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Looking for info on my family - PURVIS

AntrimAntrim (Antrim)

Hi,

I am looking for any info on my family. My Great Grandparents emigrated to Australian in 1909 on the Oswestry Grange which sailed from London to Brisbane, 28th July 1909.

Joseph Purvis is listed on the passenger list as travelling with his wife Minnie (death notice in Australian newspaper has her name as "Mary (Minnie)" and three sons. Their birthdates are listed as:

Joseph 28yrs Bootmaker (making year of birth approx 1881)

Minnie28yrs Wife (making year of birth approx 1881)

Robert (Bob) 6 yrs (making year of birth approx 1903)

Joseph 5 yrs (making year of birth approx 1904)

William (Bill) 3yrs (making year of birth approx 1906)

Joseph was a bootmaker and there is an old photo of the family outside a shop which I believe was located in Belfast, but another family story has it located in Dublin. I believe the three boys were all born in Belfast as well but cannot confim this. The passenger list has them as "scottish" but the family firmly believes they were Irish.

Thank-you kindly in advance for any info you can point me towards

Kathryn (Kate) Purvis

IrelandXO member

2 replies

There's a likely match for your Joseph, a shoe-maker married to Mary on the 1901 Irish census living at Osborne Street in Belfast - see this link

There are both listed as born 'Belfast', and there are no children in 1901... possibly newly married

The marriage of Joseph and Mary, should be included on the new GRONI civil records system where you pay a small fee to search and view certs etc. The births of their children should also be included - see : GRONI Direct

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Kathryn,

This looks to be Joseph & Mary in the 1901 census. Both born Belfast. Both Presbyterian.  The Presbyterian religion, combined with the fact they lived in Co Antrim and that they had a fairly common Scottish surname (there?s 600 in the 1901 Scottish census), all indicate that Joseph at least, is descended from Scottish settlers, most of whom arrived in Ireland in the 1600s. So they would be what are called to day Ulster-Scots.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Duncairn_Ward/Osborne_Street/938493/

Joseph married Mary Boyd (another Scottish surname) in Belfast on 25th Dec 1900. You can view a copy of their marriage cert on-line on the GRONI website for ?2.

Their son Joseph was born in Belfast Jan - Mar. I expect the other 2 children were too. You can look for their births certs on the GRONI website. (They cost ?15 to buy but only ?2 to view, so that's the cheaper option).

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

With the couples fathers names you may be able to pick up their parents in the 1901 census.

The surname Boyd suggests that Mary too is descended from Scottish settlers (as was most of Belfast till the 1800s.)

 

Elwyn

Ahoghill AntrimIrelandXO Volunteer

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