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BIGGS C o I , Ballymachugh

CavanBallymachugh (Cavan)

Hi,

I just managed to find out that some ofmy Biggs great great great etc uncles and aunts were baptised at Ballymachugh and that my great great great grandfather William BIGGS was buried there in 1834.

The children baptised there were

Elizabeth Biggs 1827

Thomas Biggs 1830

Abigail Biggs 1832

Cassiah (Kesia) Biggs 1834

I have been unable to find online references to baptisms for older siblings Mary Ann (probably c1818-21) William jnr probably c1818-21) Margaret (my great great grandmother) 1823, John 1825. I have not been able to find a marriage for their parents William Biggs (of Welford, Northamptonshire) to Elizabeth Mc Cawley (probably of Drumbullion, Killeshandra).

John's army attestation states he was born in Derrylane (Killeshandra Parish) so I'm guessing the family moved c1826 to Ballymachugh (they are not in the 1821 census there)

After the death of William, Margaret and the younger girls moved to Drumbullionin Killeshandra parish to live with their grandparents William and Margaret Mc Cawley and uncle William Mc Cawley. they are listed there on the 1841 census. Uncle William appears there in the Griffiths valuation. Aunt Ann McCawley married George Reilly and later emigrated to Canada. Another possible aunt Mary is with the Currin family at Condry in 1841.

Whereabouts of the rest of the family are unknown- however

William- is shown as a "coachdriver" on Margaret's death certificate. He was a veteren of the battle of Waterloo, wounded there and invalided out in 1816. I have traced his Northamptonshire ancestors back to the late 1600's.

Elizabeth (McCawley) Biggs later went to live with son John in England and died in Northumberland in 1874. She is known to have worked for "Mr Crawford" who married several times (and owed her money!)

Mary Ann appears to have married George Woods in 1835 and is believed to have gone to Australia (date and place unknown).

William jnr is supposed to have emigrated to New Orleans in 1849. Nothing more is known of him.

Margaret married George Lovett a man twice her age, an army pensioner, they went first to Scotland and then to New Zealand in 1847. They had eight children andmany of their descendants still live in NZ today.

John joined the Army and served during the Crimean war and the Indian Mutiny before retiring to Alnick Northumberland. He had four sons but I am still working on his descendants.

Elizabeth jnr is supposed to have married a soldier and gone to India- date and place unknown.

Thomas emigrated with sister Abigail to America in 1850, he narried and had one daughter. A descendant lives in the US and providied me with many of the above details.

Abigail married .. Macmahon in America. Still working on her descendants.

Kesia stayed in Drumbullion, had a couple of court cases for unpaid wages and had a child George with one John Aikins or Ekins- there is no marriage or death record that I can find for her or George.

Ref Ballymachugh-

Details above are to save anyone chasing up resources unnecessarily-

What I am wondering is if there is anyone local who would be willing to have a poke around the Ballymachugh churchyard (Church of Ireland) to see if Williamgot a gravestone? I suspect his widow would not have been able to afford it but ...

Any other information regarding Ballymachugh C o I records, photos of the church or just generally would be much appreciated.

I would like to try and fill in some more details regarding the family'slife.

Thank you

Jane

jtpfarmside@gm…

3 replies

Hello Jane, the Church Representative Body library hold records from 1815/1816 for BMDs, according to their website, you have to visit to see them though. The subscription site Roots Ireland has their records though I think there are only 3 births in County Cavan and no marriage. I searched marriages for a William Biggs but only 3 turn up, two are the same in Tipperary/Waterford and one in Limerick to a Jane Purdon, he is listed as a 4th Dragoon. 

there are a number of Biggs baptisms in Ireland to father William on the site, mainly in Tipperary so not yours, an odd one in Dublin but you appear to have covered the person previously, a Thomas Biggs, father William, Mother Elizabeth was baptised in 1871 in Kingstown (Dun Laoire now), his age was estimated in his 50s and he was obviously converting to RC, usually for a marriage, just odd and interesting. Dublin church records are available here, civil records start in 1864 but 1845 for Protestant marriages. https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/

The death of William in 1834 on 25th  in Ballymachugh is recorded on Roots, age 48, C O I records.

there are 2 private Facebook pages on Cavan genealogy, Cavan Genealogy and IGP's Cavan Genealogy and I have seen, apply to join, takes about 24 hours and I have seen queries on graves and photos there, not always successful but worth a try. They are well moderated in that they stick to the topic only, no bad manners etc tolerated in case you are concerned.

Info on COI records are here https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/rcb-library/online-parish-records 

Good Luck

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Paty,

Sorry for the belated many thanks for the above- I don;t come onto this site very often and navigate my way around it even less frrquently so only just found your much appreciated reply..

Unfortunately visiting to see records is out of the question being on the other side of the world- but I could try the facebook site thank you.

The Thomas in Dublin is not my chap as he was in America by then and already married.

There is a vague reference in some family letters to William marrying in Weymouth- but I have never been able to substantiate it- and it seems unlikely unless Elizabeth was working there and they then travelled back to Ireland. Seems far more likely that they met and married in ireland. William was English but Elizabeth McCawley's parents lived in Drumbullion.

Anyway once again many thanks

 

jtpfarmside@gm…

Hi Pat,

Sorry for the belated many thanks for the above- I don;t come onto this site very often and navigate my way around it even less frrquently so only just found your much appreciated reply..

Unfortunately visiting to see records is out of the question being on the other side of the world- but I could try the facebook site thank you.

The Thomas in Dublin is not my chap as he was in America by then and already married.

There is a vague reference in some family letters to William marrying in Weymouth- but I have never been able to substantiate it- and it seems unlikely unless Elizabeth was working there and they then travelled back to Ireland. Seems far more likely that they met and married in ireland. William was English but Elizabeth McCawley's parents lived in Drumbullion.

Anyway once again many thanks

 

jtpfarmside@gm…

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