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Searching The BURNEY SURNAME AND ANY CONNECTIONS

 • William Burney, born 1660 (no birthplace recorded), died in Ireland — no spouse or parents documented.

 • His likely son, William Burney, born 1686 in Ulster, Ireland, died in Ireland, married Catherine Smith (also b. 1686).

 • Their son, William Bernard Burney (1700–1770), married Mary Wood — this generation may be the one that emigrated to colonial America.

What I'm trying to find:

 • A specific townland/parish for either William Burney (1660 or 1686) within Ulster.

 • Whether this Burney family may be connected to the documented McBurney family of Saintfield, Co. Down — lowland Scots origin, present in the area from the early 1700s (a John McBurney, b. circa 1686, is documented in that family). The birth year match (1686) and region caught my attention as a possible lead, but I have no direct documentation connecting the two families.

 • Any parish, land, or muster roll records from Co. Down/Antrim/Derry in the 1650s–1690s mentioning "Burney" specifically (as opposed to "McBurney" or "Burns," both of which are also present in the area and could cause confusion in older records).

Any leads, record suggestions, or connections would be hugely appreciated. Thank you!

jburney1963

7 replies

There are at least 245 public member trees on Ancestry for the William who married Catherine Smith. Perhaps you might find more information there?

glanvil3@aol.com

Thank you Patricia

jburney1963

Hope you find something there. Good luck.

glanvil3@aol.com

Jburney:

Have you taken a Y-DNA test which would track your pure Burney paternal line?

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Jburney,

MacLysaght's "The Surnames of Ireland" says of (Mac) Burney, Burney: "A Scottish name of Norse origin comparatively recent introduction in Ireland, now numerous in north east Ulster."

From that I would recommend caution trying to separate Burney from MacBurney etc. It was all the same name. Expect to find spelling variations and the Mac/Mc/M’ prefix to sometimes be omitted. That was the norm.

Your problem is that there are very few comprehensive records for Ireland in the 1600s and most of the 1700s and it is very difficult to make progress in that period. You could try Pender’s census (1659) which may help locate the name in Co Antrim.

The 1630 Muster Rolls record a John Burney on the Upton Estate in Co. Antrim (Castle Upton is in Templepatrick). That John Burney is recorded as having no arms (ie no weapons) and so the inference is that he wasn’t very wealthy. Wealthier folk had pikes, swords, snaphances etc.

Castle Upton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Upton

As Roger has suggested, possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society is running an Ulster DNA project and can offer FTDNA testing kits at a reduced price. http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for your advice !  No I haven’t did a DNA test yet but I am ready to give that one a try !  So a Y DNA test is what I should do first then ?

jburney1963

Yes. I would suggest that you read up on the Y-DNA test before you make a decision. There are various levels of markers that you can test-- 12, 25, 37 and 111. There is also a Big-Y test that is even more detailed. The more markers you test the more detail you get on your pure Burney/McBurney paternal line. I tested at the 111 level for my paternal line.. 

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

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