McCloskey's of Derry

DCarey,

Statutory registration only started in Ireland in 1864 so you won’t find birth or marriage certificates for this family. Normally we rely on church records before 1864 but in the case of Aghadowey (RC parish of Killowen) their records don’t start till 1843. This was the only McCloskey family in Aghadowey parish in the 1831 census. Headed by William, they lived in Cloggan & Resk and the family comprised 4 males and 5 females, plus 1 servant.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Coleraine/…

William is listed in the 1831 tithes for Cleggan and was therefore a farmer: http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/derry/tithe-applotments/aghadowey-pari… A John McCluskey was still farming there in Griffiths Valuation c 1860 (plot 1, a 23 acre farm). He was succeeded by Thomas in 1862 and then by a John (not necessarily the same John) in 1865. He had gone by the time of the 1901 census. John’s name is deleted from the Valuation Records in 1897. (The property today is on Clagan Park off the Agivey Rd).

Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee. The North of Ireland Family History Society is running an Ulster DNA project in conjunction with FTDNA and can offer testing kits at a reduced price. http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

Mary McCloskey married John Carlton. In December 1829 they had a son Henry. He left Londonderry in 1847 as a sailor-before-the-mast. His obituary says he sailed to several countries before he got off ship in United States. Family says in New York.

How common was it to work as a sailor for your passage? Did they sign work contacts?  If so, for how long?

I had a look at the 1831 census for Co Derry. Only 2 RC Carlton households in it. One was headed by William with a household of himself & 1 female and the other was headed by Jane with 2 other females. No household headed by a John Carlton.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Glendermet/Manaughbeg/4/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Loughinsholin/Maghera/Tallagloon/58/

I have read various accounts of folk working their passage, so it appears to have been common enough. I can’t give you any information on how long they usually signed on for, but you might expect it to be for a round trip till the vessel returned to the port of departure.  I don’t think there were any standard contracts. It was up to the Captain, who could hire and fire at will.  I doubt there were any written contracts then. I have never heard of any.

In the 1840s there were 2 companies regularly sailing from Londonderry to Canada and the USA. J & J Cooke and McCorkell Lines. They sailed to Quebec, St John NB & Philadelphia with weekly departures (Quebec was seasonal dependent on the ice). So there were no shortage of sailings from the port that your ancestor might have travelled on.