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Hugh MURPHY and Margaret PRENTICE married 1844 in Dromore, County Down

I am blood related to a MARGARET PRENTICE ( my GG Grandmother) , b abt 1813- 1817 in  Northern Ireland???

She was Married in Dromore, Co Down, Northern Ireland ...and named the Reverend JAMES COLLINS as officiating her marriage . In her deceased husbands USA Union Army Civil War Pension records she  needed to prove she was indeed his wife. An Internet search places this Reverend with a long career at Dromore, Co Down 1st Presbyterian Church.  Her Marriage was on March 31, 1844 to a HUGH MURPHY ( my paternal GGG Grandfather).  

 

I AM HOPING these records surface and lead me to the PARENTS of this couple.

 

This info was obtained and verified by the US govt in order to prove she was legally married and entitled to a widows pension after her Husband was killed ( age 61) in the U.S CIVIL war June 15, 1864 in Cobb county, Georgia on Keneshaw Mountain. With both being foreign born their minister at their local Church in Brooklyn, NY corresponded overseas to confirm the details.

 

Paper work held by US govt includes the name of a couple who were living in NY WHO knew this married couple while in Ireland.  

 

THE MURPHY's first child ANNIE MURPHY was born in Williamsburg ( now BROOKLYN), Kings County, New York, USA in 1846.

 

Their son John MURPHY was also born in Brooklyn on Dec 7, 1848.  He was also a U.S civil war veteran and hero. This was my GG grandfather.

 

Their second daughter MARGARET ( Maggie) was also born in Brooklyn, in 1852.

 

The family of 5 moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  prior to by 1861 and the enlistment of the father in the war effort. His son JOHN also enlisted at age 14-1/2 and became a Sergeant before age 16. John was at Appomattox, When Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered. 

 

I have Not had any luck tracking the two daughters once  they left their parents home in Philadelphia.

JOHN MURPHY had a large Family including a son John Prentice Murphy ( my grandfather) who was a major player in the Child Welfare movement after WW1 across the USA. He and his teachings are still mentioned in College text books over 80 years after his death.

Fogclan

4 replies

RootsIreland gives the following birth info for a Margaret Prentice born in 1816 in Co. Armagh.  Her parents were John and Margaret, which were also the name of two of your Margaret's children.  But I cannot say for sure that this is your ancestor. 

Name:                                      Margaret Prentice  

Date of Birth:                         22-Oct-1816

 Date of Baptism:                  

Address:                                 Baliscandle   [Ballyscandal]

Parish/District:                       EGLISH CI, Co. Armagh

Denomination:                      Church Of Ireland

Father:                                     John Prentice           

Mother:                                   Margaret

glanvil3@aol.com

My history of Presbyterian congregations in Ireland confirms that Rev James Collins was Minister at 1st Dromore from 1816 to 1856.

The PRONI guide to church records says that the marriage records for that church start on 1st April 1845 (that’s frustratingly 1 year after your couple married!). Statutory marriage registration started in Ireland on 1st April 1845, at which point the church sent a copy of every marriage to the local Registrar. So it looks as though the church’s own early marriage records are lost, but that the statutory copies from 1845 onwards still survive. If it’s any consolation, pre 1845 marriage records rarely included parents names. Often all you get is the couples names, the date and their 2 witnesses. So you might not have been much further forward even if the record did exist.The church does have baptism records from 1832 onwards. There’s a copy in PRONI in Belfast.

Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church, so you might expect that to be where Margaret was baptised and where she attended. Here are 2 other female Prentice marriages in that church, around the same time. Possibly related to Margaret?

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1851/09403/5406244.pdf

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1857/09524/5452205.pdf

Prentice was quite a common name in the Dromore area. Some examples here on the RosDavies site:

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/SURNAMES/P/PrPy.htm

I would say that the baptism Patricia has kindly found is not your ancestor as it’s the wrong denomination and in the wrong county. If your Margaret was born c 1813 - 1817 then Dromore 1st doesn't have baptisms that far back.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks, Elwyn, for your comments.

Fogclan...There are many family trees for these Murphys on Ancestry.  If the evidence is accurate, the daughter Margaret married a man named Fredericks, had a child, and then was widowed. She remarried, to a man called Nolan, who had a number of children. Together they had at least two more.  She died in 1901.

glanvil3@aol.com

Hello Fogclan:

I believe I have a photo of the John Murphy, who served in the Civil War, and as you mention, was at Appomattox. And John Prentice Murphy was my grandfather’s uncle.

Happy to try and connect offline.

JPM3

jpmurphy3

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