Looking for Hugh Cunningham's (1826-1901) family in the Carndonagh area

Eliza Cunningham's marriage to John Smyth is available at irishgenealogy.ie.  The record notes that her father's was THOMAS.  I hope this is helpful.

Dear Roger and Patricia,

Thanks very much for those prompt and helpful replies. I was finally able to get thru to the Presbyterian Church in Carndonagh and they have promised to go thru their records. They also will try to put me in touch with a local woman who has done quite a bit with their local history and genealogy. I will also subscibe to RootsIreland and take my own look. 

I may be jumping the gun, but considering the DNA matches, I have the distinct feeling that Margaret is Hugh's mother and thus Thomas his brother. Hugh had eleven children and it would seem that he and his wife, Maggie Jamison, named them according to the traditional Irish pattern, as did their children for the next generation. Their oldest son, my great-grandfather, was George and the second daughter was Margaret. There were eight sons in total, and after George, Andrew, Adam et al., the seventh was Thomas.

I di have one question though: our Cunninghams, once they got to Amerikay, seemed to alternate between Presbyterian and Episcopalian (COI), with even a little Methodist period. It seemed to depend on what church was closest. Is it possible that there were a COI or Methodist church in Carndonagh at this time?

Thanks again ever so much, my 86 year-old aunt, Joan Cunningham, is having a bal with all of this.

Jeff

Roger,

Once again, thanks for all that helpful info. That and your guideance really helped my research. As you suggested, I've found lots of Cunninghams in the Cardonagh area on RootsIreland, and they all appear to be Presbyterian. I am still waiting to hear back from that church and if I understand correctly I will have to drop by Dublin for the COI records. I've seen several references to Cunningham acres in Donegal but have a feeling it either refers to the Marquis who was a huge landowner there or perhaps it's considered a different form of measure?

Among the Cunninghams, I found Eliza Jane's father, Thomas, who is the son of Margaret. I have to think that this is Hugh and Mary Jane's brother but I cannot confirm this just yet. He married Jane Nelson on March 7, 1854 and they had eleven children in Glentogher, only six of whom survived infancy.  Margaret is a common name, so there is a possibility that he is just a first cousin. His father was Andrew, not George, but Andrew is a recurrent name with our Cunninghams so perhaps Andrew is the correct name of Hugh and Mary Jane's father. In any case, he would have predeceased Margaret, as she is listed as a farmer's widow when she died. I guess I need to find birth or marriage records to confirm their parents' names, but so far no luck.

As for the other Cunninghams, there are ten other couples in the immediate area at this time, but I have not been able to link them as yet, although there are at least two sets of brothers. Once again, I need to find the parents' names to link them.

Thanks again, and if you have any other ideas, I'm all ears.

Jeff

Roger,

I just looked up Cunningham acres: it is a measurement that was brought over from Scotland and used in Ulster. It's about 1.3 standard acres.

Jeff