I am looking for information on my ggggrandfather Thomas Simpson.
He is listed on his daughter Elizabeth’s marriage certificate to John Knox in 1881.
The marriage took place at Knock Methodist Church, parish of Holywood, in the county of Down, on May 6,1881.
His profession is listed as manufacturer, and his address is Ligoniel, Shankhill.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.😊
In 1864, the foIIowing Thomas Simpsons were Iisted as head of househoId in Down in Griffith's VaIuation:
Source Surname First Name Townland Parish County
Griffith Simpson Thomas Kilmood and Ballybunden Kilmood Co. Down
Griffith Simpson Thomas T/crossgar/killyleagh St. Kilmore Co. Down
Griffith Simpson Thomas Cromac Ballynafoy Ballynafoy Village Knockbreda Co. Down
Griffith Simpson Thomas Creevytenant Magheradrool Co. Down
Griffith Simpson Thomas Glasdrumman Magheradrool Co. Down
Griffith Simpson Thomas T/newry/kilmorey Street Newry Co. Down
Griffith Simpson Thomas T/newtownards/frederick Street Newtownards Co. Down
Patricia, thank you for the information. I am trying to find his marriage information and date of death. His daughter Elizabeth lists her mother’s maiden name as Elizabeth Wethers. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1856.
I was wondering if her birth information might include her mother’s maiden name. Her mother died in Philadelphia and I’m not sure the information given was correct. When her mother died, she was Elizabeth Dillon.
I have tracked my Knox family back to 1800, thanks to the family Bible, but I have hit a brick wall with the Simpson.
Thank you for taking the time to help me with my search.😊
Nancy
Marriage cert 1881 https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1881/10999/8021336.pdf
Some quick observations re that marriage - the village and townland of Legoniel /Ligoniel is in Co. Antrim and located a few miles to the north west of Belfast, in the 1880s it was the location of a number of Mills, see this Belfast Directory for a listing for the village : https://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/VillageDirectory1880.htm (Belfast Directory 1880 - Villages section - see about half way down middle column)
However bear in mind that the residences listed on the marriage record are for the bride and groom at the time of marriage - no guarantee that their fathers lived at the same place at the time or even were still alive.
Eileen and Shane, thank you for your help in my family search. I really do appreciate your help.😊
I am hoping to find Thomas Simpson and Elizabeth Wether’s(?) marriage information and Thomas Simpson’s date of death. Do you think that that information is out there?
These are the questions I have-
Nancy
Officially civil marriage certs just recorded father's name and occupation, not status i.e.. alive or not, however some ministers/priests/registrars did sometimes note this - as you can see for John & Lizzie's marriage it's not noted either way. Sometimes on marriage records when a father is deceased the officiant might just record just the name and omit the occupation.
Civil registration of births started here in 1864, and Lizzie was likely born 1860* or earlier so too early for a birth record, so a search for a baptism would be required. Protestant baptism records often do not note mother's maiden surname. Given the timeframe and where the marriage took place (Methodist Church) . I would suspect that Lizzie may have been baptised in an established Church - i.e. Church of Ireland.. the difficulty is establishing where this took place...
Civil registration of non-Catholic marriages & registry office marriages (presume applies to Thomas & Elizabeth) started here in 1845 should be available on www.irishgenealogy.ie , I did have a search on here and on an Index of marriages, but found no likely match - they may have married before 1845, or possibly the information we have re Lizzie's mother is not accurate - unfortunately not all protestant church records are online and not all survive..
Added - If Thomas died after 1864 there should be a Civil Record - IrishGenealogy from 1871 onward or GRONI Online for 1864 - 1870 (the latter is a pay-website). If Thomas was actually a manufacturer then he may have had a will, I had a look on PRONI but did not see a good match
** Lizzie's age is not noted on the marriage but would seem to be 'full age' , so 21 or over.
Shane, thank you for the information. There is so much to consider while doing the research.
I know that Ballymena was often mentioned in family stories; just not sure if it pertained to the Knox or Simpson families.
I just found a note that Thomas Simpson died at an early age. It was probably a few years after 1856 when his daughter Elizabeth was born. His wife then married a man named Dillon who was involved in the linen business in Belfast(maybe).
If you ever need any research done in the Philadelphia, PA area, please let me know and hopefully I can help you out.😊
Nancy