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Henry McGown, Sarah (nee Mark) and son John B abt 1836

AntrimAntrim (Antrim)

I am researching the family of Henry McGown, his wife Sarah (nee Mark) and their son John - the only place/origin given on any documentation I have for them is County Antrim.

Family story has it that John was orphaned at an early age and went to Scotland sometime about 1855 but may have been as early as 1840's.  It is not known whether he went to live with relatives in Soctland or not, but he was living in Newmains, Lanarkshire by 1861.

He married Elizabeth Savage in Newmains in December 1862. She is the daughter of margaret Todd and John Savage (he was also born in Co Antrim - abt 1817, and the subject of another post)

The McGown (McGowen, McGowan, .....) children were Margaret, Sarah, Henry and John - following the traditional naming pattern of being called after a grandparent.  Margaret, Henry and John were all born in Newmains, but Sarah was born in Hurlford, Riccarton, Ayrshire in May 1866. She died in October 1867 back home in Newmains, so presumably they were visiting relations or friends when she was born.

The family emigrated to Otago, New Zealand in 1878, arriving early 1879.

Margaret married Alexander Stevenson from Ballymena (apparently she met him on board ship on the way to NZ), but died from fever after her son John McGown Stevenson was born - he emigrated to America and was a well-loved Presbyterian minister, mostly in Geneseo and Moline.

Henry (my husband's grandfather) married twice - firstly to Margaret Boyd, then to Winnie Gale.

John married Elizabeth Spence McDonald  (their granddaughter Marie Dobson nee McGowan is also looking for information on the forbears in the McGown and Savage families)

 

If anyone can help with the origin of these McGowns we would all be very grateful. Thank you for your consideration.

Magoos

2 replies

Hi,

Thank you very much for your message.

 

Have you tried using the surname search engine on the Irish Times website? This gives an overview of how many households were recorded with  a specific surname in Ireland in the mid 19th century. It gives an overview per county for free, but to see a parish breakdown you need to pay a small fee. Although it may be a longshot,you could try searching on this using different variations of the name to see if you can get a parish name with which you could start your research.

 

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/

 

Or you could try searching for Henry?s birth record at www.familysearch.org or www.rootsireland.ie where some, but not all, church records are available. Please note however that you have to pay to view ny record on Roots Ireland.

 

 

Alternatively you could also try contacting the Ulster Historical Foundation to see if they can be of any assistance, however a fee may apply. Here is their email: enquiry@uhf.org.uk

 

 

Remember to post any new information you find, particularly with regards to place of origin. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Genealogy Support

 

 

 

IrelandXO member

Hello,
My grt-grt grandparnts are Daniel McGonigal and Elizabeth McGowan.
Do u have an email and i can share my family tree?

thanks
Daithi McGonigal

Daithi Mcgonigal

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