Ireland XO
Back to Message Board

Foster/Forster in Galgorm

My paternal grandfather, John Foster, was born in Galgorm, County Antrim, in 1873, but we know little of the family until they moved to Glasgow, where they appear in the 1881 census. His father was John Foster (or Forster), a weaver, whose wife was Sarah Anderson. I would be very interested to know if there is still a strand of the family there, or anyone who might be able to fill in some gaps in our knowledge. We hope to be in Ireland in September this year, and would be happy to remake some long lost connections if they still exist.

If anyone can recommend a good B&B in the area, we'd be grateful!

Andrew

5 replies

Here is the marriage record for John's parents, found on rootsireland.

 

25-Mar-1867               

Parish BELFAST, Co. Antrim

Name: John    Foster              Sarah Jane      Anderson

Address:          Connor                        Belfast

Denomination:           Presbyterian               Presbyterian

Occupation:    Weaver                      

Age:     Full Age (Over 21)                   Full Age (Over 21)

:Bachelor (Previously unmarried)     Spinster (Previously unmarried)

Husband's Father                                 Wife's Father

Name: William           Foster              William           Anderson                   

Occupation:    Weaver                       Teacher          

Witness 1                                 Witness 2

Name: William Cathcart        Frances           Johnston

Church:  Berry St Presbyterian

By Licence Rev H Hanna Married In Berry St Church.

glanvil3@aol.com

Meant to say that the above record is the church record. You can find the civil record on irishgenealogy.ie.

glanvil3@aol.com

Your ancestor John was born in Kells (not Galgorm). Kells is about 4 miles south of Ballymena. Galgorm is on the western outskirts of Ballymena.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1873/03200/2173398.pdf

William was born 3.2.1868

James 4.7.1869

Robert 21.4.1873

All were born in Kells.

Foster is a very common name in Co Antrim. 493 of them in the 1901 census of the county. 31 named William. Anything else you can tell us about the family to narrow the search a bit? Did either John Foster or Sarah Jane Anderson die in Scotland? If so, their death certificates should contain their mothers names which would be a help in tracing the families.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for the replies! They confirm the information that we have, which is very useful. My grandfather's birth certificate (certified copy) and the registry page refer to registration in the district of Galgorm, which I misread as the birthplace, which, as rightly pointed out, was actually Kells.

The Belfast civil marriage register entry for John and Sarah Jane - that matches in every other detail - shows John as John Forster, and his father as William Forster; the only place where this spelling occurs (so far). It has been suggested that the spellings were interchangeable at one time. Is that likely to be the case here?

The death registers (from Scotland's People) show that John Foster (senior) died in Govan, Glasgow in 1884, and his wife Sarah died there in 1886. John's parents were William Foster (recorded as 'linen manufacturer', which I think means 'weaver'!) and Sarah Kenney. Sarah's parents were William Anderson and Maria Townsley.

The 1881 Scottish census records John and Sarah with three sons, James, Robert and John, in Govan, but we have found no record of William in Scotland. Perhaps he died in infancy, or had already left home before the rest of the family moved to Scotland. So far, we don't know.

Thanks to all who are taking an interest in this - we much appreciate your knowledge and effort.

Andrew

Regarding the name Forster/Foster, minor changes in spelling were very common.  People weren’t that bothered about accurate spelling then – they often weren’t all that literate - and it’s common to find variations.

Linen manufacturer is a posh way of saying weaver. Linen was the most common product that weavers produced. Originally on hand loom weaving machines (kept at home similar to those used to make Harris Tweed in the Hebrides) but latterly on water powered machines in factories. (Kells had a couple of Linen factories at one time). The factories tended to prefer employing women  and children (cheaper and nimbler than men) and commercial weaving tended to make home weaving uneconomic. One of many factors which led to folk leaving Ireland around the mid to late 1800s.

There’s a death for a William Foster on 26.3.1870 aged 2 which seems likely to be your missing William. Death was registered in Ballymena (Galgorm sub-district) so that fits perfectly. The full record is viewable on the GRONI website for £2.50.

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

Griffiths Valuation lists a William Foster in Kells. He had plot 45 which was a house, offices, yard and small garden. It changes to John Foster in 1867 suggesting that William had died around that time. I don’t see a death 1864 onwards (when death registration began) so suspect William died before 1864. No sign of a death for Sarah so I’d say she too died before 1864. (Are they both shown as deceased on the 1884 death certificate?).

Likewise I can’t see deaths for William Anderson and wife Maria (Mary) in the Ballymena or Belfast areas. But the names are very common. If they died in some other district it would be a needle in a haystack.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.