John Kirkwood and his wife Elizabeth

My 2nd great grandfather was called John Kirkwood born around 1876-1877 ish. He died in action on 1st July 1916 at the battle of Somme. His sister was called "Isobel M'Minn", im guessing that means McMinn according to a piece of paper i found about his death. His wife was called Elizabeth but i dont know her maiden name and they had a daughter called Elizabeth Kirkwood born 27th Febuary 1911. I dont know who Johns parents were nor do i know his wifes maiden name after researching on my own for several years. So i need some help, I would really like to find out more. Thanks.

Reece Evans

3 years ago

2 replies

You may already be aware of them, but there are records in the FamilySearch database [https://www.familysearch.org] for a Frances Elizabeth Martin, born in Belfast 27 June 1875, who was married to a Lance Corporal John Kirkwood, who was born in Belfast on 27 February 1876. If you search at that site, you can find her record under ID number MTSN-8XT, and can easily access through her record the records for her parents, her husband, and two children they had, a son named George and a daughter named Elizabeth, who was born in 1911.

FamilySearch is operated by the LDS church, and is free to use. You have to create an account to use the database, but they don’t ask for much personal info, and no missionaries will contact you or anything like that. The database does not have separate family trees, and is essentially one huge tree of linked records, in which there is a single record for each person, with a unique identification number (although sometimes people unknowingly create duplicate records for the same person, which you can merge when you spot them). In each record, at the right hand side of the screen, you can see the screen names of those who have created or modified the record, and can send them private messages, so you might be able to get more info by contacting them (and perhaps also locate some relatives that way).

kevin45sf@yahoo.com

3 years ago

M’Minn was an older way of spelling names that were later spelled Mc or Mac. Many older documents use that version. So M’Minn in the 1800s would often be McMinn today. Isabella’s marriage in 1907.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1907/10087/5669379.pdf

Father’s name is Robert Kirkwood (deceased). Occupation saddler.

Family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Clifton/Manor_S…

Marriage between John Kirkwood & Lizzie Martin in 1903 (note Isabella Kirkwood as a witness):

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1903/10233/5724289.pdf

Father’s name is George Kirwood, saddler. So there’s a discrepancy there with Isabella’s marriage but somehow I feel it’s the same family. Family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Woodvale/Sugarf…

Brother Samuel’s marriage in 1907:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1907/10094/5672601.pdf

This looks like their son:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1908/01647/1657795.pdf

Family in 1911 though Mariam is recorded as Amelia:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Shankill/Raleig…

Brother George’s marriage in 1905 (John Kirkwood and George appear to have married 2 sisters):

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1905/10161/5696907.pdf

George in 1911 with his widowed mother:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Wood_Vale_Ward/…

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