After receiving the latest newsletter, I have decided to post this query. The birth placename recorded on the death certificate has a few of the descendents of Matthew STEPHENSON/STEVENSON stumped. The only time it was written down was on his Death Certificate and the informant was one of his sons-in-law.
I am hoping that someone on this Board would know what the actual placename is.
Shirlee, Wellington, NZ
I don’t know of anywhere that fits very well. You can see a list of the townlands that begin with Str on this link:
Looking at the 1831 census, there was a John Stevenson in Strahall which is in the parish of Cumber Lower. That’s the nearest I could see. Family were Presbyterian (so likely of Scots origins). Cumber Lower Presbyterian church has baptism records from 1827 and marriages from 1843. Copy held in PRONI in Belfast.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/…
Any chance you can post the death cert so we might look at the handwriting? Thanks.
Also, what year was he born? Any idea who his parents were?
There's a townland in Donegal, Stranorlar, not far from the border with Derry, which might be a possibility. It's located in a civil parish of the same name. The boundaries of some counties were adjusted in the 19th century, though I have no idea whether such a thing happened in that area. You can see more info about Stranorlar at at this link:
https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/raphoe-south/stranorlar/stranorlar/str…
Thanks everyone for responding, I have attached Matthew's death certificate. On the marriage certificate his father is recorded as Alexander Stevenson but on the death certificate it was recorded as Matthew Stephenson, none of the children were named either Alexander or Matthew, but one daughter was named Susanna. Matthew could neither read or write so he would not have known how to spell his birthplace.
If the place was Strahall, by the time the Griffiths Valuation had taken place b/w 1847-1864 they had moved.
Shirlee
Information on marriage certificates is usually more reliable than death certificates which, by their nature can never be first hand. I’d assume Matthew’s father was probably Alexander.
If he’s from Co Derry then the 1831 census has survived. There was one Alexander Stevenson/Stephenson in it, in Knockbuck (more commonly Knockbrack) in the parish of Clondermot. 3 males and 4 females in the family, so probably a married man. Denomination was Presbyterian, whereas I notice that Matthew was buried in an RC service so that doesn’t fit terribly well unless he changed denomination.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Carnan_Upper/Knockbuck/2/
There were very few RC Stephensons in Co Derry in 1831. The name was mostly Presbyterian.
Beard is not a common name in Co Derry. About 10 households in the 1831 census. Mostly Presbyterian or Protestant of one variety or another. No Beards in Clondermot (folk tended to marry locally in those days). So no obvious leads on Matthew’s place of birth.