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John J Johnston

AntrimBallymoney (Antrim)

Help needed finding info on Robert Johnston Family

Robert Johnston b. 1805 d. 1880 Lisburn

  1.  m. Mary Stewart b. 1806 d. 1841

 

                1. John J. Johnston b. March 1840 d. July 1908 Millville, NJ USA

                   m. Hannah E. Jones Young

                2. Betty Johnston

                3. Robert Johnson

                                (All three children come to USA)

 

  2. Mary McClure   d. 28 Nov 1897

                1. Margaret Johnston

                2. Samuel Johnston

                3. Mary Johnston  b. 1846

                    m. Stewart McClure

                                Tillie McClure

                4. James Johnston b. 22 Jun 1853 Ballymoney, Antrim    d. Aug 1930 Wichita, Kansas

                5. Jane Johnston

                6. Matilda Johnston  b 1871   Resided at 13 Union St. Ballymoney

                   m. Clarke Murphy

 

I have a letter from Tillie McClure, who references her aunt Matilda giving the above address and it includes information about the Johnstons who came to the Clayton area of New Jersey. This is the first place my Great Grandfather John J Johnston went to the USA. 

 

AntrimJohnson

3 replies

This looks to be Clarke Murphy’s 2nd marriage in 1894:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1894/10558/5846190.pdf

I can’t see his first marriage in the statutory records.

Clarke married again in 1915 to Matilda McMichael nee Johnston. Her father was Robert Johnston (farmer).

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1915/09799/5557563.pdf

Matilda Johnston’s first marriage was to John McMichael in 1901:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1901/10323/5758064.pdf

He died 31.10.1905 in Charlotte St, Ballymoney.

Matilda in the 1911 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Ballymoney/Charlotte_Street/125525/

Matilda in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Ballymoney__Urban__and_Ballymoney_Urban_District/Charlotte_Street/1008870/

 

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for the leads. 

With this information, I have been able to retrieve some documents on Matilda's family. 
Going back to John J and his father Robert Johnston or Johnson has been a challenge.
John's birth in the 1839-41 time period seems to be when no records are available online

.I have a few DNA leads in the Ballymoney Coleraine area that I am contacting area. 
We have a trip planned this summer to visit PRONI and then some of the churches in the Ballymoney area.  

I had no idea it would be this difficult to find info on my Irish GGF.  

AntrimJohnson

Statutory birth & death registration started in 1864 and marriages in 1845. Prior to that you need to rely on church records, and as you say, many of those are not on-line.  You will need to look them up in PRONI (or get a researcher to do it for you).  If going to PRONI you’ll need photo id (eg passport) to get your readers ticket and you currently need to book an appointment on-line, as numbers are limited due to Covid.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

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