IRISH QUAKERS: BLACKBURNs OF COUNTY ARMAGH

Upon reading the recent Newsletter story about William Penn, I wanted to add the history of my mother, Eileen Louise Blackburn (1922-2004). She is descended from John Blackburn, born ca. 1675 in Loughgall, Loughgall, Armagh, Ireland. He immigrated in 1736 with his first wife and most of his family. His wife died, and he remarried He died before 23 August 1752 in Menallen Township, Adams, Pennsylvania, USA.

This family is well researched, and may be found at the following website: https://www.blackburn-tree.org/ It is no-charge, period!

I was remiss in posting anything about my Blackburn heritage because it has incredible documentation online in the United States. If you visit Ireland and are in Armagh, look for our plaque that was established in 2010:

Ballyhagan Friends first gathered

in the home of Margery Atkinson,

near Kilmore, in 1654, establishing

the second Quaker Meeting in Ireland.

Friends build a meeting house at

this site shortly thereafter

and worshipped here until 1793,

when they moved to Richhill.

Erected July 2010

I hope this information helps someone. I visited the sites at Menallen, saw the original log of John Blackburn's family. It was amazing!

There is a Blackburn DNA project open to Y-DNA results. It can be noted that our DNA is unique to this family of Blackburns. It has Germanic origins, according to my Ancestry DNA test!

A special shout out to Kevin Howley who keeps the site updated and plans our reunions!