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Jackson family in Tartaraghan?

ArmaghTartaraghan (Armagh)

My Jackson family came to Canada from Ireland prior to 1834.

Joseph Jackson was born in Irelandaround 1781, and died in Canada (age 62 years) on 11 Sep 1843. His wife Anne (maiden name unknown) was born in Ireland about 1778, and died in Canada (age 61 years) on 19 Nov 1839. Both Joseph and Anne were buried in Ontario in the St. Stephen's Anglicancemetery. They had five children listed on Canadian census records, and they were all born in Ireland. The children that were listedareMary Anne (born c.1808), John (born c.1811), Jane (b. 26 Oct 1813), Sophia (b. 13 Nov 1816) and Elizabeth (born c.1818).

Joseph Jackson is listed on the 1834 census as farming a parcel of 100 acres (with 17 acres under cultivation) in Trafalgar Township, Halton County, Ontario. The 1833 census lists a "James" Jackson on the same parcel of land with 15 acres cultivated,suggesting that the Jackson family had been farming that plot of land for at least a few years - possibly since 1830 or earlier. Although theywere on that particularparcel of land at that time, they may have arrived from Irelandearlier and have been living on that same parcel or elsewhere since their arrival in Canada.Their daughter,Elizabeth,was born in Ireland in 1818, so I assume they left Ireland some timebetween1818 andapproximately 1830.

The Canadian records show that therewas another request to the Crown for a different parcel ofland in the same township (Trafalgar Twp, Halton Co.)on27 Jan 1819by a James Jackson of Trafalgar (a discharged gunner from the Royal Regiment of Artillery).Based on later census records, etc., I am certainthat "Joseph" Jacksonis my ancestor.The entry for "James"may be an erroron the 1833 record, or James may have been a family member -a brother, uncleor father? In 1819, my ancestor (Joseph) would have been about38 years old, so any of those family connectionsare possible.

Joseph's daughter Jane Jackson was my great-great grandmother, and (at the time of her death) her birthplace was listed as Armagh, Ireland. Although I have nofamily records to indicate that my Jackson familycame from Tartaraghan parish, I have had DNA testing donethrough both FamilyTree DNA and Ancestry DNA. One result from FamilyTree DNA, shows one match with a genetic distance of 1-"Mary Jane Robinsonborn in 1805 died 1881 Tartaraghan". I have no known link to the "Robinson" name, but since this ismtDNA (matrilineal DNA) the link would probably be through my great-great-great-grandmother Anne (maidenname unknown),and an entirely different surnamewould likelybe the connection - that is, neither Jackson or Robinson.

I don't have any information that links my family to any other parish in Armagh, so I am hoping that marriage records for Joseph Jackson and Anne, or birh records for any of their children might exist in the parish of Tartaraghan. Any help or suggestions would be verymuch appreciated.

Thank you. Lynn Malcolm

malcolmfamily@…

5 replies

To trace someone born in the 1780s can often be difficult. You haven’t said what denomination the Jackson family was. However none of the churches in Tartaraghan has records for the 1700s. The oldest are the Church of Ireland’s which start in 1825. All of this family’s children appear to have been before that, so sadly there’s probably no record of them in Ireland.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hello Elwyn,

Thank you for your reply. 

The Jackson family was definitely protestant.  Joseph and his wife and family were buried in the Anglican cemetery - that is the Canadian equivalent of Church of England and (I assume) the Church of Ireland.  It was early days of settlement in that area of Ontario so their religious options may have been limited.  Church of England was listed on the 1851 census for his son's family, and Methodist was on the census records of his daughter Jane (Jackson) Cunningham.  Jane moved to a different part of the province with her husband, and religious options were very limited in that area as well. 

Since the youngest of Joseph and Anne Jackson's children (Elizabeth) appears to have been born in 1818, and you have said that the Church of Ireland's records start in 1825, those records don't sound promising.  Do you know if earlier records were destroyed, or just not kept for Tartaraghan?  Might they have been kept in a larger neighbouring parish?  On the other hand, if the Jackson's were Methodist or some other protestant religion, do you know if there were any records kept in Tartaraghan or elsewhere?  Finding a marriage for Joseph and Anne may be too much to hope for, but if there were birth records in Ireland for their children (born in the 1800s up to 1818) that to would be wonderful.

My husband and I visited Ireland about six years ago and went to PRONI.  Unfortunately, we didn't have the DNA infornation at that time, and just didn't know where to start.   Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. 

Best wishes, Lynn

malcolmfamily@…

Lynn,

Church of England and Church of Ireland are the same denomination (ie Anglican). Methodism is an off-shoot of the Church of England/Ireland and didn’t get started as a separate denomination in Ireland till about 1818. Even then, due to a wish by many members to retain the link with the Church of Ireland, it was many more years before most Methodists conducted their own baptisms and marriages. There are two Methodist churches in Tartaraghan but neither has any records prior to 1871, suggesting their members were still using the Church of Ireland until then.

Regarding Tartaraghan Church of Ireland, you ask whether there might be earlier records elsewhere. The current church was consecrated in 1819, replacing an earlier building on the same site. So it looks as though any earlier records were either never kept or were lost when the old church was demolished. 

http://tartaraghan.armagh.anglican.org/pages/

The PRONI church records catalogue makes no mention of there being any records kept elsewhere. That does occasionally happen and they are pretty good about noting that when appropriate.

Regarding other denominations, there is a Presbyterian church in the parish (Presbyterianism was the most common denomination in Scotland and so it would mostly be used by descendants of Scots who settled in the area). It’s records start in 1853. RC baptisms start in 1842 and marriages in 1819 (with gaps). Your ancestors being Church of Ireland were probably descended from English settlers who arrived in the 1600s. There are quite a few Jacksons in Co. Armagh in the Muster Rolls for 1630, so they may have been there as early as that.

Research in Ireland in the 1700s is notoriously difficult due to the general lack of records. It often comes to a stop around 1800 for that reason. Genealogists here call it the 1800 barrier. I fear that your ancestors were all born before any local records begin and there isn’t any record of them in Ireland at all. That must be disappointing, but I don’t see any way around the problem.

I realise your ancestors had moved to Canada by 1834 but the tithe applotment records list most farmers in the parish. There were 13 Jackson farms in Tartaraghan in 1834. Perhaps you may be related to one or more of those:

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/armagh/tithe-applotments/tartaraghan-p…

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hello Elwyn,

Thank you for all this information, it is very helpful. I hadn't heard the expression "the 1800 barrier" before, but I seem to have hit it with my Jackson family.  We hope to visit Ireland again in the next couple of years, and I look forward to seeing County Armagh and Tartaraghan with new eyes.

Best wishes, Lynn

 

malcolmfamily@…

Anne Jackson b1856 d1927 m.francis Matchett
David Jackson (her father) b1823 d1892 m.anne Rowe.
David and Anne had other children. On order of birth there's Mary Jackson, Joseph, robert and thomas

nurcopolics@ho…

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