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Morrison and McGowan families in Rathlin Island

Antrim

Hi

Just discovered that my Gggrandfather -Michael Morrison about 1820- 1886 , died Port Glasgow, had a sister called Catherine Morrison who was married in Glasgow 1842 and according to marriage details was  born in Rathlin Island in 1823 .Parents were Patrick Morrison and Jane McGowan. Michael  and his wife Bridget McKernan spent some years in Straid ,Layde and  there  are baptismal  records for 2 children John 1843, Sponsor- Dougal McGowan and Charles1861,sponsor Daniel McGowan- other children were Daniel, Patrick , Mary and  Henry. Bridget died in Port Glasgow 1868 and on her death certificate her parents were Henry and Sally McKernan- maybe connected to family from Tournaroan.Michael remarried in 1873 and on his marriage certificate his father Patrick  , deceased,was a ships carpenter. In 1842 according to Catherine's details both parents were deceased and Patrick  was a Victualler. 
Any information about this family in Rathlin Island would be greatly appreciated . 
Rose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

rose1961.rm@gm…

2 replies

Rose,

If you visit Rathlin and do the Puffin Bus tour, it usually stops by a plaque which commemorates the departure of 500 or more islanders in the 1840s, mainly due to the famine, though overpopulation and lack of local work was a factor too.  Those that didn’t go to the US or Canada often went to Glasgow and the Clydeside area.

The tithe applotment records for Rathlin in 1834 list a Patrick Morrison in Carrivindoon townland. The only McGowan was a Daniel in Crocknana. That appears to be a sub-part of Balllyconagan townland. http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=21506

 

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/antrim/tithe-applotments/rathlin-parish.php

Population of Rathlin in 1901 was 368 (I think it’s about 150 today). 7 Morrisons in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Rathlin/Corravina_Beg/922019/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Rathlin/Ballygill_Middle/922006/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Rathlin/Kinramer/922052/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Rathlin/Cleggan/922027/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Rathlin/Ballygill_South/922010/

4 (2 households) in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Rathlin/Ballygill_Middle/113318/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Rathlin/Carravinally/113330/

No McGowans in 1901, nor in Griffiths Valuation for 1861. There was a Patrick Morrison listed in Griffiths in Carrivindoon. (He had a one fifth share of plot 1 which was 160 acre farm). Possibly rundale (a shared farming system). Obviously can’t be your Patrick if he was dead by 1842 but might be a relation.

Rathlin parish RC records only start in 1856, so that is going to make tracing the family before that quite difficult. 

You might find Alex Morrison’s autobiographical book helpful:  “Rathlin Island as I knew it.” Publ 2003. The author was born in Greenock in 1915 and is dead now but his family were Morrisons from Rathlin. See:

https://meitheal.logainm.ie/en/info/rathlin-island/

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Elwyn,

Thank you so much for responding so soon to my message and providing all this information! Hope to visit Rathlin very soon!

Rose

 

 

 

rose1961.rm@gm…

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