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Annie Moore born 1832

Down

I am searching for Annie Moore who came from Cranfield, County Down. She was born on 1st Jan 1832. Her parents were Scottish farmers, they died when she was very young. She was brought up by her Scottish grandmother near the woods of Rostrevor just opposite the Carlingford Loch. County Down. I never lived in a town for I was born and reared in the country. Her great grandfather fought under general Wolfe at the battle of Quebec. Her family were victims of the potato famine. At the age of 16 and with her grandmother being 100 years old she was sent to Australia as part of the Earl Greys Potato Orphan programme. Her grandmother died 4 months after she left.

She arrived aboard the Roman Emperor into Adelaide in 1848. She married William Roper a farmer and miller in 1854, they lived in Rapid Bay South Australia.

She lived to be 92 having 11 children and knowing 5 generations.

pralton@bigpon…

10 replies

Your ancestor’s birth is long before the start of statutory birth registration in Ireland (1864). For events before that it’s generally necessary to rely on church records. You haven’t said what denomination she was born into but if she was of Scottish descent (as many families in Co Down are), then the most likely denomination is Presbyterian, though I wouldn’t rule out Church of Ireland. Some Scots settlers, particularly those from the Scottish borders became Church of Ireland. There are 3 Presbyterian churches in the Cranfield & Kilkeel area – Kilkeel, Mourne & Annalong. Unfortunately none of those churches has any baptism records for 1832. The only church that does have records is Kilkeel Church of Ireland which has records starting in 1816. There’s a copy in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. A personal visit is required to view them.

I looked in the 1901 census for the area around Cranfield (Greencastle electoral district). There were no Moores living there then (though the surname is very common in Co Down).

Searching around Rostrevor, I found just one Moore, a farmer in Knockbarragh. She was Church of Ireland:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Rosstrevor/Knockbarragh/1237041/

Unless Kilkeel Church of Ireland has your ancestor’s baptism, then sadly I’d say you might struggle to find any record of her existence in Ireland. (The 1841 census which should have listed her has been destroyed).

 

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Jan & Elwyn,

This record is from www.rootsireland.ie/:

Name:Anne MooreDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:19-Aug-1832Address:
Parish/District:NEWRYGender:FemaleCountyCo. Down
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:Thomas MooreMother:Catharine QuinOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:William McevoySponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Margaret Fegan

I believe Cranfield records may come under Newry but I'm no expert!

It would be unusual for a baptism to be so long after her birth on 1 Jan but perhaps 1 Jan was chosen for lack of knowledge of real date?

Col

ColCaffIrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks Elwyn and Col,  I clearly was not thinking when I did not give information on Annie's religion.  The shipping record did not give one.  However once in Australia she was confirmed and married in the Church of England rite.  She married an English man. It was very early days in South Australia and hers was the first confirmation in the area.  I would love her to be the Annie baptised on 19th August and agree it could be the date was the usual one used for unknow dates. However I cannot be confident.  My husband and I are planning a trip to Ireland in August the main purpose being to visit places that our ancestors came from.  So we could go to the public record office in Belfast if necessary.  We would have to plan our time so we are there when it is open.  Do we have to search for it?  Many thanks for your assistance I realise it was a very long time ago so not at all easy.  Where we have been lucky is that she was interview by the papers and there is a wonderful article (which we have) telling her life story.  Kind regards,  Jan

 

 

pralton@bigpon…

Jan,

Church of England is Church of Ireland in Ireland, and so I’d say it’s probably worth looking at the Kilkeel Church of Ireland baptism records in PRONI. They are on microfilm. The staff in PRONI will show you how to view them. (Bring photo id eg your passport, to get a reader’s ticket. Just takes a minute).

Given that you know Annie was born around 1832,  it won’t take long to see if there’s baptism that matches. (If you know her grandmother's name you could look for a burial around 1848 for her too).

I wouldn’t rule out the RC baptism that Col has found but if Annie was Church of England and of Scottish origins, her denomination is less likely to be RC, I would have thought. (What names did she give her children? Was there a Thomas or Catherine?).

Here’s a link to the RC baptism that Col found:

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633286#page/91/mode/1up

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hello, Jan 

Annie Moore is my 3rd Great Grandmother ! I am very surprised to see her as an Irish Orphan girl , I am trying to find her on the ship, "Roman Emperor"  Can you help?? Thank you!

 

Tony

Flavin

Hi Tony,  I understand your confusion.  The family story that she was going to Cape Town to her aunt but as she was not there to meet her she stayed on board does not tie in with the orphan information.  However there is a book called "Barefoot and Pregnant" that can be found in local libraries especially those that have a good genealogical section.  The newspaper article is in it plus more information on the ship and it's passsengers.  Also lots of information on the situation of the potato orphans.  Good luck with that.  Jan

 

pralton@bigpon…

Hi Jan 

Yeah , I am atm I am trying to find records from Ireland end that would have documentations on the Earl Grey scheme and the workhouse she may have been in and the probability of the Granny was in it too. I have a feel the story of meeting the Aunt was to throw us off .. and to take away her memory of the horrors of the famine at that time or it was a stigma.... I have been looking in Trove not alot there, So am guessing there is much more at that end. 

I have seen the interview for the newspaper in Trove.. it didnt mentioned anything about the Aunt so am gussing that got thrown in some where along the line.. It there any records of the process of the Orphans in South Australia? 1849 - 1854 Where was she in that time before she married.

How did she know about the Granny's death?

 

More questions!

 

Cheers

 

Tony

Flavin

 

 

Dear Col, Elywn and Tony,  I have googled the workhouses and found the one in Newry.  It is now the Daisy Hill Hospital.  Intake areas covered were 

Co. Down: Clonduff, Crobane, Donagmore, Drumgath, The Glen, Hill-Town, Newry (4), Ouley, Rathfriland (2), Upper Clonallen, Warren's Point (2).

Co. Armagh: Ballybot (2), Ballymyere, Belleek, Camlough (2), Forkill, Jonesborough, Killevy, Latbirget, Mountmorris, Mullaghglass, Pointz Pags (2), Tullyhappy.  I am assuming that Annie and maybe her grandmother would have been there and that this would cover Cranfield. Am I correct?  Kind regards, Jan

 

 

pralton@bigpon…

Dear Elwyn and Tony,  

I was very remiss in not thanking you Elwyn for the information on the Kilkeel workhouse it was much appreaciated and sent me in the right direction.  I have since done more work on it and found lots of information on the web and how it became a hospital.  We have just returned from Ireland where we visited the site.  It is now demolished and is a housing estate.  With the help of the map of the workhouse we were able to locate its positon and the graveyard.  Good to see the building gone but sad there is no recognition of the people buried in there, although this was common in those days. 

Tony, David F. Roper has written a book on the Roper and Moore families called "Footprints in Time a walk through Roper History".  It is a mine of information but does not answer your questions on granny.  He does cover the Potato Famine and County Down in some detail.

Kind regards

Jan

 

pralton@bigpon…

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