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Agnes McDowell Jewelry & Fancy Goods 33 Royal Avenue, Belfast

jewelers boxHello,

       I have been trying to research my husband's family on his father's side.  I'm starting to think my father in law's father was a ghost!  I haven't been able to find any information on him through Ancestry.com or any other search engine! We have very little information that we have been able to verify and I am hoping this message board can help.  My father in law grew up knowing very little about his family.  His mother died in 1951 while he was at sea with the U.S. Navy.  She had been remarried to a man that my father in law did not get along with.  His mother told him that his father was from Ireland and was killed while he was building one of the bridges or tunnels that connect New York to New Jersey (we have no idea if this is true) while my FIL was very small or possibly before he was born in 1930 in Union New Jersey.  My FIL father's name was William McDowell and we believe he was a merchant marine when he came to the U.S.  My FIL's name was William Alfred McDowell.  He was told he had an uncle Alfred who he was named for.  My FILs mother remarried and moved to South Jersey.  My FIL remembered that a man came from Ireland to visit him when he was a boy but he was too afraid of upsetting his step father to go down to the living room to meet him.  He also recalled getting cards with cash in them from Ireland(?) on several occasions.  In the early 50's or 60's he got a letter from a bank in Ireland that informed him of a small inheritance. He consulted an attorney and was told that it would cost more to get the money from the bank than the inheritance was worth.  OF COURSE no one knows what became of the letter.  It would help so much to have that information now!  The only tangible clue we have is a small jewelers box that has "Agnes McDowell  Jewelry & Fancy Goods  33 Royal Avenue Belfast" printed on the top.   We are planning a trip to Ireland in 2024 for our 40th wedding anniversary and I would love to be able to have my husband meet some of his dad's people.   Thank you so much!      

TanaMcDowell

4 replies

About what year was your father-in-law WIlliam McDowell born? Do you know what year he came to the U.S.? What was his mother's name? Thanks.

glanvil3@aol.com

Sorry...I see it is 1930. Any idea when his father was born?

glanvil3@aol.com

My FIL's mother's name was Helen C Benson. She married Frans B Mendel in 1915 in New York and I haven't been able to find out what happened to him.  I have no information about my FIL's father except what we've been told and that little jewelers box.

TanaMcDowell

Tana,

The 1943 street directory lists Agnes McDowell at 33 Royal Avenue.

https://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/alphanames1943Mc.htm

A 1922 advert in the Belfast Newsletter has an advert for Nobletts sweet shop at the address. The advert is for Easter Eggs and chocolate products.

1939 Street directory has Agnes McDowell at 33 with Nobletts next door at 35.

https://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/qrcomplete1939.htm

No sign of McDowells in 1932:

https://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/qrcomplete1932.htm

Belfast Telegraph of 2nd April 1943 has an advert from Adlestones, the jewelers, 46 Ann St & 33 Royal Avenue (offering good prices for silver plate etc).

Belfast Telegraph of 26th September 1963 has an advert from HH McNeilly of 33 Royal Avenue offering engagement and wedding rings for sale.

Belfast Telegraph of 28th March 1925 has an advert for Dunseith & Flack of 33 Royal Ave offering Indigo Blue Serges for sale.

Irish Weekly and Ulster Examiner of 9th July 1938 has an advert for Agnes McDowell of 33 Royal Avenue (opposite the Grand Central Hotel) for rings and other gifts.

By 1982 the premises appear to have been Apollo Window Blinds.

 

 

 

I think I have a clue for you though. I found this family in the 1911 census where there was a 20 year old Agnes McDowell who was a saleswoman and she had a brother Alfred. That might fit:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Ormeau/Deramore_Avenue/211350/

Part of the family in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Windsor/Edinburgh_Street/965981/

Alfred’s birth on 21.1.1887 in Belfast gives his parents as Charles McDowell & Margaret Cotter. So in the 1901 census the children are with their grandparents. Perhaps because Charles was dead?  (Margaret is a widow in the 1911 census).

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1887/02574/1951667.pdf

1911 census tells you there were 6 children and all were still alive then.

Parents married in 1881:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1881/10999/8021360.pdf

Marriage for Angus in 1918:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1918/09725/5528616.pdf

Angus looks to have died in 1952 when he was living near Coleraine, Co Londonderry.  His will should be in PRONI in Belfast and you might expect it to detail his children. There are several trees on Ancestry with the family. He looks to have had 3 children all of whom are dead now, but perhaps there are descendants? Contact the tree owners.

Probate abstract: McDowell Angus of Parkmount Carthall Coleraine county Londonderry commercial traveller died 5 May 1952 at Bann View Hospital Coleraine Probate Belfast 23 September to Anna Florence McDowell the widow. Effects £1653 15s. 2d.

Marriage for Alfred in 1915:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1915/09816/5564537.pdf

Likely marriage for Charles McDowell in 1918:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1918/09699/5518367.pdf

There’s an Ancestry tree for Alfred but there’s no information on any descendants.

A tree for Charles McDowell shows him as having died in Belfast in 1919 though I can’t find a death that fits that, and suspect it might not be quite right as he had 2 children. One was a Charles b 1919 who died in 2001 in Vancouver, and the other was Marjory McDowell with no dates. She is recorded as having died in London. Tree owner may be able to help you there.

I suspect Agnes never married.

Marriage for Mary McDowell to John Brownlee in 1915:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1915/09827/5568279.pdf

Annie married in 1908 to George Sargent:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1908/10061/5659306.pdf

Annie’s father Charles was noted as dead in the 1908 marriage certificate. There is a tree on Ancestry that indicates they moved to Canada in 1911 and George died in Ontario in 1954.

Angus looks to be your best bet at the moment for any descendants still in Ireland. Some trees show his death as being in Belfast but that does not appear to be correct. Both the PRONI wills site and GRONI death records show him living and dying in Coleraine which is about 60 miles north of Belfast. His death record gives his age as 66.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

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