can’t say for certain. 

Britain and Ireland don’t follow the north American tradition of combining names. So when Jane Brown marries Mr Smith in North America she is normally/often known as Jane Brown Smith. We don’t do that. She would just be Jane Smith here (or occasionally Jane Brown if she chose to retain her maiden name).

Thank you Elwyn