Searching For Doherty Ancestors in Co. Derry

Volunteers:

We received a message from a member in Canada (Jane Liebzeit) which is pasted below. Jane is looking for Doherty ancestors in Co. Derry. I have checked Roots Ireland and FindMyPast.ie and have not located any leads on Doherty baptismal records for this family.

I apologize for the way the message was accreted to the message body.

Roger

 

I’m not even sure where this will end up, but hope you will read it, and try to help me get at least a bit closer to my ancestors. From my DNA, I am 41% Irish, and my grandfather was a Kennedy from Skerries, in County Dublin, I have most of his family, and made connections My mother’s mother’s family were from Ireland, although my great-grandmother was born in Scotland not long after her parents arrived in Scotland, the Ponsonbys after the 1841 census, but before the marriage of John Ponsonby to Helen Docherty in 1846, in Scotland. I’ve been able to trace a lot of the Ponsonby family, back as far as the Griffiths valuation, and have the approximate birth dates from the age at death, in County Donegal. I think I have found about all I’m going to find on the Ponsonbys of Stranorlar, John (1784-1864) & Thomas (1790-1866), in County Donegal. I’ve used everything I could, maps, Griffiths Valuation, etc etc. But can’t get back before their births, don’t even have the birth records, but know the names and places from their children and grandchildren who went to Scotland. However, while I’m sure there’s more on them to find “sometime”, I’ve given up on them. John Ponsonby Jr. son of John b. 1784 & Margaret Tonner, went to Scotland, and married Helen/ Ellen/ Eleanor Doherty in 1846 in Port Glasgow.

One of Helen’s brothers was John Doherty, a bit older, married Mary Moran in 1845 also in Port Glasgow, and in the 1851 census of Scotland, they give their place of birth as County Derry, Ireland All the other ones just have “Ireland”, which doesn’t help at all. From my DNA, I’m 41% Irish. My grandmother (who married John Kennedy from Skerries) was the daughter of Jane Ponsonby MacKenzie, born 1848 in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland, to parents John Ponsonby from County Donegal & Helen Doherty of County Derry (somewhere). I have several brothers for Helen Doherty, some were married in Ireland, but have been able to connect them from the death records that give parents names. 

Some of the brothers I'm certain of (that they were Helen’s brothers), others I very strongly suspect, but lose track of them. For example, at the baptism of my great-grandmother, Jane Ponsonby in 1848, her godfather was Peter Docherty (spelled that way); as Jane was the 2nd oldest child of 12 born to John Ponsonby & Helen Doherty, I think it’s a good indicator that he would be a brother to Helen. I I can’t trace Peter beyond this baptism, however. And it’s that way for some others, but I have several that I know for sure were her brothers, from the death records, same parents, John Doherty & Mary Diamond (Dimond).

I suspect there were several sisters, as well, but they were married in Ireland, and I can’t figure out how to connect them to my family. I believe for example that godparents Edward MacNulty & Rosa Patton, for the very 1st born child, John Ponsonby, who was born in 1847 (but died before 1852, when they named another son John), must be related. I know that John Ponsonby Sr. born 1784 in Donegal, Ireland, was married a 2nd time “Abt. 1820” to a Mary Patton, they had at least 1 son, James, who I was able to follow in Scotland, along with his 1/2 brother John Ponsonby Jr. (my great-great-grandfather, father to Jane Ponsonby). But I can’t figure out how Edward MacNulty & Rosa Patton were related to the Ponsonby family or the Doherty family. I’d “say” that Rosa Patton would be related to the Ponsonbys, from Donegal, because the 2nd wife of John Ponsonby Sr. was Mary Patton, she would be my 2x great-grandfather’s stepmother, likely the only mother he ever knew. However, the name MacNulty is not known to me, may have been related to the Doherty family, somehow, maybe the husband of a sister of Helen’s (??), as I would be surprised if none of her sisters went to Scotland. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve checked every birth, marriage, death record, before Civil Registration in Scotland, and after. So I know that William Doherty, brother (proven) of Helen, was married to Margaret McNally, in Ireland.

They settled in Dumbarton, where Mary died in 1854, from cholera, just before Civil Registration, so I don’t have the names of her parents. However, Francis Doherty, again proven brother, married Jane Cassidy in Ireland, they had one child born there, then settled in Dumbarton, had 5 more children there, and he died in 1854, probably also from cholera; but following Jane and her family, found her death & parents were James Cassidy & Catherine O’Neill. Also, Helen’s brother John (proven) Doherty married Mary Moran in 1845 in Port Glasgow, and they had 12 children, and so from his death record confirms that he had same parents as Helen Doherty. And his wife, Mary Moran, was the d/o Bernard Moran & Susan McLaren. But I can’t “connect” the Dohertys in Scotland back to their origins in County Derry. Somebody (or a few somebodies) told me I need the name of the Parish if I want to trace them. That’s totally impossible, and I’m lucky to at least know that the Dohertys, Diamonds, McConnachies, Morans, McLarens, Cassidys, O’Neils were all from County Derry. They all arrived in Scotland just before the 1841 census, as they were all “jammed” together in a couple of small rooms in that census. Helen’s parents were there, but also several children, married and unmarried, and a future daughter-in-law. I have NO CLUE where to go from here. And, if I have to know their parish, well, I’ve done better than any other relation in going backwards, and none has gotten any of the Dohertys or their extended families back further than I have.

And with this very long email, I’m making a “plea” to somebody to help me to find them. Just point me in the right direction. I’m not asking anyone to do the research for me, but I have no clue where to start. Thank you very much for reading this, and if you can help, or can pass this on to somebody who might be able to help, it would be great!!

Regards, Jane Liebzeit Winnipeg, Canada