Mccormack family in Lurgan, Armagh

Maddi,

 

Margaret McCormick birth in November 1864, in Clara St, Lurgan, mother’s maiden name Nelson.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1864/03599/2327374.pdf

Patrick birth in 1870 in John St, Lurgan mmn Neilson.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1870/03339/2223941.pdf

Twins James & Francis McCormac birth 1873 in John St, Lurgan:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1873/03214/2178773.pdf

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1873/03214/2178772.pdf

Mother’s maiden name shown as Neilson.

Ancestry has the baptism of an Ellen Neelson in Lurgan on 28.8.1841 to parents Hugh Neelson and Mary Kerns. No way of saying for certain that’s the right Ellen Neelson but it’s the only one in the records for that parish.  Does the Australian death certificate give Ellen’s parents names? If so, that may tell you whether I have found her baptism.

I do see a baptism for Francis McCormick on 25.6.1836 to Franck McCormick & Mgt Griffin in Lurgan. Sponsor Mary Griffin. So that seems to fit with your information, presumably obtained from his death certificate.

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633281?locale=en#page/51/mode/1up

Shankill RC parish has no marriage records before 1866, so if that’s where the couple married then there’s probably no religious record to be found. Statutory records of marriages began in 1864. The couple don’t appear in them either so I suspect they married pre 1864. (Margaret was born in November 1864 so  that tends to suggest a marriage earlier than1865).

I see a baptism on Ancestry for Mary McCormick on 23.5.1863 in Seagoe parish (near Lurgan) to Francis McCormick and Ellen Nelson.

It was  common for weavers to move about a bit (to follow the available work). Can make them hard to trace. No censuses have survived from that period, ie 1861 & 1871. There may not be any other records that will list them.

 

Death registration started in Ireland in 1864. I searched the records for deaths in the Lurgan registration area for John Nelson, farmer, old enough to be the father of Ellen born c 1842.

I found this one in Taughlumny townland:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1899/05784/4635725.pdf

Ages on death certificates can often be out by up to 10 years but he could just be old enough. However the family are in the 1911 census and they were Presbyterian. I have assumed your family was RC. Is that correct? Also the mother, Margaret, doesn’t look to be old enough to have had a child c 1842.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Moira/Taughlumny/251810/

This one is of the right age. He lived in Kernan but died in the workhouse and was a weaver, so wrong occupation:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1881/06425/4845863.pdf

Finally there is a 3rd John Nelson who died in 1868 aged 67. Deaths for the years 1864 - 1870 aren’t viewable free yet. If you want to see it you need to pay £2.50 to view it on the GRONI website.

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/

The above 3 were the only Nelson/Neilson deaths in the area in the relevant period. If John died before 1864 there may be no record. Tracing Ellen’s ancestors may be tricky. Have you tried DNA?

Accurate and consistent spelling simply wasn’t something people in Ireland in the 1800s and earlier bothered about, especially if you weren’t literate. But even when they were they didn’t bother.

In 1899, the Rev Smith reviewed the early records of Antrim 1^st Presbyterian church (covering the years 1674 to c 1736). He noted: “Even the same word is not always spelled alike by the same hand. Indeed spelling with most of the recording officials (and they must have been fairly numerous) was a matter of the most sublime indifference. The name William, for instance, is spelled 3 different ways in as many lines; while Donegore, a neighbouring parish, is spelled 10 different ways; but these extend over a good number of years. Many families names are spelled phonetically, while others are given in the most round-about fashion.”

So expect spelling to vary. That was the norm.

The link the lady gave you for the 1835 marriage tells you that, contrary to what I said previously, there are pre 1866 marriages for Shankill parish (which includes Lurgan). However of the 3 repositories/websites that hold church records generally, only 1 has the records for 1822 - 1865. Ancestry don’t have them which is why I couldn’t find anything. However it looks as though Armagh Ancestry does have them. They are now linked into rootsireland (subscription site) so you’ll need to pay to view the record.

https://www.rootsireland.ie/

Don’t expect too much from an 1835 marriage record. Normally all you get are the date, the couples names and their 2 witnesses. Normally nothing else, though occasionally you get a townland.