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I am trying to find my 5th great grandfather John Orr (Sr)s parents he was born in County Antrim, Ireland I have added all the information I have and know below

John Orr (Sr) according to his children and his wife he was born in County Antrim on 3 August 1775 and his naturalization paper which the source is on Family Search says the following "The petition of John Orr a Native of Ireland and a Subject of the King of the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland

Respectfully sheweth,

That your petitioner was residing within the limits, and under the jurisdiction of the United Sstates, between the twenty-ninth day of January, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, and the eighteenth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and nintey-eight, and has resided within the limits of Pennsylvania for upwards of five years immediately the date thereof.

That he wishes to become a citizen of the United States, and never has borne any hereditary title, or been of any of the orders of nobility in the kingdom from whence he came or elsewhere.

He, therefore humbly prays, that on his making the proofs, and taking the oaths prescribed, he may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States of America.

And he will ever pray, &c.

John Orr"

I am guessing he emigrated to the USA between 1790-1793ish, I also have no knowledge of where he was born or parents he is in fact my brick wall ancestor on my dads side. He married Elizabeth Geisler (who was orphaned when she was 8 years old and raised in an orphanage and by the Church) they married in 1799 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA and they had 5 children Unknown Boy Orr, William Patrick, Susanna (Orr) Simpson, John Orr Jr and Thomas Napolean Orr, I descend from Thomas Napolean Orr and his second wife Electia Irenia Main through their son Alpha Omega Orr and his first wife Ella J Wilcox through their son Andrew Jefferson Orr and his wife Luella Gertrude Cotterill and throught their son Robert Vern Orr and his wife Laveta Agnes Armstrong through their daughter Roberta Jane Orr and unknow father (complicated) through her son my dad and my mom. So I am trying to figure out who his parents are there is a website I came across that mentions John and his wife Elizabeth had 6 kids and it does omit the fact that they had 5 kids which is stated everywhere else and the person who runs the site has added 2 children whom are not their kids and has added parents that are not Johns parents as there doesn't seem to be any proof and someone on Ancesty has added these incorrect people as well (now if proof can be found then I guess his parents will have been found but I am highly sceptical however) anyways the peoples names are John Orr Sr 1750-? and Sarah Byers 1750-? and you can see why I very much doubt this since my John was a Sr and his son John was a Jr not a III...but any help is grealy appreciated.
 

Sarah Popchoke

1 reply

Birth registration didn’t start in Ireland till 1864. Prior to that we rely on church records to try and find ancestors.

You haven’t said what denomination your Orr family was but given the geographic location, the Scottish surname and the fact that he emigrated prior to 1800 I’d guess he was Presbyterian. (His ancestors likely came from Scotland in the 1600s, and  are often referred to in North America as Scots-Irish and in Ireland as Ulster-Scots).

The problem you face is that though in the 1700s there were perhaps 200 Presbyterian churches in Co Antrim only about 6 have any records for the 1700s, meaning the chances of finding his baptism are pretty slim, and if you don't have his parents names it will be difficult to be sure you have the right family. John Orr is a common name. In the 1901 Irish census there were 59 people named John Orr in Co Antrim (mostly Presbyterian) and the name would have been equally common in 1775.

Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society is running an Ulster DNA project in conjunction with FTDNA and can offer testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

 

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

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